The Constituents in My Pennsylvania District are Racist

Now I appreciate how Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) has taken a strong stand against the Iraq war, but saying something that sounds like you are calling your constituents racist in an election year can’t be good.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. John Murtha said Wednesday his home base of western Pennsylvania is racist and that could reduce Barack Obama’s victory margin in the state by 4 percentage points.

The 17-term Democratic congressman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story posted Wednesday on its Web site: “There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area.”
Murtha said it has taken time for many Pennsylvania voters to come around to embracing a black presidential candidate, but that Obama should still win the state, though not in a runaway.

There has got to be a better way to phrase that.