Obama Speech Interrupted by Hecklers

By: Michelle Levi
Topics: Barack Obama

From CBS News' Michelle Levi:

(ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.) Three young African-American men stood up holding a sign that read "What About the Black Community, Obama?" as Barack Obama was talking about the economy at a town hall meeting here. Once the crowd realized what the sign, many started booing loudly, which caused Obama to turn around and look at the protesters.

Obama Supporters then started chanting, "Yes We Can", a regular Obama cheer.

Obama asked the protesters, whom a local reporter said were members of the state's black panthers legacy group, to "be courteous" and "respect." The Illinois senator said the men would have their chance to speak after his opening remarks.

Obama is in St. Petersburg this morning to launch a new "emergency" economy plan which would give $1,000 credits to financially struggling families. The credits would be funded by taxes to oil companies' windfall profit.

Update: During a question and answer session, Obama called on one of the hecklers.

The man mentioned a slew of controversial issues, such as the government's response to Hurricane Katrina and the subprime mortgage crisis and asked, "In the face of all these attacks that are clearly being made on the African community, why is it that you have not had the ability to not one time speak to the interests and even speak on the behalf of the oppressed and exploited African community or Black community in this country?"

"I think you are misinformed about when you say, 'not one time,'" Obama responded. "Every issue you've spoken about, I actually did speak out about."

The Illinois senator then went on to address the man's concerns, mentioning that he was a civil rights lawyer and saying, "I may not have spoken out the way you would have wanted me to speak out, which is fine."

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by american1000 August 2, 2008 2:07 PM EDT: It seems that ONE MONTH AGO, it was John McCain who played the race card against Obama!

It was John McCain who put Obama''s face on a dollar bill in one of the attack ads John McCain made called: SEAL

You can find the attack ad John McCain made ONE MONTH AGO, where it was John McCain who put Obama''s face on a dollar bill. The campaign ad by John McCain is on YOUTUBE, it is called: SEAL

(Just go to YOUTUBE, and type in the two words: SEAL McCAIN); Reply to this comment


by thku4grace August 2, 2008 4:03 AM EDT: John McCain had proposed a series of town hall meetings as a debate forum for both McCain and Obama. At first, Obama outright refused. Then he recanted and said he would do one. This goes back to the theory that without a teleprompter and a pro-Obama crowd, he''s lost. He can read the teleprompter real well, but he loses it when he can''t control the situation. A true open town hall meeting is good for a number of reasons. First, it allows questions to come from citizens and directed at the candidate of their choice instead of a seriously biased media throwing softballs at Obama and hardballs at McCain. Second, there is far less likelihood that one candidate may get an advance copy of the questions to be asked. This will make it possible to find out who the empty suit is, Obama or McCain. There isn''t a reason in the world to fear this type of debate unless one candidate feels too uncomfortable answering questions sight unseen.; Reply to this comment


by thku4grace August 2, 2008 3:38 AM EDT: John McCain had proposed a series of town hall meetings as a debate forum for both McCain and Obama. At first, Obama outright refused. Then he recanted and said he would do one. This goes back to the theory that without a teleprompter and a pro-Obama crowd, he''s lost. He can read the teleprompter real well, but he loses it when he can''t control the situation. A true open town hall meeting is good for a number of reasons. First, it allows questions to come from citizens and directed at the candidate of their choice instead of a seriously biased media throwing softballs at Obama and hardballs at McCain. Second, there is far less likelihood that one candidate may get an advance copy of the questions to be asked. This will make it possible to find out who the empty suit is, Obama or McCain. There isn''t a reason in the world to fear this type of debate unless one candidate feels too uncomfortable answering questions sight unseen.; Reply to this comment


by thku4grace August 2, 2008 3:34 AM EDT: John McCain had proposed a series of town hall meetings as a debate forum for both McCain and Obama. At first, Obama outright refused. Then he recanted and said he would do one. This goes back to the theory that without a teleprompter and a pro-Obama crowd, he''s lost. He can read the teleprompter real well, but he loses it when he can''t control the situation. A true open town hall meeting is good for a number of reasons. First, it allows questions to come from citizens and directed at the candidate of their choice instead of a seriously biased media throwing softballs at Obama and hardballs at McCain. Second, there is far less likelihood that one candidate may get an advance copy of the questions to be asked. This will make it possible to find out who the empty suit is, Obama or McCain. There isn''t a reason in the world to fear this type of debate unless one candidate feels too uncomfortable answering questions sight unseen.; Reply to this comment


by milcrow August 1, 2008 4:54 PM EDT: Speaking collectively, our country, our minds, our constitution, our values, our morals, our ammendments and our sense of right and wrong all need to change.

America has all the advantages, yet most of the time we are wrapped up in trivialities while our leaders bring misery to the rest of the world, either through unprovoked wars or labor exploitation.

The truth is that America is just a rich ghetto within the global community.; Reply to this comment


by milcrow August 1, 2008 4:53 PM EDT: Speaking collectively, our country, our minds, our constitution, our values, our morals, our ammendments and our sense of right and wrong all need to change.

America has all the advantages, yet most of the time we are wrapped up in trivialities while our leaders bring misery to the rest of the world, either through unprovoked wars or labor exploitation.

The truth is that America is just a rich ghetto within the global community.; Reply to this comment


by realpatriot1 August 1, 2008 4:41 PM EDT: Ariel133,

How is ackowledging the fact that he looks different than past Presidents playing the race card?

McCain ran an ad with Obma and 2 young white women. Some might think that was playing the race card by playing on white fears of racial mixing. The Republicans have a long track record of playing the race card for real, like when McCain used an OJ legal team quote is his latest slimy ad.

Those who have an extensive history of playing the race card themselves should keep their whining to themselves on something so trivial.; Reply to this comment


by ariel133 August 1, 2008 4:21 PM EDT: America has a lot of lefty pitchers in our network news outlets, we wonder why. Each of these liberal news outlets distorted the FACT that Obama DID play the race card yesterday. And it wasn''t the first time Obama has played the race card. In Berlin last week in front of 200,000 hysterical European Socialist elite admirers Obama said .."I know I don''t look like other Americans and presidents that have been here before". Yesterday at several campaign events Obama told his fans that "I know I don''t look like all the other presidents on the dollar bill..". So what was Obama referring to in both situations if he wasn''t talking about race? Did he mean that he wasn''t wearing a wig like the rest of the presidents on our money? Or was he talking about his skin color? OF COURSE Obama played the race card not once but several times and McCain called him on it as he should have. LOOK if network news executives and the anchors of NBC, CBS, and ABC feel like they can''t provide the American people the straight facts then you need to RESIGN. All of you who put your ideology and party before that of being an American and journalist should resign today so that the intent of our Founding Fathers, a free independent press that is free from political parties and influence, can be RESTORED. And who can forget another Obama race moment when describing his mother or grandmother........"oh she''s a typicial white person".; Reply to this comment


by wellhell3 August 1, 2008 3:57 PM EDT: As usual Obscamma scams the hecklers by saying ''you are misinformed!''

ROFL! With Obscamma it''s always somebody elses fault, not his!; Reply to this comment


by peterp111 August 1, 2008 3:20 PM EDT: "Yes we Can" ....Change our country, our minds, our constitution, our values, our morals, our ammendments, our sense of right and wrong," Shall I go on?; Reply to this comment