Racism in the November election

It is looking as though Barack Obama will win the democratic nomination. I am very worried because I have friends and family who call themselves democrats, have b*tched and moaned about Bush for almost eight years, but say they would rather vote for John McCain than Obama because he is black.

I feel so embarassed posting this because these people are close to me. I can't believe they are so closed-minded and racist, they would rather vote for a white man who does not care about them as middle class citizens or promote their interests.

I want to know, what can I say to these people to convince them this is a horrible decision (not to mention, horribly racist)? I've already tried to speak to some of them about it, but have not had much success.

I am very disturbed because these are not the "redneck" or "backwards" Americans that we typically associate with this mindset. These people are intelligent, educated, and middle to upper class. How many other people feel this way?

I'm scared we are going to end up with another older, rich white man who doesn't give a sh*t about anyone who isn't wealthy, white, male, christian, and straight.

 

that's not too hard to believe because on the flip side, there are many black americans who are going to vote for Obama, because he's black

the obvious racial divide is still around..

you see it in the polls, within some states..

There have been occasions where white people clearly sided with Hillary, while black people sided with Obama..

 

This is the year for Obama. Regardless of the naysayers. Watch, just watch.

2008-2012 will be the beginning of a new era.

 

as long as he doesn't make the same mistake that John Street did, when he got re-elected here in philly, we'll be okay..

John Street, after becoming elected for his second term, said "Now the brothas and sistahs are in charge again!"..something like that anyway...I know he made a reference to him being black, and having black people within his campaign.

..as you can image, our papers were littered with articles and letters, concerning such statement.. A lot of white people were freaked out and upset..

A negro in charge and proudly boasting it, oh noooo!!



If Obama did something like that....man..

 

And I'll be the first one on the Obama bandwagon the day the man can articulate his plans and policies that clearly will affect me and my business.

I've said it before. Obama is a charasmatic conversationalist. He's refreshing in the sense he's not Bush or Hillary. I get that. But where is the substance?

It's like a battered wife running off with the first guy that comes along because he's not that other guy who beat her. It's settling. Time and time again black people will pick and support candidates simply because they're black. And the politicians don't give a shit. They pimp the people out and use the fact that the other white guy is simply worse, so stick with them.

So far all I've heard from Obama is "change" Which we all want change. Bush was a disaster, Hillary is awful, and McCain is a shuffling backsliding Bush asskisser now.

Change. Oh boy. Yeah Hitler and Stalin were a big change after Weimar Germany and the Bolsheviks in their day too. What kind of change? What are his policies on taxes, or reducing government, or the shitty Patriot Act, or civil liberties, or the abuses the Bush Administration has committed for years, or whatever?

You get nothing but silence.

Basically I don't like any of these losers. So, give me a reason to vote Obama. Other than the fact he's black.

Obama. Mr Black. Who's Dick Cheney's cousin. It's just so easy to fool us. Parade Obama around and we all get happy and believe we've arrived as a people. Oh please.

 

The difference, though, is that most blacks are probably voting FOR Obama, not AGAINST Mcain...

Small point, but I think it stands. And as far as Obama being all rhetoric...well, If he becomes president, It won't be too much of a stretch to be able to tell your kids that they too can run for president one day. He becomes a symbol. McCain will just continue the same ol' shyt. No change will come of him. Hillary, well.....maybe that means white women can tell their daughters that they too can run for president one day...Considering that all of the front runners are pretty much bullshyt. Wouldn't you rather vote for someone who can prove as a powerful symbol for non-whites?

 

if that meant blindly voting for someone, who would run this country straight into the dirt, nope

obama couldn't get us into any more trouble than what Bush has us in tho..

unless, of course, Obama decided to invade N Korea + Iran...

then..well..that would be much worse than what we have atm...

considering the fact that a lot of politicians are two-faced scumbags, that rarely live up to their word, i'd vote for the black one, so that we, at the least, make some history.

 

Thats what ive been wondering about.Alot of whites (white men especially) will probably flock to Mccain regardless if they think Obama is the right choice deep down.

Oh well.

 

Indeed, you guys. According to a poll, 28% of Democrats will vote for McCain if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee. And i can tell you who those 28% constitute. They are mainly working class whites who don't really give two shits about black people, Latinos and angry, bitter middle-aged white women who will feel slighted at losing the prospect of seeing the first female president.

Surely, the Jeremiah Wright thing hurt him in the polls but to me, that shit is just a lame ass excuse for his skeptics to refuse to vote for him without seeming like racist bigots. Although that whole thing doesn't fly with me because if we really want to play the whole guilt-by-association thingy, then all our politicians ought not to be elected because they all have some shady acquintances. Besides, Obama isn't responsible for what someone else says.

It amazes me when conservatives go on and on about "identity politics". Yes, it exists but on both sides. White people in the South, for example, consistently vote Republican even though the very same people they vote for go to Washington to ship off the few jobs left they have to China and India, cut taxes for the deep pockets and slavishly respond to the every need of lobbyists. The South has remained the poorest region in the country ever since the founding of the Union and continues to be, yet whites there vote for people who only care for the rich. Now that is identity politics.

That is exactly why i don't read meaning to any of the hypothetical results shown in polls. Because they don't mean shit until mofos get into the voting booth, more so when a black man is on the ballot. Now i am not trying to sound like a pessimist or one of little faith. Obama has run the best campaign of both parties in this election cycle and is a once-in-a-lifetime leader a la Bobby Kennedy. Based on what he can accomplished, he should be a shoo-in on November 4. His favorability rating, whilst suffering a dip, is still positive and independents, according to polls, still like him. But surely, they won't remember this when the Republican attack ads come raining down over their heads in October. They won't think of "change" when Jeremiah Wright's "God Damn America" anthems are being repeated over and over again for them to hear. What they'd be thinking instead is "crazy black man".

Don't believe me? Mark it down and quote me when we're done.

 

A lot of people say that Obama doesn't articulate his points....but I have heard him many times...explaining exactly how he would go about fixing various problems. The media goes out of their way to praise his oratory while insinuating that he doesn't get to the nuts and bolts. The difference between him and Hillary is that while they say virtually the same thing...it sounds better coming out of his mouth which causes people not to pay attention to WHAT HE IS SAYING BUT RATHER HOW GOOD IT SOUNDS.



IT MAKES SENSE FOR OBAMA NOT TO DWELL ON ISSUES AS MUCH BECAUSE HE SHARES A LOT IN COMMON WITH HILLARY CLINTON WHEN IT COMES TO MATTERS OF POLICY. WITH EVERYONE BELIVING THAT SHE WAS THE PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE..LESS THAN A YEAR AGO...HE DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO FOCUS ON HIS VISION RATHER THAN EXACTLY HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO SUPPLY HEALTHCARE TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. SHE WAS HELD UP AS THE CHAMPION SO HE COULDN'T AFFORD TO MERELY SETTLE FOR A DRAW...HE HAD TO GO IN WITH THE INTENTION OF SCORING A KNOCKOUT....HE'S GETTING AWFULLY CLOSE.
I THINK OBAMA WILL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A TKO, HOWEVER.

 

That is possible...I think Hillary's stubborness and refusal to quit will help Barack Obama in the long run. There isn't another candidate in any party that is as sharp as she is. While she may be playing a little dirty....at least all of Obama's skeleton's will get out of the closet. By the time Obama turns his sights on the GOP...there won't be anything left that Hillary hasn't already pulled out. The only thing the GOP can do would be to rehash old news...such as Rev. Wright. Meanwhile, John McCain has been sitting pretty and chillaxing....the media hasn't really turned a strong eye to him yet....and you just know that they will once they get the chance. Kind of like the calm before a major storm.


Remember too that Obama is going to have had quite a few one-on-one debates with Hillary. McCain hasn't really had the spotlight shone on him in that way. His biggest competiton was Mike Huckabee....someone that would have a tough time matching Edwards or Gov. Richardson. Imagine a mano y mano debate between Obama and McCain.......I think it would be like an old Tyson fight.......Obama KO's McCain 90 seconds into the first round!

:smt021

 

Just don't discount the ones who have always voted Republican (me, though I am an independent) and will now vote Democratic IF Obama is the nominee. I'm a WW, but I will not feel slighted in the least if Hillary doesn't get the nomination. But, I'm also someone (regardless of race, religion, creed, etc) who is sick and f-ing tired of the old white guys running this country into the ground. They've had 200+ years at the helm of this great ship, and look where it's gotten us.

So, I'm all for change and I'm all for seeing either a woman or a person whose skin color is different than my own take the reins and see where they can go with it. The time for change is now, and I'm certain I am not the only person who will be crossing party lines to vote for change.

*A life lived in fear, is a life half lived.*

 

But why does the "change" have to be a novelty act? To just say the way and path to change is merely voting for a woman or a black candidate to me minimalizes the importance of it all.

Basically to me as a black guy if someone black becomes president I want that person to be of such excellence it's clearly conclusive to everyone.

I don't just want some guy to be president who's black just because he's black. I want the best person for the job.

 

black or white, i only care about one color at this point; GREEN. i'm only 27 and I'm growing an ulcer thinking about the potential situation we might have on our hands. Recession or not, I have tens of thousands in debt from school and I'm looking forward to some good times in my life, I've had Bush as a president during my twenties. It would be nice to have something and someone better for my thirties.

Ive said it once and I will say it again: Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy,Foreign Policy,Foreign Policy,Foreign Policy,Foreign Policy.

I'm would also like to know who Clinton and Obama have in mind for cabinet positions, I dont worry so much about one person, I worry about the person when they are with their posse.

 

I tell you what..

i wished I worked harder in high school for scholarships

:wink:

some of the ivy league schools are offering increased amounts/full assistance, to students that fit under an income umbrella, and could maintain an A average...somethin like that

psu wasn't that expensive when I went there..like 7K a year.. much less than temple

grad school on the other hand, is always expensive..

takes money to make money, without a doubt

 

Hate to break this to you but..

Obama(and Hillary) are just as ANTI-MIDDLECLASS as McCain..He represents corporate interests just like all the rest.

Politicians are not leaders anyway..They are remote-controlled from WALL STREET..

Bankers and big business run this Country..not politicians..

 

A new era??

:lol: :lol: :lol:

C'mon now..

Politicians don't run anything but their mouths..THEY HAVE NO POWER..

 

Presidents are mostly figureheads anyway. The problem with this country is that the media puts ALL the emphasis on the Presidential elections, and hardly any on the elections for Senators and such. CONGRESS is what runs this country. People need to be paying more attention to who they're voting for in those elections.

If they did pay more attention, would people like Ted Kennedy still have a Senate seat after 35+ years? I surely wouldn't vote for him. Talk about someone completely out of touch with the middle class.

All politicians are dirty. You can't trust a one, so it really doesn't matter who gets elected. Just some are more outwardly conniving than others...

 

You know, bookworm, the issue you brought up reminds me of an old conversation myself and my college law professor had. He once said to me that Congress, and not Senators or even the president, run the country and are responsible for the "executive" participations of the branch. Then, such talk seemed ludicrous to me as i thought that there were different branches for every governing body - legislative for elected lawmakers, executive for the president and vice president and the judiciary for the courts. So how on earth can Congress control the country if they simply draft and pass the legislation, i thought? But then he said, succinctly, what you just said. Namely, if they didn't, then why would guys like Kennedy, Ted Stevens, Inuoye and Bobby Byrd have a seat for almost 30 years whilst presidents change? Also, he mentioned the fact that it is Congress that gives the president money for all his expenditures. Lastly, he said they can impeach him whilst he cannot remove any legislator with his executive power.

Thinking about that, it's easy to see why many people would rather remain in Congress for all their lives rather than run for senator or even president.

 

It's scary that most people don't realize that....I'm all for term limits for ALL branches of our government.

BTW, I really enjoy the fact that you used "whilst". I use that word all the time. It's so much better than "while".