Friday, March 02, 2007

Dueling Pews at Ten Paces

The 42nd anniversary of the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, AL on Sunday has turned into a dueling pews media circus between presidential hopefuls Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. Hillary Clinton. (D-NY).

Several weeks ago Obama, who is gaining momentum with black voters, announced that he would deliver the keynote speech at a service honoring the march from the Brown Chapel AME Church, where demonstrators organized for the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

So..... last Monday the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute (located at the foot of the historic bridge) announced that Hillary would attend the 42nd Annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee and represent her husband, former president Bill Clinton, at his induction into their Hall of Fame.

It was then arranged for Hillary to speak at the First Baptist Church just yards away, and at precisely the same time, that Obama is speaking.

But, evidently still worried that she might not upstage Obama, Hillary brought in the big guns.

Suddenly finding a opening in his schedule, Bill will now swoop into Selma for his induction, right after the walk over the bridge.... thus not upstaging Hillary at the church and walk, yet still spreading his "first black president" rock-star aura over her.

And, this is why Hillary's negatives are so high.

She is so obviously calculating. It isn't pretty watching her elbow her way into the Selma festivities, just as she is elbowing her way into the presidential nomination.

Her pushy behaviour simply highlights one of Obama's strengths, his upbeat but measured approach to things. His likability.

And, as long as Hillary's campaign is just obviously reacting to Obama's inroads with black voters, he'll outdraw Hillary and continue his rise in black voter polling.

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