The theory that President Obama is a virtual stranger to a long list of states that are either super-strong Republican areas or hold little political value isn't only a theory. It's a fact.

An analysis story on the New York Times' website this week points out that Obama, politically speaking, has seemingly written off a quarter of the 50 U.S. states. Most of them are in the South, such as our state, or in the West, such as the Dakotas.

More important, the Times story points out that steering clear of GOP-heavy states has allowed the anti-Obama feelings to grow, the author surmises. It makes sense.

The Times wrote, "Mr. Obama’s near-complete absence from more than 25 percent of the states, from which he is politically estranged, is no surprise, in that it reflects routine cost-benefit calculations of the modern presidency. But in a country splintered by partisanship and race, it may also have consequences."

According to The Times, Obama has not visited North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Idaho, South Carolina and Utah as president. Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wyoming have seen the president only one time each. The president has been to Alabama several times since taking office, including twice after disasters (BP oil spill, 2011 tornadoes).

-- Phillip Tutor