Democratic Rep. John Murtha said Wednesday his home base of western Pennsylvania is racist and that could reduce Barack Obama's victory margin in the state by 4 percentage points.
The 17-term Democratic congressman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story posted Wednesday on its Web site: "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area."
Murtha said it has taken time for many Pennsylvania voters to come around to embracing a black presidential candidate, but that Obama should still win the state, though not in a runaway.
In a separate interview posted Wednesday on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Web site, Murtha said Obama has a problem with voters' racial attitudes in western Pennsylvania that could trim his winning margin on Nov. 4.
The working-class region is a key battleground in Pennsylvania. The area is struggling economically, and has a high percentage of veterans and elderly voters. Murtha's district outside Pittsburgh encompasses Johnstown and many small towns once dominated by steel and coal.
Ah the crazy racist elderly, and Vets! If they don't vote Obama it's because they are racist. It couldn't be because the vets have sacrificed for this country and love it, or that the elderly have been around long enough to have seen this slight of hand trick before, nope it's clear they are racist.
I'm sure whomod will be all over Murtha for stirring racial tensions.
