First A congratulations to Barack Obama my new President. I will withhold any judgements about him till I see what he does as President in his first term. Who knows this might be a great thing for the country, I have hopes anyways.
Now to adress the subject, in a few states like Virginia the black population voted for Obama as high as high as 90%, while blacks traditionally voted Democrat I don't think the numbers have ever been as high as this also the Latinos voted for Obama in huge numbers, Obama bled off enough White votes to slaughter McCain in his history making victory. But.... Does this show White folks how deep the resentment of minorities have?
I mean lets face it Obama has the least experience of any President-Elect in history, yet he blew away a much more experienced candidate, I do believe much of the voting was done not for the man, but for the color of his skin. Time will tell if this was a mistake or not.
I said it many times before, ignorance won this election for Obama.
Hey Buddy, Glad to see you back for a bit!
I am with you on the fact that Obama is also my president-elect and most likely be my next president.
I will respect his presidential office.
Don't be racist, vote for the white guy!
Actually I prefer Obama's politics over McCain's...but what remains to be seen is if he'll actually carry through with all those promises. I just think we have a better shot with Obama in the oval office than with McCain. It's not about race to me, but I do acknowledge it's a big deal in American history. Breaking color barriers is a big deal...but it wasn't a deciding factor for me.
~Zoo
You sexist!
That is true, but to be the main reason is not. I have said this before, I would not want to be a President if I was chosen simply because I was Black (or Hispanic in my case). Talk about affirmative action, it's nice to know one does not need to prove oneself thee days, all you need is to be different which in turn means change. Maybe next election we can have a choice between a Woman and an Over-weight person, or maybe a Homosexual vs a Hispanic. We may as well break all the barriers as soon as possible so we can move on to picking a leader of this great nation based on his abilities, the way it should be.
If you really think he was chosen simply because he's black, you haven't been paying attention. If that's the case, how come Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have never been seriously competitive in the past? Obama offered something that voters wanted: Hope and Change. You don't have to agree with them -- but to say that he only got there because he's black is bothersome to say the least.
(PS. Welcome back, Elie).
I wrote two other articles called Obama empty suit and omama empty head, hopefully this man will see the job is much more that just a title.
Notice I started off with "my President" that's what I said and that's what I mean.
Great comment whip, glad my head cleared enough to write an article.
Zoo many white folk voted for Obama including my wife Colleen, much to my shame... eh eh eh... I was "forced to spank her that night.
Ah shades, why is it that so many liberals are fine with the thought that so many whites would not vote for Obama simply because he is Black? But not ok with Blacks voting for him for the same reason? More showing of Liberal lesions of the brain. heh heh heh
I agree wholeheartedly.
They asked white voters in the exit polls "Is race a factor?". What about the rest?
Exactly! one such viewing had around 20 or so people asked why they were Obama supporters, not one of them could name a single peice of legislation he created, not one of them could answer any of the questions posed to them except the stock "he stands for change and hope" not oneof them could define what "change and hope meant to them" Most of the people were white BTW>
Oh you can never ask a Black that kind of question, you would be branded a racist, your job would be in jeopardy, your very life possibly ruined.!!
I guess we are all entitle to our opinions, right? But there's a difference between not paying attention and ignoring. At least I can admit when I am wroing iof I wasn't paying attention, ignoring does not allow for that luxury.
Obviously, Obama's agenda never excluded any race thru mentions of "my Black people" or "my brothers", etc If there is one thing I can say good about Obama is that he did not run a "I am for Black people mostly" race. But we all know Jesse and Al are both fighters for the Black cause and it's obvious they were never gonna get anywhere defending a single race in a country with such a diversity.
There is no denying he did. The question is not about hope and change but about what kind of hope and change. You do realize that change is a very subjective word. A change for this country can be from a Democratic Gov't to a Communist one (bare in mind I am in no way saying Obama will make this Gov't Communist, it's just an example). Hope can be for people to expect to go from $10 an hour to $20. Obama made many promises, promises that people could have easily understood in many ways because they were very open and subjective promises and if you pay attention (like I do) to the media, even they are saying some of Obama's promises may not be as easy to keep with the economy the way it is. To implement a universal healthcare and raise taxes during a time the economy is suffering is probably the worst idea anyone could attempt to try, it would make Bush's policies look like footnotes.
In your own words, you don't have to agree with my point of view, but to say I am not "paying attention" is an attempt to undermine my freedom of speech. I did not make up my opinion out of thin air (like some do), I base my opinions on information I read and personal experience. The polls say Obama had Black people vote for him in numbers never seen before in any election, to ignore that is shameful.
BS. I in no way underminded your freedom of speech-- I didn't say you couldn't speak, just that I didn't think you were paying attention.
And what percentage of the black population traditionally votes Republican? In order for this to be an anomoly, you would need evidence that in the past, blacks have voted republican when given a choice between a D and an R of the same race. I think the historic trends would show you that black traditionally vote democrat so it is not surprising that they would be voting Obama. Also, it's important to note that not just blacks came out in force in this election -- the increased turn out was across all demographics.
I actually don't think that race was as important a deciding factor as most do. I can only point to anecdotal evidence, but, for example, some of my future in-laws are vocally racist and for months said they were voting for McCain -- but yesterday, they actually voted for Obama because they didn't want 4 more years of Republican lead policies (including both economic and foreign policy). It was the reserve Bradley effect. They were more concern with policy than skin color -- which is the way it should be, I think!
If that's the case, it's unfortunate. Me? I could care less about Obama's skin color -- but I do agree with many of his policies and the way in which he has said he plans to govern. I have not enjoyed the secrecy of the last 8 years or the pushing of the evelope on civil liberties.
Yeah, but if people voted for Obama just because he's black, doesn't that mean McCain got votes for being white?
I don't think it's that easy. I think in the wake of his win, the gravity of the first black president hit hard. It did for me, and I was extremely conflicted over who to vote (yes, I love both of these men; it was like watching two of my best friends fight). But when Obama won, it was about change. I am not sure what he will do, but it was great to wake up the next morining and tell my son, 'You can grow up to be President someday', and not feel like it I was lying to him because it's never happened. I think that's why you hear so many making a point of the first black president.
I think there were some exit polls that revealed age was more significant than race. I could be wrong, though.
I believe it is possible that some did vote for McCain because he is white. However, I have yet to find a McCain voter willing to admit this. I know a few Obama supporters that are proud to say so. I suppose that this election is unique in that there was more in play than just Republican vs. Democrat or Conservative vs. Liberal. The tone has changed and I'm not sure what to make of it. If it were simply "Obama was elected President of the United States and, by the way, he is the first black President" I would have no concern. The message I'm getting most ofern is "Obama won the election but, more importantly, he is black." This gives me pause.
85% of the black vote went to Barack Obama but that shouild not be taken as evidence of racism as the candidature of Obama has enthused the population. And remember that Obama did not win more than 35% of the white male vote.
For many it was racism, pure and simple. But I think even beyond that, Obama won for one reason alone. The Housing crunch. As soon as the stock market dropped below 10k, McCain lost.
Most people will note that "Obama is the first....". But most just wanted "change", without knowing what change is or will be. It happened before in 1976. I suspect this ride is going to be a lot worse.
Before or after democrats made race an issue?
And good to see you writing again Elie! Hope things are looking up for you.
Nothin' like angry political lovin'.
Now, there's something Dr. Guy and I can agree on!
Be sure to fasten your seatbelt, Doc.
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