Frank was attacking Dems for abandoning populist rhetoric and economic policy.

The Dems offered a slick internationalist cosmopolitan multiculturalism, freetrade liberalism and the cruelty of the freemarket. Coupled with affirmative action, prochoice, PC language restrictions,  these are policies designed to appeal to fairly well heeled upper middle class voters.  Not factory workers or manual labourers.

Frank was saying that the working class were abandoned by self-rightcheous liberals in favour of cultural battles.

Guess what?

"What is refreshing about Obama is his willingness to speak to us as adults."

Economic policies in D.C., & the fact that nothing trickles down to working stiffs, has nothing to do with a person's positions on god, guns, gays & abortion.

For the people who want to overturn Roe v. Wade, a candidates view & votes will be the first & singular over-riding factor in voting.  This issue crosses all economic lines & often works in tandem with the god thing.

People who perceive themselves as religious fundamentalists make that their most important factor in assessing a candidate; it is not something they cling to after something else happens to them.

The anti-gay thing & the same-sex marriage gambit are tiresomely worn out: it is a basic, front-of-the-line position for the people who fear & loathe homosexuals; it is not a by-the-way issue.

Anyone, I mean anyone, and especially a political candidate, who thinks that the 2nd amendment is some sort of fallback position of smalltown folk who feel left out is just plain, flat-out too silly to be in politics.  For the voters who are passionate about firearms, it is their foremost issue.

Finally, many of these factors tend to fall together for people.  As most observors KNOW, god & guns & gays are basic tenets of a very huge group of voters.  Anti-abortion beliefs thread through those groups too.

The religious conservatives & social conservatives who hold those views do not do so because some factories got closed & the people can't find new, well paid jobs.  

I very much disagree that he talked to the group as adults.  He and the wine-sippers were clucking over those slobs in PA who don't know any better.

Hillary had two big strengths going into this race: 1) "Machine" Democratic states, like MA, CA, NY, and pretty much every traditional blue state besides IL, where Obama had support and 2) "Reagan" Democrats in Appalachia. It is not particularly surprising when she wins states in either of these categories, just as it is not particularly surprising when Obama blows her out in areas where AA's dominate the primary vote.

Here's the difference between the two: "Machine" Dem states will vote for the nominee in the fall. Bank on it. Powerful local parties in the states I mentioned will rally behind Obama just like the one in IL would have rallied around Clinton.

Now, I'm willing to concede that Obama, for whatever reason, doesn't connect with Appalachian Democrats. I don't see this as a problem, however, as most of the states they are in are trending blue anyway.