Move over Bill! Obama’s Eyeing Harlem
Is Harlem Hill’s territory by default or will Obama be audacious enough to flirt with uptowners?
Barack Obama’s moneymaking success has some of his New York fund-raisers wanting to push deeper into Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Harlem stronghold.
“Several people have talked to me about trying to get Obama to come to Harlem. I mean people of political note,” said attorney Jeh Johnson, a fund-raiser for New York and New Jersey. “There’s going to be a lot of excitement if he goes up to 125th Street.”
Obama’s people are now seeking a beachhead in the neighborhood where Bill Clinton keeps an office – reflecting the senator’s financial momentum
Source: Daily News
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I think Obam can really put a dent into Hillary’s base if he opts to campain In New York City Period. He needs to start hitting the Hoods in Urban America.
ok…i do believe that polling and vote will have a big gap but what i am referring to is that to treat the “black vote” as a monolith is an incorrect assumption. while race is a huge factor it is not the only one when it comes to “black votes” (or minority votes in general for that matter.and just as an aside, did anyone read AMNY this morning about how Obama has no VP? There’s an inset box comparing both candidates and on the Clinton side it had Hilary as “married to the first ‘Black President’” whereas Barack “wants to be the first Black President”. The first one had black president in quotes. I mean I would’ve laughed at that on Daily Show or something but it looked wierd reading it in AMNY. Just wanted to know if anyone picked that up or not…
it’s also true for women. it’s amazing that the front runners for the dems are both “firsts”…a woman OR a black man has never been a major party’s nominee for president. it’s exciting. but it will be even more interesting to see how the phenomenon #13 is talking about will play out if there’s no “safe” option.
#13……You are correct….especially when it comes to whites voting.
However, it’s not 100% true when it comes to Blacks.
“Race is not the end all factor”? Words spoken like a truly inexperienced person. Go speak to former Los Angeles Mayor and Black Man Tom Bradley who was leading polls to be Governor of California by DOUBLE DIGITS in ALL POLLS the day before the election. He lost, what happend? When people get in the actual election booth, and actually vote? not poll’ed but VOTE? Race is HUGE and often is all that matters.
It’s well known, common knowledge, thoroughtly documented and established that poll’ing prior to the vote when a Black candidate is involved means ZERO. Even when Blacks WIN, like Gov. Wilder in VA, they might of poll’ed ahead by 10 points, but win by 2 points in fact.
Most elections commonly come down to race, to deny this would be silly in the face and weight of so much evidence.
harlem_girl, i def concur with your last statement.race is not the end-all factor. good point.
#7 Said: “That Obama is the same skin color as most Harlemites is an anemic argument and lacks basis. The fact that he is not white will appeal to many ambitious black constituents who have not had any luck getting the likes of Sharpton or Jesse Jackson into a reasonable realm of presidential competition garnering so much mainstream support.”
I made the statement based on the #2 post.
Also, believe it or not, race is not the only factor considered when Blacks vote.
The Black Christian and Black church’s support of George Bush in the last election proves this. They vote on platforms just like everyone else.
#6 Said: “very underdeveloped thought. Just to name a few, I daily see East Indians, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, etc. people with “brown skin”, much much darker than a lot of Black Americans. These people do not have any link to the Black American experience.”
It was just a statement that I believe to be true.
From my perspective, there’s nothing to debate about or further thought to be developed.
Also, for the record, I believe that the experiences of all people of color can be linked to the African American/Black experience because many people of color have experienced the same racism.
I think Mr. Obama’s promise is that he has lived in ways that touch so many of us *becasue* of his being a mutt, and literally all over the map; we’re all mutts and not tied to only one place after all! And at least he actually lived in the area at some point in his life (while in college @ Columbia) and not the shiny new ‘Clinton’ Harlem… The Clintons did not live in Harlem, they rented space (enterprize zone tax free credits!).. they ‘lived’ in the burbs.
While I prefer them the the Bushes obviously, I think in principle Clintonism is potentially as dangerous as the Bush reign we’ve had to live through lately – having one family run the most powerful country on earth is probably not a good thing… absolute power________. That’s the whole reason we have term limits and elections every 4 years, no?
I would like to add, that the $25 fundraiser in no way representative of where he’s gotten his millions from. He has done this in addition to regular fundraising activities that are common among presidential runners. Just throwing that out before someone begins to deflate that comment.Other than that….Harlem welcomes Obama!
That Obama is the same skin color as most Harlemites is an anemic argument and lacks basis. The fact that he is not white will appeal to many ambitious black constituents who have not had any luck getting the likes of Sharpton or Jesse Jackson into a reasonable realm of presidential competition garnering so much mainstream support. To them the whole color angle is a horse they’ll ride and then beat until it’s dead. On the other hand, I believe that what people who do support Obama should focus on are other useful and tangible merits. For one, his appeal across the younger generations, the sought after demographics who are often aloof to politics. He has fostered an apparent frankness and accessability to regular citizens that is missing from hardcore politicos. Even having fundraiser dinners for as low as $25 a plate as opposed to thousand dollar ticket events.That’s why he has close to 100,000 people contributing big and small to his campaign. This and the fact that he maintained his stance against the war before the war began. Senator Clinton has always had to resort to clever wording whenever she is grilled on her initial approval of going into Iraq. I think that all these things provide enough basis for any american…black, white, hispanic, young, old to proclaim support. Mind you, I think that we need to here more specifics from each the candidates as the race progresses.Also, politically speaking, Obama is a youngin.Everyone seems to be under a honeymoon trance when speaking about him. That’s part of the process, feeling out the options. But don’t go the whole, “he’s black like us” argument. His upbringing and background has not shown that he was ever a true victim to modern-day race discrimination or economic disenfranchisement.It’s Obama-mania!
#3, very underdeveloped thought. Just to name a few, I daily see East Indians, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, etc. people with “brown skin”, much much darker than a lot of Black Americans. These people do not have any link to the Black American experience.
The color of ones skin no more links them to an experience than having hair links them to a dog.
Whether Clinton goes to his Harlem office doesn’t matter as long as he pays rent there.
Enough people have used Harelm as a political battleground. I rather they tell me what they are going to do for harlem rather than visit it.
I’m a Harlemite. I’m not 100% pro Obama over Clinton. Not even close.
Having brown skin links him to the Black American experience.
“There’s going to be a lot of excitement if he goes up to 125th Street.”
Since he’s a directly linked African with no heritage to the Black American experience, should the street he rides on be 116th between Lenox and 8th?
Every Harlemite I know regardless of race is 100% pro Obama over Clinton. Her husband’s been at that office less than a dozen times in all the years, puulllleeeeze. When Obama does come you can bet Congressman Rangel will be out of town, likely in D.C. (Being a dodger as he’s behind Clinton).
Side Bar Note, last week on Meet the Press when asked Congressman Rangel said this of Obama, “I think it’s fair to say he’s eloquent…” When Joe Biden called Obama “articulate” all hell broke out with Black media, people were outraged.
Interesting how there’s basically no difference in what the two people said, but there is a total difference in the reaction. Black people can get away with saying this that White people cannot, this is a blatant raw example.