Hilary and Obama Road Show

In July 2007, Barack Obama was still pretty much the mystery man among them. His popularity among Latinos then wallowed in the low double digit numbers. Obama and Hillary Clinton knew their presence at the event would send the message to Latinos that the Latino vote was crucial for them to win the White House.

The moment that both announced their presidential candidacies it was a foregone conclusion that they would pull out every stop to get the edge on the other in the battle for ethnic supremacy. This wasn’t solely because the Latino, black and Asian votes were make or break votes for each, but because they both had a strong sense of entitlement toward these votes. The starting point for Hillary was Bill. In a poll taken in January 1996 at the start of his second term, nine out of ten blacks liked and admired him. Latinos weren’t far behind in their like of Bill. He got more than 60 percent of the Latino vote in 1992 and seventy percent of their vote in his reelection victory in 1996.

In countless polls during the early months after both tossed their hats in the presidential ring, Clinton and Obama ran neck and neck in the avowed admiration and loyalty blacks gave the pair. In a June 2007 Gallup poll blacks by 8 to 1 margins had favorable views of both them. Hillary didn’t just rest on Bill’s laurels. As Senator she carefully built a strong network among black ministers, politicians, and Democrats within and without the Congressional Black Caucus, and state black elected officials.

For much more information about Earl Ofari Hutchinson and The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Affects the Race to the White House, visit his blog blitz homepage - . To order your copy of the Ethnic Presidency, visit here or Amazon here.

I am participating this week in a blog blitz with Nikki Leigh. I will be making a post each day regarding Hilary and Obama's Roadshow. Leave me a message and let me know your opinion.