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Talking about race in the race
Undecideds - Week 2
Video
The Undecideds: 5 Mahoning Valley Residents discuss their uncertainties of which future President they want in the White House; Democratic Senator Barack Obama or Republican Senator John McCain.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
BOARDMAN — Though race has somewhat faded into the background of the presidential campaign, primarily because of the economic crisis, it’s still on the minds of some voters.
“Unfortunately, I have people who’ve told me they’d absolutely not vote for [Democrat Barack Obama] because of his color,” said Mary Lou Hoon of Struthers.
But, she said, that’s not the worst thing she’s heard.
One person told Hoon, 66, who works for a law firm, that Obama is “a terrorist.”
Larry Tropepe of Austintown said a person told him he wouldn’t vote for Obama, whose father was black, because he “was baptized a Muslim.”
“I had to take it with a grain of salt, actually a whole container of salt,” he said, drawing laughs from the group.
Race was one of the issues discussed earlier this week among Hoon, Tropepe and three other Mahoning Valley residents that The Vindicator, which brought them together, calls “The Undecideds.”
The five are carefully monitoring the race between Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee. They watch the debates. They talk with friends and family about the campaigns. They read newspapers and information about the candidates online.
They’re meeting once a week this month at the Youngstown Sports Grille in Boardman to discuss the presidential race with The Vindicator.
With a little more than two weeks before the Nov. 4 election, the five are still undecided about who they’ll support for president.
Among the more interesting topics they discussed during their second meeting, earlier this week, was race and its impact on the election.
“I have a feeling it’s going to play a bigger role than what” is being reported by the media, said Tropepe, 49, who recently took a buyout from his job at a bank. “There are still some deep prejudices in this country.”
Bill Sutherin, 61, of East Palestine, a retired Ohio Department of Transportation worker, said he’s heard from people, particularly from white men in his age bracket, that they won’t vote for Obama because he’s black.
“I don’t know how serious they are, but I’ve heard that,” he said.
The five agree that race won’t factor into their decision as to whom they’ll support.
“Race doesn’t impact it at all,” said Greg Mook, 21, of Youngstown, a Youngstown State University senior. He said he didn’t think the issue is “that significant” with anyone he knows.
Sutherin added that he thinks that race isn’t an issue in the campaign with people who are under 40 years old.
Brandi Williams of Boardman, 26, an administrative assistant, said her initial impression of Obama was that he was using his race as a campaign tool.
“Obama thought he was the next Martin Luther King and I didn’t like that,” she said.
Williams said she’s pleased that Obama is no longer doing that — and is leaning in favor of the Democrat at this point. It was just last week that she was leaning toward McCain.
The new position came after last week’s town hall debate between the two candidates.
Williams said she liked that Obama called health care a “right” while McCain considers it a “responsibility.”
Since The Undecideds made their debut last week in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com, they’ve been approached by family and friends and even casual acquaintances asking them to support either Obama or McCain.
“People are trying to sway me both ways,” said Hoon, who remains undecided.
Sutherin said his Republican friends try harder to persuade him to support McCain than his Democratic friends try to get him to vote for Obama.
“How can you even consider voting Democratic?” Sutherin said his Republican friends ask.
But since becoming one of The Undecideds, Sutherin said he’s heard “from so many people who are undecided.”
Mook said many people have approached him in church with comments, but no one’s tried to persuade him to support one of the candidates.
But a woman did say, “If you need help deciding, let me know,” Mook said.
The five remain frustrated that neither major political party candidate offers more specifics on his policies. Instead, the candidates speak in general terms and stick to their campaign rhetoric, the group says.
“I’m tired of the song and dance,” Tropepe said.
“I’d have a whole lot more respect for someone who comes out and tells me a straight answer,” Williams added.
Also, if a candidate doesn’t know the answer to a question, Mook said, “Most people in America would appreciate the honesty of ‘I’m not quite sure yet’ or ‘It’s hard to gauge that’ instead of saying, ‘I want to do this and this and this’ and being real general about it. I’d rather have a direct response to the question.”
Both candidates avoid the issues, Hoon said.
Though McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate helped improve his numbers in many national polls, Mook, Williams and Hoon said they’ve heard from Republicans who aren’t pleased with the selection.
“Someone told me he should get rid of Palin,” Hoon said.
skolnick@vindy.com