Published: August 26, 2008 11:29 pm      

Compton believes Obama can turn West Virginia into a blue state

West Virginia turned red back in 2000 and kept the same hue on its political landscape four years ago when George W. Bush made it back-to-back triumphs in a state where Republicans seldom win.

And the reason is simple — the numbers are against them.

This time around, one delegate at the Democratic National Convention is convinced Barack Obama can redo the Mountain State with a new color scheme — blue.

“Yes, I do,” a confident Mary Pearl Compton exulted Tuesday at the Denver gathering.

Obviously, a smattering of disgruntled Democrats who preferred to see Hillary Clinton’s name on the ticket could be seething over her failure to nail down enough delegates for the nomination.

Clinton, however, has turned into one of Obama’s loudest cheerleaders, rallying the disaffected around him, Compton pointed out.

“I believe he can turn West Virginia around,” said the former House of Delegates member who was sent to the convention pledged to Clinton.

Compton expects her fellow Mountain Staters to see much of Obama in the weeks leading up to the November election.

“And you’ll see a great deal of work in his campaign to turn our state around,” the retired Union school teacher said.

Compton shared Clinton’s endorsement of her former rival as a man who can prove to be a president of distinction.

“I believe he is a brilliant person,” she said. “I believe he has a view for this country. He has a dream for us that is a new beginning for this whole nation. And it’s long overdue.”

Compton said her main issue in this election is one shared by working class West Virginians — relief in the daily struggle to put gasoline in their tanks and food on the tables, and find a way to provide the uninsured with health care.

“And I believe Barack Obama will do that as our next president,” she said.

To some degree, she figures the senator’s put-down of small-town America as gun-toting, Bible-clinging xenophobics could hurt him, but won’t really affect the race in West Virginia.

“I believe that’s water over the dam,” she said.

What’s more, Compton views running mate Joe Biden as a definite plus to the Democratic chances in November.

“Obama has been criticized for not having foreign experience,” she said.

“And who in this country has any more experience with foreign affairs than Joe Biden? So I think he brings exactly what Obama needed in this campaign. Joe Biden is a person who is a very bright person who can relate to the blue-collar voters, folks like West Virginia.”

Compton hasn’t met any VIPs, but came close to Biden at a barbecue a day earlier. In the meantime, she is snapping up all the collectibles on hand — buttons in particular.

On the negative side, Compton is struggling with two problems visitors encounter in Mile High City — the time zone difference and the thin air.

“I’m two hours late getting to sleep and two hours early getting up,” Compton said.

“I have a difficult time adjusting to the difference in the time out here.”

Nor is the oxygen-anemic air any less problematic.

“You can become dehydrated so fast,” she said.

“They’re encouraging us to drink a lot of water. The other night I woke up and was just dry, dry, dry. The air is so different. I went out to Red Rock the other night for a concert. We had a steep hill to climb. By the time I got to the top, I was huffing and puffing because the air is so thin.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com