Dr. Ron Walters, '88 Jesse Jackson Campaign Manager: GOP may see Obama as weakest of top 3 Dems

[wyldwolf]

Republicans like Obama. Why?

It first hit me when I saw William Kristol, the prominent neoconservative editor of the Weekly Standard, making a vigorous defense of the progress of Barack Obama’s campaign.

Then it was conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks lauding Obama’s chances over Hillary Clinton. This view was clinched by the recent release of a Pew Poll which showed that Republicans in the survey prefer Obama and Edwards to Clinton.

I wondered what was going on. Was it that conservative, Republican-leaning pundits and party members were being objective about the fact that Barack Obama had the chance to be the “first legitimate” (black)candidate who could actually win the presidency? Was he just “likable”? Or were they setting him up?

... My suspicion about Republicans’ love of Obama is grounded in the belief that they can’t be serious about favoring a Black candidate when their operatives run political operations designed to keep Black voters away from the polls by any means necessary. Republicans run “ballot-security” programs all over the country, in which they check the credentials of Blacks to see if they are eligible to vote; they screen and purge Black voters from rolls where they are in charge; and pass voter-ID legislation in legislatures where they are dominant, to make it difficult for Blacks to vote. So why would they favor Obama?

Yes, there is merit to the theory that many Republicans are shrewd enough to want Obama to win the nomination to increase the possibility that a Republican will win the election. They are betting on the racist feelings of many Whites against electing a Black person to the highest office in the land, expressing their disbelief in the polls suggesting that the majority of Whites would now vote for a qualified Black candidate. They are also betting that this racist strain is responsible for the finding in some polls that Whites say they will vote for a Black candidate and then don’t.

I also think that Republicans have confidence, based on the historical record, that they know how to handle a Black candidate in a campaign setting. All you have to do is look at the 2006 Senate contest in Tennessee that featured an African American candidate, Rep. Harold Ford Jr., and Robert Corker. In the final days, Corker unleashed an ad featuring a young White woman bidding Ford to “come hither” for a date, something that is frowned upon publicly but has been historically practiced in private — with a vengeance.

http://themadisontimes.com/columnist/2007/11/30/republicans-like-obama-why/

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Walters Is Brilliant - That's Why Dr. Hymietown Did So Well

:rofl:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Yeah

I'm sure Dr. Walters told Jesse Jackson to call New York City "Hymietown" in an off the record chat with a group of mostly African American reporters...

[wyldwolf]

4. don't confuse Manny with logic.

[wyldwolf]

3. Jackson won five primaries on Super Tuesday - second to the eventual nominee.

:rofl:

MannyGoldstein - proving his historical non-knowledge once again.

[bigdarryl]

5. Thats what they said about Reagan when he was running Carter and the dems....

took him lightly not realizing Reagan had that CHARISMA thing going for him. the only one on the rethug side that could possibly come close to Obama in charisma is maybe Huckabee because of his speaking style and thats it my bet is on Obama winning the general election against any of those on the republican side. the only thing Obama needs practice on is his debating skills he's still a little weak when it comes to debating.