Obama backs up the race card

[Norse_soul]

OBAMA: IF YOU LOOK AFRICAN-AMERICAN, YOU ARE TREATED LIKE ONE
Fri Feb 9 2007 15:51:32 ET

Acknowledging that his presidential campaign has opened a racial debate, Sen. Barack Obama, who has a white mother and an African father, says if you look African-American, you are treated like one. Obama and his wife, Michelle, who also addresses the race issue, appear in an interview with Steve Kroft to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES, Sunday Feb. 11 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS television Network. If, as expected, Obama declares his formal candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination tomorrow, it will be his first interview to be broadcast after that event.

When asked by Kroft if growing up in a white household had caused him to make a decision to be black, Obama replies, "I'm not sure I decided it. I think... if you look African American in this society, you're treated as an African-American.Ó "It's interesting though, that now I feel very comfortable and confident in terms of who I am and where I stake my ground. But I notice that... I've become a focal point for a racial debate," says Obama.

Obama's wife also addresses the race issue when asked by Kroft whether she fears for her husband's life as a black candidate. "I don't lose sleep over it because the realities are that... as a black man... Barack can get shot going to the gas station," says Michelle Obama. "You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen."

Will being African-American hold him back as a candidate? "No.... If I don't win this race it will be because of other factors --[that] I have not shown to the American people a vision for where the country needs to goÉthat they can embrace," Obama tells Kroft.

http://drudgereport.com/flash2.htm

[Norse_soul]

Obama's wife also addresses the race issue when asked by Kroft whether she fears for her husband's life as a black candidate. "I don't lose sleep over it because the realities are that... as a black man... Barack can get shot going to the gas station," says Michelle Obama. "You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen."

I'm so sick of people saying that being a certain color is so dangerous, like it's not dangerous for a white person in this country. Like I don't have the same danger of being shot if I stop for gas in Oakland. When is it gonna stop? It's been two hundred years since the civil war. Nobody owes you a gods damned thing because your skin is a certain color.

[darin]

It's sickening to call him a 'black man' - when he's just as white as he is black.

[Abbey Marie]

OBAMA: IF YOU LOOK AFRICAN-AMERICAN, YOU ARE TREATED LIKE ONE
Fri Feb 9 2007 15:51:32 ET
...
Obama's wife also addresses the race issue when asked by Kroft whether she fears for her husband's life as a black candidate. "I don't lose sleep over it because the realities are that... as a black man... Barack can get shot going to the gas station," says Michelle Obama. "You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen."
...


And statistically, what will the race be of the person who shoots him? Yeah, it's a "racial" issue all right; just not the black vs. white one the Obamas want you to believe.

[Norse_soul]

OBAMA: IF YOU LOOK AFRICAN-AMERICAN, YOU ARE TREATED LIKE ONE
Fri Feb 9 2007 15:51:32 ET

Will being African-American hold him back as a candidate? "No.... If I don't win this race it will be because of other factors --[that] I have not shown to the American people a vision for where the country needs to goÉthat they can embrace," Obama tells Kroft.

http://drudgereport.com/flash2.htm

I will say one thing in Obama's defense. At least he is saying that if he loses the race it won't be because he is black. In my mind he's not as bad as most people who claim race as the only factor why they fail. But...Maybe he knows that it would be really bad if he was whining, "I didn't get the job because I'm black."

[jillian]

I will say one thing in Obama's defense. At least he is saying that if he loses the race it won't be because he is black. In my mind he's not as bad as most people who claim race as the only factor why they fail. But...Maybe he knows that it would be really bad if he was whining, "I didn't get the job because I'm black."

Truth is that I don't think anyone is going to vote *for* him for being black or *against* him for being black. There are elements in the black community who have already said that he is not "black" in the American sense of the word because he has not shared a black racial identity which came out of slavery and segregation.

It's actually kind of interesting. But I think Obama succeeds in the absense of black support IF he succeeds and he knows it. So his color won't really be a factor and is likely to be canceled out by his charisma, in any event.

[Pale Rider]

Truth is that I don't think anyone is going to vote *for* him for being black or *against* him for being black.

I gotta call ya on that one Jill. You can't believe that. I personally know quite a few people that would NEVER vote for a black man, and that's just the small cross section of people I know. There no doubt is lots more.

I don't think he stands a chance.

[jillian]

I gotta call ya on that one Jill. You can't believe that. I personally know quite a few people that would NEVER vote for a black man, and that's just the small cross section of people I know. There no doubt is lots more.

I don't think he stands a chance.

I don't think he stands a chance either. But not only because he's black. I'd also like to think that the people who wouldn't vote for him ONLY because of his color are outnumbered by people who think color is secondary. Also, one has to ask, what percentage of the people who wouldn't vote for him because of his color would vote for ANY democrat? It could be 80%; it could be 10%. And I don't know the answer, but that would have to be factored in, too.

For example, I don't think you'd ever vote dem (and I could be wrong about that, so don't kill me for it! lol...) even if that dem was pink with purple polka dots. ;)

[red states rule]

I don't think he stands a chance either. But not only because he's black. I'd also like to think that the people who wouldn't vote for him ONLY because of his color are outnumbered by people who think color is secondary. Also, one has to ask, what percentage of the people who wouldn't vote for him because of his color would vote for ANY democrat? It could be 80%; it could be 10%. And I don't know the answer, but that would have to be factored in, too.

For example, I don't think you'd ever vote dem (and I could be wrong about that, so don't kill me for it! lol...) even if that dem was pink with purple polka dots. ;)

The liberal media will play the race card like they did for Harold Ford

Libs like Chris Matthews blamed white racists for Mr Ford's election night loss. Strange how I did not hear a single lib blame racists for the losses by Steele, Swann, or Blackwell

Oh, they are white conservatives - they don't count. It is fine if they loose

[stephanie]

The liberal media will play the race card like they did for Harold Ford

Libs like Chris Matthews blamed white racists for Mr Ford's election night loss. Strange how I did not hear a single lib blame racists for the losses by Steele, Swann, or Blackwell

Oh, they are white conservatives - they don't count. It is fine if they loose

I wonder if they'll be throwing any Oreo cookies at Obama, like they did at Steele, I think it was??

Somehow I doubt it...
The medias articles being written about Obama are making me want to GAG...:tinfoil:

One other to look at about Obama....He's being funded by George Soros....

[red states rule]

I wonder if they'll be throwing any Oreo cookies at Obama, like they did at Steele, I think it was??

Somehow I doubt it...
The medias articles being written about Obama are making me want to GAG...:tinfoil:

Or if white Republicans would do or say this about Obama?

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.
Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.
Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.
But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."
"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
State Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, a black Baltimore Democrat, said she does not expect her party to pull any punches, including racial jabs at Mr. Steele, in the race to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.
"Party trumps race, especially on the national level," she said. "If you are bold enough to run, you have to take whatever the voters are going to give you. It's democracy, perhaps at its worse, but it is democracy."
Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black Baltimore Democrat, said Mr. Steele invites comparisons to a slave who loves his cruel master or a cookie that is black on the outside and white inside because his conservative political philosophy is, in her view, anti-black.
"Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community," she said. "His politics are not in the best interest of the masses of black people."
During the 2002 campaign, Democratic supporters pelted Mr. Steele with Oreo cookies during a gubernatorial debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
In 2001, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. called Mr. Steele an "Uncle Tom," when Mr. Steele headed the state Republican Party. Mr. Miller, Prince George's County Democrat, later apologized for the remark.
"That's not racial. If they call him the "N' word, that's racial," Mrs. Marriott said. "Just because he's black, everything bad you say about him isn't racial."


This week, the News Blog -- a liberal Web log run by Steve Gilliard, a black New Yorker -- removed a doctored photo of Mr. Steele that depicted him as a black-faced minstrel.
However, the blog has kept its headline "Simple Sambo wants to move to the big house." A caption beneath a photo of the lieutenant governor reads: "I's Simple Sambo and I's running for the Big House."
A spokesman for the Maryland Democratic Party denounced the depiction as being "extremely offensive" and having "no place in politics or in any other aspect of public discourse," The Washington Post reported. Democrats have denied any connection to the News Blog.
Still, Mfume spokesman Joseph P. Trippi said Mr. Steele opens himself to such criticism by defending Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. for holding a Republican fundraiser in July at the all-white Elkridge Club in Baltimore.
"The facts are the facts. Ehrlich went to that country club, and Steele said it didn't bother him," Mr. Trippi said. "I think that says something ... and should be part of this debate."
Several club members told the Baltimore Sun that, though blacks are welcome as guests and there is no policy banning blacks from membership, the club never has had a black member in its 127-year history.
Democrats also have used the club for various events, including Peter O'Malley, brother of and adviser to Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, a Democratic candidate for governor. Peter O'Malley held his wedding reception there in 2003.
State Sen. Verna Jones, Baltimore Democrat and vice chairman of the General Assembly's legislative black caucus, said black Republicans deserve criticism because the Republican Party has not promoted the interests of the black community.
"The public policies supported by Democratic principles are the ones that most impact the African-American community," she said. "I'm not saying [Mr. Steele] is a sell-out. That's not for me to say."
In July, however, Mr. Mfume noted how Republicans were rallying for Mr. Steele but his party had ignored his historic candidacy. "More voters in Maryland are carrying the impression that the Democratic Party talks the talk, but doesn't always walk the walk. People may find a way to cross over in the fall," he said.
Steele campaign spokesman Leonardo Alcivar said state Democrats are afraid of losing the black vote to Mr. Steele.
"That has caused a great tremble throughout the Maryland Democratic Party," he said. "Of course [they are] going to condone racism. It's nothing new, and it's not surprising."
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20051101-104932-4054r_page2.htm

[stephanie]

Or if white Republicans would do or say this about Obama?

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.
Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.
Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.
But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."
"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
State Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, a black Baltimore Democrat, said she does not expect her party to pull any punches, including racial jabs at Mr. Steele, in the race to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.
"Party trumps race, especially on the national level," she said. "If you are bold enough to run, you have to take whatever the voters are going to give you. It's democracy, perhaps at its worse, but it is democracy."
Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black Baltimore Democrat, said Mr. Steele invites comparisons to a slave who loves his cruel master or a cookie that is black on the outside and white inside because his conservative political philosophy is, in her view, anti-black.
"Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community," she said. "His politics are not in the best interest of the masses of black people."
During the 2002 campaign, Democratic supporters pelted Mr. Steele with Oreo cookies during a gubernatorial debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
In 2001, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. called Mr. Steele an "Uncle Tom," when Mr. Steele headed the state Republican Party. Mr. Miller, Prince George's County Democrat, later apologized for the remark.
"That's not racial. If they call him the "N' word, that's racial," Mrs. Marriott said. "Just because he's black, everything bad you say about him isn't racial."


This week, the News Blog -- a liberal Web log run by Steve Gilliard, a black New Yorker -- removed a doctored photo of Mr. Steele that depicted him as a black-faced minstrel.
However, the blog has kept its headline "Simple Sambo wants to move to the big house." A caption beneath a photo of the lieutenant governor reads: "I's Simple Sambo and It's running for the Big House."
A spokesman for the Maryland Democratic Party denounced the depiction as being "extremely offensive" and having "no place in politics or in any other aspect of public discourse," The Washington Post reported. Democrats have denied any connection to the News Blog.
Still, Mfume spokesman Joseph P. Trippi said Mr. Steele opens himself to such criticism by defending Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. for holding a Republican fundraiser in July at the all-white Elkridge Club in Baltimore.
"The facts are the facts. Ehrlich went to that country club, and Steele said it didn't bother him," Mr. Trippi said. "I think that says something ... and should be part of this debate."
Several club members told the Baltimore Sun that, though blacks are welcome as guests and there is no policy banning blacks from membership, the club never has had a black member in its 127-year history.
Democrats also have used the club for various events, including Peter Omalley, brother of and adviser to Baltimore Mayor Martin Omalley, a Democratic candidate for governor. Peter Omalley held his wedding reception there in 2003.
State Sen. Verna Jones, Baltimore Democrat and vice chairman of the General Assembly's legislative black caucus, said black Republicans deserve criticism because the Republican Party has not promoted the interests of the black community.
"The public policies supported by Democratic principles are the ones that most impact the African-American community," she said. "I'm not saying [Mr. Steele] is a sell-out. That's not for me to say."
In July, however, Mr. Mfume noted how Republicans were rallying for Mr. Steele but his party had ignored his historic candidacy. "More voters in Maryland are carrying the impression that the Democratic Party talks the talk, but doesn't always walk the walk. People may find a way to cross over in the fall," he said.
Steele campaign spokesman Leonardo Alcivar said state Democrats are afraid of losing the black vote to Mr. Steele.
"That has caused a great tremble throughout the Maryland Democratic Party," he said. "Of course [they are] going to condone racism. It's nothing new, and it's not surprising."
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20051101-104932-4054r_page2.htm

Exactly!

[red states rule]

Where was the outrage from the NAAPC, the liberal media, Rev Al and Jesse?

Oh, Mr Steele is a black - gasp - conservative so to them, Mr Steele deserves all the racist attacks

[Hugh Lincoln]

I personally know quite a few people that would NEVER vote for a black man, and that's just the small cross section of people I know.

Conversely and perversely, there are a TON of guilt-ridden whites who would WOULD vote for Obama SOLELY BECAUSE he is black (or black-like). I see some of them throwing themselves at him. They don't mind the black critique that he isn't black enough... he's good enough for them. Even Miss America has declared that she "loves" him.

http://www.vdare.com/sailer/070102_obamania.htm

The Barack Attack phenomenon is similar to the Colin Craze of 1995. Of course, General Powell had better qualifications. He'd been intimately involved in managing a successful national enterprise, the Gulf War of 1991. And he had articulated a thoughtful, cautious policy for when and how to conduct military operations, the Powell Doctrine, the wisdom of which subsequent events have only underlined.

Supporting Obama for President, like supporting Powell a decade ago, is seen by many whites as the ultimate in White Guilt Repellent.

[Ado]

I will say one thing in Obama's defense. At least he is saying that if he loses the race it won't be because he is black. In my mind he's not as bad as most people who claim race as the only factor why they fail. But...Maybe he knows that it would be really bad if he was whining, "I didn't get the job because I'm black."

Right. I liked that as well.

[red states rule]

Right. I liked that as well.

He knows the liberal media will do it for him