[bluefish81]

I guess my question to anyone, is how much exposure do you currently have to small towns? I spend at least two days a week in small towns in Nebraska - towns with populations 800 - 25,000. I've been visiting these communities for over a year and the same storefronts that were vacant a year ago, are still vacant. One of my clients in one of these communities told me last week that we needed to reinstate the draft - it would a) help our military out and b) provide jobs.
Does the comment hurt Obama? Yes and no. I think it just depends on who within the communities hears it and their interpretation of the message. Many in rural areas (at least Neb.) aren't Obama supporters anyway. As someone who grew up in rural middle America, minus the clinging to religion, I'd say the assessment is pretty spot on. Will his statement change the way people in small communities think? I doubt it.