Aug 1, 2008 7:19 pm US/Eastern
Obama, McCain Spar On Black Support In FL Visits
TAMPA (CBS4) ―
Barack Obama faced tough questioning today on his commitment to America's "black community." The questions came from a heckler attending a St. Petersburg town hall meeting, and extended the simmering debate this week between the Obama and John McCain camps over the so-called "race card."
Obama was in the middle of prepared remarks when he was interrupted by a commotion in the crowd. An African-American man held up a sign that read, "What about the black community, Obama?"
The presumptive Democratic nominee for president asked that he be allowed to finish his prepared speech. Later, as promised, Obama came back to his heckler's question which concluded with a challenge. "Why", the unidentified man asked, "have you not spoken to the interests of the oppressed and exploited black community in this country?"
Obama said he found that claim unfounded and then struck an inclusive note. Obama said, "The only way we are going to solve our problems is together..black, white, hispanic, young, old, straight, gay….that has to be our agenda."
That unity message is being overshadowed by a debate that began with what Obama told a rural Missouri audience on Wednesday.
A relaxed and smiling Obama said, "Nobody really thinks Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they're going to try and do is make you scared of me. You know, he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name. He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bill."
The McCain campaign quickly pounced, claiming Obama was injecting race into the campaign. The Republican senator from Arizona told an interviewer, "There is no place in this campaign for that." And McCain's campaign manager said "no one will be allowed to define McCain in those (racist) terms."
Obama's aides meanwhile say that is an over the top response to his remarks. They say no one has ever called McCain a racist, and argue that their opponent is trying to create a controversy where none need exist. In the heat of the summer, the issue of race and politics may blow over quickly, or it may be a subtext—loudly or not—all the way to November.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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