Would Clinton really have done that much better than Obama in Appalachia?

[Frodo]

Doubt it -Appalachia is becoming more like Mississippi and Oklahoma among whites.  Most are still (amazingly) registered Democrats, but are Democrats in name only.  To all intents and purposes they are becoming dyed-in-the-wool Republicans. 

Why they don't just switch in this day and age is a mystery to me.  Is it too much of a bother just to go to your registrar and ask to switch party identification? 

[Frodo]

Yes, but because she was more centrist than Obama.  Obama far and away is just not a good fit for the region politically--he's WAY too liberal.  Not that Hillary Clinton's not pretty far-left herself, but just not as much as Obama.  So, although she probably wouldn't have done a whole lot better, she would have performed better than he did.

Obama and Clinton had the same positions on cap and trade, healthcare and taxes.  On what issues was Obama far more liberal?  I can't think of any.

Not exactly -she favored the individual mandate, and until he became President, Obama did not.