missypie

If Obama becomes president, do you think his life would be any more in danger than any other president, due to his race? I recently spoke to someone who said she isn't voting for Obama tomorrow because if he became president, he would certainly be assassinated.

I don't think that's the case. Plenty of people hate Bush and plenty of others hated Clinton, and I don't remember any assasination attempts. I don't think the racist nuts could get any closer to Obama than other nuts could get close to Bush or Clinton. What do you think?

momof2inca

That is the most ridiculous reason not to vote for someone that I've ever heard of. I mean, caring in a way, but ridiculous.

My thought is that anyone who becomes President places their life in danger because there are crazies out there who want attention. Obama is probably no more at risk than any other. So I agree with you, missypie.

We need to get past the politics of fear, in all of its many cloaks. If your friend doesn't support Obama's policy ideas, that's one thing. But if she likes him and is too scared to vote for him, that's something to overcome.

Narcissa

wow...lol her argument is really funny (in a morbid way). But uh, I'm sure that a lot of people want to kill Bush or Clinton or ____ (put the name of any president we've ever had). There aren't more people who want to kill Obama than any other president. The ones who do get killed are basically just unlucky.

janieblue

missypie: I was listening to NPR last week, and they were interviewing students and faculty, I think, at a HBC. I don't know where this was as I missed the beginning of the show, but they were talking about that very issue-- that all these folks being interviewed had friends who refused to vote for Obama, because of this perceived assassination fear. I thought that was pretty fascinating.

After I heard that segment, I started looking more closely at the still photographs in the newspaper, as well as the news on TV, when Obama and Clinton are out speaking to people. I don't know if it's the camera angle, which can often be misleading, but I have noticed that Obama *seems* to be right out there among the crowd-- there seems to be no barrier between him and these huge crowds. And when I see pictures of Hillary speaking, I usually see a literal barrier between her and the crowd. I assume she is probably protected by Secret Service (as a former First Lady), but I do wonder about that. I never see anyone near Obama who might look like body guards. They must be there, but I never see them.

Not to be cloaked in fear, which I think this administration would prefer for us, but I'm surprised that there *appears* to be no protection for him at these gatherings. I'm sure there must be, but some of these crowds don't look like controlled, contained events. Given our history of crazed people out there, assassination is a real fear.

I don't think that should be any reason not to vote for anyone, but I understand the viewpoint.

NYMomof2

I believe that there is no Secret Service protection for candidates until they are officially their party's nominee. But I have seen huge bodyguards near Obama.

I think everyone has an uneasy feeling about assassinations. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach 4 years ago when Kerry announced plans to walk from his home in Boston to the site of the convention to accept his nomination.

poetsheart

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but early on in the campaign, when there were a LOT more Democrats in the race, there was a news report that Barack Obama was now under secret service protection because of the number of death threats he was receiving. They mentioned that other than Bill and Hillary, there were no others on the campaign trail under secret service protection, so this was supposedly a big deal. Did anyone else hear this report?

2blue

Yes, I'd heard that too. After quickly googling, I found an article which says those earlier death threat reports were exaggerated. Obama has had secret service protection since about early May.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/...ion/index.html

poetsheart

Apparently, it's true.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18474444/

poetsheart

2blue, you beat me to it---LOL!

janieblue

I only assumed Hillary might have SS protection, as a former First Lady. Don't former presidents and their families have life-time protection from the SS, or is that an urban myth?

2blue

They do. BTW, looking at your screen name, we must be cousins.

Editing to add: Here are the specifics on who gets protection. (I'm procrastinating on a paper I need to write!)
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/ref/blssprotect.htm

janieblue

Of course, 2 blue! How are you? I never hear from you-- you never call, you never write. How are things? How's the family?

Oh, and thanks for the link.

vicariousparent

Obama apparently invited his secret service guards to join him for beer and pizza while watching the Superbowl yesterday.

I am terrified about the assassination possibility but it won't stop me from voting for him tomorrow. I believe Obama is far more vulnerable to assassination not just because he is black but because he is so popular and talks too much about transformational change. Also because he generally draws huge crowds, it could be that much easier to slip a weapon into one of his events. Also because there are these insiduous rumors about his being a Muslim.

I am imagining some crazy, paranoid "white christian supremacist patriot" with a gun and delusions of grandeur. OK, so maybe I am the paranoid one. I hope.

dntw8up

"If Obama becomes president, do you think his life would be any more in danger than any other president, due to his race?"

Since Obama had a white mother and a black father, which racial group(s) would threaten him?

missypie

I was thinking of the same racial group who used to classify anyone who was 1/16th black as "negro."