Politicians should not dismiss a suspicious demographic

My previous blog about Barack Obama's chances in West Virginia turned out to be way off the mark. I thought, all things being equal he stood a chance of doing well. He did very poorly. All things were not equal. He chose not to campaign seriously there. that was a mistake.

In our personal lives we can pick and choose those with whom we associate. We, as a result of experience, come to understand that not everyone will love or appreciate us and that's just the way it is. That's o.k. because there are so many other people out there, that there is nothing lost by avoiding the individuals or groups we find toxic.

There are at least three instances where that solution doesn't make sense. You can't so easily avoid antagonistic family members or co-workers who are out to sabotage you and your efforts. The third instance is that of a politician seeking office for whom there is a major demographic group that is suspicious of his/her motives.

Here, of course, the obvious example is Barack Obama and the voters in West Virginia who were suspicious of his intentions. One facet of their suspicion relates to those comments he (misspoke) in California. By seeming to assume that a large group of voters held strongly to a constellation of values simply because they were "bitter" about their economic circumstances was to take them with less seriousness than they deserved to, in effect, diminish their importance.

Then, when the West Virginia primary approached, the decision was made, at some level in the campaign, to give the State up without much of a fight. The strategic thoughts behind that decision are obvious. The payoff would be too small to justify the effort expended. But there was something those strategists overlooked. Bypassing West Virginia was equivalent to dismissing those voters who already felt marginalized and looked down upon by your campaign. 

The campaign, in that way, reinforced the already existing suspicion. Result, a more resounding loss than would have been the case and the turnout was surprising large given the widely disseminated media message that the final nomination battle has already been decided in your favor. 

Lastly and in conclusion, there are other groups around the country who feel like those voters in W. Virginia. Their now reinforced suspicions have to be undone with a lot of hard work. That will entail having them get to know up close and personal those qualities and characteristics which directly refute the false stereotypes.