Racist incidents on the campaign trail give some Obama campaigners pause.

[izzybeans]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051203014.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

snips

For all the hope and excitement Obama's candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed -- and unreported -- this election season. Doors have been slammed in their faces. They've been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they've endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can't fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president.

The contrast between the large, adoring crowds Obama draws at public events and the gritty street-level work to win votes is stark. The candidate is largely insulated from the mean-spiritedness that some of his foot soldiers deal with away from the media spotlight.

Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: "It wasn't pretty." She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn't possibly vote for Obama and concluded: "Hang that darky from a tree!"

[Zachstar]

1. The good news is that those are people who would never really consider a democrat in the fall anyway

The huge youth vote is going to destroy that crap right off the bat.

Racism is on its way out...

[Carrieyazel]

15. How do you know that? This has been during the Democratic primaries, right?

A number of them probably voted for Clinton, Gore, but because of Obama's race, won't vote for him.

[endarkenment]

2. have you ever worked the phones?

And thanks for propagating the 'whites won't vote black, Wallace for president' idiocy. 2nd time here in GDP for this Wapo idiocy this morning.

[izzybeans]

3. Ummm. have you?

Wtf is your point? If you've worked the phones then you would know what this article is about.

[endarkenment]

12. You get some nasty responses

it is all part of the job.

[babylonsister]

6. The OP was posting a snippet from a supposedly

decent source. I don't consider that propagating anything. There is racism in this country and it sucks. I didn't know how bad it was out there, so I appreciate hearing how ignorant people can be.

If the WaPo is wrong, that'd be one thing.

[izzybeans]

7. It was no coincidence that at least 3 Obama campaign offices in Indiana were under a bomb threat.

I understand why the campaign is above complaining about this, but frankly I feel that citizens need to hold each other accountable for such ridiculousness.

[babylonsister]

10. I imagine Obama and his campaign expected this,

but it doesn't make this pill any easier to swallow. The good news is the majority of the country doesn't think this way. And it's not ridiculous, it's bigotry, pure and simple.

[izzybeans]

11. I think that's what is inspiring for some people.

It's just the same dead enders who want us to stay in Iraq, won't vote for a man because he's black. The rest are ready for something different.

You're right "ridiculous" was too weak a wording for the truth of the matter.

[EnviroBat]

9. Sorry for you loss...

[razors edge]

4. Really makes one proud to be an American.

Not.

[dailykoff]

5. Looks like that southern strategery is working.

Thanks, HillBillary!

[AllentownJake]

8. I know people

who got chased down the street by people screaming Baby Killer when they canvassed for Kerry in 2004.

This is nothing new. The right wing is a bunch of thugs.

[MadAndy]

13. Considering that the campaigns are visiting/contacting primarily Democratic voters

I don't think this is comforting at all.

[colonel odis]

14. it sucks, but i can't say it really surprises me.

this country isn't as far along as we'd all probably like to think. there are some people who otherwise appear sensible, yet simply would never vote for a person of color. it's a head scratcher to me, but they exist. and my fear is a lot more of them will come out of the woodwork when obama gets the nomination.

i'm for obama all the way. this is definitely not some sort of elect hillary bullshit. i'm just saying there will be resistance in a lot of quarters because this is an issue a lot of people have never had put before them.

i don't know if it's racism in the sense we usually consider it or if it's that whole fear of a black planet thing. but it's real. hard to believe in 2008.

[Carrieyazel]

16. This has been with mostly registered Democratic voters in primaries.

That has to give you pause. This isn't among the radical-ultra conservative Repubes, who would never, ever vote for a Democrat, these are people who HAVE voted for Dems in the past.

Unbelievable.