The Daily Background
| Clinton’s most important Black superdelegate abandons her for Obama
by Arlen Parsa
The above photo is of now-Congressman, then-Civil-Rights-activist John Lewis being beaten by pro-segregation police on Bloody Sunday in 1961. Lewis was one of the most prominent activists of the Civil Rights Movement and a protégé of Rev Dr Martin Luther King. And up until today, he had been supporting Hillary Clinton. He had been, unquestionably, her most significant African American endorsee.
Rep Lewis (D-Georgia), is now switching his superdelegate endorsement from Clinton to Obama. Lewis was not just any endorsee, he was one of her National Campaign Chairs. Let’s take a look at the media coverage of when Lewis originally endorsed Clinton in October 2007.
Clinton herself said “I am proud and deeply honored to have the support of John Lewis, a great American hero… John helped transform this nation, and his vital role in establishing civil rights for all Americans will never be forgotten.”
Mark Murray, MSNBC’s First Read:
That Lewis would endorse Clinton over Obama — the first African-American with a legitimate chance of winning the Dem nomination — is a blow to the Illinois senator’s campaign.
Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic:
It’s a boost to Sen. Clinton in an important February 5 state with a disproportionately high number of African American voters, and no doubt will be interpreted by the press as a sleight of Barack Obama, who did indeed court Mr. Lewis for an endorsement. (That’s unusual: Obama has made a show of not particularly caring about endorsements, but some he wants, and this one he wanted.)
Mike Dorning, The Chicago Tribune’s Swamp Politics:
The endorsement is a serious blow to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama. Lewis is one of the best-known and most highly regarded civil rights figures still alive.
Shannon McCaffrey, The Washington Post:
Hillary Rodham Clinton won the endorsement Friday of Rep. John Lewis, a hero of the civil rights struggle, in a blow to Barack Obama in the battle for black support for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The New York senator called the Georgia congressman one of the people she admires most in the world.
“I see my campaign as a continuation of John Lewis’ life work,” the New York senator said.
Obama’s campaign, for its part, at the time of the Clinton endorsement said (almost eerily in retrospect), “Barack Obama has great admiration for John Lewis and understands his long relationship with Bill Clinton. He looks forward to his support when Barack Obama is the nominee.”
I know and believe that Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States. Obama does not have the legislative record to beat John McCain in November. He is too far to the left and his talk of reaching across party lines is a mute point when you consider how badly the Republicans will be represented in the next Congress. Obama is a flash in the pan and a “feel good” candidate. I know that my republican friends and family here in Georgia will vote for McCain in the general election over Obama, they have said as much. They would vote for Hillary Clinton when faced with McCain. Hillary has a more centralist record and has the experience to fight McCain on National Security issues this summer. Obama will go down in smoke when facing he Republicans. I think the Democratic Primaries are being swayed by a false “movement” represent by Obama and his idealistic view of what he will face in a general election campaign. I know that the pendants in the Republican Party secretly believe that Obama will not get the votes that people are saying they will cast in a general election. They are trying to trick the Democratic electorate into demonizing Hillary, again. The national media is feeding stories of the Obama campaign because it is a story that sells papers, advertisements and has people tuned in. He won’t win and the Republicans know it!! Obama is not winning enough support with whites, Hispanics, seniors and centralist minded Republicans. Independents may say they like his message but when it comes down to voting for him for President, they will revert to McCain, a centralist on issues. He will lose and thus the Democratic Party will again face eight more years of a Republican in the Oval Office. PLEASE think before you vote America! Obama can’t win a general election. Hillary can!
As I have metioned when everyone blamed the Clinton’s for playing the race card. What advantage would the Clinton’s have playing a race card. I am was a white Obama supporter until he played the race game.
Clinton had 70% of the black vote until Obama’s people played the race card and now because of his playing the race card she only gets 17%. Now that is all he talks about is being a proud african american man.
I saw an ad in Wisconsin today on health care where Obama talks about his white mother dying of cancer. He should be ashamed of himself. He sould have more respect for his white mother and say I am a proud white man brought up by a white single mother. My black father ran out on me and never supported me, but my white mother and white grand parents stood by my side. That is what he should be proud of but you wont here that out of Obama becasue it wont give him votes.
I am not racist. I have a half white and african american sister and brother who have never used there color to gain or complain about anything that has happen to them good or bad. They to have changed to the Clinton camp because Obama has played the race card.
I am asking all proud white american and part white americans to join us in telling Obama enough on the proud black crap and run on your experiece not race. That is something Sharpten and Jackson would do to win.
Those super deligates that are African American and promised Clinton you would stand with her keep your promise and don’t make it a race issue for you. You don’t see the white deligates saying they are going to jump sides to Clinton because she is white even though she won there states. Is’nt that right Kennedy, Kerry?
Wisconsin Vote Clinton for change and experiece and stop the racisit campaign of Obama today.
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