The Democratic National Convention in Denver has ended on an historic note, nominating Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, the first African American to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. The significance of the evening isn’t lost on Missouri’s two black Congressmen.
Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver says the nomination of Obama to head the presidential ticket for the Democratic Party is no small step. Cleaver says it’s an amazing story that a race brought to America by slavery is on the brink of having one of its own elected president of the United States.
St. Louis Congressman William Lacy Clay says the nomination strikes a cord. Clay says he feels so proud of what African Americans have accomplished, but also what the country and state have accomplished.
Both Clay and Cleaver say the significance of the nomination, the culmination of the Democratic National Convention will not insure victory in November. Cleaver sees a tough political battle ahead and predicts it will be difficult for Obama to win Missouri..
Still, the two Missouri Congressmen say nothing can undermine the significance of a black politician climbing all the way to the top rung on the ladder.