Obama denies trying to play race card
In his first direct comments about John McCain accusing him of playing the race card, Barack Obama denied yesterday trying to inject race into the presidential campaign.
The McCain camp leveled the accusation Thursday, jumping on remarks that Obama had made a day earlier in Missouri about Republicans trying to scare voters by saying that he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."
In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times posted on the newspaper's political website, Obama explained: "I was in Union, Miss., which is 98 percent white - rural, conservative - and what I said was what I think everybody knows, which is that I don't look like I came out of central casting when it comes to presidential candidates. . . . There was nobody there who thought at all that I was trying to inject race in this."
Obama's campaign had initially denied that the "dollar bills" reference had anything to do with race. But Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, acknowledged yesterday that it did, at least partly. "He's new to Washington. Yes, he's African-American," Axelrod said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
McCain told reporters in Florida yesterday that he was "very disappointed" at Obama's comments, but will not belabor the point. "Let's move on," he said.
FOON RHEE
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, denied a report yesterday that it had pressured employees to vote against Democrats in November because of worries that a bill the party supports would make it easier for workers to unionize.
The measure, called the Employee Free Choice Act, would allow labor organizations to unionize workplaces without secret ballot elections. It was cosponsored by Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and opposed by John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.
A report in The Wall Street Journal said the Arkansas-based discounter, which has rigorously resisted being unionized, had held mandatory meetings with store managers and department supervisors in recent weeks to warn that if Democrats take power in November, they would likely push through the bill, which the company says would hurt workers.
Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar told the Associated Press the company did discuss the bill with its employees, including what it sees as the negative impact, and noted that the company's stand on the legislation is no secret.
But he said the company wasn't advocating that its employees vote against backers of the legislation. "If anyone representing Wal-Mart gave the impression . . . they are wrong and acting without approval," Tovar said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Poll suggests no quick dividends in Obama tour
A new poll suggests that Barack Obama's much-publicized overseas tour has not paid immediate dividends in Americans' perceptions of whether he is ready to be commander in chief and the nation's chief diplomat.
The Gallup report, released yesterday, says that those who believe that Obama can handle the responsibilities of commander-in-chief dropped from 55 percent last month to 52 percent now.
It also found that those who believe that Obama would do a good job dealing with terrorism dropped from 49 percent to 45 percent, and those who think he would do a good job on the Iraq war dropped from 51 percent to 48 percent.
Also, Obama still trails Republican John McCain substantially on the commander in chief and terrorism questions. For McCain, who has more military and foreign policy experience, 76 percent said he is ready to be commander in chief and 67 percent said he would do a good job on terrorism.
"Clearly, Obama still has some work to do to convince Americans he can handle some of the international responsibilities of the presidency," the report says.
FOON RHEE
