So, Let Me Get This Straight: I’m Inferior To These People?

They prefer Americans, not Muslims: W. Virginians Tracy and Janet

The Real News Network (Motto: “The Future Depends On Knowing”) describes itself as “a television news and documentary network focused on providing independent and uncompromising journalism.”

So, it was fitting, a little before this past Tuesday, that TRNN journalist Matthew Palevsky went down to West Virginia to cover what this traditionally blue collar, Democratic-voting bloc was saying about the then upcoming primary. (Huffington Post linked to this video, but TRNN‘s own page contains a transcript to the video, part of which is reproduced below.)

As we now know and expected, Hillary Clinton won West Virginia handily; The New York Times called her victory “lopsided,” noting that this was “a primary where racial considerations emerged as an unusually salient factor.” In other words, water is wet.

TRACY, CLINTON SUPPORTER: My opinion is I think the United States of America should be run by somebody from the United States of America.

PALEVSKY: But he’s from the US. He’s born here. He’s been raised here.

TRACY: And he’s Muslim.

PALEVSKY: But why do you think he’s Muslim? He wasn’t raised Muslim.

TRACY: But I don’t agree with that.

JANET: You feel like there’s a lie behind it.

TRACY: Yeah, I don’t agree with that.

PALEVSKY: Do you think that’s a smear tactic in politics, to label him as a Muslim?

TRACY: I think it is a smear tactic.

PALEVSKY: I mean, but—.

JANET: Do you?

TRACY: Yeah, I do think it’s a smear tactic, but I think we have the right to know. I mean, I think we have the right to know everything in their background.

Palevsky speaks to other West Virginians, then comes back to the two women.

PALEVSKY: Will you get behind Obama if he does win the nomination?

TRACY: No.

PALEVSKY: Why not?

TRACY: No. I’ll go Republican.

PALEVSKY: You would vote for McCain.

TRACY: Yeah.

PALEVSKY: And why? Why that decision for you?

TRACY: I just—I just don’t agree. That’s—I’ll just leave it at that. I just don’t agree that he should be president of the United States.

At one point in the piece, Palevsky speaks to a Black West Virginian named Brenda.

PALEVSKY: So whom would you vote for today?

BRENDA, OBAMA SUPPORTER: Obama.

PALEVSKY: Why Obama?

BRENDA: ‘Cause we need a change.

PALEVSKY: And what do you think he’ll provide for the country?

BRENDA: A better world.

PALEVSKY: And do you think West Virginia will come out for Obama when it comes to the general?

BRENDA: No. There’s too many rednecks here in West Virginia.

Water. Wet.