Posted on 06/29/2007 10:10:42 AM PDT by Mike Bates
For a presidential candidate who has refused to be pigeon-holed as the "black candidate," Sen. Barack Obama found himself fading in a staged battle for the hearts of black voters Thursday night.
Billed as the "All-American Presidential Forum," the televised debate brought the eight Democratic contenders to Howard University, one of the most prestigious schools in the network of historically black colleges.
The gathering of presidential hopefuls was also a prime time showcase for Tavis Smiley, a media celebrity, and his book, The Covenant with Black America, a New York Times best-selling collection of essays that offer solutions to a variety of problems plaguing impoverished minority communities.
It was the first time a panel of journalists of color, with a black moderator, posed the questions to the candidates.
Close ties shine through
It was clear from the answers to the first questions that Obama's chief rival, Hillary Clinton, spoke with greater confidence on race issues, and in fact she brought many of the women in the audience to their feet when she addressed the alarming rate of HIV/AIDS infections in the black community.
"If HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 24 and 34, there would be an outrage in this country,'' she said.
What black woman hasn't uttered those same words at one time or another?
While it should have been Obama's night, Clinton's close ties to the African-American community shone through in her remarks, offering a boldness that frankly was missing from Obama's responses.
For example, when asked if racism is still an intractable issue of the day, Clinton acknowledged that progress had been made, pointing out that she shared the stage with an African-American and a Latino candidate.
"But there is so much to be done," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
Leave it to Hillary to step in with the RACE baiting right away - “if white women were dying...”
I see Omammy Obammy is jumping on the poverty pimp wagon. These people will never accept responsibility for their own actions. It’s always someone else’s fault.
Now the empty suit is filled with you know what.
“But there is so much to be done,” she said.
The only blacks and latinos Hillary has any contact with on a daily basis fix her car and clean her house.
The whole debate was racist. Can you imagine any of the ‘Rats showing up at an event where only honkies were allowed to ask questions?
when she addressed the alarming rate of HIV/AIDS infections in the black community
CDC has been screaming this since at least y2k, but the black folks didn’t want to hear it or even let it be said......
Or give her money.
How many married, monogamous, non-IV drug using Black women are dying of Aids in America? Right.
Obama is over matched. This is a light weight taking on a heavy weight (no pun intended). Hillary will be the Dem. nominee. Now it is up to the Pubs. to nominate someone who can beat her.
I think Osama’s running for 2012 or even 2016. This is just a tour.
what flavor accent was mrs. clinton donning last night?
It’s an outrage that the HIV/AIDS rate is so high in the District of Columbia, Senator Clinton.
According to the District’s Whitman-Walker Clinic, the rate of HIV Positive adults in DC is greater than in 24 sub Saharan countries.
Now, you and your husband were in the WH for eight years. What did you do about that rate of infection?
Anything?
Obama doesn’t always listen to what he is saying. One quote from the debate was a humorous example of Obama brilliance:
“We need to make sure teachers are going to schools that need them the most.”
You are probably right. I hear that Gore has cancelled all speaking engagements for the next 6 months. Sounds like he clearing the decks to get in. He had better put a lock of the refrigerator and a crash run at the gym.
It’s all about race. Race, Race, Race, Race. Until blacks start acting in their individual self-interest and stop buying into this bogus poverty/racism pack mentality, then Race, Race, Race, Race is all we’ll ever hear, because that’s all the pack has to contribute to America.
Paul Tsongas called Clinton a pander bear in 1992. And Hillary can pander every bit as well as the Rapist in Chief. Of course, in black culture the verb pander is replaced by using pimp as verb. I guess Obama needs to study Jackson and Sharpton to elevate his game. Right now he is being out pimped by a white woman with humongous calves.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.