Last week’s presidential debate between Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., helped many Black voters decide who would best represent them in the White House for the next four years.
Last week’s presidential debate between Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., helped many Black voters decide who would best represent them in the White House for the next four years.
The Chicago Chapter of Young Lawyers organized a debate viewing party Friday at the Chi Bar at the Sheraton Hotel, 301 E. North Water St., to give voters a chance to see and hear both candidates up close and personal, attorney Rahsaan Gordon said. He organized the event.
“I know a lot of Blacks who still have not heard Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last month,” Gordon said. “It’s important to know the issues before the election and not afterwards.”
And many voters who attended the debate watching party agreed with Gordon.
“I came here undecided because I do not believe in that political party stuff,” said Robert Powell, 45, a hotel housekeeper. “Not once did I hear John McCain mention the middle class and what he plans to do to help them. So if he plans to do nothing for the middle class, then I know he is not going to do anything for low-income people like myself. That’s why I am voting for Barack Obama.”
Attorney Doressia Hutton, 33, said several issues are of importance to her. “The one thing I hope Obama fixes once in office is the economy and the meltdown of the mortgage industry,” she said. “Making college affordable is also important because if we do not have educated people running this world, we cannot grow the economy.”
Besides common issues often discussed by voters, such as the economy, health care and the war, Charles Lewis, 45, a letter carrier for the U.S. postal service, said safety at home concerns him the most.
“I work a job that exposes me to a lot of danger as it pertains to delivering mail,” he said. “So the next president has to have a plan on how to protect federal employees. After watching the debate, I think Barack Obama can best protect me.”
But not all Black voters support Obama.
“Just because he is Black does not mean I will automatically vote for him,” said Tina Winters, 38, a senior teller at a Chicago bank. “Barack has little to no foreign relations experience, and when it comes to the military or the war, I do not think he is best suited to handle such a crisis. But John McCain is.”
Markus Flowers, 37, a registered nurse, said while he plans to vote for Obama, he attended the party to find out if affordable health care, the economy, education funding and the war are among Obama’s priorities.
“I definitely like Obama, but I cannot ignore the fact that John McCain does have experience dealing with crisis situations like the war,” Flowers said.
He said those credentials make it difficult for him to vote against McCain.
Wendell Hutson can be reached at whutson@chicagodefender.com.
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