By The One
"We've had many Democratic presidents, and we will still have our guns"
-Tony Viessman-redneck
When AllHipHop was in Denver we quickly stumbled over a base of support for Senator Barak Obama during the Democratic National Convention.
Rednecks For Obama.
Unable to speak to them at the time, we quickly snapped a picture of these two gentlemen, but they left an impression on us. After a couple of weeks and a few seconds of searching, we realize these guys are the real deal.
“We hunt, fish, drink beer and support Barack Obama,” Tony Viessman told the New York Times last month. The 74-year old former Hillary Clinton supporter hails from from Rolla, Mo and has attended several events supporting Obama.
Right now, the movement only consists of two members, Viessman and his friend Les. (seen in the picture below). The pair have adopted the motto "“We Hunt, Fish, Drink Beer and Support Barack Obama.”
Viessman admits most of his hunting/fishing/drinking peers are not Obama supporters (there are some though), but that hasn’t prevented him from supporting the Democratic presidential candidate.
“Rednecks for Obama” formally announced its presence outside the Pepsi Center during the Democratic National Convention coupled wth a hug banner that cause a lot of chatter and questions.
Viessman owns 10 guns, hunts fishes and loves to drink beer, much of which is contrary to Obama’s ideals. Nevertheless, the Rednecks for Obama can see past these differences.
“I don’t care about his beer, I care about his intelligence,” he said.
Although their formal ranks are low, Obama appears to have an understated appeal in rural areas. One reader said, “Here in rural Appalachia, I see Obama stickers on pickup trucks and Obama yard signs on back country roads every single day.”The last word goes to Tony Viessman.
"He is brilliant. And he's not an elitist, though he has the education to be"
