White Supremacists See Hope In Obama Win

First Black President Would Trigger Backlash And Jar Whites Into Action, They Say

(AP)  They're not exactly rooting for Barack Obama, but prominent white supremacists anticipate a boost to their cause if he becomes the first black president. His election, they say, would trigger a backlash - whites rising up, a revolution of sorts - that they think is long overdue.

He'd be a "visual aid," says former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, in trying to bring others around to their view that whites have lost control of America. Obama's election, says another, would jar whites into action, writing letters, handing out pamphlets rather than sitting around complaining.

While most Americans have little or no direct contact with white supremacists, organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center keep close tabs; the law center estimates some 200,000 people nationwide are active in such groups. These observers think the prospect of a white revolution is fantasy.

White supremacists - many call themselves nationalists or "White activists," with a capital W - have had limited political success: Duke served in the Louisiana Legislature. And the public has periodically been unsettled by their public events, like the effort by uniformed Nazis to march through Skokie, Ill., the annual Aryan Nations meetings in Idaho and elsewhere or the FBI's clashes with armed white supremacists in several Western compounds.

Richard Barrett is a 65-year-old lawyer who traveled the country for 40 years advocating what he perceives as the white side in racial issues - like his January rally in Jena, La., to support a white teenager who hung a noose in a school yard.

Barrett is convinced Democrat Obama will defeat Republican John McCain in November.

And that could cause an upheaval, Barrett, a leader in the Nationalist Movement, told The Associated Press in an interview at his rural Mississippi home.

"Instead of this so-called civil rights bill, for example, that says you have to give preferences to minorities, I think the American people are going - once they see the 'Obamanation' - they're going to demand a tweaking of that and say, 'You have to put the majority into office,"' Barrett said.

Across the United States, some white supremacists are saying an Obama presidency could create a racial backlash that will give their groups a boost.

Barrett is evasive about his ideology and tries to keep reporters from using "buzz words" to describe him. He doesn't call himself a white supremacist, although the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center do.

The law center tracks the Nationalist Movement, the Klan and like-minded groups from its Montgomery, Ala., headquarters. The center's "Hatewatch" newsletter reported in June that some neo-Nazis, Klansmen and anti-Semites are saying an Obama presidency could prompt a race war, which many on the "radical right" believe whites would win.

Although not all white supremacists agree, "large numbers of these people really seem to think that an Obama election would benefit them hugely," Mark Potok, the center's intelligence director, said in an interview. He called that view "essentially a fantasy."

Duke, the former Klan leader, posted an essay on his Web site in June titled, "Obama Wins Demo Nomination: A Black Flag for White America."

Obama "will be a clear signal for millions of our people," Duke wrote. "Obama is a visual aid for White Americans who just don't get it yet that we have lost control of our country, and unless we get it back we are heading for complete annihilation as a people."

Jason Robb, a Harrison, Ark., attorney who represents the Klan's Knights Party, describes himself as a "white nationalist."

"It doesn't really matter if Obama wins the election or McCain wins the election," Robb said in an interview. "Neither of them are going to try to fight to preserve the white race or heritage."

Robb said, however, that Obama's election could prompt more whites to get involved in politics by distributing pamphlets or writing letters to editors.

Although the South has had more racial violence than most of the country, Randy Blazak, a sociology professor at Oregon's Portland State University, says white supremacists live all over the United States. Blazak, who has studied skinheads for two decades, calls white supremacists a counterculture, not a movement, contending the latter term overstates their numbers.

Blazak said white supremacists thrive on fear of changing race relations, the women's movement and gay rights. Blazak said white working class people in particular long for a "Leave It To Beaver" society.

"Those were the 'good old days' for straight, white males. But for everyone else, it was a pretty raw deal," Blazak said.

Barrett, a New York City native who moved to Mississippi in 1966, said the Nationalist Movement has members in 36 states, but he won't say how many. He compares today's skinheads to the minutemen of the American Revolution.

"The Revolution, if you will, in 1776 brought the 13 colonies together against the king. And the same thing can happen now against Martin Luther King, with the 50 states," Barrett said, if Obama's elected.

Barrett says he is a Democrat but won't say whether he's voting for Obama. He'll only say he won't support McCain, Libertarian Bob Barr or independent Ralph Nader.

Charles Evers, brother of Medgar Evers, the Mississippi NAACP leader killed by a sniper in 1963, chuckles when told about Barrett's assertions.

"See, Richard doesn't really mean what he says. It's popular for him to say it. That's the way he makes a living," said Evers, who hosts a talk show on WMPR-FM in Jackson. "Same as Jesse Jackson, some more of our black revolutionaries who make a living off of keeping things emotional."

Although a longtime Republican, Evers supports Obama. He says the Democrat is more qualified than McCain.

Evers, whose office has photos of him with Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush and other politicians, said he sees broad, multiracial support for Obama, even in parts of the South where the white establishment dug in to try to preserve racial segregation decades ago.

"I think we're past that stage," Evers said. "I don't think the majority of white people are thinking that way anymore."

Kim Edwards of Matteson, Ill., a black woman who traveled to Mississippi with a racially mixed group so her son could play in a baseball tournament, is more skeptical. Edwards worries that extremists want Obama to be elected so they can assassinate him.

"I'm really concerned for his safety," said Edwards, who plans to vote for Obama. "I'm concerned that once he gets in office that he won't be recognized as an American president."

However, former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, a white Democrat who served on President Clinton's commission on racial reconciliation, doesn't foresee widespread white backlash if Obama is elected.

"We are a diverse country," said Winter, who supports Obama. "We are made up of people of every conceivable racial background."

[shippg]

ToolMangler, as I said, the five of them will get along just fine (starve to death). Sounds fine to me.

[toolmangler-2009]

White supremacists should move to their own island. All five of them will get along just fine.
Posted by carats100 at 05:33 PM : Aug 09, 2008


No. the stupids will starve to death because none of them will act as a servant to the others. Without a minority to subjugate into slavery they cannot (will not) do anything that is
considered beneath them

[loyalto1]

I suprised the majority in america is so willing to easily give up their power status - when voting in this election. Can anyone - Name one country
that is ruled by the minority group voted in office by its majority? No countrys people are so stupid or weak accept - I guess American whites.

[d55may]

Only Japan taxes corporate income at a higher rate than the U.S. Germany had higher tax rates than the U.S. in 2000 but now has a lower rate (38.9 percent). Ireland has a 12.5 percent corporate rate, nearly the lowest in the world, and yet collects 3.6 percent of GDP in corporate revenues, well above the international average. The U.S., by contrast, with its near 39.3 percent rate, has been averaging less than 2.5 percent of GDP in corporate receipts.

-------------------------------------------------------To keep saying that Bush and McCain''s tax breaks for th rich hurt the US is wrong. It is actually the higher tax rates that drive American businesses overseas. The above figures show that we have one of the highest business'' taxes rates in the world. Oil Companies paid 64.9 billion in taxes this year and made 22.1 billion in profits for their share holders (401K and stock options)who are middle income American''s saving for their childrens college funds or retirement. Obama is wrong, I have been a CPA for the last 25 years and have never heard that rising taxes during a slowdown is good for the economy. It would do the opposite.

[tbweb]

terrorislamw

I see CBSNEWS finally canceled you again for your slanderous and racist Post and you just added the letter `w` to the end of your name after being kicked off with the letter `v`. CBS should get smart and block you by IP Address, you`ll run out of those quick!

[loyalto1]

I suprised the majority in america is so willing to easily give up their power status - when voting in this election. Imagine mexician voters in mexico voting in a nonmexican to rule their people. americans are fools!

[zerato-2009]

Posted by DemWatcher at 05:11 PM : Aug 09, 2008


Duke was a republican for your information. Byrd was in the KKK and has since renounced the klan and has been a strong advocate of civil rights. It is the republicans in the south that actively pursue the racist element. And you can tell tath they are coninually doing that here. We keep getting innudated with the obama is a racist, obama is a muslim, obama will send all our money to africa, obama will etc etc. So don''t say taht the dems have ties to racists. You neocons pander to them all the time

[shippg]

I am not an Obama supporter, but I do NOT think the country will fall apart if he gets elected. It will be gridlock like usual.

White supremacists should move to their own island. All five of them will get along just fine.

[demwatcher]

Off all the people to post on this blog, terrorislam_ He must have thought that since his white supremacist buddies were being quoted he might come in here and spread some of his propoganda and lies

Posted by zerato at 11:00 AM : Aug 09, 2008

White supremacists? You mean like (D)Duke or (D)Byrd?

You''d better go back to school and educate yourself. The Dems are the ones with all the ties to the KKK.

[lynxha]

Unfortunately, David Duke is wrong. this country needs a very smart and willing to get things done man. And I can see this in Obama. John mcCain wants to follow in Reagan''s footsteps and coddle the Big Corporation with Tax breaks and stick the american tax payer with the bill. This is not something the country needs.

[downsteamjim]

I would like to take these slugs along with Obama''s buddies like Rev. White and Mr. Ayers and put them on a desolate island. Make sure the island is in the hurricane belt and lower than the storm surge. The name of the show would be No Survivors.

[zerato-2009]

Given the choice between freedom of press, freedom to speech, freedom to worship and having a a government that is corruption free, what would you choose?


"I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I''d rather have the clean government." John mccain

[zerato-2009]

John mccain could you tell me what you said you were going to do for Alzheimer''s patients when you become president?


"I said, ''The nice thing about Alzheimer''s is you get to hide your own Easter eggs.''" John mccain

[zerato-2009]

John mccain can you tell me about your love life?

"I am a illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get." John mccain

[zerato-2009]

John mccain can you explain your economic policy to bring this country out of the doldrums?

"The issue of economics is not something I''ve understood as well as I should. I''ve got Greenspan''s book." John mccain

[zerato-2009]

John mccain I hear you were for immigration before saying you would vote against the immigration bill you wrote?

"F**k you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room." John mccain

[zerato-2009]

John mccain are you aware of the racist groups are mobilixing against obama because of obama''s race?

"It''s not social issues I care about." John mccain

[zerato-2009]

John mccain can you tell me what you are going to do with the dismal economic situation the United States is going through?


"I''m going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated." John Mccain

[zerato-2009]

Off all the people to post on this blog, terrorislam_ He must have thought that since his white supremacist buddies were being quoted he might come in here and spread some of his propoganda and lies

[closethippy1]

The ranks of the KKK has already grown thanks to a whole bunch of new members from Hilary supporters....