Fear of a Black President: New Clinton Ads Tell Bitter White Working Class Voters- 'Vote for Me or Bin Laden Will Get You!'
From the Frontrunner The latest Hillary Clinton commercial uses the image of Osama Bin Laden. The terrorist appears along with images from the stock market crash, the bombing at Pearl Harbor, the Soviet threat, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Hurricane Katrina as an announcer tells voters the political contest is for 'the most important job in the world.'" The Washington Post (4/22, A8, Watch) reports in an analysis of the piece, "The ad's weakness is that some voters may view Clinton, who played no direct role in national security or crisis management as first lady, as not much more experienced than Obama. She also voted to authorize the Iraq war, which many critics say has diverted US efforts against bin Laden. And an ad invoking the world's most notorious terrorist may be viewed as carrying a whiff of desperation. By airing the ad one day before today's Pennsylvania primary, Clinton is banking on media coverage to carry her message."
The Philadelphia Daily News (4/22, Bender, Davies, 107K) reports that Obama's camp "responded" to the Clinton ad "by reviving a Bill Clinton quote from 2004: 'If one candidate's trying to scare you and the other one's trying to get you to think; if one candidate's appealing to your fears and the other one's appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope.'"
In a story headlined "BAMA-GEDDON IN HILL AD. STARRING DISASTER, WAR AND OSAMA," the New York Post (4/22, Earle,) reports that Sen. Clinton "herself has slammed Republicans for using bin Laden to scare up votes. 'With respect to the Republicans using Osama bin Laden and other terrorists as part of their political scare tactics, I find it very disappointing,' Clinton said during her 2006 Senate re-election campaign."
The Philadelphia Daily News (4/22, Bender, Davies, 107K) reports that Obama's camp "responded" to the Clinton ad "by reviving a Bill Clinton quote from 2004: 'If one candidate's trying to scare you and the other one's trying to get you to think; if one candidate's appealing to your fears and the other one's appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope.'"
In a story headlined "BAMA-GEDDON IN HILL AD. STARRING DISASTER, WAR AND OSAMA," the New York Post (4/22, Earle,) reports that Sen. Clinton "herself has slammed Republicans for using bin Laden to scare up votes. 'With respect to the Republicans using Osama bin Laden and other terrorists as part of their political scare tactics, I find it very disappointing,' Clinton said during her 2006 Senate re-election campaign."
Many White Voters Refuse to Vote for Obama because he is Black
In his The Politico (4/22) column, Roger Simon writes about the perception that Sen. John McCain will gain in the general election from the unwillingness of a segment of the American electorate to vote for a black candidate. "How big is that percentage? An AP-Yahoo poll conducted April 2-14 found that 'about 8 percent of whites would be uncomfortable voting for a black for president.' I don't know if 8 percent sounds high or low to you, but I was amazed that 8 percent of respondents were willing to admit this to a pollster. And I figure that the true figure is much higher." Simon continues to cite anecdotal evidence from the campaign trail that some voters oppose Obama because of his race, adding, "I am not suggesting for a second that McCain would exploit race in a campaign against Obama. He would not. But the real question is whether the racial issue has to be 'exploited' at all. It is pretty powerful just sitting there on its own."
In his The Politico (4/22) column, Roger Simon writes about the perception that Sen. John McCain will gain in the general election from the unwillingness of a segment of the American electorate to vote for a black candidate. "How big is that percentage? An AP-Yahoo poll conducted April 2-14 found that 'about 8 percent of whites would be uncomfortable voting for a black for president.' I don't know if 8 percent sounds high or low to you, but I was amazed that 8 percent of respondents were willing to admit this to a pollster. And I figure that the true figure is much higher." Simon continues to cite anecdotal evidence from the campaign trail that some voters oppose Obama because of his race, adding, "I am not suggesting for a second that McCain would exploit race in a campaign against Obama. He would not. But the real question is whether the racial issue has to be 'exploited' at all. It is pretty powerful just sitting there on its own."
"I don't care too much for Obama," Maria Norgren, the daughter and granddaughter of steelworkers, said in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle shopping center here, near the Obama rally.
"I don't even think he's American," added her husband, Edward, who lost his job when the steel mills closed and now mans the counter at the Puff Discount Tobacco and Lottery shop next to the Giant Eagle.
"His father's from Nigeria, right?" asked Maria, wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt.