Economy trumping ideology in Michigan

DETROIT, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Economic hard times are slowly prompting struggling Michigan residents to overcome ideological beliefs and support Barack Obama, interviews reveal.

Although they still have plenty of reservations about Obama, the Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and U.S. senator from Illinois, a national-high 8.9 percent unemployment rate and surging home foreclosure crisis are serving to persuade culturally conservative Michiganders to nevertheless swing toward him, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Republican opponent Sen. John McCain of Arizona suspended his campaign in Michigan, once considered a key swing state, after polls showed Obama surging. Residents told the Post their state is hurting so badly they're willing to roll the dice on a Democrat even if he does not share their views on guns, race, abortion and other culturally divisive issues.

"Maybe (Obama will) really make a go of it," said Pam Fleck, an assistant manager at a Dollar General store. "Maybe he'll say, 'Look past me and see what I do.'"

Derek Forney, an evangelical Christian, told the Post: "What Bush and his party have failed to deliver on is inclusiveness. I'm very interested in bringing people together. I have a young daughter. I don't want her to grow up in a divided country."