By Laura Cameron and Mathew Katz
YORK, PA,--After all the marching bands finished their songs, after every float went by, and Santa Claus waved at the people lining Market Street in York, Pennsylvania, the Sunday crowds quickly fled from the streets. Those remaining after this weekend celebration were fierce in their politics.
According to locals, empty storefronts began to appear in York a few months ago, thanks to the havoc wreaked by the initial waves of the subprime mortgage prices, and in front of one such store was Chris Kelley. Kelley is frustrated with politics as usual, and is voting for Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate. Listen to why he has given up on the Democrats and the Republicans here.
Not far away, Ellis Randle, a middle-aged African-American man, who watched the parade with his daughter, expressed his own frustrations. He said that racism is a huge problem in the town, where many people are nice to his face and racist behind his back. In York, where the black population is nearly 25 percent, Randle said that race greatly impacts residents' election decisions. Listen to what Randle had to say here.