Posted on 02/17/2007 10:44:13 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Obama: U.S. ready for black president
By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago
White House hopeful Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), taking a fellow black lawmaker to task, said Saturday voters are ready to elect a black president.
"At every turn in our history, there's been somebody who said we can't," the Democratic senator from Illinois told a nearly all-black audience of about 2,000 at Claflin University.
"Some people said we can't do this, we can't do that, so we shouldn't even try. If I have your support, if I have your energy and involvement and commitment and ideas, then I'm here to tell you, 'Yes we can.'"
The comments drew the loudest ovation during a question-and-answer session in his first campaign swing through South Carolina, an early voting state.
The first-in-the-South contest here is seen as a test of candidates' abilities to reach black voters. Half of the state's Democratic primary voters are black.
Obama responded to comments this past week by Democratic state Sen. Robert Ford of Charleston, who helped mobilize black voters for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in 2004, but has switched to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2008 presidential race.
Ford said Tuesday that Obama, a first-term senator, has much to prove. "The media made this guy bigger than life," Ford said. "This guy isn't tested and they made him a rock star."
Ford said one reason he was supporting Clinton, the New York senator, is that he is skeptical Obama can win the presidency and worries his nomination could hurt other Democratic candidates.
"Every Democrat running on that ticket next year would lose — because he's black and he's top of the ticket. We'd lose the House and the Senate and the governors and everything," Ford said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Yes, America is ready for a black President. One named Michael Steele.
Yes, but not him.
Then Obama only needs the US to be half ready!
What a prententious jerk. I hope he goes down in flames.
Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.
America is ready for a PATRIOTIC, QUALIFIED, EXPERIENCED, CONSERVATIVE, CONSTRUCTIONIST Black President....not an inexperienced RACIST SOCIALIST POS.
Dang, Beat me to it! But very true.
They're usually Democrats.
Yes, but not him.
In addition, he's just as white as he is black. I guess he's going to choose the latter so he can make himself out to be a victim.
Dream on, Obama!
Alan Keyes
Yeah, but but Hellary says US ready for a female president... oh, unless she was talking about Condi.
how about Walter Williams....Mallard Fillmore seems to think so
The real question is: U.S. ready for mulatto president?
Has anyone ever looked up what bills (if any) Obama has introduced during his 2 long years in the Senate? He's articulate and clean and all, but what's he actually done besides make speeches before swooning media and liberal crowds?
Clarence Thomas.
Yep, Clarence Thomas.
I think being articulate is basically the only thing besides being black that he has going for him.
ditto
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