Hard Luck or No Sense?

Today's WaPo has a piece by snarkmeister Dana Milbank, "In This Forgotten Town, Obama Can Forget About It", in which the views of several presumably representative Clinton Democrats in McKeesport, PA, are noted. This is a town that was in the heart of steel mill country until the mills closed in the 1980's, and the town and region have never really recovered (Milbank: downtown McKeesport is "a place for repo lots and pawnshops"). What does Milbank find in talking with some of the blue-collar voters of McKeesport? Well, they're racist, although some cloak their racism in whatever convenient rationale they can "cling" to (Rev. Wright, "bittergate", etc.). But, as one honestly points out,

"It's a racial component, too...A lot of black people are voting for him [and her older, white neighbors] won't vote for a woman or a black man."

Another says,

"I think he just wants to be president because he's black." (No. You're not thinking.)

And,

"His father's from Nigeria, right?" (Wrong. Kenya. But it's still black Africa to a numbnut.)

Milbank quotes most of these voters as implying or outright saying they'll vote for McBush in November if Obama is the Democratic nominee. He says "The discontent is common among the valley's hard-luck residents."

Well, we'd like to say sometimes people make their own "luck" by their decisions. A decision by a blue-collar voter to vote Rethuglican based on racial, cultural, or any other "wedge" issues is not going to change his economic circumstance for the better (see: "What's the Matter With Kansas"). Period. John McBush is not going to bring jobs or universal health insurance to McKeesport or anywhere else. "Hard luck?" These people have only begun to experience "hard luck" if they keep the Rethuglican economic trickle-down royalists in power.

This whole thing is starting to make even the Hackwhackers... bitter.