Another article on Obama and Appalachia

This from Jonathan Tilove, by way of TPM. Pretty interesting. To wit:

For those keeping score, seven of the 10 whitest states in the nation have held their primaries or caucuses. The Illinois senator has won five and the New York senator two — New Hampshire by an inch and now West Virginia by a country mile. Stretch it to the 20 whitest states and the tally is 12 for Obama and five for Clinton, with three to go.

[...]

"She's won the Appalachian region of every state contested,'' wrote Dana Houle, who in his postings on Daily Kos has dissected how Obama's difficulty in Appalachia does not necessarily translate into a broader or more permanent problem with white voters.

"No, Obama doesn't have a racial problem,'' Houle concluded. "It appears that Appalachia has an Obama problem.''

I'm curious how much this translates into a general election vulnerability. Democrats haven't won West Virginia since 1996. They can certainly win the White House without it. But to the extent that Appalachian voters can't stand Obama and are drawn to the Scots-Irish John McCain, that pulls western PA and eastern OH into the red column. Something to think about.

I can see why Tilove brings up the idea of Jim Webb as a vice presidential candidate. Not a bad idea.