Barack Obama is in the midst of his “I Love America, Honest, No Kidding” tour, peppering his speeches with patriotic bon mots, according to the AP:
But Obama is smart to go even further now, said Rogers Smith, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He called it crucial for Obama to attract more white, blue-collar voters if he is to narrow Hillary Rodham Clinton’s lead in the state. A candidate with an unusual name, an exotic family history and a minister criticizing the country needs to reassure those voters, Smith said.
I think Mr. Smith overstates the case. Being a nation of immigrants, America is filled with exotic family histories and unusual names. It’s worshipping at a church where the minister says “God damn America”–yes, that raises a question or two. Funny how sensitive voters can be.
