'Stating the obvious'?
Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 2:46 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The two new North Carolina Obama superdelegate backers -- Reps. David Price (CD-4) and Mel Watt (CD-12) -- predicted on a conference call with reporters today, that Obama's comments regarding bitterness in rural America would not hurt his momentum in North Carolina, where most polls show him leading by double digits.
Price said the Illinois senator was "simply stating the obvious," noting that economic distress has fostered anxiety and "a certain level of anger" throughout the country. The focus of the race should be not on "diversionary tactics," he said, but on solutions to the root problems of rural economic woes. (The GOP appeared to be the main target of that remark, though, not Sen. Clinton; Price complimented both Democratic candidates for their "high marks" on presenting viable proposals.)
But Rep. Mel Watt was a bit less complimentary of his candidate's opponent, saying that he's heard considerable backlash against Clinton for her aggressive criticism of Obama's comments.
"What I'm hearing is a lot of disappointment at the negativity, and the jumping on this and taking the words out and trying to parse them, that the Clinton campaign has done,” Watt said. “And that could have some adverse impact on the Clinton campaign in North Carolina."
Watt, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus who managed African-American Harvey Gantt's failed Senate campaigns against Jesse Helms in 1990 and 1996, was also asked to comment on his one-time sentiment that the country was not ready to elect a black president. The Gantt-Helms contests were marked by a pronounced focus on racial politics. Now, Watt says, he thinks America has made "substantial progress" since then, even asserting that racial prejudice will be a "non-issue" in this election.
"I'm surprised, and pleasantly surprised, that Barack's campaign has continued to build momentum," he said. "This is a new day in America."
Price, of the Chapel Hill area, and Watt, of Charlotte, both represent districts with strong support for Obama due to their high percentages of young voters and African-Americans.
