On race, the Range and what really matters

Last night, the Daily Show lampooned a McCain spokeswoman who referred to her candidate’s support in “real” Virginia. That quote set off a firestorm on the blogs and cable news shows, but what wasn’t reported as often was that the spokeswoman also referred to other areas being part of “real America.” Among them, western Pennsylvania, northern Wisconsin and the “Iron Range of northern Minnesota.”

Oh, brother. I see where this is going. These are all heavily Democratic areas, but predominantly white and, at some point during this cycle, experts have wrung their hands about these areas collapsing toward the Republicans because of the “race factor.” The big picture here is that the McCain camp has tipped their hand on their final two-week strategy. Race cards … all of ’em. They are going to try to flip Pennsylvania and maybe Minnesota and Wisconsin simply because of racial and cultural discomfort.

MPR’s Mark Zdechlik broadcasts an interesting and sadly accurate story today about race, Obama and the Iron Range in advance of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s visit to Hibbing tonight. (I’ll be there tonight and will report back as soon as I can). Race is the elephant in the room up here. But, then again, so is the economy. Rangers vote pocketbook issues first. At least, they have for the past 60 years. But as I pointed out to Zdechlik (I talked to him after he finished the story) this is not your father’s Democratic ticket. Minnesota DFLers nominated a biracial constitutional law professor and a controversial comedic writer for the top two offices on the ballot, respectively. They were nominated for good reason, but the challenges are no surprise.

McCain and the GOP aim to test the Democratic index here under the veil of gun rights, “sportsman issues,” and “redistribution of wealth.” That was McCain’s line at the last debate and it’s a red herring that Republicans use when they want to divide people up into categories. As Colin Powell pointed out on “Meet the Press” last Sunday, all taxes are redistribution of wealth. The vast majority of Americans receive their tax money back in the form of roads, schools, services and protection. Those that don’t are extremely wealthy, far more wealthy that anyone I know personally planning to vote for John McCain (and yes, I know quite a few people on the other side). But by framing the issue this way, McCain opens an “us vs. them” narrative that allows people to make the “us” related to just about anything they want: age, gender, race, income, you pick ’em. McCain doesn’t need to say it. He just needs to leave the couch out on the roadside with a “Free” sign on it. Someone is going to take that couch and we all know it.

Here on the Iron Range, race is a touchy subject. There are racial attitudes that dominate union halls, bars and gas stations that would offend many. Mostly, though, it’s not hatred so much as it is the Iron Range’s longstanding distrust of outsiders. It’s even harder for the culture to overcome those differences when people look different, which is why a candidate who looks like Barack Obama and has a name like Barack Obama struggled in parts of the Range during the caucuses. But in all honesty, nothing is more important on the Range than the economy, health care, pensions and schools. On all fronts, Obama provides the platform that my a majority of my fellow Range voters want.

That’s why I think McCain’s strategy won’t work. I’ll say probably because I don’t know everything, but I do know that the country is looking for someone new to lead this country and Barack Obama has stuck to his “change” message masterfully. I know sincere conservatives who are backing McCain for sincere reasons, but his campaign has ceded the mantra of bipartisanship and healing to Obama. He’s also ceded the economy as an issue to Obama. That, more than anything, will keep the DFL Iron Range solidly blue, along with Minnesota and most of America … all of it “real.”