Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.)
Photo / geraldlcampbell.typepad.com
By James Wright
AFRO Staff Writer
One of the most powerful Democrats in Congress said that his political base is racist and that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama would have problems getting votes there.
“There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area,” Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who represents the 12th district of the state which has been described by the {2008 American Almanac of Politics} as “tough and hard-working,” said.
Murtha, who is the ninth most senior member of the House and chairman of the Defense subcommittee of the powerful Appropriations Committee, made these comments to the {Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s} Web site which was posted on Oct. 15. He said that it has taken time for many Pennsylvanians in that area to warm up to Obama “but he should still win the state, though not in a runaway.”
David Bositis, senior research associate for the Washington-based Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said that Murtha’s comments may be off-base. “I would not trust John Murtha’s instincts to be true,” Bositis said. “Democrats have done well in that area and so should Obama.”
Murtha’s district is located in the state’s southwestern region which borders West Virginia. The largest city is Johnstown with a population of 23,900 according to the 2000 U.S. Census and goes north to some of Pittsburgh’s exurbs.
The district is 95 percent White and 3.3 percent Black but has voted Democratic in presidential elections in 2000 and 2004. As far as Pennsylvania is concerned, the last time it voted for a Republican for president was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) performed impressively in Murtha’s district during the 2008 primaries as well as the rest of western Pennsylvania which consists of small cities and towns dealing with the decline of the steel industry. However, Obama won the city of Pittsburgh-the area’s largest city and is its political and cultural center.
Dr. Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor of public policy at George Mason University, said that he believes that Murtha’s comments are “about right.”
“If you did not know any better, you could fly in the area and talk to the people and you could swear that you were in some parts of the South,” Fauntroy said. “The fact that it is in Pennsylvania is curious because it has been such a strong state for the Democrats nationally.”
Nevertheless, Obama should win the state without the area harming him, he said. “The two largest jurisdictions in that state, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, are expected to have huge turnouts,” Fauntroy said. “That should put him over the top despite western Pennsylvania.”