Ukrainian-Americans on the vote

Politicians today zero in and go after specific constituencies. This concept is called micro-targeting, says this analyst. Just as marketers spend hundreds of millions of dollars, they also want to know what message we prefer as voters. In a place like Michigan, understanding even the smallest sector of a voting populous could make a big difference. It’s estimated that between 45 and 80,000 people in Michigan are of Ukrainian ancestry, and many of them live north of Detroit in this city. Parents send their children to Ukrainian Saturday school here to learn Ukrainian culture. This man says like most American voters his biggest concern is the economy but he also pays attention to what the candidates say about his ancestral homeland. He feels McCain understands the situation in Ukraine and Russia better. Obama mentioned Ukraine less and even referred to it in a way that references its Soviet history. It’s a common mistake and people say they’re willing to overlook the gaffe, but they’d still like Obama to be more forceful on the Ukraine-Russia issue. Both candidates have been to Michigan a lot in recent months but have not stopped in this city, and some are offended by that. If a candidate were to take a few minutes and stop here, it would be remembered for a long time here and could help endear a generation of Ukrainian-American voters.