Fear and loathing in Northeast Philadelphia

[PaDem]

Today I had the opportunity to drive through several Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are predominantly white and "working class". I saw quite a few McCain signs and not a single Obama sign. These are neighborhoods where Kerry signs outnumbered Bush signs by a huge margin back in 2004. Quite a sobering experience. A couple of pieces in the Philly papers today about race and the presidential election in Northeast Philly are found below.


http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080922_Philly_Dems_note_discomfort_over_Obama_among_some_white_voters.html


http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080922_Going_for_Barack_in_the_Northeast_.html

[SoonerPride]

1. Well, so Obama won't win the racist vote.

He'll win everyone else.

[bushmeister0]

2. I live in northeast Philly, I can assure they will not vote for Obama.

More than likely, these knuckleheads won't vote at all. The type you're talking about will either be acting as ghostworkers on their union construction jobs or drinking their "disablility" checks, starting about noon, just like they do every other day.

Don't worry, Obama's got one vote from here, at least.

[PM7nj]

3. Northeast Philly....

:puke:



When's the rest of it going to sink?

[melody]

4. That's that moron vote again ... they'll all go GOP n/t

[Peacetrain]

5. Well if they don't vote that is okay too..

racists, you can't live with them and you can't live with them. They are never going to die, but just nasty away.//

[MgtPA]

6. I live in the Philly suburbs and we can't get Obama signs - we've been trying for weeks...

...but we're always told that they haven't come in yet. I've yet to see a single Obama sign in a 10-mile radius of my house, and only 2 or 3 McCain signs.

[bushmeister0]

8. What I can't understand is why Obama volunteers keep trying to register

voters in Northern Liberties and Fishtown?

They're at every frackin' corner.

Newsflash: Those areas are overwhelmingly populated by fairly well-off, educated Democratic voters who are already voting for Obama.

Gees! Go somewhere else where you'll do some good!

[PaDem]

10. Many jurisdictions have ordinances against........

having political signs up in the yard prior to thirty days before an election. That's the case in my area, though many folks have signs up anyway. More Obama signs than McCain signs in my neck of the woods.

[Alhena]

7. I'm a white Obama supporter in Mississippi- we keep a low profile

as far as signs and the like go. Though I have a sign in my yard, most of my Obama supporter friends don't and I can understand why. It won't change the result any and will just invite dirty stares from neighbors just like I've gotten.

So I suspect that there is more secret Obama support in areas like NE Philly than you would think.

[grantcart]

9. good for you

[Alhena]

It's the only way I can make my voice heard- my vote is drowned out by fundies

[Maureen1322]

11. self delete

[Maureen1322]

12. Northeast Philly probably won't go Obama.

That's about 1/4 of the city population.
The rest of Philly will.
Obama takes Philly without question.

[1corona4u]

13. Maybe their signs were stolen, or they are afraid to put them out.

I think that's likely.

[Sugarcoated]

14. My in-laws are all voting Obama minus one

and one, as of right now, is sitting it out. That's 27 votes right there. Lots of racist knuckleheads in the Northeast of Philly, though, and my husband's brother is one of the biggest.