Reader Forum: McCain And The Rust Belt

Reader Matt wonders:

Like everyone else, am trying to figure out why Obama can't win in the Rust Belt. I have a theory that I'm trying to get feedback on, and that is that this has little to do with race in comparison to the economy.

First, I think these folks are afraid of what he represents as far as the youth movement, which so used to a global economy that they really don't pay too much attention as to whether an item is manufactured here or across the globe. Second, I think they are also afraid of the green movement to a degree, since it involves a 180 degree shift in the manufacturing patterns of the past, which is pretty much what the Rust Belt represents.

The question is, when/if(?) Hillary leaves the race, do they regard Obama as less or more of a risk than McCain? Any thoughts?

More of the argument is here,

What do you think?