I was reading an article yesterday about the racism Obama campaign workers were encountering while campaigning, and something really struck me about some of the most vicious of the slurs, they were all cited as being from PA.
I'm not honestly surprised by this. I live in PA. This state is so conservative and reactionary I'm surprised that the KKK didn't mean the Obama campaign at the Philadelphia city limits to inform him he wasn't welcome. I think the thing that surprises people about PA is that the hate isn't openly visible most of the time. It's only when you talk to the people you realize "Wow, this guy hates everybody!"
What I find more interesting is that prior to the PA primaries Ed Rendell, the governor of PA, made comments that Obama was going to encounter problems in the Commonwealth because of his race. Rendell was excoriated in the press .
I don't like Rendell that much, but I knew when he made that comment that he nailed it. He was exactly correct, and the Washington Post story bears that out. Certainly I realize that it's the most extreme cases that make the news these days, and I'm sure the level of hostility is not always that high, but still...
The other day, during our neighborhood yard sale, a man came up and asked us if he could buy the Obama yard sign from us. When asked why, the guy said "Well I got a bunch of stuff I'm going to put up on my friend's house. I've got posters, buttons, stickers, all I need is a yard sign." "Is he an Obama supporter?" "Oh no, he'd never vote for that ni...guy."
That's my state y'all.
As a parting shot, I bring you news from another part of the country. In Marietta, GA a bar owner is selling "Obama in '08" shirts that feature Curious George. Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised me to hear this was happening in Scranton, York, or Altoona.
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