April 21, 2008
Compassionate Conservative 2.0
SELMA, AL -- John McCain's "Time For Action" tour is just beginning, but he's already facing tough questions about how effectively the presumptive Republican nominee hopes to win over black voters in some of the nation's most economically depressed regions.
McCain appeared this morning in front of the historic Edmund Pettus bridge, where civil rights leader John Lewis, now a U.S. congressman, led the famous March from Selma in 1965. Praising his herosim, the senator linked Lewis's struggle to the ongoing effort for economic equality in America. But, in a city that is 70% black, only a handful of African Americans dotted the crowd.
Asked by the press if the relatively homogenous crowd demonstrates the difficulty he may face in making inroads in the black community, the senator responded that he aims to listen intensely to their concerns and that he intends to "be the president of all the people."
"I'm aware of the challenges, and I'm aware of the fact that there will be many people who will not vote for me, but I'm going to be the president of all the people," he said. "I will work for all the people, and I will listen to all people, whether they decide to vote for me or not, because this is the kind of opportunity where people have not only to hear from me but for me to listen to them, and that's the important part."
McCain's "Time for Action" tour this week will focus heavily on places rarely visited by Republican candidates for the nation's highest office. The AZ senator is working to show that he is a conservative who will be mindful of the struggles of all Americans.
"I'm going to places, frankly, in this country where there's the greatest need, and whether at the end of the day they choose to vote for me or not is not my major purpose," he said. "My major purpose is that if I understand the challenges – and they are enormous – that they face today, I will be a far better president of the United States."
(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)
Posted at 12:53 PM
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