Payne says he wants to focus on domestic issues, talks down ambassadorship rumors

NEWARK – Surrounded by a core of South Ward supporters, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark) watched the results come in last night and celebrated as he watched Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) win.

“I was very pleased with the victory and I’m also pleased that some of the concerns I had have been calmed a bit,” he said.

At the Democratic National Convention in August, Payne felt confident about Obama’s chances, and predicted the only potential barrier to an Obama victory would be race.

The Wall Street meltdown removed that as an issue, in the congressman’s view.

“The financial crisis is just so overbearing, in times of crisis, superficial barriers go away,” said Payne. “When employment and job creation are increasing, race becomes no factor. When a house is on fire you want any firefighter to come in. You’re not going to say, ‘hold it’ to a black firefighter if he’s trying to get in. What we’ve seen with Obama is a person who exudes change and calm thoughtful leadership. That’s where the race factor became less of a factor.”

An opponent of the Wall Street bailout package because he saw no evidence that its measures would impact “folks on the back streets,” Payne said he remains concerned about a political climate in which national leaders have to mostly play it up the middle.

“It’s going to be a challenge, and it’s something the New Jersey political alliance will have to discuss and see how our (urban) issues can be brought to the forefront without the fear of losing the center,” Payne said.  “It’s a real dilemma.

“You don’t hear anybody campaign by talking about poor people. (Former Sen. John) Edwards touted it, he talked about two Americas, and I gave him credit for that,” Payne added.  “But we’ve even had Democratic gubernatorial candidates who didn’t want to be seen as spending much time in the cities.”

The congressman said no one has approached him nor does he have any interest at this time about an ambassadorship.

“There is so much to still be done,” Payne said. “We really have to do something to stop the hemorrhaging in our criminal justice system, and that’s what I want to be working on.”