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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Highbridge residents speak on elections

The Horizon visited CES 73 in Highbridge yesterday, and interviewed local voters coming out of the polls. Though we interviewed 15-20 voters, you will note that, as was the case with Alma Watkins' reporting, we didn't come across anyone who supported McCain. (We did find one person who said he used to support McCain).

Below are some excerpts from the interviews we conducted on Election Day.

Giselle Pagan, 21: (Pagan sported buttons reading "Hope" and "Witness History")

On her feelings this election day compared to previous election days:

"Whether he [Obama] wins or not, we're making history by having a woman and African-American run up until now. Whoever wins, it's gonna have an affect on who our future president can be."

On what issues matter to her most during this election:

"The economy is number one. The war and the economy."

On what changes she envisions if Obama wins:

"Hopefully, it will show other people that they do have the potential to lead and be on top and they're not those stereotypes many people believe them to be."

Mark Yarde, 42

On why he switched from supporting McCain initially to ultimately voting for Obama:

"McCain started out as a maverick, but took too many of Bush's views."

"First he said the economy was sound. then, 3 or 4 weeks later, he said we have to have a bail-out. How can he flip-flop so fast?"

On both McCain and Obama's support for the recent $700 billion bail-out plan:

"Either one wants to push this economic plan really serious. All the other stuff about wars and what's going on overseas, I think they gotta deal with the homefront first. That's their first agenda -- to deal with this bail-out plan."

"You can't see massive amounts of people laid off and stand by and do nothing."

On the impact of an Obama victory:

"If Obama wins, it's a feeling of accomplishment. I'm not really African-American, but coming from an African-American perspective, maybe it's something African-Americans were looking forward to for some time. "

"If Obama wins, I think it's a change because you had 8 years of a Republican government that didn't really work. If McCain wins, I hope he becomes the maverick he once was."

Madeline Luna, 30

On why she voted for Obama:

"I voted for him because we needed a change."

"I'm trying to get people out of Iraq, not keep them in there."

On what issues matter most to her:

"The economy is really bad right now. I'm hoping everything just gets better."

On what she views as the similarities between McCain and Bush:

"They're both Repbulicans. That's a no-no for me. I'm a Democrat."

"We don't want no more wars. I'm just hoping the war is over sooner than soon."

On Barack Obama's plan to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan:

"That I'm against."

"I think we just need to take everybody out of there, period. I think we've lost enough."

Doug Matthews, 55

On whether an Obama presidency will reduce racism:

"I know it exists, but with myself, everybody's equal. I don't think it's Black and white. It's gray. Green. Currency - that's the color I'm thinking about."

On how he expected to feel the day after the election:

"When he wins, good work, and we'll see what he's gonna do when he has the ball. If McCain wins the voters spoke. McCain has a good platform."

On whether life for people in Highbridge will change if Obama wins:

"Right now, it's changing. There's a lot of employment going on. They're building a new Yankee Stadium in the area. They got the mall on River Avenue. There's gonna be employment over there."

Coraliza Rodriguez, 78

On why she voted for Obama:

[After noting she originally wasn't going to vote, and her daughter convinced her]:

"She said, 'Mommy, you don't want Bush to stay.'"

On what she hopes Obama will do as president:

"I hope that he does what he promises - especially for senior citizens."

"I hope that this guy does something for poor people."

Judith Dilpan, 23

[Dilpan noted that she had hoped to vote for the first time, but upon arriving at the polls, found out that she was not registered]

On what she wants to change under the next administration:

"The economy, taxes. So it could be lower."

J. Hill, 50

On her hopes for an Obama presidency:

"That he'll be able to help turn the economy around."

"Whoever wins, it's a major mess to straighten out. I'm hopeful that it's all gonna turn around. These are very desperate times."

On the prospect [now a reality] of Obama becoming the first Black president:

"I'm elated. I'm really elated, I can't even begin to tell you. I never thought I'd see it in my lifetime."

On whether Obama winning will improve the situation for Black people in the U.S.:

"I would hope it would change for the better. Hopefully, it would get people to get their act together and think about everything like the crime and the drugs. Hopefully it would stir up something in the Black race."

On McCain's vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin:

"I don't think she was qualified. I think she just came out of nowhere. I don't think her family's that stable, either."

Derrick King, 34

On his hopes for the next administration:

"My hopes are particularly within the immediate community - to finally see some real change. Every politician promotes change. But we never actually see it."

On the U.S. wars in the Middle East:

"Personally, I would say that it's more than enough time to our have our troops return home. But that' s a decision the powers-that-be can make."

Shameena Morris, 26

On her hopes for the upcoming election:

"In my hopes, Barack Obama comes out and is able to make change as far as the economy, as far as health care."

On Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan:

"I guess he figures the war wasn't supposed to occur in Iraq - this is where the war was supposed to occur, in Afghanistan."

[Follow-up: What does Morris think of that argument?]

"Hmm. That I'm not too sure."

On the prospect [now a reality] of Barack Obama being the first Black president:

"Hopefully, he's out for change. He can't disappoint us. He shouldn't."

"Politics is bound to change, but hopefully he'll stand his ground."

On whether Obama winning will change the situation for Black people in the U.S. :

"Hopefully, not only will racism change, hopefully everyone will focus on taking a stand when it comes to everything overall."

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