Obama Says Race Not An Issue In Election

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/Reuters: Obama Says Race Not An Issue In Election
By REUTERS
Published: April 27, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barack Obama, struggling to win over white Democratic voters, said in a Sunday television interview that race would not be a factor in November's U.S. presidential election. "Is race still a factor in our society? Yes. I don't think anybody would deny that," Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, said on "Fox News Sunday." "Is that going to be the determining factor in a general election? No, because I'm absolutely confident that the American people -- what they're looking for is somebody who can solve their problems," the Illinois senator said in an interview taped on Saturday....

Obama is leading Clinton in the popular vote, states won and committed delegates to the party's nominating convention in August, but her recent victories in Pennsylvania and Ohio have raised questions about his ability to win white voters. In Pennsylvania, Clinton won white union households and white Catholics -- two key Democratic blocs -- by about 70 percent to Obama's 30 percent. About one in seven Pennsylvania voters said race was an issue and that group voted overwhelmingly against Obama. Obama said he had won many of those same voters in other states and after a Democratic nominee was decided, those voters would back the party's candidate against McCain.

"I am confident that when you come to a general election, and we are having a debate about the future of this country -- how are we going to lower gas prices, how are we going to deal with job losses, how are we going to focus on energy independence -- that those are voters who I will be able to appeal to," he said. "If I lose, it won't be because of race," Obama said. "It will be because ... I made mistakes on the campaign trail, I wasn't communicating effectively my plans in terms of helping them in their everyday lives."...

***

Obama's comments on race came as his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, began a series of public appearances to combat criticism of his controversial sermons that have, among other things, suggested the United States deserved some of the blame for the September 11 attacks in 2001. Obama again denounced Wright's offensive comments but said, since he had a long relationship with the pastor, voters had a legitimate interest in his speeches. "I don't think that the issue of Reverend Wright is illegitimate," Obama said. "I just think that the way it was reported was not ... a reflection of both that church that I attend and who I am."...

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-politics.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. Whew! THAT settles it! nt

[Juche]

2. lmao

polarization over race is the cause of the biggest vote realignment in the 20th century. In the 60s southern whites all became republicans and US blacks all became democrats.

Now racism against latinos from GOP whites is driving latinos back to the democrat party.

In between the latinos, blacks and whites race probably determines 40% of our elections.

Its an issue, but the kinds of people who wont vote for a black guy mostly aren't democrats anyway.