Chicago..Chicago is Obama Town!
I proudly wore my Obama button through much of my recent visit to Chicago and Milwaukee--and while I have worn many buttons for many candidates in the past, what I saw was very very different.
I fistbumped with people I didn't know. People smiled, looked at the button and said 'YES!',
"I'm with you", or "I'm glad to see you wearing that button!"
The people introducing themselves seem to cut across the demographics. But what was most interesting were the reactions at events associated with the wedding I had come to Chicago to attend, particularly as many in attendance were what secular observers would call "Evangelical Christians".
Some were skeptical of Obama because of his positions on issues such as reproductive rights. But others were willing to look beyond that issues, and cited Obama's charisma and ability to bring people together while expressing fatigue with the divisive and militaristic agenda they see Republican John McCain as espousing.
A small break for Obama among white evangelicals--even excluding the South where other cultural issues may be at play--could put a good number of states into play from an Electoral College perspective. Whether these open feelings were genuinely reflective of a wider opening or a sympathetic view of a hometown candidate was difficult to tell--but I wouldn't be writing off these voters just yet.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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