Obama Event Coordinator: Get Me More White People

The Carnegie Mellon University student newspaper The Tartan reports on preparations for a Michelle Obama appearance at the school:

While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. Obama's event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama. The Tartan's correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, "Get me more white people, we need more white people." To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, "We're moving you, sorry. It's going to look so pretty, though."

"I didn't know they would say, 'We need a white person here,' " said attendee and senior psychology major Shayna Watson, who sat in the crowd behind Mrs. Obama. "I understood they would want a show of diversity, but to pick up people and to reseat them, I didn't know it would be so outright."

Ben Smith of The Politico observes:

I'm not sure there's any real reason for outrage here; every campaign, at least implicitly, includes race in the staging of events like this -- even a campaign whose supporters chant "race doesn't matter." But they don't usually get caught doing it this explicitly.

And (if you didn't pick it up from the bowling) it does give you a sense of the community Obama's trying to reach in Pennsylvania: whitefolks.

Comments

[Grannysue]

Um, if this were Clinton or McCain what would Obama supporters be saying?? You must be kidding, they would have to go out and hire a Black to stand behind McBush and for Billary I think her and Bill have shown their true colors when it comes to race. So they wanted a balanced audiance, no different then Hillary standing in front of a bunch of Union guys or McBush standing in front of a bunch of Military men and women. All campaigns use their support people to set up before the speaker gets there.
So what, that's called politics.

[rojo7449]

Have you been this angry and hateful all your life?

[AlwaysforHillary]

It is NOT true that all campaigns arrange their audiences!! I have been to many rallies/fundraisers for Hillary Clinton and NEVER HAVE I SEEN ANYONE TOLD WHERE TO SIT!!!! The Obamas are two of the most PHONY PEOPLE on the face of the earth!!! God forbid these two get in the White House!!! It will never happen, though. He will NEVER win the general election!!!

[enoughalready13]

So, the preacher who is NOT about race and ALL about being a UNITER, is now USING race as a way to conquer and DIVIDE audiences to make the stage "look pretty." What a joke. What's an even bigger joke is that people would actually go to see Michelle Obama speak, as if she has anything important or non-racist to say...

[PlantGod72]

If you honestly believe that, you're dreaming! Of course the campaigns don't 'arrange' the background crowds at all events, but televised coverage, photo ops, desired constituent message, etc. all factor into these sometimes highly orchestrated 'accidents' of who sits where.

You evidently missed those rallies Hillary had a while back when she was trying to drum up more of the 'Youth' vote. You couldn't find anyone older than 25 behind her at times!

It's called 'Politics', and if it's too "phoney" for you, I suggest getting a new hobby.

[joeyp404]

This has gotten blown out of proportion. As I've heard it, some one wanted a little something to nosh on, and the asked for "more crackers."

[tbone99]

Good one.

[AnninCA]

That's funny! and very naughty!

While we're being petty, I'd like to suggest we get Michelle out of those ridiculous Kennedy outfits. For crying out loud, let the woman dress normally. She looks so uncomfortable in those pert suits.

[VFH]

That's deliberate, meant to evoke that spirit of the Camelot era. All staged for a reason. She's NO Jackie O!!

[RocketmanBob]

I can hardly believe my eyes.....A post racial candidate, concerned about the appearance of Diversity?? Did they make sure that Mrs. O's background crowd's racial distribution matched the last census for that area of the state????

This simply underscores the post-racial phoniness that became apparent in the wake of the Rev. Wright "revalation". Although Senator Obama may not be so radical himself, it seems many of thise he chooses to associate with(including Michelle) have the reverse racisit chip on their shoulders-even if some hide it better than others. At the very least, his campaign has been outed as hyper race concious posers.

I thought that post-racial referred to the kind of color-blindness Dr. King spole of; where people are judged by their charachter and actions. In light of this episode, Rev Wright, Tony Rezco, the Selma conception, and the kennedy passage for his father (and anything else left to come out) I guess we can judge Senator Obama's integrity for what it really is.

[PioneerKing]

Who was the event coordinator? Rev. Wright?

[piezoid]

Pathetic apologists for Obama's race-centric campaign can be counted on to try and spin this situation. The reason why Obama's campaign needs to show a more pluralistic audience is the same reason that millions of non-blacks, who have NOT forgotten Obama's associations with the forces of division will not vote for him.

I have been ashamed of his campaign ever since his campaign memo that labeled the Clintons racists. Unforgivable!

This guy (and let's not forget Shelly) has done more to divide our party than anyone else in history. Some uniter.

[Navy26Yrs]

And you can be relied on to spin it in the opposite direction.

Your point is what, Piehole?

[BethinIllinois]

And another thing -- if this were HIllary, people would be tut-tutting, about how poorly her campaign is being run, that we would see the sausage being made (so to speak).

So hey -- this points out how badly Obama's campaign is being run!

[BethinIllinois]

This is funny! It's a rare time when we can see behind the curtain, and see the wizard pulling the strings. I'm not saying it doesn't happen everywhere; it does, without question.

But it's really, really amusing that Obama's campaign had to bring in white people to appeal to ... white people.

[ddlrid]

I am a former casting director and this is Casting 101, not only for staged political events, but for television commercials, shows and for movies.

[Daly]

ddlrid

Thanks for saying this... it is true going back to the mickey mouse club if their was a minority you can bet that it was ONLY one... then that person somehow is front and center. No accident.

What is amazing is folks do not understand this happens.

I am disheartened that so many are so quick to jump on the race card; this fear mindset is exactly why we were quick to jump on Iraq and why to this day many still believe that Saddam had weapons.

[jrterrier]

You are correct. The sad part of this whole thing is that people, young people in particular, don't seem to realize the amount of manipulation and staging that goes on in the Obama campaign. In all campaigns for that matter.

So Obama takes the american flag pin off his lapel because patriotism is not expressed with jewelry to appeal to those who agree. But then when he gives his race speech in Phil stands in frong of a slew of American flags.

The problem for the Obama campaign if there is going to be one is that part of the theme of his campaign is that he is a different politician, one that is honest and doesn't engage in this type of manipulation. It's the problem for republican and law and order politicians, who then get caught with their pants down. Barney Frank was able to outlive his guy-friend scandal because he had never held himself up as a paragon of family values. If you've run on a platform of being a transcendent, honest politician this type of stuff should hurt.

But we'll see what the media does with it.

[ddlrid]

Sorry to see that you've taken this to such an extreme. When I was casting for a well-known children's tv channel, the idea of casting a rainbow crowd of children was to have the target audience (kids of a particular age) see themselves and feel included. If a diverse group of people (gender, race, ability, age) shows up for ANY one of the presidential candidates, what is wrong with sometimes arranging the area just behind the candidate---in the camera shot---to reflect that diversity? If any campaign had to hustle folks off the street or pay for that diversity, well, that's different. With the exception of McCain, I don't think that's happening (ok, that's a joke!). By the same token, do you think that everyone who is sitting in the camera range just so happened to bring campaign signs with them? No...the folks who sit in what all campaigns consider key spots/shots are generally given those signs first. Surprise...

As far as Senator Obama standing in front of American flags...he's an American. End of story.

To see this whole 'issue' as something that is dishonest or hypocritical and worthy of media investigation is beyond silly. I wish media would once and for all pay attention to real issues like Iraq, the economy, the rising cost of gas and groceries, our educational system, a drumbeat for war in Iran.

[cybersense]

Hey, some of you posters that used some of these phrases about "common". I want to know if I can use them when you bad mouth HIllary about some "common" things?

I am still lmao

[Daly]

Indeed, HRC is doing the exact same thing - it is not by accident that she when targeting women that women are in the background and when she is focusing on blacks more blacks are visable and finally when making her NAFTA nicely blue collar looking men seem to be in the backdrop.

[cybersense]

I see black people. My goodness. LOL

This is just too funny coming from the Obama "the non divisive" proclaimer. Campaign or not, this is just too funny.

Ben, you just don't get this do you? (roflmao)

Well, so much for the warm and fuzzy good sayer.

[drjehr]

I am "shocked" to find out that political campaign events are staged. I will put my indignation right up there with gambling in Casablanca.

[2sleepy]

I have volunteered for many local events for democratic candidates, the people behind the candidate are ALWAYS picked to express diversity, racial, gender, and usually age as well. It was clumsy for someone to say 'get me more white people' but the fact is that is I live in an area where the population is about 1% black, so they always have had to hunt for 'more black people' in the crowd, and this goes for Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and in 04 Kerry rallies, so don't try to spin this into something its not for heaven's sake

[rollingdivision]

We can put lipstick on this pig, but it's still a pig. What would Obama's supporters be saying right now if Clinton or McCain did exactly the same thing. If Clinton or McCain staff was on the look out for too many visible African Americans and then moved them out of the television frame replacing them with white people?

[Teritt]

Well, go ask Huckabee volunteers. After the Chuck Norris display they did the exact same thing.

[AnninCA]

This is the funniest thread in weeks!

Lipstick on a pig......love it.

[thrutheseasons]

Give me a break. Everybody does this in America from politics to advertising. Hillary does it all the time. The only reason this is cause for comment is because many people are still reeling from Reverend Wright. This is a very serious issue and I do not like the manner it has been dealt with. The issue people still want to talk about is Rev. Wright without reading his full sermon. People are calling him a racist, people are calling him a follower of Farakhan, people are calling him a black supremacist, people are saying that because Obama was a member of his church, that not only should he have left the church, but he probably has the same belief system. I'm sorry, but as much as you want to argue it, to believe this is to take part in nothing less than classic white fear of the other because if people did their homework, they would find the answer more nuanced and their snap conclusions to be untrue.

[justobserve]

Exactly!

[bookerone]

If Clinton asked for more black people she would be labeled racist, but then the rules are different for Obama, getting 90% of the black vote....seems like the blacks are voting for race, if a white guy was getting that percentage of white votes well he would be labeled Klan. Until this campaign I hadn't realized how racist some blacks are.

[Syco]

Them you must not know many. I make several racist jokes a day.

Black people are the second biggest group of racist in the country. Whites are still on top it just doesnt show because there are so many races to hate.

[AnninCA]

lol*......that's so bad, it's funny.

[Susan1968]

I find this interesting. What is 'underdog' code for in Michelle Obama's mind?

Quote:

Michelle Obama had this to say about her husband’s pursuit of the nomination: “[I]n this ever-shifting, moving bar, Barack Obama will always be the underdog. No matter how much money he raises, no matter how many wins he pulls together, no matter how many delegates he accumulates; he is still the underdog. It’s the way it works.”

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/04/teresa_welcomes.html

[4today]

He has NOT carried a state yet that could win the democrats the White House!!!! Does this not worry anybody out there!! Do we NOT see that this is Rupport Murdock's candidate!! Do we NOT understand what is happening here!!!! Do we NOT ever learn from our mistakes!!!!

[Skool80]

Huh? Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia, Washington and Oregon are all examples of states that he won that could win the Democrats the White House.

His electoral picture is much different from Hillary's. She can't win most of the states listed above, so she NEEDS MI and FL and OH. Obama probably only needs one of those.

[VFH]

She called him her accessory, in her mind he is an underdog. She wears the pants and will continue to wear them if he wins the election. Then we'll all be underdogs. It's the way it works.