Harlem Residents, Politicians Debate Super Tuesday Choices

In Harlem, a husband and wife clash over candidate preferences. Typical of those in the area, they anticipate that in a diverse and left-leaning neighborhood, the implications of today’s historic Democratic primary will signify more than just the selection of a candidate.

Yet they are atypical in that they are among the most prominent political faces of Harlem—Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), a Hillary Clinton supporter, and his wife Alma, a Barack Obama enthusiast. The Rangels have come to represent not only Harlem itself, but also the heated political tensions present in the neighborhood.

During Thursday’s Democratic debate, Senator Hillary Clinton, (D-NY), articulated the force driving the area’s political rivalry. “Just by looking at us, you can tell, we are not more of the same,” she said. “We will change our country.”

Though the most recent Quinnipiac polls show Clinton leading New York state 53 percent to Obama’s 39 percent, the numbers have been misleading since the start of the primary season. With the gap between Obama and Clinton incredibly close nationwide—a CNN poll estimated that Obama has 49 percent of voters' support to Clinton’s 46 percent—today’s results rest precariously on a variety of political divisions.

At the core of the dispute is the question of electability. Many Harlem Democrats worry the two candidates may be unable to acquire the overarching support needed to win in November.

City Councilman Robert Jackson (D-Washington Heights and West Harlem) raised the issue of electability at a recent Broadway Democrats meeting. “America is not ready for a black president,” he said. “You may say that privately, but now I’m saying it publicly. I’m not sure America is ready for a woman president either.”

Others ardently disagree. “We’re seeing a different black candidate,” Broadway Democrat Stephen Fink said. “We’re seeing a new generation of leaders, of educated leaders.”

In Obama’s New York City campaign office, filled with “Harlem Is Obama Country” posters, local volunteer Simeon Banister—who is also the Manhattan community liaison for Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum—said Obama’s background makes him unique.

“Barack is better because he started his service on the streets of Chicago, so he understands how life is like that,” Banister said. “Barack is dealing with all the problems that real people deal with. He has an appreciation for the everyday problems we face. Obama represents a departure from that Washington cynicism.”

Still, many believe Clinton’s history in the political arena makes her the more electable candidate. According to New York State Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell, a Clinton supporter, “She [Clinton] is more electable than he [Obama] is, not because she is better than he is, but because she’s been in the American consciousness longer.”

But this is not a consensus among Clinton supporters. When asked if the Broadway Democrats chose to support Clinton because of her New York ties, member Joan Levine said, “I don’t think that people felt that they should vote for her because she’s from New York. If anything, that only made her more familiar to us.”

“I don’t know if his time has come yet,” Levine added about Obama.

Harlem Reverend Reginald Williams, also a Clinton supporter, agreed. “Another time, another year,” he said.

Many Obama supporters see Clinton’s New York connection differently. Gloria Anderson, Assistant to the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Barnard, said she is not voting for Clinton because “Hillary is supposed to be representing New York, but I don’t feel like she is.” Anderson explained she is “voting for Barack not because he is a black man but because he wants to bring this country together.”

Some worry that Clinton’s prior White House experience as first lady is cause for concern. Broadway Democrat Joe Levine, a former John Edwards supporter, expressed concern that former president Bill Clinton was trying to “sneak back into the White House, this time through the service entrance.”

“We’ve seen from Bush what a political dynasty can do,” he said.

But Rev. Williams isn’t concerned about the appearance of a political dynasty, choosing instead to look at Clinton’s record. “Hillary’s eight years in the White House and interaction with foreign leaders ... is an asset,” he said. “You just don’t get that in two or three years.”

But Banister argued that the election should not be decided by Washington experience alone. “I feel the energy ... created by people who want to see change and see that in Barack Obama,” he said.

A Clinton spokesperson said “the campaign has a lot of support across all the communities around the state and in the city,” and pointed to “an aggressive field program where the campaign is canvassing the entire state looking to drum up and continue support.”

Shouts on the street, chatter in bars, and debate in classrooms echo the myriad voices of Harlem and indicate no clear result for Super Tuesday. As Banister said, “Harlem is diverse. The tenor of hope registers in a lot of different keys.”

Betsy Morais contributed to this article.

lydia.wileden@columbiaspectator.com