Black leaders still sizing up Obama

LA Times ^ | 19 January 2007 | Peter Wallsten

[Cicero]

I doubt he will appeal widely to black Americans. Not because he's half white, because a lot of black Americans have white ancestry. But because he's a "stranger," as this pastor says.

His father was African. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii. He attended an Islamic madrassah, for two years according to one version, or maybe for four years. Sure, Hawaii is a state, but it's a very exotic state with a different kind of population. I don't think all this will play well with southern or urban American blacks. He's not really one of them. Maybe that will change, but it will certainly give hillary some useful leverage against him.

[Beckwith]

Black leaders still sizing up Obama.

He's a 34 long.

[Beckwith]

Two years ata a madrassah.

Read this

[Cinnamon]

unbelievable... 6 years after 9/11 and a closet muslim is closing in on the White House.

[chiefqc]

I don't understand what there is to size up. Can anyone tell me what he has done and where he got his experience to be POTUS?

[Polybius]

As has been said before, he is not an African-American candidate--just dark.

"Obama is a zebra, Weezie. Just like our zebra daughter-in-law."

[nowandlater]

I don't see how you can stop him if he gets the nomination. It seems that everything is blowing against his back; the media loves him, compelling life story, very amiable, golden tongue, and not divisive. If the harder thing he has to do is convince black leaders that he is one of them then he is going to clobber Hillary. Add that to the fact that any personal attacks against him will be viewed as racist.

In reality, I don't think racism is very strong in the U.S.A. There maybe some soft racism out there. But the hard-core racists that will not vote for him is probably less than a half percent.

Heck, I even like the guy and I am very conservative. Yikes, I can't see him being stopped and the Dems will have all three branches of government!!!!