Reply #28: My experience in Pittsburgh was pretty appalling. It was the first time in my life that [View All]

[EmilyAnne]

I heard the "N-word" used as a very matter-of-fact term. By that, I mean that I didn't sense too much hostility attached to the word. It was said so coolly, without any shame. It happened on four different calls, all to registered Democrats.

The worst part of my experience, however, was hearing the stories from two young African-American women who were threatened and called racist names during the St. Patrick's Day as they were passing out pro-Obama literature. The African-American man who answered the main phone at the Pittsburgh HQ was called the "N-word" many times a week. I can't even begin to count the number of registered Democrats who told me that they wouldn't support Obama because he seemed "too foreign" and that he would pit too many minorities in positions of power over white people. Once again, these were all registered Democrats! I felt like I was talking to REpublicans about John Kerry in 2004 all over again. It was bizarre.

I never reacted angrily or hung up/ walked away from any of these people. We actually were able to have some pretty good conversations about just what an American is and what the basis of their fear is. While I don't think I was ever able to convince any of them to vote for Obama in the PA primary, I hope that some of the things we talked about has opened their minds to the point that they will vote for him in the GE.