Indiana's intolerant history and its relevance for the upcoming primary.

[Buzz Clik]

Indiana is a very strange place with a history of incredible higher education (Notre Dame, University of Indiana, Purdue University, etc) with a backdrop of unfettered racism. Hoosiers, however, are not afraid of change.

The definitinve analysis from the inside:

Feeling the Earth Move as Obama Walked In

Brian Howey, Howey Politics Indiana

EVANSVILLE - In the very toe of the Hoosier State, which was rocked and rattled by an earthquake the previous week, Barack Obama was preparing to descend to the stage at Roberts Stadium. His move came in a state that in its 192-year history has elected only three African-American mayors (all in Gary), three African-American members of Congress, two black sheriffs, and two Hispanic mayors. None served much south of I-70.

Indiana House Majority Floor Leader Russ Stilwell of Boonville looked at the gathering crowd on this Tuesday night and softly said, "There’s an undercurrent out there. I’m not sure if people realize what’s going on." In about an hour, more than 8,000 Hoosiers - black, white, young, old - stood in a huge line that wrapped around the stadium, and for most, another two hours waiting for a transformational figure in American history to appear.

Around 10:45 p.m. on this balmy night, Obama took the dais in Evansville to thunderous cheers. "Evansville is going to be so important," Obama said a few moments after Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp sang “Small Town” … “All my friends are so small town. My parents live in the same small town. My job is so small town. Provides little opportunity. Educated in a small town. Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town. Used to daydream in that small town …"

The crowd itself seemed to state that another era had dawned in Indiana.
Barack and Michelle Obama acknowledge the greetings from 8,000 people at Evansville's Roberts Stadium on Tuesday. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey)Rep. Stilwell questioned if Obama could fill the stadium. What if he couldn’t? By now, the question was moot.

What followed was Obama’s now familiar soaring rhetoric and questions from the Eastern Seaboard about the Hoosier state of mind. "We’re not here to talk about change for change’s sake, but because our families, our communities, and our country desperately need it,” Obama said. “We’re here because we can’t afford to keep doing what we’ve been doing for another four years. We can’t afford to play the same Washington games with the same Washington players and expect a different result. Not this time. Not now."

<snip>

There are Democrats who won’t vote for a black man, just as there were in Pennsylvania. In past elections, we’ve speculated on how much a Jewish candidate for governor (Stephen Goldsmith in 1996) might lose in such intolerant proclivities (my answer was 1 to 3 percent). Sadly, numbers like that might exist today.

Barack Obama walked into a city that produced one of Indiana’s worst characters: Ku Klux Klan leader D.C. Stephenson who took over the state eight decades ago. On Tuesday he found a huge crowd and ears willing to listen to what he had to say. How they vote in less than two weeks could alter the course of American history.

http://www.howeypolitics.com/2008/04/25/brian-howey-feeling-the-earth-move-as-obama-walked-in/

[cliffordu]

1. My wife is from Indiana - she says the same things about racism there -

I HOPE Indiana can break for Obama.

It would "Close the deal"

and those idiot talking heads would have to STFU

[Buzz Clik]

3. The first time ever in my life I saw a KKK member was at a basketball game in Indiana.

This guy was wearing a KKK jacket in the middle of 14,000 fans. Only 10 years ago. I was truly stunned.

[Captain Hilts]

2. You could be describing North Carolina. nt

[Buzz Clik]

4. I agree. Those who don't know Indiana, though, are surprised to hear this.

Indiana is considered a Midwestern, heartland state. However, much of the state (particularly the southern half) is much more like the South.

[Aloha Spirit]

5. Interesting recent poll has Obama beating McCain...

http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=8224749&ClientType=Printable

6. If the general election were held today and the candidates for president were John McCain for the Republicans and Barack Obama for the Democrats, for whom would you vote?

John McCain 41%
Barack Obama 49%
Not sure 10%

[Aloha Spirit]

6. I heard that Indiana is a relatively young state (age of voters). True?

[AnnieBW]

7. KKK Meetings in the Crawfordsville Armory

When my husband (who is from Indianapolis) was attending Wabash College in the mid '80s, he said that they were still holding KKK meetings in the Crawfordsville Armory. Of course, those folks aren't voting for Hillary or Obama, unless they're Rushbots that are part of Operation Chaos.

[Buzz Clik]

9. There has been a shift in party alliances since the 60s.

I doubt that many of the white supremacists are Democrats. Of those that have held out, I'm thinking they would be unhappy with both candidates.

[FrenchieCat]

8. And so.....

My question is how can we on the one hand proclaim America to be a good and a God fearing nation, yet on the other encourage and even promote the idea that an individual cannot become President simply because he is ½ Black? I believe that both the primary and the general election tactics used will tell us more about who we are, and what we truly represent. The world is watching, and thus far, our United States is threading on shaky grounds. The values our soldiers have fought for in every war, the notion of liberty and equality are now coming under question. When one thinks of all of the progress that we were supposed to have made, the question is now, are we willing to take 20 steps back to score political points? Is this what we want for ourselves in the 21st century? To have the world conclude that we, living in the United States of America, are nothing but a people perpetuating a fraud. I can only pray not.

[Buzz Clik]

10. The time has come that we can vote for a candidate based on his/her qualifications and nothing else.

[jeffrey_X]

11. I grew up there, moved away and married interracially......I rarely go back

Did you know that 1/3 of all white protestant men were members of the KKK back in the 1930s and 40s?

[Buzz Clik]

12. When did you move away?