photo credit Wikimedia Commons/Jarekt

Having grown up a stone's throw from the WV border and feeling a great affinity for my neighbors to the south, I'm not sure how to take the recent polls that show Sen. Obama trailing significantly in the state. I guess it has a lot to do with the perception that West Virginians are distrustful of outsiders, as though they're somehow different from the rest of us. Or maybe it's that many West Virginians think a black guy from Chicago (who grew up in a white family in Kansas) mistakenly feel he doesn't understand and can't relate to their needs. Granted, the state is not very diverse when compared with the rest of the nation. It's not his ideal demographic. But perhaps the pollsters and pundits who have given up on West Virginia just haven't reached people like the ones I have met there, who are kind and proud and independent, and who will vote for Barack Obama because they know he will bring the kind of change the state desperately needs.

I hope I'm not making the entire state out to be a bunch of backwoods 'folk'. They're not, of course. Morgantown is the home of WVU. We've posted about the University here, and remarked on their visionary transportation system. West Virginia is the place where I attended my first Edwin concert, and where my memories of the incredible beauty of places like New River Gorge are a frequent reminder to me of a place that John Denver described so well.

Funny thing is, when I think of West Virginia and Sen. Obama, a lot of my hopes for the state are consistent with the reasons I support him. They are the second poorest state in the nation, and the earth that they've depended on for sustenance is being exploited, as they are, by corporate interests that are destroying the natural beauty of the state by blowing the tops off the mountains they love. The people of West Virginia need change, and the voters of West Virginia have, probably more than most, a lot to gain from his presidency.

Senator Obama spoke to supporters in West Virginia yesterday about the values they share, like the new GI bill, that he supports and McCain opposes.

So, West Virginia, maybe Obama's not exactly like what you've come to expect from politicians. Seems to me that's a good thing for all of us. As one of the least prosperous states in the nation, and one of the most derided, West Virginia should be able to relate to his message, and be hopeful for the change that is to come.

On a much less serious note, here are some photos from Sen. Obama's website of him hanging out at Schultzie's Billiards in South Charleston yesterday. When you think about it, not so different from pool halls in the south side of Chicago, or anywhere else in the country. As Sen. Obama reminds us, there is more that unites us than separates us.