Last week, at numerous campaign rallies, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, went after Sen. Barack Obama with a meat ax. Palin was particularly incendiary, saying that Obama was “palling around with terrorists.”
The Republican ticket, behind in the polls and facing an uphill battle to victory, is getting increasingly desperate.
But more desperate are their most passionate, rabid supporters. Fueled by hatred and bigotry on racist internet sites, hate filled e-mails and the talk radio bigots like Laura Ingram, Sean Hannity and Indiana’s own bigot Greg Garrison, McCain/Palin supporters lashed out.
At their rallies speakers used Obama’s middle name “Hussein” as a spoken obscenity. Others screamed “terrorist,” “Arab,” “kill him,” “off with his head” at the mention of Obama’s name.
Palin, whose racial sensitivity seems non-existent, didn’t temper the hate at her rallies. McCain also remained silent for several days. But after criticism from the media and from responsible Republicans, McCain, Friday, began to publicly rebuke and repudiate such attacks.
Then Congressman John Lewis, the former Freedom Rider, brutally beaten by southern racists in the early 1960’s, expressed what many African-Americans were feeling.
Lewis said he was “deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. (They) are sowing the seeds of hatred and division.”
Lewis compared the hatred of McCain/Palin rallies with the George Wallace era. “He (Wallace),” said Lewis, “never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans.”
Lewis added, “Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all.”
McCain cried foul. The Obama campaign said “Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric” and “the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from (McCain’s) own running mate that (Obama) ‘pals around with terrorists.’”
Our community and like minded persons of every community agree with Senator Obama that “the last thing we need is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we need to come together.”
Meanwhile, in Indiana, Secretary of State Todd Rokita believes there was massive voter fraud in voter registration, specifically alleged faulty and phony voter registration forms turned in to Lake County by ACORN, the community activist group.
ACORN’s record in voter registration isn’t faultless. In 2000 and 2004, in several states, ACORN turned in false and fraudulent voter registration forms. This is because ACORN pays people to get registrations, while every other community group, organization and political campaigns use unpaid volunteers.
Unlike other pundits and columnists, I’ve personally registered thousands of Indianapolis voters the past 22 years. When I do voter registration, quality control is key, so I let the voter fill out their own form, while being present to answer questions and concerns.
ACORN doesn’t do that. And that’s where the mischief and problems lie.
Rokita demanded criminal investigations after Black-hating internet blogs complained that there’s more registered voters in Marion County than adults.
On paper that’s true. But the bloggers and even Rokita misunderstand some basic demographic facts.
According to the 2007 Census American Community Survey (ACS), 16.2 percent of all Indiana residents move per year. In Indianapolis, 21.5 percent of all persons move yearly.
The 2007 Census ACS says 25.2 percent of Blacks statewide move yearly; 28.0 percent of Blacks in Indianapolis/Marion Couynty move yearly.
That means in the two years between major elections, roughly a third of all Hoosiers and upwards of 40 percent of Black Hoosiers move. That causes plenty of churn and change in the registration files.
In registering voters over two decades, I’ve been surprised how many can’t remember the address where they previously lived and were registered. Instead of filling out a change of address, they turn in a “new registrant” form. I know this clogs the system, but until Secretary Rokita figures out how community groups can help voters remember where they were last registered, the rolls will be clogged.
Rokitia’s complaints that ACORN’s sloppiness means fraud Election Day doesn’t match the reality of Rokita’s Voter ID brainchild.
If ACORN filled out registration forms for “Mickey Mouse,” “Bart Simpson,” “L. E. Fant” and other bogus names, those “people” can’t vote unless they procude an Indiana state photo ID, driver’s license or an American passport, which requires an orginal birth certificate.
Bottom line, if you subtract the inactive voters on the rolls, just in Marion County 84 percent of the adult population’s registered to vote. A stunning number. And a sign that November 4th won’t be a good GOP day.
What I’m Hearing in the Streets
Polling updates. Last week’s WISH-TV/Channel 8 Indiana Poll has Obama and McCain tied at 46 percent in a statewide poll of 800 likely voters. Margin of error 3.5 percent and 10 percent of the poll’s respondents were Black. The same poll put Gov. Mitch Daniels in a virtual tie with Democrat Jill Long Thompson 49 percent to 45 percent. Just 3 percent of voters were undecided. But the key stat is that 21 percent of Black voters are still undecided in the Governor’s race.
Another sign that if Long Thompson doesn’t excite Black voters, she’ll lose big time.
At the huge Barack Obama rally last Wednesday at the Fairgrounds, Thompson impressed with her speech. But oddly, while Obama acknowledged Congressman Andre Carson and Senators Birch and Evan Bayh, Obama didn’t publicly acknowledge Thompson. Why?
It took a few weeks, but Time/CNN finally admitted the Black sampling in their latest poll which put McCain on top 51 percent to Obama’s 46 percent, margin or error 4 percent. A CNN spokeswoman said the poll was “weighted” to reflect Black adults at 8.5 percent.
That means the poll undersampled Black voters. In a detailed breakdown I received, Time/CNN indicated that there wasn’t sufficient sampling in among non-whites, 18-34 year olds, and residents of urban areas, Marion County, Northwest Indiana and East Central Indiana. All strong bases of Obama support.
The Time/CNN polling in Indiana and other states seems questionable in whether Blacks were properly sampled.
I had the opportunity speak to a paragon of civility last week with a rare interview on our WTLC-AM1310 program with Caroline Kennedy. The daughter of the 35th President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Caroline’s endorsement of Obama last winter helped open eyes to the promise and possibilities of his candidacy.
Kennedy’s appeal was simple and direct, urging our community to turn out and vote. I couldn’t agree more.
See ‘ya next week!
Amos Brown’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. You can contact him at (317) 221-0915 or by e-mail at ACBROWN@AOL.COM.
