Posted on 08/01/2008 10:52:58 PM PDT by Kaslin
Members of a pan-African socialist group squared off against Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during a town hall meeting Friday.
Two men unfurled a banner that said What about the black community, Obama? and contained the web address www.uhurunews.com, a website created by the International Peoples Democratic Movement.
According to IPDMs own webpage, www.inpdum.org, the group was founded in Obamas home city of Chicago by the African Peoples Socialist Party in 1991the same year Obama graduated from Harvard Law and settled in the Windy City.
IPDMs web page criticizes Obama, GOP presidential candidate John McCain and former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton for not speaking a single wod [sic] about ending public policies of police containment or reparations to the African families left homeless through the sub-prime mortgage economic attack on the African community.
At the end of his speech, Obama gave one of the IPDM members a chance to speak and ask a question. Diop Olugbulu asked Obama: In the face of the numerous attacks that are made against the African community or the black community by the same US government that you aspire to lead - and we are talking about attacks like the sub prime mortgage that you spoke of - it wasn't just a general ambiguous kind of phenomena, a phenomena that targeted the African community and Latino community, attacks like the killing of Sean Bell by the New York police department and right here in St. Petersburg by the St. Petersburg police, and Jena 6 and Hurricane Katrina, and the list goes on. In the face of all these attacks that are clearly being made on the African community, why is it that you have not had the ability to not one time speak to the interests and even speak on the behalf of the oppressed and exploited African community or Black community in this country?
Many members of the audience booed Olugbulu, but Obama asked them to respect him and said he has a legitimate question.
Obama reminded Olugbulu he has made many statements about the issues raised by the activist. I passed the first racial profiling legislation in Illinois, Obama said.
He ended by telling Olugbulu That doesnt mean Im always going to say what you want me to say, which gives you the option of voting for somebody else or run for office yourself.
I’ll bet the farm it was staged.
Then they're not exactly "African socialists," are they?
Folks, this is liberalism--sub-prime mortgages are considered racist attacks.
If Obama has to cover his flank with the left to this extent, there is no way--no way--he can win.
I'm looking for two things in the coming weeks:
A wave of attempts by the MSM to appear "fair" by pushing articles like "Obama--what went wrong?" and "Can he save his campaign?" followed by a second wave of "Obama getting it together" and "Obama--the new comeback kid" articles. The MSM will try to appear "tough" on him, so Andrea Mitchell and Chrissy Matthews can cut off any debate about media love for him with "I guess you didn't see that SCATHING article in the Times" or whatever.
Secondly, I'm looking for the rise of the Deaniacs, those who thought Hillary was too conservative, demanding recognition NOW, before the election. They don't want Obama becoming "too conservative," but want him to be defiantly liberal--talking about reparations, oil companies, etc.
If all he's got is "I disagree with Bush's rebates, and MY new bold economic plan is more rebates" then people are really going to start wondering if he's capable of doing the job. And that's going to start in September, when people actually start paying attention. Right now, the election is in an important phase because come September people will be basing their selection on their peripheral following of things we look at in-depth. Impressions are more important than substance at this point because people aren't really looking into the substance, but how these two deal with conflict.
This story shows Obama isn't even able to handle the safest, most friendly of crowds.
I don’t know, I think Obama’s support in the black community just might be fading a bit. One little slip up, like firebombing an orphanage on live TV for instance, and his poll numbers among blacks might slip two, maybe three points!
No doubt.
They are as African as my typical white grandmother.
“Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I’m being repressed! “
Me too. If they are socialists like they are alledged to be; they are Obama’s friend.
I think you’re right. It’ll be fun to see the media panic.

“Ill bet the farm it was staged.”
Probably as fake as his COLB!
Then they’re not exactly “African socialists,” are they?
That and more!...
they are Stupid “usefull idiots” of communists
saying that Whites have opressed them By Hurricane Katrina??
More Whites were displaced than Blacks by that Storm..
Its just the blacks who got the Media Press.
where the Appology from the New Black Panther Party for
Pre Judging the White Duke LaCross Students Falsely Accused by the Black Stripper???
Racist Bigots like these Comie Blacks and the New Black Panthers are a Cancer on Liberty.
LOL. indeed
Well, he had to keep it real, ya know. But why on God’s green earth would socialists be protesting Obama? He’s already won every socialist organization and communist organization’s endorsement.
No argument here. From the same clever mentality that brought Hillary "Iron my shirt!"
Oh yes, the Uhurus.
What a collection of dirtbags, they’re a bunch of dirt poor whiners who bitch about everything you can think of. They started riots in the 90s when a cop shot a young drug dealer. The cop was on foot standing in front of the car- limo tinted windows, the driver refused to roll down the window and shut off the car. The car luched forward and the copshot him through the windshield for almost running him over in an intersection. The cop was white, the dealer was black, and the grand jury found the shooting justified, so the Uhurus had a riot. Typical.
Except for the violence, I find this group laughable.
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.