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Not Since the "Giant Ku Klux Klan rallies of the 1920s . . ."
Whoever you support, you have to admire the energy Obama is bringing to politics. I venture to say that virtually all Democrats recognize this -- as is evidenced by the many Clinton fans whom I have heard to expend their full rhetorical quivers on Obama's alleged defects, and then close with the point that he should be the vice presidential nominee.
Here is a small example of the historic nature of what Obama is doing. Indiana politics maven extraordinaire Brian Howey (whose picture I cannot make disappear) on Obama's rally in Indy last night:
As a political journalist, I try not to get swept up in the emotion of the crowds. But standing in a light rain at the American Legion Mall last night and surveying 21,000 people waiting nearly three hours to hear Barack Obama speak was simply one of the most impressive political events I’ve ever witnessed. You might have to go back to the giant Ku Klux Klan rallies of the early 1920s, or, perhaps Homer Capehart’s huge "Cornfield Conference" in 1938 that revived the Indiana Republican Party to find a similar gigantic assemblage here in Indiana.
http://www.howeypolitics.com/ (read the whole thing)
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Comments (6)
Unfortunate comparison to the Ku Klux Klan rallies. Yikes.
May 6, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
In the difference between an Obama rally and a Klan rally lies the point of the little post . . .
May 6, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I get AND understand your post. It's amazing how far we have come...but still far to go, mind you.
May 6, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some historical context.
The KKK up north, at least in Iowa, was more concerned with the Jews and were actually sometimes nice to black congregations in order to try and split the black and jewish communities which were natural allies. Luckily the NAACP, which had about a 5 year head start on the Klan in terms of organization (at least in Iowa, more in other places), worked hard to make sure the black communities understood what the Klan was trying to do.
The Klan was also very anti-catholic. My father collects post cards and old photos of the town where I grew up and one he found was a picture of the Klan marching down mainstreet in sheets. My grandfather was a young man at the time and he told me the Klan wasn't very active but they targeted the catholics who my grandfather told me they called "white niggers".
The Klan peaked in about 1924 when the started getting people on city councils and on school boards across the country. People pushed back and most were voted out in 1926 and the Klan was almost inexistant by 1930 as they were subject to ridicule as foolish and hateful. It disbanded in 1944 due to unpaid taxes and the Klan was reformed in 1946 with the primary focus being the intimidation and persecution of African Americans.
May 6, 2008 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ironic how Indiana had the largest Klan organization in the US back during the 1920s and 1930s.
May 6, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
That statement - yes.
That's what it is - that's what I got caught up in on primary night. You get in the middle of this and it's astounding. It's like magic.
I've never seen people so motivated, so enthused.
May 7, 2008 9:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
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