Certain groups of Democrats are cross-pressured? Yeah, I'm aware of that, but Barack Obama will never out-Republican a Republican on those issues. Obama's problem with blue-collar voters is not that he is too liberal on social issues, it is that he is too conservative on economic issues.
Granted many of blue-collar voters are Democrats, so my "Republican base" crack was simplistic, but the point is that both Obama and McCain have chosen to fight on right-wing ground, and they are both moving to the right, not to the center.
He may have to tread into the conservative territory in order to win the GE
Twenty-four percent (24%) of the nation's voters are both fiscally and socially conservative. Twenty percent (20%) are both fiscally and socially moderate. Fifteen percent (15%) of all voters are fiscally moderate and socially liberal. Two groups of voters each include 10% of the voting population--those who are fiscally conservative and socially moderate along with those who are fiscally moderate and socially conservative.* Nine percent (9%) are fiscally and socially liberal.*
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_conte nt/politics/election_20082/2008_presiden tial_election/daily_presidential_trackin g_poll
