President Barack Obama Sunday accused Republicans of wishing for black voters to stay at home this November, inserting a new racial element into his growing catalog of GOP political sins.
Obama was speaking at a rally in a largely African American section of Philadelphia, an event staged as part of a coordinated White House strategy to get a disaffected Democratic base to the polls and avert a GOP takeover of Congress. Toward the end of his remarks, Obama offered the following analysis of Republican political calculations.
See, what the other side is counting on, what they’re counting on is you’re going to stay home. They’re counting on your silence. They’re counting on your amnesia. They’re counting on your apathy. They’re counting on young people staying home and union members staying home and black folks staying home and middle-class families staying home.
Obama offered no evidence that Republicans want blacks not to vote, presumably basing the accusation on the fact that African Americans generally overwhelmingly support Democrats.
The charge was among several harsh characterizations Obama made about Republican sentiments and intentions.
Obama said Republicans “knew” economic hard times would last through November 2010, and so they plotted in 2008 to oppose efforts to help the economy in order to capitalize on the resulting voter discontent.
They knew it would take more than two years to climb out of this recession. They knew that by the time of this election, people would still be out of work. They knew people would still be frustrated. And so what they figured was, if we just sat on the sidelines, if Republicans just opposed everything we said we could do, if they rejected every compromise we offered, if they spent all their time attacking Democrats instead of attacking problems, they figured they might be able to do well in the polls.
Obama asserted that Republicans intentionally poisoned the political climate in Washington in order to cause Democratic voters to tune out from the political process and not vote.
They’re counting on the fact that they made the argument so ugly in Washington that you just completely turned off and you’re not going to vote for anybody. And if that happens, they win.
And he suggested that big corporations were crafting the Republican campaign message, outlined in the “Pledge to America” the GOP released earlier this month.
Let me tell you, for starters, it turns out that the pledge was actually written in part by a former lobbyist for AIG and Exxon Mobil. That should tell you something right there. You can’t make that stuff up.
Vice President Biden also briefly addressed the crowd, charging Republicans with presiding over “eight years of unregulated greed and skyrocketing deficits.”
23 thoughts on “Obama: Republicans Hope Blacks Don’t Vote”
Excellent Keith. Unless people actually heard it or read it, they probably wouldn’t believe it. I’m beyond anger at this moment, but feel overwhelming sad for what he’s done to this country.
It is sad for the country. A president should not be injecting race into this. He promised change and we got it. As bad as politics can be, this crowd is taking it to a whole another level.
Vast right-wing conspiracy…that sounds familiar…Hillary something said that…some woman. This actually sounds kind of flaky–I mean more than usual… There may be a chance that African-Americans with no job, understand there are many, would vote the other party. Did he ever think of that?
We watched, silently, while MrsO went to several Black colleges to speak, dance recititals at predominately Black schools in DC, visited Black neighborhoods, advised the NAACP to be more aggresive, and invited legions of Black children to visit the WH. We were silent when the Prez listed his race as Black on his census form instead of checking the bi-racial catagories. The POTUS refers to the Black community as “our community”
It was their choice to do these things. By placing themselves and other Blacks outside and apart from the mainstream of America is not wise.
Not that this would be divvied up precisely–or even should be–but African-Americans are 12% of the population and sometimes seem to get half the attenion and concern…yet, their lot does not seem to improve massively…why is that? I don’t even get into this stuff anymore….
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704127904575544401386017906.html?KEYWORDS=Democrats+conflicted
Now this really walks a fine line–get out the black vote to support the president, but encourage African-Americans vote for white candidates…this makes my head hurt.
Star – thanks for the link. Does anyone just make the calculation to DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN???
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Wait a second! Here’s what he said, according to your own article. “They’re counting on young people staying home and union members staying home and black folks staying home and middle-class families staying home.” Which,by the way, is true. But your headline says “Republicans Hope Blacks Don’t Vote.” Which, by the way is also true, but it astounds me that you make this a race issue.
Don’t know what you’re talking about Jim. Obama is very clear that he thinks GOP hopes blacks don’t vote.
Jim, if it wasn’t racial to say blacks stay home, then it’s alright with you if he said whites stay home, too? The whole rally was racially motivated from beginning to end. If he has to sure up his Afro-American base he’s in big trouble.
Obama has never been victimized by being black his whole life. He’s only benefited from it all the way to the White House.
Speaking of injecting race into the 2010 campaign; Thursday and Friday evening, one of the local “poliyical reporters” grandly announced the “right wing” Virgina Teaparty convention would be held over the weekend at the Richmond Coliseum. This from the same little prig who in a recent piece on the Washington gathering of African-Americans to get back what they voted for gushed over one King Salim Khalfani Executive Director Virginia State Conference NAACP, who has in the past, present and undoubted will in the future label any white politician or citizen he choses a racist. It seems to be the Democrat way of doing things.
This particular pretty boy ‘presenter’ is obviously filling out his resume and portfolio of vid-clips with an eye on a major market if not network position in my opinion.
Does anyone that is 45 years old or less care what color the president is or is going to be? All we want is someone that isn’t a lying slime ball that is actually focused on getting something done that is important. Maybe a good growing economy!? Obama is the biggest joke to ever be president. If I was black I would be pissed off! He dropped the ball when he had the opportunity to hit a home run. Social issues are great but jobs pay bills. I hope the republicans can offer a better choice this time around because I won’t be voting for Obama. It shouldn’t matter what color you are when choosing to vote. Vote for the guy that offers opportunity to succeed not the free lunch BS.
This president has absolutely?no desire, whatsoever, to even try to find common ground, and as a leader, he should be setting the example for unity in this country. This seems to me to be in direct violation of his oath to uphold our Constitution. I am not a violent person, but I really do think, after these childish and ludicrous comments, he needs to be forcibly removed from office.
Great article.
Simply put, BHO is a racist. Race politics is a religion to this man.
@Dave Langefels
He didn’t even need to hit a home run – a single would have been okay – instead we got a foul ball that beaned everyone ithe stadium.
Can we go back to the tow truck and the Slurpee–I am not so good on sports.
I completely resent this propaganda. I am running a Republican congressional campaign in Colorado and we have repeatedly tried to reach out to the African American community to ensure the community was engaged in the political process. You know what we got? Almost zero response. Period. So, for Obama to say that we want African Americans to stay home is simply rubbing salt in the wound.
Coloradan, thanks for letting us know. I’m really glad to hear you tried the reach-out, and vastly disappointed that Obama thinks so little of Republicans that he believes they basically think this way. How could he be serious about wanting to work with people he has such a low opinion of? And how can you get any results in the African American community when the president of the United States is implying that Republicans don’t particularly like black people?
It seem a good service. I will check it. Thanks for sharing
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