Obama camp makes case for no-shows in Philly's black neighborhoods

IN ALL THE commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there are no more vote-rich communities for Barack Obama than North and West Philadelphia. But they're places the candidate has managed to avoid so far in his many visits to the state.

Obama's public appearances in Southeastern Pennsylvania have had a distinctly suburban flavor, with town meetings in Fairless Hills, Wallingford, Malvern and Levittown.

And although he has made speeches in Center City and toured the Italian Market, he has yet to take a podium or press the flesh in Philadelphia's black neighborhoods, where his support is strongest.

"I'm a big believer in going to places where you're weak, not where you're strong," Obama told the Daily News recently, "and reaching out to people that you might not otherwise expect to vote for you."

Obama did a bus tour with many stops in rural areas of the state and has drawn enthusiastic crowds at his suburban appearances.

"It turns out that when you show up, that's half the battle," Obama said. "People really appreciate you trying to listen to them."

Campaign media consultant Ken Snyder said Obama is taking a sound strategic approach.

"You never want to take your base for granted, but you also don't spend a lot of time persuading your base," Snyder said. "That's preaching to the choir.

"It's your campaign's job to figure out who your swing voters are, and spend as much time as you can with them," he said.

On the other hand, energizing a candidate's base can help to ensure a strong turnout. Do Obama's black supporters in Philadelphia feel neglected?

"Not at all," said State Sen. Vincent Hughes, one of more than two dozen prominent Obama supporters who held a news conference at City Hall last week.

"We're mature voters in Philadelphia, and we understand that he's got a particular mission," Hughes said. "The reality is that the pollsters are doing detailed polling showing exactly where he needs to go to get support. So we trust that, and we'll work with that."

Veteran media consultant Neil Oxman said that although Obama is "certainly not hiding his blackness," his campaign is targeting a demographic of Pennsylvania voters he needs to reach.

"The entire campaign is about him talking to noncollege-educated whites," Oxman said. "And the campaign takes every opportunity to reassure white people that he's not defined by [his controversial former pastor] Jeremiah Wright and that he's not defined by his blackness."

Obama appears in Philadelphia tonight at the city Democratic pre-election fundraiser, and Wednesday in a televised debate at the National Constitution Center.

No other Philadelphia events have been confirmed by the campaign yet.

"It will be nice if he does come here and campaign," said West Philadelphia ward leader and Obama supporter Carol Campbell. "But if he doesn't, we understand that he has to do what he has to do."