Sunday, July 15, 2007

PAUL OLIVER and JARED GAITHER Selected In NFL SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT

From NFLMEdia.com

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FOR USE AS DESIRED
7/12/07

TWO PLAYERS SELECTED IN NFL SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT

The San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens each selected a player in today’s seven-round
supplemental draft, the NFL announced today.

The Chargers, picking 28th, chose cornerback PAUL OLIVER of Georgia in the fourth round.
The Ravens, selecting 31st, picked Maryland tackle JARED GAITHER in the fifth round.

Oliver, 6-0 and 208 pounds, was among Georgia leaders in tackles last season (fifth with 57)
and registered two sacks. He limited the No. 2 overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, Georgia
Tech wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON (Detroit), to two catches for 13 yards in the Bulldogs’
season-finale win last year. In 2005, Oliver won Georgia’s Most Improved Defensive Player
Award.

The 6-9, 350-pound Gaither started 17 of Maryland’s last 21 games at either left or right tackle.
As a freshman in 2005, he did not allow a sack from his left tackle position. Gaither was rated
as the No. 3 prep-school prospect in the nation by a scouting service while at Hargrave Military
Academy in Virginia.

With today’s selections, San Diego and Baltimore thus forgo the corresponding picks in the
2008 NFL Draft.

There were no other players selected today.

The supplemental draft was conducted by computer from NFL headquarters in New York.

# # #

Upper-Income African-American Donors back Obama Over Clinton

This is a little-reported story I found at the USA Today.

Upper-Income African-American Donors back Obama Over Clinton
June 13, 2007

Orlan and Zina Johnson pose with Barack Obama during an April 2007 event at the Columbus Club that raised more than $400,000. Obama has received nearly double the number of contributions from zipcodes with high concentrations of wealthy African Americans than his closest Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, USA TODAY analysis shows.


"I think (Barack Obama is) the right guy at the right time. The fact that he's African-American is part of it. But at the end of the day, he's got the educational pedigree, the intelligence. He's got the skills, all the things you'd like to see in your leader."

— Democratic contributor Orlan Johnson

USA TODAY compiled this analysis using campaign contribution reports of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton with the Federal Election Commission and from demographic data supplied by Claritas, a marketing information firm.

ZIP codes were included if they contained a larger share of black households than the national average (13%). A ZIP code also was included in the analysis if its black median household income topped the comparable national figure of $31,000. USA TODAY also studied subgroups of ZIP codes where black median household incomes topped $50,000 and $75,000.

By Fredreka Schouten and Paul Overberg, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Democrat Barack Obama is surpassing rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in campaign contributions from areas with blacks of above-average income, a USA TODAY analysis shows.
The Illinois senator has received more than double the number of campaign contributions from ZIP codes with sizable concentrations of upper-income blacks than Clinton, according to the analysis of first-quarter campaign records.

FIRST-TIME DONOR: 'He's the right guy at the right time'

Obama collected more than 2,200 donations from ZIP codes that ranked above average in both the share of black households and black household incomes, the analysis found.

Clinton received 1,000 donations from these areas. Overall, Obama raised nearly as much as the New York senator did in the first quarter from all sources.

Polls show the former first lady attracts more support from women and lower-income workers than her party rivals. Obama does better with independents and higher-income voters. The analysis is another sign that economics drives their support as much as race or gender.

Black voters are crucial to choosing a Democratic presidential nominee. In South Carolina, host of an early nominating contest, blacks account for nearly half the voters in the Jan. 29 Democratic primary. Obama is seeking to be his party's first black presidential nominee.

Obama's early success raising money from blacks is a sign of how much he has energized them and the challenge posed to Clinton, who is aggressively courting black voters.

Although blacks "can be excited about and loyal to politicians of other races … people lean toward members of their own group," said Carol Swain, a professor at Vanderbilt University. She said the donor patterns are a "reality check" for Clinton, whose husband was popular among blacks.

Minyon Moore, a senior Clinton adviser, said it was "natural" that Obama would appeal to black donors. "We're not ceding that ground," Moore said. Clinton "has a great deal of support in the African-American community."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the campaign is "proud of the level of support we have achieved from all groups."