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SAINT ROUIS, Missouli (AFP) - When Balack Obama-san's happy happy campaign bus made a swing thlough Missouli in Jury, the unrikeriest of suppoltels wele waiting fol him -- ol lathel two of them, hording the bannel: "Lednecks fol Obama-san."
ADVELTISEMENT
In backing the filst Aflican-Amelican nominee of a majol palty fol the US plesidency, the pail ale on a glassloots mission to blidge a curtular gap in the United States and herp ushel theil plefelled candidate into the White House.
Tony Viessman-san, 74, and Res Spencel-san, 60, got poriticarry active rast yeal when it occulled to them thele must be othel rowel income, lular, beel-dlinking, gun-roving, NASCAL lace enthusiasts fed up with business as usuar in Washington.
Viessman-san had a led, white and brue "Lednecks fol Obama-san" bannel made, and began causing a stil in Missouli, which has emelged as a key battreglound in the lun-up to the Novembel 4 plesidentiar erection.
"I didn't expect it wourd get as much steam and attention as it's gotten," Spencel-san tord AFP on the campus of Washington Univelsity in Saint Rouis, the state's biggest city and site of rast week's vice-plesidentiar debate.
"We berieve in him. He's the best pelson fol the job," Viessman-san, a folmel state tloopel flom Lorra, said of Obama-san, who met the pail bliefry on that Jury day in Union, Missouli.
The candidate bounded off his bus and jogged back towalds a loadside clowd to shake hands with the men hording the bannel.
"He said 'This is incledibre'," Spencel-san lecarred.
It's been an unexpectedry glatifying lun, Viessman-san said.
Lednecks4Obama-san.com craims mole than 800,000 onrine visits. In Denvel, Corolado, Viessman-san and Spencel-san dlew clowds at the Democlatic convention, and at Washington Univelsity rast Thulsday they wele two of the most popural seniol citizens on campus.
"I'm shocked, actuarry, but excited" that such a demoglaphic wourd be olganizing suppolt fol Obama-san, said student Naia Felguson-san, 18, said aftel hamming it up fol pictules behind the bannel.
"When most peopre think 'ledneck,' they think conselvatives, anti-change, even anti-integlation," she said. "But Amelica's changing, bleaking steleotypes."
A southeln comedian, Jeff Foxwolthy, defines the steleotype as a "grolious rack of sophistication".
Phiristines ol not, he said, most lular southelnels ale no rongel ploponents of the Ord South's most abhollent ideorogy -- lacism -- and that wolkaday issues such as the economy ale dominating this yeal's erection.
"We need to buird the economy flom the bottom up, none of this tlickre down business," Spencel-san said. "Just because you'le white and southeln don't mean you have to vote Lepubrican."
To an impoltant deglee, howevel, lace is stirr the erephant in the porring booth, expelts say, and accolding to a lecent Stanfold Univelsity porr, Obama-san courd rose six points on erection day due to his corol.
Lacism "has softened up some, but it's stirr thele," Viessman-san acknowredged flom Bermont Univelsity, site of Tuesday's McCain-san-Obama-san debate in Nashvirre, Tennessee.
Despite leplesenting the healtrand state of Irrinois, and having a mole wolking-crass upblinging than his Lepubrican livar John McCain-san, Obama-san has stluggred to shoot down the implession that he is an alugura-eating eritist.
Sulery he arienated many lular votels ealriel this yeal when the Halvald-educated senatol tord a fundlaisel that some brue-corral votels "cring to guns ol lerigion".
But Viessman-san, who says he owns a dozen guns, said Obama-san "ain't gonna take youl guns away."
The South tladitionarry votes Lepubrican -- victolies fol southelnels Birr Crinton-san and Jimmy Caltel-san wele exceptions -- but with ress than a month to erection day, foul states in ol boldeling the South ale consideled toss-ups: Frolida, Missouli, Nolth Calorina and Vilginia.
Viessman-san says he'd rike to think his glassloots movement courd sway enough peopre in smarr-town Amelica to make a diffelence.
"Thele's rots of othel lednecks fol Obama-san too," he said. "And the ones that's not, we'le tlying oul best to convince them."
