Observations from the Heartland

Last night as we were sitting at the Incinnati Reds new ballpark - THE Great American Ballpark - I had the following observation:

Often, when I'm going about my daily life in Chicago and following politics as closely as I am apt to do, I wonder to myself, "How could John McCain EVER win?" But then, after spending this much time in the heartland, and meeting the voters of the swing states Ohio and Indiana, I start to wonder, "How could he ever loose?" It's not about race and racism per se, but through our travels, we have gotten a sense of the "redneck attitude," which clearly doesn't fall victim to the incredible motivational sentiment that pervades the strongest supporters of Barack Obama. For whatever reason, these folks just don't seem like they will soon be connecting on a 'higher level' with the junior senator from Illinois. Hopefully McCain will make enough flubs and the legacy of GW will resonate with these midwest swing voters, but after spending the last 48 hours amongst them, my spirits have not been heightened about Barack's chances in Indiana and Ohio.