Barack Obama: For Harlem Voters, Clintons Experience Is Key

Campaign workers distributed leaflets for Hillary Rodham Clinton at 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem on Sunday afternoon. (Photo: Marko Georgiev for The New York Times)

A day after Barack Obama’s decisive victory in South Carolina, propelled by overwhelming support among black voters, it remained an open question whether Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would be able to hold on to her African-American base in New York.

Mrs. Clinton’s supporters were in Harlem on a Sunday afternoon to drum up support for her, at the intersection of Malcolm X Boulevard and 125th Street, just a few blocks from former President Bill Clinton’s office and in the heart of the Congressional district represented by Charles B. Rangel, the dean of Harlem politics, who has been rallying support for Mrs. Clinton. (Mr. Obama’s supporters, meanwhile, organized a rousing rally downtown at City Hall, as Jonathan P. Hicks reports in a companion blog post to this one.)

Despite Mr. Obama’s strong showing in South Carolina, which caused some celebration in Harlem, several voters said they were sticking with Mrs. Clinton. The symbolism of a black president versus the weight of experience plays differently in New York than it does in South Carolina, said Barry Wright, a 47-year-old military veteran who is from southeastern Virginia but now lives in Harlem.

“The view from the North is going to be different from the view from the South,” Mr. Wright predicted, adding that the South is “still living in the past.”

Mr. Wright, who is African-American, said he believed that black voters in the North were likely to vote based on “pocketbook issues,” like the economy, health insurance and social programs — areas where, he said, Mrs. Clinton is the stronger candidate.

“Yes, it’s great to have a black president, but I don’t think Obama has the experience,” Mr. Wright said. “I’m voting Hillary always. She brings a lot to the table. She knows what the economy needs, what the country needs.”

Indeed, Mr. Wright said he believed that black voters in South Carolina were less likely to be well-informed than black voters in New York. “‘Why did you vote for Obama?’ ‘Because he’s black.’ ‘Well why? Tell me about the issues,’” Mr. Wright said, engaging in a hypothetical dialogue. “I think 60 percent of the voters down there don’t have no clue other than he’s black.”

Darryl James, 45, also a Harlem resident, agreed with Mr. Wright’s assessment. “They don’t know anything about him,” he said of South Carolina voters, adding, of Mrs. Clinton: “She’s the one that is going to make a difference.”

Mr. James’s friend Eric Garcia, who is in his 40s, said that he often hears from friends, “We need a black brother for president,” but is unconvinced. “I understand that, but I need credentials,” he said. “I really look at qualifications. We need a qualified candidate where we are now: the deficit, the war. I just find we’re better off with Mrs. Clinton.”

Other voters argued that the historic nature of Mr. Obama’s candidacy should not be overlooked.

“I’m a black person supporting Obama,” said Mike Johnson, 35, who was in Harlem on a visit from his home in Teaneck, N.J. “If it’s a positive black person running for president, I’m for it. Ever since I was born, it was, ‘You were never going to be president.’ A black person in the White House?”

Mr. Johnson said he thought well of Mrs. Clinton, too: “She’s cool. She does a lot for black people.” Then he paused for a moment and a proposed a joint ticket: “Obama-Hillary! That would be a mean slam!” By Jennifer 8. Lee