Obama: Stop 'slicing and dicing' voters by race

[jefferson_dem]

Obama: Stop 'slicing and dicing' voters by race
Posted at 4:30 PM
by John McCormick and Mark Silva

During a week in which questions of race and gender have risen to the forefront of the presidential campaign, Sen. Barack Obama paused today to reflect on its potential impact on the campaign.

“There will be some voters for whom the fact that I’m African American means I’ve got to work a little harder to make the case,’’ Obama said today. “They may be less inclined to give me the benefit of the doubt.

“Just as, in fairness to Sen. Clinton, there may be some voters who require her to work a little harder to make the case because she’s a woman,’’ the Illinois senator said at a press conference in Chicago. “But there are probably some people who give me the benefit of the doubt because I’m black and there probably are some who give Sen. Clinton the benefit of the doubt because she’s a woman.

“But ultimately, the bottom line is the overwhelming majority of Americans are going to make these decisions based on who they think is going to be the best president,’’ he said. “I have absolute confidence in that. And I have absolute confidence that if I’m doing my job, if I’m delivering my message, that there are very few voters out there that I can’t win over.’’

The question arose after Geraldine Ferraro, who was the Democratic Party’s candidate for vice president in 1984 and the first woman to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket, said in an interview last week that Obama would not have gotten to where he is in the campaign today if he were white, or if he were a woman. Ferraro this week said she was sorry if her words were interpreted as “racist,’’ but reiterated that what she was trying to say is that Obama has gotten where is “because he is black.’’

Declining to describe her remarks as racist, Obama called them simply “ridiculous.’’

“People say things during the heat of campaigns’’ Obama said. “What I’m more concerned is for the Democratic Party as a whole, but also the country as a whole, not to get drawn up into this slicing and dicing of the electorate into black, white, male and female.’’

Cnvincing voters of his worthiness for the presidency remains his own challenge, he said.

“My general attitude is that if I’m not winning them over, it’s my fault,’’ the senator said. “I haven’t done something right. It’s not because of their attitudes. It’s because I haven’t connected, I haven’t spoken to their hopes and dreams and aspirations in a way that makes them feel confident that I’m going to deliver for them.

“That’s how it should be,’’ he said. “The presidency is a hard job and there are no excuses for non-performance. When the American people entrust you with not just their own safety and security and prosperity, but the futures of their children and their grandchildren, they have the right to run you through the paces. And I feel privileged to be getting run through the paces so well.”

<SNIP>

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/obama_stop_slicing_and_dicing.html

[anamandujano]

1. Too little too late, as usual.

[jefferson_dem]

4. I kind of agree. I mean, Ferraro did resign ... finally.

Why did it take so long and why did Hillary refuse to tell her to get the fuck out sooner? Disgusting ClintonInc!

[Cha]

37. And if you read the letter of resignation from geraldine..

she is blaming Obama for her resignation. She's just hack taking on the role of victimhood.

Samantha Power's apology took repsonsibility for herself.

[cali]

30. LOL! He's so much better at this stuff than tone deaf hilly

those comments are masterful. He owns her when it comes to effectively fighting.

[polichick]

2. Once again, he takes the high road. Well said!

[Hoof Hearted]

3. Perhaps he'd do better to make those comments to his wife

Who made a call to black voters to "wake up," and get behind him.

[Texas Hill Country]

5. no kidding... it is also and attempt to brush over the dismal white vote in Miss...

[GarbagemanLB]

10. You mean compared to Hillary's white vote that involved 25% Republicans planning on voting for McCai

n?

[cbayer]

15. Prove it.

That's irresponsible.

[jefferson_dem]

17. Oy -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5045804

[cbayer]

38. I call BS on that.

Using MSNBC exit poll data:

12% of those who voted democratic identified themselves as Republicans

75% of those people voted for Clinton

That means that 9% of her vote was cross-over Republicans.

And it doesn't indicate whether they were sincere or not.

The piece you refer to is an opinion piece that draws grossly erroneous conclusions from questionable data.

I don't say this to defend or attack either candidate. It's just one of the current lies being spread like wildfire by people who don't do their own research.

Anyone see the Bill Moyers repeat last night about how the press brought us the current war.

And if we are not careful, a lazy and mis-informed electorate will just bring us more of the same.

[cbayer]

64. Apologies. I have been shown the error of my math.

I used to be so smart. I don't know what happened.

But while I have your attention, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you (sincerely) to be a little nicer.

That's all.

:hi:

[jefferson_dem]

72. Nice post, cbayer.

And point taken.

:hi:

[jackson_dem]

18. The latest Obamanation hypocrisy

Obama gets rethug votes: it is a sign of his magical crossover appeal. Hillary does it and it is nefarious and proof of her being a closet rethug.

[FrenchieCat]

44. Proof.....

[cbayer]

48. I wish you would show me how, using the MSNBC exit poll data,

you get to 24%.

I questioned the math on this in the original post and I question it again.

Please do the math yourself and show me how you get to that number. If you can show me, I will totally concede this point.

[FrenchieCat]

53. 24% of Hillary's voters were self admitted Republicans......

so you do the math.

Take away that 24% and her white vote total and her bonafide votes goes down dramatically, and Obama's goes up.

Yet today, the media is using that GOP included white vote percentage attributed to Obama to further diminish Obama's effectiness in the White Community.

And they are also making sure to leave out all of the other states where he got a much bigger share.

It reminds me of the media calling Texas without the inclusion of the second step, or the real story behind NAFTA. They aren't really reporting to benefit Obama, although without knowing the facts, one might think so.

I will say that this was Mississippi, and so I'm actual hopeful to see that Obama's number were actually quite good...considering that they were hanging Black men from trees for even looking at White women not long ago there.

[cbayer]

57. Frenchie, I've done the math.

Using MSNBC exit polls:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21225989/

12% of those who voted for a democrat identified themselves as republican

75% of that 12% voted for Clinton

That means that 9% of her total vote was cross-over repblicans.

Am I totally off-base here?

[FrenchieCat]

66. Yes you are.....

Total Votes in the Democratic primary in MS = 407,217
Total Republican voting in that number = 13% = 52,938
Total voting for Hillary of the 13% = 75%
Total Republicans voting for Hillary = 37,056
Total Hillary vote count = 155,686
Total Republican percentage made up Hillary's vote count = 23.8% which rounds to 24%

Supporting figures: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#MS

[cbayer]

63. Never mind, I stand corrected.

And to think I once had 4 years of calculus.

Sorry for the fuss.

[FrenchieCat]

67. Hope you saw my response.......(I'm an accountant)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5045437&mesg_id=5046848

Additionally, this superficially reduced OBama's White vote count is being used against him all over the media.......to spin him as a Black candidate.

But you know, he's lucky to be Black..... :eyes:

[cbayer]

69. I did see it and appreciate it.

I couldn't wrap my head around the math (clearly not an accountant).

How it's being spun is a whole other issue.

Hey, shouldn't you be doing tax returns? :hi:

[FrenchieCat]

70. I multi task.......

and I'm quite good at it.

But of course, that has nothing to do with my intelligence, education, wherewithall, etc...Cause I'm just lucky to be Black.

[cbayer]

71. I'm terrible at it

but that's probably just my bad luck for not being Black.

:rofl:

I don't always agree with you, but I respect the work you do here on DU.

[jackson_dem]

23. Even worse for them is Obama is getting a whole 29% of the white vote in Pennsylvania

And he barely cracked the 30's in Ohio. These could be anomalies but if they are sign of a new trend he is done. There are no more Missisppis or South Carolinas left. Even in North Carolina he will need some white votes to win.

[democrattotheend]

28. Because the white vote is the only barometer that matters, right?

[BumRushDaShow]

43. Of course.

Forget that almost all-white states like Idaho, Vermont, Maine, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, etc., voted in the 50% - 60% or more range for Obama. But I guess these states don't count because Clinton lost. :eyes:

[jefferson_dem]

7. Seems some Hillary supporters don't like "uppity negros"...

Get a grip.

[Texas Hill Country]

11. nice way to input race.

[Cha]

6. mark, gerry, and hilary didn't know it but

they gave the perfect outlet for Obama to keep bringing up race in a positive manner as this country has never seen.

[jackson_dem]

8. Ironic given how key swiftboating the Clintons on race was to his campaign

Just look at the exit polls from MS where he won the black vote 90-10 after trailing among blacks all of 2007 prior to the swiftboating. This is just the latest example of his hypocrisy. The problem with him isn't his policies but his hypocrisy and ease with which he lies.

[Texas Hill Country]

12. thank you

[jefferson_dem]

14. Hillary surrogate spews the idea that Obama is only a contender because he's black...

He's been referred to by Hillary's surrogates as a drug-dealin, shuckin n' jivin' fairy tale Muslim.

But he's the one doing the swift boatin'. Right-o.

[jackson_dem]

16. Do a timeline

Who made race an issue first in November of 2007? One comment came straight for the candidate's spouse.

The drug and fairy tale things were the most obvious instances of the swiftboating. Neither had anything to do with race but the divider who claims to be a uniter seized on it--just in time for the majority black SC primary. The Muslim thing is recent and you can tie it to Hill only if you believe Drudge...If Obama has evidence she is behind it he needs to step up and produce it instead of smearing her.

[jefferson_dem]

25. And Bill's reference to Jesse during the SC primary had nothing to do with race either. Uh huh.

The Muslim thingy goes way back - http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/12/hillary_campaign_acknowledges_that_hillary_backer_passed_along_obama_madrassa_email.php

Hillary is just a nasty demagogue who plays on people's bigotry. She's not a racist scumbag herself...as far as I know.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

34. It never ceases to amaze me how blinded some people are to the truth. They'll come around eventually

[gravity]

39. Obama just defends himself so well, the opposition thinks its an attack

[jackson_dem]

42. What was he "defending" against for the first 9-10 months of 2007?

[gravity]

46. What?

Can you explicitly state what these attacks were, because you are confusing the hell out of me.

[jackson_dem]

51. Obama's greatest hits

jackson_dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri Feb-15-08 12:31 PM
Original message
Obama has run a dirty, smearing, race baiting campaign

Personal Attacks/Smears/Lies (may overlap with race baiting)

Jesse Jackson Jr. (Obama’s national co-chair) implies Hillary is a racist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNrlSn7ndAA

Obama campaign memo that was integral in swiftboating the Clintons on race. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/read-obama-cam...

Obama spokesman continuing the swiftboating of the Clintons on race before South Carolina. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/01...

Obama praising Reagan, using him to attack Bill Clinton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaoYD7iZG9w

Obama attacks Edwards and Hillary in Iowa for what he would do himself in Nevada. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/29/53807...

Obama takes a page from Rove and attacks Edwards in Iowa on his strength. http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/Obama%20Oppo%20on...

Obama attacks Edwards, using the familiar “Edwards is a phony” meme Obamites used on the netroots. “"Part of the problem John would have in a general election is the issues he's taken on now are not the issues or the things that he said four years ago, which always causes problems in general elections," Obama said of Edwards,”
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/29/53852...
(To know what Edwards actually said four years ago read http://home.att.net/~midnightflyer/jednc04.html )

Edwards on Obama’s campaign tactics.
Earlier in the debate (this is what Edwards was alluding to. Obama is replying to Hillary):

St. Obama: But when you comb my 4,000 votes in Illinois, choose one...... try to present it in the worst possible light, that does have to be answered. That does have to be answered.

Later in the debate:

EDWARDS: The question is, why would you over 100 times vote present? I mean, every one of us -- every one -- you've criticized Hillary. You've criticized me for our votes.
OBAMA: Right.
EDWARDS: We've cast hundreds and hundreds of votes. What you're criticizing her for, by the way, you've done to us, which is you pick this vote and that vote out of the hundreds that we've cast.
(APPLAUSE)
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15300 /


David Axlerod, Obama’s top adviser, claimed on television that he could not remember anything Edwards had done in the Senate—even though four years earlier he was listing the great things Edwards had done in the Senate when he was working for Edwards. Is his memory that bad or was he lying?

The Obama campaign smears Bill Clinton with a lie:

We've just obtained an email that shows that the Obama campaign yesterday circulated a negative, and ultimately false, story about Bill Clinton -- that he allegedly made money giving a speech on September 11, 2006.
This email is unusual in that it is flagging something potentially negative not about a primary rival but about the former President -- one who obviously isn't running in the Democratic primary and who remains popular with Dem primary voters.
The email, which was sent out by Jen Psaki of the Obama campaign and circulated to reporters (not us) on an off-the-record basis late yesterday

-snip-
The story spread about Bill ultimately turned out to be false. It ended up on Drudge yesterday, where it was given heavy play for many hours, though there's no proof that it was given to Drudge by the Obama campaign. After Drudge posted it, The Observer's Politicker blog thoroughly debunked the story, pointing out that Bill's schedule proved that he'd actually given the speech the night before, on Sept. 10.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/6/15/13559/6539

The Obamite thread about Hillary included two criticisms Hillary mundane criticisms Hillary leveled against Obama, including one in which she said Obama offers false hope. There is no need to document the countless attacks, usually veiled, that Obama has made on Hillary and to a lesser degree Edwards. We all know it. He does so in almost every speech! Here is a sampling, courtesy of the website http://www.attacktimeline.com /

(Obama went on the attack two days after beginning his “positive” campaign)

02/12/07 HEADLINE: Obama's first salvo targets Hillary Clinton


06/15/07 Obama campaign pushes opposition research falsely accusing Bill Clinton of giving paid speech on 9/11/06.


06/16/07 Obama campaign pushes opposition research referring to Hillary as ‘(D-Punjab).’ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

07/27/07 HEADLINE: Obama likens Hillary to Bush; Hints at poor foreign policy
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-6788300/Obama-l...

10/12/07 Obama says Hillary is leading 'because she's Hillary Clinton as opposed to Hillary Rodham.'
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...

10/11/07 Obama accuses Hillary of trying to 'massage the past.'
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0710/11/sitroom....

10/12/07 Obama campaign says it questions 'what principles, if any' Hillary has.
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/th...

10/13/07 Obama says Hillary is willing to 'go along with Bush policies.'


10/15/07 Obama says Hillary is 'the most calculating politician in this race.'
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/news-desk/2007/10/15/most-p...

10/28/07 Obama says Hillary believes 'you should hedge and dodge and spin, but at all costs, don't answer.'
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/51280c12-85aa-11dc-8170-00007...

10/30/07 Obama chief strategist: Hillary 'has a special-interest obsession.' http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21536415

10/30/07 Obama says Hillary 'has not been truthful and clear.'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21528787/page/13 /

11/01/07 Obama chief strategist says Hillary passes 'everything through a political calculator' and is not 'forthright.' http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na...


11/01/07 Obama campaign said Hillary 'offered more of the same Washington political calculation and evasion.'
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/campaign-call-revea...

11/02/07 Obama said Hillary has 'one position one day and one position another day.'


11/07/07 HEADLINE: Obama: Clinton flip-flops on energy
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...

11/14/07 Obama surrogate Larry Tribe: ' not really a phony, though she plays one on TV.' http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2007...

11/18/07 HEADLINE: Obama accuses Clinton campaign of mud-slinging with Novak column
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/1...

11/27/07 Obama Mocks Hil 1st Lady Role


12/18/07 Obama Hits Hillary In New Hampshire Mailer
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/12...

12/21/07 Obama Camp Registers Anti-Clinton Web Sites
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4036024

12/18/07 Clinton makes nice, but Obama questions her character
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/071218/usa/us_vote2008_c...

12/27/07 'Barack Obama's right hand man thinks may have had something to do' with Bhutto's assasination.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blo...

12/27/07 Obama's campaign links Bhutto's assasination with Hillary's 'different judgment'

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1207/Obamas_Paki...

12/27/07 Obama links Bhutto's assassination to politicians like Hillary who 'have not made particularly good judgments.'
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007...

12/28/07 Obama's campaign says Bhutto's assasination was 'yet another manifestation' of Hillary's poor judgment.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7590.html

01/09/08 Obama supporter calls Hillary one of the ‘guardians of the status quo.’


01/10/08 Obama supporter mocks Hillary’s teary moment and says ‘don’t cry’ to Obama.
] http://www.nypost.com/seven/01102008/news/regionalnews/... /

01/10/08 Obama supporter doubts Hillary’s sincerity and says ‘those tears have to be analyzed.’
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/01/10/200...

01/11/08 Obama supporter suggests Hil’s tears were crocodilian.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/01/11/2008-01-...

01/18/08 Obama suggests Hillary was not truthful and was 'willing to say anything to get elected.'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/20...

01/18/08 Michelle Obama says Hillary represents 'the same old thing over and over again'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/20...

01/18/08 John Kerry says Hillary uses ‘the kind of politics I expect from the other party.'http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jan/18/m-Kerry/#/O... /

01/21/08 Obama accuses Hillary of being 'willing to say anything to get elected.'http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/21/debate.transcrip...

Yesterday: Obama releases a lying ad in Wisconsin. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hU0EWZcx3NAS1qa1M6s7...

For months: Obama has lied about his plan being universal, aside from a short interlude of honest which disappeared as soon as Iowa and New Hampshire approached.

Race Baiting

Everyone thinks race became an issue in January. In fact is was introduced into the race in November by the Obamas. Remember this was at a time when Hillary looked bulletproof in Nevada and led big in New Hampshire. Obama was in a close three way battle in Iowa (this was before Edwards faded in Iowa, only to recover late but it was not enough). He needed to build a firewall in South Carolina. The exit poll from the South Carolina primary makes it very obvious how he did it.

November 12, 2007:

With polls showing African-Americans have yet to give overwhelming support to White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), his wife Michelle said "black America will wake up and get it" in an interview running on MSNBC on Monday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/12/michelle-obama...
(this was at a time Obama was in the 40’s with black voters in an eight candidate field. Clearly his wife expected him to get well more than the 40’s and we now know what tactics they used to go from the 40’s to the mid to high 80’s)

Obama supporter Charles Barron, a NYC councilman, (November 2007): “Why wouldn’t black people support a black candidate who is ready to lead America?" http://www.observer.com/2007/obama-celeb-supporters-ups...

November 30, 2007. Obama supporter Chris Rock at a Harlem event:
A few minutes later, the comedian Chris Rock picked up on that theme. “You’d be really embarrassed if he won and you wasn’t with him,” Rock said. He altered his voice to comic affect. “‘I had that white lady. What was I thinking? What was I thinking?’” http://www.observer.com/2007/obama-celeb-supporters-ups...
Jesse Jackson Jr. implies Hillary is a racist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNrlSn7ndAA

Obama campaign memo that was integral in swiftboating the Clintons on race. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/read-obama-cam...

Obama spokesman continuing the swiftboating of the Clintons on race before South Carolina. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/01...

Jesse Jackson Jr. playing the race card to win over superdelegates. http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/2/14/225232/180

In an interview, Cleaver offered a glimpse of private conversations.

He said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois had recently asked him "if it comes down to the last day and you're the only superdelegate? ... Do you want to go down in history as the one to prevent a black from winning the White House?

[gravity]

54. "I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell"

-Harry S Truman

[laugle]

68. Wow....you've really done your homework!

Kudos to you! I think the chinks in Obama's armor are beginning to show. He's quite a master at double-speak and letting his surrogates do the dirty work while he looks squeaky-clean!

Hopefully, people are starting to wake up!

I think you should apply for a job on the campaign, your investigation is quite thorough...............

Thanks for the post!

[jackson_dem]

40. Only two candidates have won the SC primary on racial voting

Everyone else (Edwards 04', Clinton 92') won with support of both large racial groups in the state. Only two won with nearly unanimous support of their color while losing badly among the other color. One is Jesse Jackson. The other is...

County chair? Come on. That isn't the same as a spouse or national co-chair.

[cali]

36. in you Orwellian universe, I'm sure that's true. In the real world

it was the tone deaf and foolish Clinton campaign who played the race card over and over and over again. Hey, what's it like supporting two losing candidates in one season? I can see it's embittered you no end. I'm enjoying your ridiculous posts. It's fun.

[karynnj]

60. There was no swiftboating of the Clintons - though you post it a million times

It was Bill and Hillary's real actions and words that led to that. What specific actions - that they didn't do were they accused of? Why do you think that even as she WON Ohio far more people agreed that she had attacked Obama unfairly than visa versa. Which team spoke of throwing the kitchen sink? Wolfson said that swiftboating works - Obama said it was WRONG.

[anonymous171]

9. She can't. She only wins by triangulation and division.

We've seen it w/ her labeling strategy, "Dunking Donut Democrats" vs "Latte Liberals" "Young vs Old"
"Black vs Brown" and now "Black vs White"

[jackson_dem]

21. My my this has to be the most ironic post of the week

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. This was well said. n/t

[gravity]

19. Damn, he is good

I am amazed whenever he speaks. There is no way you could have said that any better

[jmg257]

20. Class act...Stays above the fray no matter what they throw at him. Change is good!

[jackson_dem]

26. Which is why he attacked her from day one of his campaign

I supported Edwards. I can admit the truth: he attacked Hillary repeatedly. Why can't Obamanation do the same about their candidate? See why so many folks call Obamanation certain things? It is based on behavior. St. Obama can do no wrong.

[gravity]

31. How did he attack her?

[jmg257]

59. Again - he has stayed ABOVE the fray - avoided attacks whenever possible.

Sometimes the best defense IS a good offense, and he too is in it to win. Hmmm..."a fighter" I might say?..

I really don't care what "people" call the "Obamanation". We understand it hurts to lose (& in your case twice), but we have chosen - wisely - and support our candidate. Who by the way is leading so must be doing something right!

[jackson_dem]

29. Which is why he attacked her from day 1 of his campaign

I supported Edwards. I can admit the truth: he attacked Hillary repeatedly. Why can't Obamanation do the same about their candidate? St. Obama can do no wrong to Obamantion. Just like the leader of a...

[1776Forever]

22. Excellent response - This is the person I want in the White House!

:patriot:

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

32. How refreshing to have a politician who can speak the truth - and without poll testing no less!

[tishaLA]

47. We'd be silly to believe those positions aren't poll-tested.

Of course they are. But they are poll-tested to see which way the message can be most effectively delivered, not whether they should be delivered at all.

[jefferson_dem]

35. Pitch perfect.

Yet even with this hopeful message of unity, Hillary's DU contingent stoke division and hate. Buchanan would be proud of them. Sad, really.

[Pirate Smile]

24. They've been talking about this on MSNBC and OMG - Pat Buchanan is the great

defender of Geraldine Ferraro and the Clinton campaign on race issues. Wow. That should tell you something is wrong.

edit to add - of course they aren't talking about Obama's excellent response - just the rest of the crap.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

27. Obama, once again, telling it like it is. If only Hilllary was this honest.

[NYDem Observer]

33. Well stated Obama

Thanks OP

[cbayer]

41. Very well said.

As usual, he is gracious and fair. I wish some of his supporters would follow his lead in this area.

[FrenchieCat]

50. It's hard when one is having to hear the likes of Ferraro, Buchanan, and

Clinton and her supporters. When you've got a known racist like Buchanan taking Ferraro's side, you know something stinks in Denmark!

[cbayer]

52. But somehow Obama manages to confront this head-on

while being civil, respectful and gracious.

I think he would be deeply ashamed of the behavior of some of his supporters.

[tishaLA]

45. "Identity politics has not done any good for our party"

That was one of the more interesting claims Obama made in his new conference this morning. I was going to make it a separate post and get opinions about it because I thought it was pretty compelling and something many people in the Democratic party would reject out of hand. After all, we have become so accustomed to inhabiting an identity vis-a-vis the political process that it's almost unimaginable that we wouldn't be able to fall back on those identities anymore.

It's a very brave position, it seems to me, and one that will provoke a lot of discomfort among those groups that have found comfort in the notion of an artificial cohesion under a given political signifier.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

49. That's A Bit Silly For Him To Say With Sincerity.

Seriously, to try and imply that it's only a handful voting for him due to his race, is really quite silly when looking at the reality. You can't have >85% of the black vote and claim only a handful are doing so because of his race, but that the overwhelming majority are doing so because they think he's the best. No one's gonna buy that as reality. Granted, a whole hell of a lot of all races are voting for him because he's that good, but a whole heck of a lot of african americans are doing so based on his race as well. To try and wave that away as an insignificant number is just dishonest. I also didn't like how he commented at winning the white vote over as a challenge, because to me it was implying that Hillary's NOT winning the black vote over due to her not doing something right, when in reality it is the race issue that is by and far the biggest reason such a wide gap exists with that vote that does. So yeah, he's spinning a bit wildly there in my opinion.

[FrenchieCat]

56. Well, it is actually Bill Clinton that worked that Magic......

and had less to do with Obama initially.

Remember?

In recent months, ABC News-Washington Post polls showed Sen. Hillary Clinton running 40 points higher than Sen. Barack Obama among blacks voters asked to name their preference in the Democratic primary.

But in Wednesday editions, the Washington Post reported a poll that has Obama leading Clinton by 11 points among black voters -- 44 percent to 33 percent.

But does this mean Obama has got the black vote? Well not necessarily as the poll results would have you think. It just means there are more Blacks than before who are in favor of Obama as president but Hillary Clinton still got more votes than Barack Obama from the African American community. She and her husband, Bill Clinton, have strong roots in the Black community.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Will-Barack-Obama-Become-The-First-African-American-President?&id=488826

[johnnydrama]

58. you're wrong

Obama was just as much in this race 9 months ago, but the black vote favored Hillary.

You act like once Obama announced, he automatically got 90% of the black vote, and that's simply not true.

He is winning this much of the black vote specifically because what the Clinton's have said and done.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

61. I Don't Believe They Took Him Seriously At First.

Once it became apparent he had some viability, they went in droves. Course, the swiftboating race tactics those on his side used definitely helped, but no matter how much momentum some of those false attacks got, no matter how much they tried to smear Hillary with that stuff, there's no way that accounts for a 90% african american vote. No way in hell.

Tell me, are there any other primaries in the history of our party in which they went to a candidate by that large of a margin, while there were two still viable candidates? Just curious. Cause if not, then you either have to accept that common race is playing a big part in that number, or claim that Obama is simply that much better than any candidate ever. I know which one I find to be a tad more likely...

[karynnj]

62. Not if you consider that HRC had more blacks in SC polls in December

than Obama. She lost them. With whites in some parts of the country, Obama has not succeeded yet in winning them. There may be isolated cases of him losing support, but nothing as dramatic as the flight of blacks from the Clintons.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

65. Please Read My Reply Above.

If you think that they all flocked to Obama 'just because', or because of the smear attacks on Hillary, you're a bit naive. There is not one of those attacks or accusations that would come close to accounting for a 90% threshold. Please, let's use some objectivity here.

[johnnydrama]

73. they all didn't flock.

He started out a little under 50%. You'd have to look at individual states to see where he was polling 9 months ago. But nationally this season he's gotten what % of the black vote? 80% maybe. So if 9 months ago he was at 40-45%, only 1/2 his black support now has changed from where it was before.

You're making it seem like he was at 0% and now he's at 90% when you say they all flocked to him.

[Major Hogwash]

55. It's sick and disgusting.

And it should have stopped a long time ago.