30seconds with FRANK RANSBURG

Frank Ransburg, who has taught political science at Southern University for 40 years, shares his thoughts on the historic presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.

What does it mean to the black community to have a major black candidate for president?

It means quite a bit, not only for the black community, but also for young people to see that someone from the African American community. We teach kids in civics that any young kid can grow up to become president and it makes them believe that there’s some hope that actually can happen.

Will Obama inspire more blacks to vote in Louisiana?

I think there will be a larger voter turnout. Having an African American running for president and woman run for vice president makes the election more exciting. The issues are basically the same in every election—the economy, the security—it’s the personality and the candidates that drive voters. That’s what happened in 1960 with John Kennedy and in 1992 with Bill Clinton.

How important is this election?

… One of the things said in every election is ‘this is the most important election of our lifetime.’ I’ve been following presidential elections since 1952, and I don’t think yet that has been an exaggeration. It appears the conditions of the nation and then the conditions of the world makes the election much more critical each time. But this election would be much more important than those in the last couple of years, particularly as it relates to the economy of this nation.

Baton Rouge elected its first black mayor four years ago, and Louisiana elected its first non-white governor. Is Louisiana ready to vote for a black president?

I think so. … It’s not a matter of black and white. You have an African-American mayor in Shreveport, Monroe and New Orleans. There are several big and medium cities with a black mayor. Louisiana is ready to vote for the person. In 1960, John Kennedy carried Louisiana. In 1992 and 1996, Bill Clinton carried the state both times. A lot of people don’t realize that.