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 The New York Times visited with voters across the nation to get their thoughts on President-election Obama yesterday.
Naturally they went to South Philadelphia.
Oh, God, no.
Let’s see what 28-year-old Amy Ridolfi, a Legal Secretary, Democrat and McCain voter had to say:
I just don’t think the world was ready to have a black president. I’m not by any means prejudiced, but I fell short of the Democrat party this time around because I saw what was goin’ on and the world was just not ready to have that. I’m afraid that foreign countries around the world are going to look at that as our weakness.
Yes, those foreign countries sure are unhappy at the election of Barack Obama, as evidenced by this headline: World hails Obama victory.
Um, let’s give 39-year-old William Kessler a chance to talk. He’s 39, unemployed, and like Ridolfi a Democratic McCain voter.
Obama’s gonna bring the country down. I don’t trust him, he’s inexperienced…. Osama bin Laden has still not been captured. But Obama is Obama Hussein. Race, color don’t matter to me. But I don’t understand why the country voted for him…. Within six months of this year, when he comes elected, there will be a major war.
Well, looks like I’m headed off to war in a few months. Thanks for the warning, William!
The Day After, Voters Reflect [NY Times]
Thanks, John!
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Hey, that’s where I live. So proud. So very, very proud.
My poor neighborhood. It’s sad and I usually just try to turn a blind eye to it all. Regardless of who voted for who, it’s apparent that the intellects who reside in South Philly were out working when these interviews happened.
Sad to know that South Philadelphia is as ignorant and prejudiced as ever. I wonder what she thinks she means by that.
Here’s what I meant by “that”. If you heard the whole thing you would be aware that she paraphrased me. But anyhoo. For starters, the statement I made that the world isn’t ready for a black president is because he personified himself as a black man running for President, not to mention that all I hear on the street is “we finally have a black President”. Who cares what color is? Barack Obama does and his supporters. And no, I do not think the country ( I know I said world) is ready to have a President who I think only got voted in because of the bleeding heart liberals who basically wanted to lull their guilty consciences by voting for a black president. I don’t think we need a President who will lean on the “race-card” if something goes wrong for him. Lets face it, he made his campaign about race and used his black skin color (he is half white as we all know, but the man doesn’t really acknowledge that half so much) as an angle to get the minority vote. At least I think so. And again, no, the country is not ready for “that”. We need someone who is experienced and not somebody who just makes good appearances. Let’s just hope the American people elected him for all of the right reasons and not just for the so called “nobility” that comes along with voting for a “black president”. I truly do wish him the best.
LOL @ “me.”
heh. maybe she thinks Jeremiah Wright is President now. everything she just said would ALMOST make sense then.
Wow!
President-elect Obama had commercials that displayed his *WHITE* mother and grandparents but yeah, I guess he did run around screaming about being Black. Never mind that this man is articulate, eloquent and says he is a president for ALL people. Let’s also face it: the Republicans screwed up and the whole country, the whole world was ready for a change.
-r
Let’s see, I did hear the whole thing sooo…..where do i start? The world is not ready for a black president. I’m sure you meant country but regardless, did you not see the election? The electoral landslide and the fact that he got 52.4% of the popular vote? I think we are ready. And to follow it by saying “I’m not prejudice by any means”? You’re a Democrat who voted for McCain and the first thing you say is the world is not ready for a black president screams prejudice! And based on your “me” comment above apparently the fact that he is black really bothers you. The fact of the matter is that he was a black man running for President. Just like Hillary Clinton was a woman running for President. If she had won all you would be hearing on the street is we finally have a woman President but I don’t suppose you would have a problem with that. Why don’t you comment against his economic policy or health care policy instead of just his race? Probably because you don’t have an informed thought in your head. As for your comment that Obama leaned on the “race card” and made his campaign about race, I don’t know what campaigns you were watching but Obama never made his campaign about race. I even went to one of his campaigns in West Philly and he never once mentioned anything about race. He mentioned pie. (LOL probably only Obama supporters will understand that). I didn’t see a black man running for President (maybe because I’m not a racist). I saw an intelligent (Harvard Law graduate), well spoken man that was promising the country the change it needs to get back on track with the economy, health care, jobs, etc. I’m not a bleeding heart liberal who voted for a “black president” to lull my guilty conscience as you put it. I’m an educated woman who voted for an intelligent man (black, white, hispanic whatever) who stayed focused throughout his campaign on what he wanted to accomplish and how he wanted to accomplish it. A man who steered away from mudslinging and focused on the real issues that we as a country are facing.
When you fell short of the Democratic party this time around and decided to vote Republican because you saw what was going on, what was it that you saw? I’m curious. Maybe you should have been paying attention to the Republican campaign and maybe you would have seen what was going on there. Like McCain’s desperate attempts to show flaws in Obama’s character by saying he pals around with terrorists instead of focusing on the issues at hand…like the economy crumbling, the fact that we’ve lost 1.2 million jobs in the last ten months, 850,000 homes repossessed since August, etc.
Foreign countries will look at “that” as our weakness, because we switched parties is what you said. First of all that really makes no sense but in case you didn’t hear, the world is embracing the election of Obama. Here’s what some of the foreign leaders had to say about his election:
Nicolas Sarkozy, the energetic French president, was first out of the blocks, writing in an open letter: “With the world in turmoil and doubt, the American people, faithful to the values that have always defined America’s identity, have expressed with force their faith in progress and the future.
“At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond.”
Mr Sarkozy was soon followed by international colleagues. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said she was confident Mr Obama could tackle the “significant challenges” he would face immediately after taking office in January.
Mrs Merkel said: “I am convinced that Europe and the United States will work closely and in a spirit of mutual trust together to confront new dangers and risks and will seize the opportunities presented by our global world.”
There was praise from Africa, where Kgalema Motlanthe, the president of South Africa, said the continent “stood proud” of Mr Obama, whose father was Kenyan, and that the region’s leaders were looking forward to forging productive relationships.
He said: “Your election carries with it hope for millions of your countrymen and women as much as it is for millions of people of African descent.”
The Democratic candidate’s victory was also welcomed across Asia and the middle east, where the role of America is likely to be significantly renegotiated under his rule.
Stating his belief that Mr Obama’s election will usher in a “new era”, Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, said: “I applaud the American people for their great decision.”
Despite previously harboring concerns over Mr Obama’s commitment to its security, Israel’s government also offered its congratulations. Tzipi Livni, the country’s foreign minister said Israelis welcomed Mr Obama’s “commitment to the peace and security of Israel”. She added that she hoped Israel and the US would “continue to strengthen the lasting special relationship between our two countries”.
The Israeli President, Shimon Peres, described Mr Obama as “young, fresh, promising, representing a change and introducing change”.
Saeb Erekat, an aide to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said Palestinians would urge Mr Obama to “stay the course” on current commitments to peace talk. “We hope the two-state vision would be transferred from a vision to a realistic track immediately,” he added.
Leaders in South Asia were equally enthusiastic. Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister of Pakistan, said he hoped Mr Obama would promote “peace and stability” across the region, while Manmohan Singh, his Indian counterpart, praised his “extraordinary journey” to the White House, which he said had inspired people across the world.
Finally, there were even positive noises from Iran, where an aide to the Ayatollah Khamenei said there was “capacity for the improvement” of relations between the two countries “if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan”.
You then proceeded to say that you were afraid because we (I’m assuming by this you mean the Democratic party)are going to change everything and that you think that we should just stay where we are and hope for the best. How out of touch with the world are you? We should just stay where we are….we’re in the middle of not just an economic crisis, but a global economic crisis. But i guess we should just sit back and watch while more jobs are lost, more homes are foreclosed on, the American auto industry collapses, retailers go bankrupt, and watch our 401K’s dwindle as the stock market continues to nosedive…..and then just hope for the best. I’ve never heard a more idiotic statement.
You also said that “certain” people are thrilled but you don’t think that they realize what the repercussions will be of switching to a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President right now with the war and the recession and that you’re afraid of the change. Once again you’re afraid. What are you afraid of? It’s the Bush administration that got us to the war and the recession in the first place. And maybe if the republican party didn’t have people like Ted Stevens, who has been convicted of 7 felonies and still running for senator in Alaska despite facing jail time, or Mark Foley who sent lurid, sexually explicit computer messages to male teens who had worked as Capitol Hill pages, or Elizabeth Dole who ran her Godless ad campaign against Kay Hagan (who is a Sunday School teacher and church elder), etc then you wouldn’t have to worry about a Democratic Congress. Maybe you should read the New York Times or watch the news and educate yourself before making ignorant statements to the New York Times as you did. I also suggest you check out firmdecision.org and compare Obama and McCain’s endorsers. Who knows….maybe they’ll add another category under McCain’s endorsers for people like you. “Democrats who voted for McCain because Obama is black and the world isn’t ready for that”. He could certainly use a few more people on the endorsements list. LOL
I can’t even comment on that other guys statement because he’s an even more prejudiced, uninformed ignoramus. I just hope that people who hear/see Amy Ridolfi and William Kessler’s statements don’t think that all Philadelphians are this ignorant and uninformed.
LOL @ these mofos.
What did that White guy, George W. Bush do to make their pathetic South Philly lives any better during the past 2 terms?
I recall foreign countries despising us and TWO major wars breaking out. (With threats of a 3rd and maybe 4th.)
Man, I hope they get run out of their neighborhoods by Central Americans…
Left South Philly at age 3 1/2 50 years ago and I was smarter than Ridolfi and Kessler even then. Hey, everyone knows when you say you aren’t prejudiced- it means you are.