"Es el voto blanco, estúpido"

The Washington Examiner:

The flight of white voters from President Obama's 2008 base is scaring Democrats who are already worried that their side isn't as jazzed up about voting this fall as Republicans are, according to Democratic advisors and pollsters.

They are concerned that the desertion of white men, elderly whites and Southern whites will cost them victories in states like Virginia and North Carolina.

Pollster Celinda Lake, briefing the American Association of School Administrators on the election, said that Mitt Romney is leading Obama among white voters 56 percent to 38 percent. "This number 38 percent is a very dangerous number," she said. "You cannot win an election if all you get is 38 percent of the white vote. You have to get more," she said.

Lake explained that grabbing more white voters is the goal of the campaign to attack Mitt Romney's management of the investment firm Bain Capital. "That's why there is this fight to define the Bain corporation and jobs out-sourcing, because the Obama campaign has to get that white, blue collar number up above 40 percent to really assure victory," she said.

Fretting over white voters comes as the campaign is also working on its plan to bolster turnout. Many Democrats believe that they lost the Wisconsin gubernatorial turnout because the GOP did a better job.

Lake noted the difficulties Obama faces when she said that the president's "base is less energized." Meanwhile, she added, "the Republicans are very, very energized."

What's more, she said that Romney's Mormonism won't be a hurdle for Christian Republican voters."Many of us have questioned would the voters, the Christian voters, feel comfortable voting for a Mormon candidate and the answer is yes if they run against Barack Obama, so the reps are very energized and look for record high turnout."