Obama event coordinator "Get me more white people, we need more white people"

[GaryC 7]

Michelle Obama speaks at presidential rally in Skibo Gym

Only a week after her husband drew throngs to Soldiers and Sailors, Michelle Obama wooed a small crowd at Skibo Gymnasium on Wednesday.

Skibo’s risers were packed with community members and students from many of Pittsburgh’s universities. The rally was staffed by volunteers from a number of Carnegie Mellon student organizations, including Carnegie Mellon Students for Barack Obama, Student Senate, AB Political Speakers, and College Democrats.

Helping Students for Obama lead the crowd in cheers of “Ready to go” was Steve Sovern, a professional mediator from just outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who got excited enough about the campaign to travel to Pennsylvania and rally for Mrs. Obama. Sovern, alongside student volunteers, built up a palpable excitement around Mrs. Obama’s speech.

“I’ve been here since 11 a.m. setting up and it’s been amazing. It feels like [barack] Obama is coming,” said sophomore social and decision sciences major Rotimi Abimbola, a leader of Students for Obama who had only a few days to coordinate the event.

While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. Obama’s event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama. The Tartan’s correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, “Get me more white people, we need more white people.” To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, “We’re moving you, sorry. It’s going to look so pretty, though.”

“I didn’t know they would say, ‘We need a white person here,’ ” said attendee and senior psychology major Shayna Watson, who sat in the crowd behind Mrs. Obama. “I understood they would want a show of diversity, but to pick up people and to reseat them, I didn’t know it would be so outright.”

Mrs. Obama was introduced by Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of former Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry (D–Mass.), who endorsed Mr. Obama’s candidacy in South Carolina last January. Heinz Kerry stressed the similarities between Mr. Obama and her late husband John Heinz III, the popular senator from Pennsylvania. She remarked that she has become friends with Mrs. Obama, mainly from exchanging messages on their Blackberries.

Mrs. Obama spoke about her husband’s triumphs over adversity throughout his life, focusing on the decisions he had made that, she said, set him apart from his opponent, Hillary Clinton. As the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review, Mrs. Obama said, Mr. Obama could have been successful in the private sector, but chose to go into community organization instead.

“When you’re given the gift of advocacy, you don’t sell it to the highest bidder,” Mrs. Obama said. Mrs. Obama stressed how her husband has relied on “regular folks” instead of big donors.

Instead of thousand-dollar donations, the Obama campaign has raised millions on small checks of $20 to $50. Mrs. Obama sees this participatory attitude as a new trend.

“Folks have been engaged in a way they have not been before. People sit around the TV with their 5-year-olds watching debates.”

Mrs. Obama was careful to note that the Obamas, both of whom are Harvard-educated lawyers and who together own a million-dollar home in Illinois, grew up under difficult conditions.

“In my house, there were no miracles. All I saw was hard work and sacrifice,” Mrs. Obama said, speaking of her youth. “My father did not complain and went to work every single day.”

Most of Mrs. Obama’s statements were met with cheers and enthusiastic support, especially the televised crowd, many of whom were long-time fans of Mr. Obama.

One attendee, Joanne Plummer, a resident of Wilkinsburg, has been waiting a long time for an Obama presidency.

“Four years ago, when I first saw him speak for Kerry, I just knew — this man will be president,” Plummer said.

http://www.thetartan.org/2008/4/7/news/obama

Edited April 9, 2008 by GaryC

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Campaigns stage events to present the kind of picture they would like the public to see? You don't say. I am shocked. Really.

[Peikko 1,575]

I think the implication here is that Barack's campaigner's are following a line of political practice that Barack claims to find distasteful. It's hardly shock, horror major news and doesn't deserve more than an, "oh, so he does that too" but it's not exactly bolstering his credentials to sceptics like myself.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus

[Heracles 417]

I like Obama but I am not a fan of his wife. There is just something about her..

[Peikko 1,575]

Another quick question, how is 'donating' dollars to a presidential nominee really 'participating' in politics? It's not like any contributor has any say in how their donation is spent apart from the obvious. Yes, it's great that people want to make donations and it's great that he doesn't have to rely on potentially uncomfortable large donations but that's all it is, a donation.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I think the implication here is that Barack's campaigner's are following a line of political practice that Barack claims to find distasteful. It's hardly shock, horror major news and doesn't deserve more than an, "oh, so he does that too" but it's not exactly bolstering his credentials to sceptics like myself.

If you're really honest to yourself, nothing will ever be good enough for a skeptic like yourself. The bottom line is that in order to have a chance to be nominated and elected, he'll have to play the game the way the game is played - to a certain degree. There are people out there in America - shock and horror - even right here on VJ that seem to think that Obama will run some kind of radical, extremist black agenda. Successfully portraying him as an inclusive figure - which he is - in order to counter those perceptions is what his campaign needs to accomplish if he is to stand any chance of becoming the nominee and subsequently the President. To expect him and his staff to run a futile campaign just to satisfy skeptics like you is simply silly.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Mr. Big Dog

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I like Obama but I am not a fan of his wife. There is just something about her..

Come on, what is it?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Another quick question, how is 'donating' dollars to a presidential nominee really 'participating' in politics? It's not like any contributor has any say in how their donation is spent apart from the obvious. Yes, it's great that people want to make donations and it's great that he doesn't have to rely on potentially uncomfortable large donations but that's all it is, a donation.

If the people support their leaders rather than special interests buying them, I think it is a great way to participate and take back our government.

[Heracles 417]

I like Obama but I am not a fan of his wife. There is just something about her..

Come on, what is it?

She doesn't have any solar panels.. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Nah seriously. Well for one she cries about the cost of college yet has degrees from some of the best schools in the country. An opportunity that many would give up eating for.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Well for one she cries about the cost of college yet has degrees from some of the best schools in the country. An opportunity that many would give up eating for.

You mean she wants educational opportunities for all? Say it ain't so.

[Heracles 417]

Well for one she cries about the cost of college yet has degrees from some of the best schools in the country. An opportunity that many would give up eating for.

You mean she wants educational opportunities for all? Say it ain't so.

I would like everyone to drive a Maybach Mercedes too. Now back to reality.

People talk about Bill but I know she calls the shots in that relationship...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

People talk about Bill but I know she calls the shots in that relationship...

I don't want to know how you know that.

[GaryC 7]

I believe the point is that Obama has been trying to make this about his vision of "change" and not about race. But it seems that he is using race in his campaign.

[Heracles 417]

People talk about Bill but I know she calls the shots in that relationship...

I don't want to know how you know that.

I know who wears the pants in that relationship..

[Peikko 1,575]

Actually, you are quite wrong. If he just held the line that he claims he holds I would have been duly impressed. If he had refused point blank to engage in any of the cyincal politics that he claims he doesn't like I would at the very least be able to say, "well, that's a sincere guy, an idealist who says what he means and means what he says." You can give me all the, "thems the rules he has to play by to be taken seriously, or to be able to compete" or whatever that you like but that is just double talk because if you are allowed to bend your own rules to get elected, who's to say you aren't going to bend the rules once you get into the WH if it's politically expedient to do so? In other words - same old politics.

By the way, there isn't actually anything wrong with the same old politics although certainly there are things that could do bear some scrutiny. However, the majority of legislators and senators are not scandelously corrupt. They do the job they were elected to do and for the most part they do it pretty well. If they didn't, as I said in the other thread, you would seriously have to look at not just bringing in a new attitude but actually changing the political framework. Either the system is broken and really needs a good overhaul or it's not. Who else thinks that the political framework needs anything but a clean up, serioulsy?

If all that's needed is a change in attitude from politicians then he really, really needs to lead by example not just pay lip service to it but reserve the right to play dirty if it seems like a good idea at the time.