I think so. Its typically the equivalent of 'nudge, nudge, wink wink' so if it was subtle people would miss the point

If one’s a dog, I suppose.

You're correct. Obvious and dog whistle are mutually exclusive terms.

But these days those words are treated like magical incantations by hacks trying to make it believable when they assign labels to the wrong'uns.

> If it’s obvious, is it a dog whistle?

The point of a dog whistle is to be obvious to anyone clued into its subcultural framework, but slip under the radar otherwise.

It depends on the audience. Those who pay close attention to political strategy are more aware of said strategy than those who don't.

I think it is valid to call something a dog whistle as long as it's something where a sizable number of people get differing impressions of the meaning of a statement.

Yeah, why not. "States' rights" would be an easy example.