Posted on 10/20/2008 8:40:27 PM PDT by Gordon Greene
CHARLEROI, Pa. -- U.S. Rep. John Murtha is calling many of the people who put him in office "rednecks."
The news comes one week after Murtha claimed the area is racist, then apologized for that comment.
In explaining his comments about racism, Murtha told WTAE it's difficult for many in the area to change. Murtha said that just five to 10 years ago the entire area was "redneck."
Now Murtha said only certain segments of the population are holding on to those racist feelings.
Just days after classifying western Pennsylvania as racist, Murtha took a step back from those comments, albeit a small one.
"What I said, that indicted everybody, that's not what I meant at all. What I mean is there's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black," Murtha said.
Murtha said the history of southwestern Pennsylvania is rife with racism.
"This whole area, years ago, was really redneck," Murtha told Channel 4 Action News.
Murtha believes there is one segment of the population which is holding on to its racist beliefs and he said it's difficult for them to change. Murtha said it may be even more difficult for them to vote for Barack Obama.
"Particularly older people. They want change but they don't want to see things go too far," Murtha said.
Throughout the Mon Valley there is a mixed reaction to Murtha's claims.
"I think he made a big mistake. This valley is not racist. Not at all," said Robert Gray, of Charleroi.
Maurice Taylor, also of Charleroi, disagrees.
"I think it probably is, couple people here and there. Like not everybody, but some of them definitely. Older people mostly," Taylor said.
Murtha said he was not surprised to see Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton win the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania and he said he didn't think Obama had a chance to win the presidency after that. But since then, he claims many western Pennsylvania voters have come around and he believes many voters have left their racist beliefs behind.
"It's better than it was a few weeks ago. It's better than it was a few months ago," Murtha said.
Murtha said he has taken a new approach to dealing with voters who are factoring race into the equation. He said he asks them if they agree with John McCain's healthcare policy or with his desire to privatize social security.
"I'm saying to them 'let's not vote on whether he's black or white,' Let's vote on what the issues are," said Murtha.
Please keep it up.
They won’t NEED to quit drinkin’.
Barry will take their Keystone Lite and their Iron City beer, when he takes their cigs and guns.
My son was approached by union hacks at work tonight. They asked him to vote for Obama and my son said no thanks. They came back to him again to ask him to vote for Obama. The kid says no I’m voting for Mccain. He said they went apesh!t.
He’s teamsters and works for UPS in Harrisburg. If they are that angry they would gang up on him,there were 5 of them, it must be looking bad out there.They were out of staters. He ended up walking away. Thankfully his supervisor stood by until he left the area.It ain’t easy being a repub in a union shop.
Your son is brave. The union thugs are one demographic of the left that I simply do not mess with anymore. They are a nasty rabble.
And I call him an old senile geezer that should retire asap!
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