Well the good people of Memphis, both black and white, said NO to race-baiting and anti-semitism politics and gave Steve Cohen a HUGE victory over Nikki Tinker.
Cohen won the Democratic primary by 79% to 19%.
Wow!
http://www.politico.com/...
As a Democrat and an African-American Christian woman I was EXTREMELY disturbed by Tinker's tactics to win the Dem primary in Harold Ford's old district in Tennessee.
Some of the tactics that Tinker who is an African-American woman used were truly disgusting.
Tinker, who is black, sought to make Cohen’s race and religion (he’s Jewish) a central part of her candidacy, airing two ads in the final week questioning his racial tolerance and religious convictions.
One ad featured Cohen alongside a hooded Klansman, criticizing him for voting against removing a statue of Klan founder Nathaniel Bedford Forrest from a local park.
A second ad rebuked the Jewish congressman for "praying in our churches" while casting a vote that opposed prayer in schools.
Tinker was rebuked by Harold Ford and
Barack Obama for her offensive, divisive and incendiary tactics. Well the people spoke and they said "not this time". With 80% of the precints in, Cohen has won by 60% at 79% to 19%.
Although Cohen had previously won that district with a plurality of the vote of 31%, he was overwhelmed by this current victory.
Earlier this evening, Cohen was in the presidential suite at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn with reporters, sipping a glass of red wine and marveling at the early voting results. The congressman said nobody in his office pool could have predicted more than 80 percent. He said he got a feeling today he might receive 70 percent and told that to Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel.
"It says that we have come a long, long way and that the people who were counting on racial voting to prevail are thinking of a Memphis that doesn’t exist anymore," Cohen said. "The people of Memphis are more sophisticated voters that deal with issues and someone’s record and not simply race. And I think it’s a story of America, because I know of no other place in America where there would be such a vote."
Well perhaps the South is changing and 2008 is issuing a NEW AMERICA!!!