Obama/Clinton split shows in county
By Nick Claussen
Athens NEWS Associate Editor
May 8, 2008
While Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to battle it out in the race for delegates, Dem voters across the country are split on whom they support.
In Athens County, the divide between the two sides is also very noticeable, as evidenced by the March 4 primary results and an informal poll of a dozen or so people across the county on Tuesday.
In the primary, Obama dominated in the city of Athens, while Clinton won most of the precincts in the county. Obama won big in the Ohio University-student-dominated precincts, which fits with the national trend of many younger Democrats supporting him.
Clinton, meanwhile, won in blue-collar and rural parts of the county (which also fits with her national support among working-class white people), with some of her largest wins in The Plains, Carthage Township, Lee Township, Stewart, Troy Township, Trimble Township and Millfield.
On Tuesday, several people spoke out about why they like Clinton and not Obama, several said why they like Obama and not Clinton, and a few said they prefer Republican candidate John McCain.
The majority of people asked, though, said they aren’t excited about any of the three.
“To me, it’s all just corrupt,” said Arthur Rutter of Chauncey, who said he does not plan to vote for any of them.
Frank Schoonover, also of Chauncey, said he is leaning toward McCain partially because he sees him as “the lesser of three evils.” He added that he prefers McCain’s politics and personality over Clinton and Obama’s.
Chauncey resident James Russell said he wishes the November ballot had a box to mark “none of the above,” in the presidential race.
“I don’t like Hillary because of Clinton, her hubby,” Russell said, adding that he is not happy with President Bill Clinton.
He said that Obama has some very good ideas, and if he had to vote today he would probably vote for him.
“We need change,” Russell said. While he’s actually a registered Republican (he registers as a Republican and his wife registers as a Democrat so they can have a say in each primary vote), he said he never votes a straight ticket.
Millfield resident Gary Cartwright would still like to see Ron Paul receive the Republican nomination, and said he is disappointed in the national media’s lack of coverage of the candidate.
“You drive around, you see a lot more Ron Paul signs in people’s yards,” Cartwright said.
Paul has such a small percentage of popular support that he stopped receiving substantial attention from the press several months ago.
Of the three candidates left, Cartwright said he prefers Obama because he brings the most chance for change.
“McCain’s too old. He’s too much like (President) Bush,” Cartwright said. He considers all three of the candidates to be “gun-grabbers” but said Clinton may be the worst with this.
Myra Cartwright agreed with her husband and added that the country has been led by the Bush and Clinton families for too long.
“We need some fresh blood,” she said.
Gary Cartwright added that he sees the gas-tax holiday that McCain and Clinton have been discussing as “a joke,” and added that the oil companies could just raise gas prices anyway.
While he prefers Obama over Clinton and McCain, Cartwright said he would vote for Clinton if she wins the Democratic nomination
“I will vote for Hillary if I have to,” Cartwright said. “I won’t vote for McCain. He’s a carbon copy of Bush.”
Nelsonville resident Paul Smathers said he also is not a big fan of any of the three, but he knows which candidate he definitely does not want to see win.
“Obama, I don’t have (any) faith in the guy at all,” Smathers said. He said he believes Obama disrespected the American flag by not wearing a flag lapel pin, and he does not trust him when he hears him speaking.
When Clinton speaks, she seems to face the people more and she seems more trustworthy, he said. He also likes some of Clinton’s ideas.
McCain seems too connected to President Bush, he added.
Smathers is leaning toward voting for Clinton, but if Obama wins the Democratic nomination, he said he’ll vote for McCain.
Dale Bockrath of Buchtel said he would have preferred to see Fred Thompson win the Republican nomination. He will probably vote for McCain, but will consider casting his ballot for Clinton, he said.
JoAnn Thompson of Buchtel said she also sees problems with all three candidates and is not comfortable supporting any of them yet. She will pray and ask God for guidance in the election.
“I’ll vote for who he tells me,” Thompson said
Virgil Grandy of Buchtel said he also does not like any of the three candidates very much. Both Clinton and Obama are too liberal for him, so he will probably vote for McCain because he is the “lesser of three evils,” Grandy said.
On the OU campus on Tuesday, student Kari Graham said she also supports McCain. Her family is conservative, and she said she likes McCain’s ideas.
Student Adam Hartman said he would like to see Obama win. “We really need a Democratic president,” Hartman added.
Student Megan Parris said that while she also likes Obama, she has heard from people who really don’t like him and don’t want him to win at all.
Student Andy Poland said he also likes Obama, and noted that conservatives in his family support Obama, too. Poland added that Obama seems like he is running for the president so he can improve the country, while Clinton is running so she can benefit herself.
Howard Resnick, a visiting professor from Florida, said he also has concerns about all three candidates and like many people simply hasn’t made up his mind yet. “I’ll sort of leave it to God,” Resnick said.
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