CARSON CITY, Nevada - "Let's get down to brass tacks here: We have never elected a black man in this country," Christy Tews, a grandmother of five, told Sen. Barack Obama last night.
"I've noticed that," Obama said, to laughs.
It was a rare moment where a voter confronted Obama on his race, wondering whether a black man would be electable.
Obama told Tews, 68, that he already has won over white voters. "Folks said I couldn't win in Iowa," he said. "We have moved forward as a country in a significant way."
He touted polls showing he appeals to independent voters and Republicans more than the other candidates.
"I don't want to sound naive," he said, acknowledging there will be some voters who don't choose him because he is black. "Just like there will be some people who wouldn't vote for Hillary because she's a woman, or they wouldn't vote for John Edwards because they don't like his accent."
Tews told the swarm of reporters that descended upon her when the event ended that she appreciated his answer.
"I'm seriously concerned that we have a Democratic candidate who is electable," she said, adding she is still torn between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, but was leaning his way after hearing his answer.
"This is a terrible terrible election for me because I would so much like to vote for a woman, but I'm not sure Hillary is electable either," said Tews, who now leads Buddhist pilgrimages to India.
Should either candidate win the White House, the way people view race or gender in America would "change immensely," she said, adding, "Wow."
Team Obama was thrilled with the turnout here -- about 2,400. They packed 1,200 into the community center gym, put 800 into an overflow auditorium to watch Obama's speech on a projector screen and there are 200 people in the atrium and 200 people outside.
(Former President Bill Clinton will campaign for his wife in this town today.)
Other than the crowd, and the "truce" he called for earlier with Sen. Hillary Clinton, the events yesterday were light on news -- until just after midnight eastern time.
Obama gave his usual applause lines -- and laugh lines that somehow still get chuckles in every state -- and took questions from voters.
The questioners here inspired some more interesting-than-usual answers, perhaps with some thanks to the late hour, when Obama tends to stray from his standard stump speech.
Asked about his experience, Obama rattled off his legislative achievements, then sounded off on an argument Clinton has been making lately that he is all talk and no action.
"Don't buy this notion that somehow I just popped out making a nice speech somewhere," he said. "I've been working at this for years. I taught constitutional law for a decade.
"Think about what I've done just this year," he said. "I started from scratch and after competing against the top political operation in the country that was built over 20 years by the former president of the United States of America. And I don't know if anyone's noticed, but we're playing 'em even right now.
"I'm not just winging it out here," he said. "We've got top world class advisers who have devoted themselves to this campaign, many of whom used to work in the Clinton administration."
-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (9)
Beyond personalities: It is more universally significant to elect the first woman president of the strongest nation in the world. Why? because gender transcends beyond race and culture.
To elect the first African-American is politically correct but not nationalistically representative. Just ponder on this: When you say CHINA, what face do you see in your mind? When you say INDIA, what face do you see in your mind? When you say AFRICA, what face do you see in your mind? When you say AMERICA, what face do you see in your mind?
Posted by MG1220 | January 15, 2008 8:12 AM
As we have seen in the past 7 years, there are deep divisions in this country over values. Why are these guys going at it over race and gender. They are not going to gain the middle ground, they are going to bring it all down on top them.
Posted by Larry Stone | January 15, 2008 8:13 AM
Obama is NOT going over Race or Gender. That is Clinton's play. She is hoping to make Race an issue, knowing she's lost the SC Vote, so that when she goes to Florida she may be able to rile up some white/Hispanic vote in retaliation. She is all about divide and conquer, turn one constituency against the other. NOT what the World needs. Rather frightening...this Woman seems prepared to say ANYTHING to ANYONE to get a Vote. Where is authenticity? In Obama's Camp, that's where.
It's like a flashback to the meaning of "is"....
Posted by SUE | January 15, 2008 9:17 AM
When I say China, I see a poliburo; When I say India, I see great leaders like Indria Ghandi (a woman); When I say Africa, I see the result of horrendous colonial scramble; When I see America, I see a bright future and a new direction cultivated and led by Barack Obama.
Posted by gy | January 15, 2008 9:52 AM
Notice that the woman who asked Obama the question leads Buddhists to India. That's the Democrats for you...old people who vote Democratic because they aren't aware of the real world, youngsters with no real world experience who like the idea of handouts, and nuts like this woman. We aren't ready for an inexperienced black person for President, or a woman with Hillary's baggage. MLK or Thatcher maybe...but neither of these two!
Posted by Grant Thomas | January 15, 2008 10:11 AM
MG1220, when you say America, I see a 'native' American. People need to wake up - the future genarations of this earth will be more like Obama where classifying people according to their pre-defined racial defitions just won't make sense! When you say Germany and when you say England what face do you see?! But guess what, the faces might be the same but the cultural upbringing and backgrounds are different. Who's to say Obama is less 'American' than Hilary is? Race is still an issue and it runs deep as clearly demonstrated by your statement.
Posted by TSM08 | January 15, 2008 10:16 AM
Thanks again for a balanced report. I am concerned about this truce as clinton got what she wanted with slander -muslim, MLK, spadework, fairytale--to cast doubt about electablity but we shall see. Many of my friends have turned on her as a result of this negative business --black, white and brown.
Spliting the party as a direct result-was not what the clintons wanted...goes to the arrogance of entitlement.
Posted by jan | January 15, 2008 11:26 AM
Black leaders support of Hillary Clinton...
It is to be expected in the black community there has always been those in the house, and those in the fields. The faulty assumption was/is that all those in the field were a cohesive unit seeking equality with Massa. that isn't the case there are MANY MANY in the field hoping and praying to white jesus for a chance to get in the house to serve Massa and live happily ever after. Charlie Rangel is in the house, he made it out of the fields of Harlem, and he has been keeping Massa Bill and Missus Hillary shoes all shined. He and his ilk are not gonna let ya'll from the field, rock the boat. Who do you think you are to EVEN attempt to have that Ohama Mama Jamma sit in Massa Bill's oh no. Before a field uppity sits in the big chair, they would rather die and will fight, oppose and belittle any other who has the nerve to seek true equality in America. Racism in America is a business, it put jesse jackson's kids through school, it got Al Sharpton a paid gig, don't you dare rock the cart. because if Obama does sit in Mass's chair the industry topples, and the America is racist , black man cant make it etc, etc gets a pink slip. and come on people think. Theres more Cadillacs bought on protesting white guys than actually acheiving anything. We got to send a note to Oprah about being so uppity, she needs to take notes from Bob Johnson and know her role, a WOMAN, and BLACK and has the nerve to support that uppity Ofama Ospama oh my.
Posted by blkconserv | January 15, 2008 9:17 PM
Hilary is fully committed to a SCORCHED EARTH policy. Her consuming desire for the presidency and the power it entails is very apparent by the negative way her and her associates are running their campaign. If she can't be president then no one else in the democrat party will be allowed to be either. Scorch the earth so nothing else will grow, scorch the democrat party by causing conflict, fear, rifts and disintegration amongst the grass-root members; so they lose the same as her.
Then as she watches the flames grow higher as her chances of being the democrat presidential nominee become lower then we will see the true nature of this lady as she releases the daisy-cutter to end all things (or so she will think), and declare herself as an independent to bypass the nominee process and still have that chance to rule all life on earth. The smell of brimstone in her passing will mark this time.
I can't wait until this thing really gets going as it will be a classic fight between good (Obama) and evil (Hilary). Choose your side carefully as no quater will be given to the defeated.
Posted by Bob Amathar | January 16, 2008 12:09 PM