Here's some good news for NWW: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-women16-2008jun16,0,5593581.story">Women are lining up behind Obama.</a>
Re: the "elitist" tag. This isn't the first time we've heard it. They trotted it out for Gore and Kerry, too. Apparently any educated Dem is an elitist. I was talking to someone the other day who said that about Obama. I looked at him quizzically and said, "How can someone who earned their chops doing organizing in Chicago be an elitist?" I still have the same question. Essentially, that argument is to pull enough working class folks from the Dems (who, economically, would mostly be on their side) to make a difference. While this generally doesn't work among represented folks (i.e., union members), it works well in "right to work states" (i.e., the South and West).
I think many of you touched on something important though: You were provided a characterization that seemed to line up with the guy you voted against last time (or the time before) and now you wish you would have been more critical. Whether it be Obama, McCain, Nader, or whomever, I would really encourage voters to be very, very skeptical of easy negative narratives. Examine them, roll them around, ask who would be putting this forward and why. Is it true, or does it contain only a seed of the truth? Does it matter? Sadly, voters will always get mud slinging because irregular voters are motivated to go to the polls to vote against a candidate rather than for one.