Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks as Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts listens, left at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008.

Hillary Clinton gets mixed reception in Harlem


BY LETTA TAYLER
January 21, 2008
Fresh from winning Nevada with the help of Latinos, Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday resumed her courtship of African-Americans by attending a service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at a prominent Harlem church. But the boos that mingled with cheers during her visit underscored her looming battle in wresting black voters from Barack Obama.
“You’ve come to Harlem to steal the black vote!” a small but boisterous group of Obama protesters shouted as Clinton stood outside the Abyssinian Baptist Church to receive the endorsement of its influential pastor, the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III.
“Harlem for Obama!” the hecklers repeated, briefly drowning out Butts’ endorsement. When Clinton passed cups of steaming coffee to the crowd on the bitterly cold day, one Obama fan shouted, “I don’t want your coffee!”
“HIL-lary! HIL-lary!” Clinton supporters shouted back…
Outside the church, Butts, who also is president of SUNY at Old Westbury, said his endorsement of Clinton had prompted angry phone calls from some parishioners. But, he added, “a vote for Hillary is not a vote against Barack Obama or any community, be it African-American, Latino or any other.” Instead, he said, it is a vote for the candidate “who has the vision and experience to make things happen.”
He took a lower road during services. After Clinton addressed parishioners, Butts said slyly: “Uh-huh! No teleprompter here. Isn’t that something? A little scrap of paper but that’s all.” Obama has used a teleprompter in some speeches.Butts’ endorsement was not a great surprise, given that Clinton is backed by New York’s black congressional delegation, which includes Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem)…

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