The following is a letter to the editor published in the Black Hills Pioneer, a local daily paper in Lawrence County, South Dakota, arguably the most Republican county in the state. I believe it shows the current level of mistrust of today's Republicans and is an indicator of the desire for change that is growing here, and is magnified in much of the rest of the nation. If the Republicans can lose this lady, their days are certainly numbered.
I'm Republican and voting for Obama
I am 90 years-old and a lifelong Republican, but my party has taken some wrong turns during this administration and I see nothing in John McCain's platform to correct them.
In these hard times Republicans continue to offer tax cuts for the rich and if it weren't for the Democrats in Congress, would do away with Social Security and Medicaid. For retired people that means what you have is what you get. And as blue-collar workers lose their jobs, homes and try to cope with rising expenses, the rich get richer, along with the lobbyists and big corporations they cater to.
Most Americans want the war in the Middle East to end, but McCain's confrontational attitude is likely to make it worse. He calls himself a "reformer" but he voted with George W. Bush 90% of the time, not much assurance of his promises for change.
Obama is making promises, too, for health care, education, job creation and other programs to benefit all Americans. I believe his heart is in it and he has my vote.
(name withheld)
Spearfish SD
The writer of this letter truly "gets it", and she is being joined by many other formerly lockstep Republicans in this area, across the state and the region. I am sure she votes and if enough others join her, McCain won't be able to carry even this extremely red state.