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INTERVIEW: Black legislator: Racial issues in US vote are "boring" this wire
By Pat Reber Oct 31, 2008, 13:18 GMT
Washington - Eleanor Holmes Norton, outspoken veteran of the civil rights and feminist movements, is an ardent backer of Democrat Barack Obama for the US presidency who has represented the District of Columbia for 17 years in the House of Representatives.
She shared her thoughts on next Tuesday's vote and what it would mean to African Americans to have Obama become the nation's first black president. The polling puts Obama in the lead, but not by much.
In the interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Thursday, Norton said Obama's ethnicity should mean no more to African Americans than John F Kennedy's did to Irish Catholics or the 1988 candidacy of Democratic candidate Mike Dukakis meant to Greeks.
More importantly, she said Obama, 47, and not Republican John McCain, 72, had the qualities needed to pull the country out of its quagmire.
QUESTION: What would an Obama presidency mean to African Americans?
NORTON: For African Americans, it's perhaps a source of particular pride ... but when you see the shape the country is in? It's hard to see how anybody who lived through the last eight years can still find themselves pulling a Republican column. What we see in Barack is (someone who will) save us from free-fall. Skin colour does not have anything to do with it. His personal qualities do.
Q: What would Obama's election mean for the history of the country?
N: It's not what it means for the history of the country. It's what it means for the people of the country. The racial issues here are so clear they're boring. We know he's black. He knows he's black. That's all that matters to us.
Q: Are there special expectations from the African-American community for an Obama presidency?
N: African American people are not in a position to raise their expectations above what any president who is left with a war and a collapsed economy could produce... I think they will be patient. Obama (would serve) us no more or less than he (would serve) the American people. He understands that, so do we.
Q: What role might race play in the voting booth? Might more people vote for McCain than are telling pollsters they will?
N: Nobody knows what race will mean. America tends to have a number of ethnic groups, so that when a Greek ran - Dukakis - Greeks were visibly for him. When Kennedy ran, the Irish were extraordinarily for him. We are a country of ethnic groups. That doesn't mean the Irish expected John F Kennedy to cater to the Irish or that Dukakis would do something fro the Greeks.
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Older Talkback
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''We know he's black. He knows he's black. That's all that matters to us.''
Sigh... what is not 'racist' about this?
SHOULDN'T HIS QUALIFICATIONS MATTER YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Eleanor Holmes, do you want the first black president to be an unmitigated screw up with 143 days of experience in the senate and a trail of failures leading up to that? Kind of a good recipe for making sure he is the LAST lack president for a looooong time?
'In the interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa (sig heil) on Thursday, Norton said Obama's ethnicity should mean no more to African Americans than John F Kennedy's did to Irish Catholics'
In other words, pretty much everything.
Area gun owners stocking up before election, shops say
A number of Armstrong County gun owners apparently agree with the The National Rifle Association's position: Barack Obama is '...the most anti-gun presidential candidate in American history.' With that thought in mind, many gun owners are 'stocking up' on guns and ammo in anticipation of gun bans should Obama win the presidential election next Tuesday.
Brian Balentine, and employee of Gone For a Day sporting goods and gun shop, Main Street, Elderton, said AR-15 rifles, a semi-automatic version of the military M-16, handguns and home defense shotguns are being bought by some customers.
'Many customers talk about it (an Obama presidency) more and more,' Balentine said. 'They are worried about the long-term effects if he (Obama) is elected. They are worried that there will be stricter gun laws or maybe a total gun ban.'
Harvey Wingard of Harvey Wingard Guns, 200 Queen St., Kittanning, said that he noticed more women buying guns.
'From what a lot of people are saying that if they don't have what they want now, they won't be able to get it if Obama is elected,' Wingard said. 'Several women have bought guns and some people are stocking up on ammunition. There are several first-time gun buyers who've said they are buying at least one gun now, usually a handgun, because they fear that if Obama wins the election handguns will be banned.'
Wingard said that many people expressed their willingness to hide guns in the event of a nationwide registration or confiscation program. He said many people he knows believe that a gun confiscation program is in the offing if the Democrats win.
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Nice talk Eleanor.Oct 31st, 2008 - 15:02:54
Obama still has had the last 17 years of ''Hate Whitey'' pounded into his head. He still has known terrorists in his life, and known criminals. He's a bad bad man. McCain on the other hand is a VERY bad bad man. Take your pick America or do the real American thing; write another name in for President.
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