FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - There was a sharp exchange among patrons during Barack Obama’s visit to a barbecue restaurant on Sunday, highlighting the strong emotions the U.S. presidential race is stirring in the final weeks of the campaign.
Obama stopped by Cape Fear BBQ in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to pick up some chicken, collards and baked beans and court voters in this traditionally Republican state.
Some patrons cheered his arrival while others looked on with curiosity and surprise. One woman yelled, “Socialist, Socialist, Socialist — get out of here.” Obama was across the room at the time and did not appear to hear Diane Fanning, 54, who was among several patrons who had just come by after services at the local Presbyterian church. She said she was annoyed that the Illinois senator had stopped in at the restaurant that she regularly visits.
Obama supporter Cecelia Hayslip, 61, responded to Fanning’s comments by saying, “At least he’s not a warmonger.”
Lenox Bramble, 76, isn’t an Obama supporter but he also was bothered by Fanning’s comment. “Be civil, be courteous,” he said.
Later, Bramble and his wife, Kit, seemed to find some common ground with Obama when he said he shared their concerns about the loss of textile jobs to other countries and underscored his pledge to try to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Act.
They later said that while they found Obama likeable, they were not going to vote for him. Lenox finds Obama too inexperienced while Kit said she had been a conservative Republican since Barry Goldwater’s 1964 candidacy and wasn’t about to change.
Obama had more success with first-time voter Mike Long, 33, who talked to the candidate about health care. Long said he had gone from being less than 50 percent likely to vote for Obama to being 98 percent certain he would back the Democrat.
Obama later walked over to Fanning’s table and extended his hand to her but she did not shake it.
North Carolina is among some traditional Republican states that have turned competitive in recent weeks. George W. Bush won the state handily in both 2000 and 2004, racking up more than 12-point wins each time. But an average of recent polls on the Web site RealClearPoltics showed Obama with slight 1.3 percent lead in the state.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young - U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama makes a campaign stop at a restaurant in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Oct. 19, 2008.
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Jesse, you said “No matter how you run your economy, healthcare, education, and roads all have a cost. Under socialism this cost is paid for by the HUGE taxes levied on the people.”
And I am curious how this cost is paid here without socialism? Free lunch? Or through taxes too? Then what’s the difference? Or somehow in the US, taxes don’t come from “the people”?
Please learn something about socialism before educating people about it. If you think a 3% tax increase for the $250,000 above makes socialism, you are insulting Stalin and Mao (”Come on, what took you so long and so many lives?”).
- Posted by Emily“Won’t it be wonderful to have a president who’s not afraid to go into the lion’s den and reach out to those who may not agree with him or like him; such a refreshing change from the past 8 years.”
Yeah, Bush even fired one of his own advisors for suggesting that he was wrong. I support Barack Obama, but if John McCain walked up to me in a restaurant, I would at least shake his hand and engage in conversation. Besides, voting for a candidate is better than voting against a candidate.
- Posted by JDMrs Fanning is one of those crassly ignorant people we have in this country who has never been capable of independent thoughts but always have to get hitched to misrepresented labels like she shouted out. On top of it is her foolish pharaseeic pride and sense of entitlement or superiority. I have no doubt she is a closet racist and her bitterness accentuates her draining nature. She is a ‘weed’ and a ‘rag’. She needs God’s merciful purging!
- Posted by ad-userHandsoff I guess you’re not christian because you LIE about Barack’s voting record on that abortion law. How can you lie like that? You know there was a law already in place to protect the life of a child born alive after a botched abortion. He didn’t need to aprove that bill because there was already one!
- Posted by Parker“Taxes are always a redistribution of money.” Kien nailed it quite well. Maybe government should be run like insurance, the classic modern redistribution of wealth. Just have to figure how to charge premiums for military protection, education, police, transportation infrastructure, oversight of the legal system, etc etc etc.
- Posted by kenI go to church nearly every Sunday and I don’t remember our rector ever telling us to behave that way. To all non-Christians: Many of us are enthusiastically voting for Obama!
My church is about 60/40 supporting of Obama/McCain respectively, just like my area of the country as a whole. The older folks tend to back McCain and the younger Obama, but there are exceptions in both age groups. However, most of us can talk in a civil way about politics and those than can’t just politely change the subject.
One of the older Republicans yesterday said she’d like to attend my Obama Victory party (should he win) and even wear her McCain / Palin Delegate button. True Christians can be OK with that kind of thing. Unfortunately, the very loud, judgmental Christians are the ones you hear about the most.
I’d shake McCain’s hand if I met him and tell that I once considered him a worthy candidate and thank him for his service to the country.
Democrats: If indeed Obama wins, be civil and don’t dance on the graves of Republicans either in person or in blogs. Be gracious in victory. Show them more consideration than many of them showed us when Bush stole the 2000 (and possibly 2004 in Ohio) elections. I know a guy from my gym that used to have a “Bush won - Get over it!” bumper sticker on his Porsche. Don’t be ugly like him.
If you’re looking for an accepting church that welcomes everyone and where people of differing views and backgrounds can get together afterward for coffee and talk, check out your local Episcopal church. Not every Episcopal church is as welcoming as they should be, but many are. Come hear the Good News in Christ. Don’t assume all Christians are so mean-spirited.
- Posted by DaveSEMassI’d ask Ms. Fanning to define what a socialist is. That would stop her dead in her tracks.
- Posted by SteveI wonder what specifically Fanning has against socialism in general. Does she even know what socialism means?
One source defines socialism as “a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.”
Another source defines socialism as “Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society”
Hmm, let’s look at one example of a community that owns the land and structure, where distribution of goods is not based on how much one contributes, that has an egalitarian society. Oh, dang it, Fanning’s local Presbyterian church qualifies! “Socialist, Socialist, Socialist, get out of here!”
I’m sorry, but blindly condemning socialism in any form is like condemning muslim in any form, or condemning the black race in any form, or condemning Fanning because she’s an old coot who in a few years will be sucking money from the socialist programs called “Social Security” and “Medicare”, assuming she’s not already taking money via other socialist programs like “MedicAid” and “Welfare”, and like artwych kindly pointed out, “free education”, “free police”, “freeways” and “public streets and signs”.
I hate hypocrites.
- Posted by Mitch T(Word from a Repubilcan)
Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who paid them, in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good. And there is nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that that makes you a socialist, I think is an unfortunate characterization that isn’t accurate.
I don’t want my taxes raised. I don’t want anybody else’s taxes raised. But I also want to see our infrastructure fixed. I don’t want to have a $12 trillion national debt, and I don’t want to see an annual deficit that’s over $500 billion heading toward a trillion. So, how do we deal with all of this?
I don’t agree with McCain but if he stop by I will shake his hand.
- Posted by kienartwych,
Have you ever heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Did you know that it’s true! No matter how you run your economy, healthcare, education, and roads all have a cost. Under socialism this cost is paid for by the HUGE taxes levied on the people.
Next time you get the urge to promote socialism, why don’t you do what I do and make a donation to a charity? That way you can fund socially beneficial programs without forcing every tax-payer in America to join you.
- Posted by JesseThat’s always been the issue I’ve had with religion in total.
- Posted by DaveIt has always come off to me that the most religious folks are always the rudest and meanest of the bunch.
Fanning, not the church, is responsible for her own behavior. Remember that Obama also attends church.
- Posted by ShaneI have never attended church and have no bias, it just isn’t reasonable or logical to blame churches for all the problems of it’s members. A church is nothing more then smaller society, and like our society it has it’s criminals and extremists, and yes even hypocrites. Most attendee are not like this woman, and if this is the only thing keeping you from going to church, then maybe a re-evaluation is in order.
Rude, but tells the truth about Obama. Speaking of Christ Like I don’t believe Christ would support partial birth abortions or any abortion as Obama does. Take a look at his voting record esp. when he was a state senator how could a christian support a canidate that does not respect the life of an infant born on a blotched abortion.
- Posted by HandsoffThere is nothing socialist about Obama, his tax plan does not re-distribute wealth.
Any taxes that come in go to paving roads and public services and other other Govt. programs. Obama just wants to balance the budget without making the middle class suffer for it.
And, obviously, the woman in the article feels powerless and desperate because she has unincluded herself from the positive change coming in the country. Kind of pathetic , but what do u expect? Humans can be sticks in the mud…
- Posted by john wIt is people like Dianne Fanning that keep me away from churches. How can a rational person be so hypocritical to sit in a pew and talk about love they neighbor as they spit on them with disgust and ignorance.
- Posted by arizonaI will keep praying to God, but I will not step foot in a church if this is the likes they harbor.
Rudeness is not Christ-like at all. You can disagree with someone without being rude. After all, John McCain shakes Mr. Obama’s hand. I am a Christian, and although I do not intend to vote for John McCain, I would never refuse to shake his hand if he extended it to me. People watch Christians, just like they watch politicians to see if we practice what we preach.
- Posted by phyllis turnerDianne Fanning’s parents obviously neglected her education in Manners For Dummies 101. It’s one thing to vote for another party, but to be so downright RUDE is certainly not showing any Southern hospitality and simply inexcusable.
Shame on you, Ms. Fanning. Shame on you.
- Posted by Stephanie SWon’t it be wonderful to have a president who’s not afraid to go into the lion’s den and reach out to those who may not agree with him or like him; such a refreshing change from the past 8 years.
- Posted by FrankIf this moron actually knew what socialism was, she would know that it works around the world. Give me free healthcare, education and paved roads anyday. We should be so lucky! Go Obama!!!!!
- Posted by artwychThat woman is a rude person. She should be ashamed of herelf for treating another human being with such contemp. Maybe she should head right back to church and pray a little harder.
- Posted by membery