Obama walks a tricky racial line

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080126/ap_on_el_pr/obama_race;_ylt=AnLWicQFJ.X_88eUGc2K7FBh24cA

Obama walks a tricky racial line

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 26, 1:49 AM ET

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Barack Obama is walking a tricky racial line, trying to excite black support in the South without getting tagged as "the black candidate" and scaring off anybody else.


At a spaghetti dinner in the basement of a black church this week, he told a cheering crowd the civil rights movement started from the bottom up, with marches and boycotts. "That's how change comes," he said, linking black civil rights to his own campaign slogan.

But here in South Carolina, which has its Democratic primary Saturday, he also says over and over that color doesn't matter.

..........

A new McClatchy/MSNBC poll holds warning signs for Obama. He leads Hillary Rodham Clinton in South Carolina, but his support among white Democrats fell in one week from 20 percent to a mere 10 percent after race became more of an issue in the campaign.

Blacks comprise large portions of the Democratic electorate in Deep South states, and they could help Obama win a handful of primaries, including South Carolina's. Indeed, after the results are in Saturday night, he's heading to Macon, Ga., and then on to Alabama on Sunday for campaigning.

But the more Obama is seen through a racial lens, the more it might hamper him in other, bigger states, especially those where voters might be unaccustomed or unwilling to support black candidates.

[robbedvoter]

1. Interesting

[rodeodance]

2. Its an unusually candid article.

[robbedvoter]

11. Where was this candor yesterday?

[bidenista]

3. interesting

But the more Obama is seen through a racial lens, the more it might hamper him in other, bigger states, especially those where voters might be unaccustomed or unwilling to support black candidates.

...so the article openly admits that the kind of coverage which it is providing has the potential to damage Obama.

I'm getting sick of both BO and HRC, but it seems pretty clear who's got the M$M backing.

[Evergreen Emerald]

4. I think that Clinton also walks a tricky racial line

The sensitivity to everything by the Black community is evident when Bill Clinton gets reamed for being "racist" when he mentions the voting record of Obama.

They are not allowed to criticize him without the race card being played.

How do you run against that?

I truly believe that Obama is using his race very well--politically dirty--but it is working to unite the black voting block for him.

[bidenista]

5. wow

The sensitivity to everything by the Black community

Tell us more about "the Black community" and its "sensitivity to everything".

(I guess this white man is too sensitive to dumbass generalizations.)

[Evergreen Emerald]

8. When Bill Clinton says that Obama's voting record is a fairy tale

the world is in an uproar and shouting racism from the rooftops--you tell me: is that overly sensitive or a purposeful political ploy?

When the issue of Obama's ADMITTED drug use comes up and the world is in an uproar and shouting racism (as if black people are the only ones who do cocaine) you tell me, is that overly sensitive or a purposeful political ploy?

When Clinton cannot criticize the record of Obama without the world in an uproar and shouting racism...you tell me.

When Clinton calls Obama a young man, and the world is in an uproar because that may have a racial connotation...you tell me...is that overly sensitive or a purposeful political ploy?

When Biden suggests that Obama is articulate, you tell me...is that overly sensitive or a purposeful political ploy to shout racism from the roof tops to solidify the black vote?

And, shouting racism worked. YOu saw the polls.

Don't you dare accuse ME of racism.

[KennedyGuy]

10. So the world is in an uproar?

Hillary did that?

[Evergreen Emerald]

no. Hillary did not do that.

And, I exaggerate slightly. The media suggested the world was in an uproar.

Obama's team, coupled with the media cover, made it look as if the world was in an uproar, long enough to sway the SC black voters to vote for Obama, cause Clinton was using race. It was a political ploy by Obama, with the help of the media.

[KennedyGuy]

15. I agree with you 100 per cent..thanks..

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. So Democrats don't think a Black man can be president?

[kentuck]

7. Yep.

That's true.

[Rydz777]

9. In South Carolina and the other southern states, the AA vote

may be decisive in the primaries, but in the general election will be outnumbered as usual by white Republicans. More important in the general election will be the Hispanic vote in the west which is pro-Hillary and will carry contested states for the Democratic ticket.

[busymom]

12. msnbc morning joe

Is anyone watching this? It has been an hour long commercial for Obama, with constant attacks on Hillary for race baiting...but the tv moderators and their guests have brought up the black vote non-stop.....and they're trying to convince women not to vote for Hillary because she is "leaning on her husband" and isn't a true feminist.

I love that the MSM blames clinton for brining in the race issue when it is THEM!

[mtnsnake]

13. I watched part of it. The media, including Joe, is on a vengeance trip against the Clintons

for when Bill attacked the media, all of them, for doing such a lousy job on convering the real issues bothering our country. The corporate media has never liked the Clintons, especially Bill, but now they're on a feeding frenzy because Bill shamed them all and he did it Clinton style. One on one, the media is no match for a Clinton. The only way they have a chance is to gang up, and even then I don't think they can beat them so handily.

[suston96]

14. The pundits are all saying the same thing.....

You cannot have a presidential race (Democrats) with a non-white, a woman, and a white guy running against each other and look the other way as what is obvious to everyone cannot be discussed. What utter nonsense.

From http://www.state.sc.us/cgi-bin/scsec/96vr?countykey=ALL&D1=RACE

Total registered voters in SC: 2,246,242

Total voted in Repub primary: 442,789

That leaves: 1,803,453

Of that non-white voters: 629,000 (Non-white voters in SC have shown up by some 20% more than white voters).

That leaves total white voters 1,174,353


Do some computationals based on say, the numbers up thread. No matter what you come up with, we will have to wait for the exit polls or the actual finals as to what groups voted for which candidate.