Posted on 02/12/2008 8:50:00 PM PST by Fred
Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell says Barack Obama is going to lose votes because some white voters are not ready for a black president:
"I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate."
Rendell also said he thought race cost his Republican opponent, former NFL star Lynn Swann, around five points in the 2006 election for governor.
Rendell's statement was jarring for me. Last summer, at my wife's high school reunion, I met a guy who grew up in Penn Yan and now works for a nuclear facility outside Pittsburgh. He's a Libertarian who strongly supports Obama, and I can almost remember what he said that night word-for-word:
"If this election were based on brains or policy, Obama would win. But I don't know one white voter in the Pittsburgh area who will vote for a black candidate."
"You're obviously over-stating it," I replied.
"I'm not. And I mean both parties. When I talk about Obama, I hear the kind of racism that would make you sick. I mean sick. And it makes me very, very sad."
I haven't spoken to him since that night. Throughout the primary season, I thought about calling him to see if his perceptions have changed. After all, we're well over halfway through, and if race were a preventative factor, Mr. Obama would be out of the contest.
Which is why Governor Rendell's comments came off as all the more shocking to me. If this were one of the opening primaries, perhaps I could understand. The governor has a reputation for eschewing tact in favor of honesty.
But states in every corner of the country have demonstrated that if racism or sexism still exist (and surely they do), they are not strong enough forces to derail qualified candidates.
And so Governor Rendell should have kept his thoughts to himself. He might very well be right, but the problem is that there is no scientific way of ever knowing if he's right. As such, the blunt governor should have given voters in his state more credit.
Good point. I guess I’d consider myself a paleocon/libertarian, but big L Libertarians are basically just paranoid liberals at the end of the day. I wonder how well Ron Paul would’ve done here if his campaign wasn’t run by morons.
Racism here is played very close to the vest.
The racists here are tough to spot. But there are many more than one might ever guess.
“You would actually leave the greatest country on earth because of some politicians?”
If it became something like Communist, or full of more
idiots then it already has, sure I would.
It would then no longer be the greatest country on earth,
would it now?
I don’t have that many years left. I can be just as happy on an island, or most anywhere that is moron free.
“Bye. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.”
I think you better worry more about your own ass. Bye bye.
That is probably tue, but only around the Pittsburgh area where you have to drive through scary parts of town to get to the nice parts, and the scary parts are all "black".
How did Nutter get elected mayor of Philadelphia, hmmm?
Rendell is just trying to stir the pot for Hillary.
Thomas Sowell for President.
Walter Williams for Vice-President.
Or visa-versa.
Great tagline! :-)
If you look by county at how Obama did in Virginia, you will find some counties where over 85% (of democrats)voted for Hillary.
Methinks there are a lot of Americans who will flock to McCain. Some because he is white and some because he is less liberal than Obama.
4 months back, I mentioned that the dems were making a big mistake with Obama. I said that most everyday white guys that were swing voters in western pa would never vote for Obama in the end. Old bill cosby needs to run; they’d vote for someone they know won’t become a race baiter like Jesse, marion berry, sharpton, ect.
If Bobby Jindal can get elected in a southern state where no non-white ever won a state wide office, it is entirely probable for B.H. Obama to win nationally. Not that it should matter but Jindal is as dark complexioned as Obama.
lol... I never thought of it that way.
How many will for the Big O just because he’s black?
I bet it’s more than those who won’t because he’s (half) black.
Obama does well with educated suburban white Democrats like those in the Phila. and Pitts. suburbs who keep electing Specter Senator. I think they'll pull the lever for Obama.
As for the rest of the state, most of it is conservative and GOP anyhow, so won't factor into the Democrat race too much.
And it doesn't matter (here in PA) how our 'Alabama' votes...the big machines in Philly and the Burgh are controlled by the Dem party. Period. Fast Eddie (racially divisive statements notwithstanding) is a FOB (friend of Billary). Eddie WILL NOT let PA slip away from the Clintons. Ed has bigger plans than Harrisburg, and another 'Clinton Whitehouse' helps him make the leap to DC. No...PA will go Clinton.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.