Excitement for Obama mixed with safety fears

The Associated Press ^ | Saturday, February 23, 2008 | DAVID CRARY

[Condor 63]

NEW YORK - For many black Americans, it's a conversation they find hard to avoid, revisiting old fears in the light of bright new hopes.

They watch with wonder as Barack Obama moves ever closer to becoming America's first black president. And they ask themselves, their family, their friends: Is he at risk? Will he be safe?

There is, of course, no sure answer. But interviews with blacks across the country, prominent and otherwise, suggest that lingering worries are outweighed by enthusiasm and determination.

[appleharvey]

The only one at risk in this mix is the American people.

[L98Fiero]

“Haunted by history:

For many older blacks, the barometer for gauging hopes and fears is the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.”

Bobby Kennedy was assassinated the same year. Since then, all assassination attempts have been on white Republicans. Why is nobody concerned for the white folks?

The fact that Jesse and Al still suck good air proves Obama is in no more danger than anyone else.

[ac-rep]

Any President is at risk.There’s probably more people, such as al queda, who want to see Bush dead rather than Obama.

[bigbob]

He (or she) need not fear the Curse of Tippecanoe at least.

[isrul]

Well, Nobody forced Stanley’s little boy to play messiah. Risk comes with the territory for any publicity hound.

[goldfinch]

All Presidents face the danger of being assassinated. In addition to the usual loonies, Obama would have the white supremacists/neo-nazi type after him. OTOH, he would not have to worry about the greens and the Islamists who would have loved to knock off Bush.

[vetvetdoug]

Let’s say Hillary wins and chooses Obama the Muslim as her VP....I’d say Hillary won’t make it one year.

[Rome2000]

George W has already hanged a Hussein.

Barry the cokehead will be dealt with via the political process.

[Kakaze]

You can't have lived through the civil rights movement and know something about the history of African-Americans in this country and not be a little concerned,"

Actually recent history tells us, he has more to fear from Black on Black violence then any other segment of the population.

[BARLF]

President Bush is hated the world over and so far he has survived. Obama as president will never be as hated as President Bush so hopefully he too, will survive.

[KarinG1]

It occurs to me that if there was a concern that somebody was going to try to kill a white presidential candidate and the media chose to just interview a bunch of white folks to see how they felt about it there would be some sort of scandal here.

[ARE SOLE]

Ms. Obambi worries that Hussein Obambi could get killed fueing up at a gas station. If so, odds are it would be black on black. (Or is that black on halfrican American?)

Regards

[A CA Guy]

Black on black crime at the highest level? Don’t think so.

[ExtremeUnction]

Barry the cokehead will be dealt with via the political process.

I don't get it. Obama is half white, half black. So why is he called black?? Sheesh, he's whiter than me, and I'm from Norway!!!

[humblegunner]

Is he at risk? Will he be safe?

Statistically he is a high AIDS risk.

[tet68]

He only has cause to fear for his life if Hillery! would be his VP.

[Rome2000]

He is a Halfrican-American

[aught-6]

Reading the title, I thought it meant safety fears for themselves, which would make total sense.

[Lady GOP]

Obama