Obamalachia: Election Week Special - Part 2

THE OLD GUARD

Back at Dixie Barbecue, Alan Howell’s political philosophy can be summed up in his approach to one very important commodity: smoked meats.

“David Davis, Rob Russell, Dr. [Phil] Roe, they all come in here and eat,” he says, sipping a glass of sweet tea. He’s referring to the lame-duck incumbent, the Democratic challenger, and the Republican candidate for the First District’s House seat, respectively. “Doesn’t matter. I feed ‘em all.”

It’s a generous statement for a man who ran for (and lost) the same position in 2006. But in many ways, it’s reflective of “big tent” ideology in action, articulated by a man who lives it. Despite all the indications of his restaurant, Howell, a burly man with curly white hair and a diamond stud earring, strenuously resists categorization; he’s seen regularly, for example, at both Democratic Party events and Sons of the Confederacy meetings. (For the record, he says, “it’s a heritage organization, a historical group. It’s not about race.”)

Alan Howell does not lack for credibility either as a Democrat or an Appalachian native. He grew up working-class in neighboring Carter County, in an area called Tin Can Holler. His restaurant has become a local landmark. But his political beliefs, he says, aren’t an import. Rather, he asserts, they come from his background too.

“My daddy was in the union,” he says. “I was always taught that the union was for the working man, and so was the Democratic Party. The union sent me to college. And as I grew up, I saw how shabbily working folks were treated.”

Which begs the question: Why is Howell seemingly alone in this view, at least locally? The restaurant owner is quick to dismiss any thoughts of ideological superiority – “Republicans and Democrats, we have the same goals,” he says. “We just have different ways of getting there” – but he chalks up his party’s failure to make inroads to historical precedent and to poor organization. “The party’s written off the First District,” he says glumly. “They won’t give you a dime.”

Nonetheless, Howell sees parallels in Obama’s positions and what are, in his opinion, some of the major concerns of voters here. “People need insurance here,” he says. “We need more jobs. We only have light manufacturing. People are tired of the war.”

And he doesn’t see a problem with the First District being represented by Obama, either. “So what if people think he’s elitist. Is it a bad thing?” he asks. “He’s worked hard all his life. You want somebody good for your candidate. It doesn’t have to be somebody just like you.”