<p>“He has first hand knowledge of what black people in this country have endured.”</p>
<p>I don’t buy that.</p>
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<p>I had to chuckle at that b/c when I lived in Alaska I bought something on line and they told me they only ship to the US</p>
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While I am against Obama for his positions on just about everything, before the Wright issue came up I at least consoled myself that there could be some benefit to the country of having a “post-racial” African American occupy the White House. However, the Wright issue has made me question how truly “post-racial” Obama really is. </p>
<p>On the anger/temper issue, I believe that the worst thing that we can have is a President who is too even-tempered to the point that other world leaders will believe that they can take advantage of them. This was a problem with Kennedy who Kruschev perceived was weak and thus felt that he could get away with putting nukes in Cuba - thus leading to the closest that we have come to an actual nuclear war. It was also a problem with Carter who was taken advantage by just about everyone and continues to do so to this day. I’ll take a Ronald Reagan and his tough talk any day. Say what you will about Bush and Iraq, but the reason that Qaddafi gave up his nuclear program was that he didn’t want to end up like Saddam. We will never see anything like that under a President Obama.</p>
<p>Simba- he experiences it every day of his life. I told you why my mom won’t vote for him. He’s black, period. He’ll bring in black people. Why is it so hard for you to admit that he experiences this kind of prejudice on a regular basis?</p>
<p>This is what I meant be enduring discrimination. Daily.</p>
<p>RE: the Wright stuff: The quote was taken entirely out of context. It was part of a longer sermon that was very somber, very serious, and appropriate. There were tapes of the ENTIRE sermon on Youtube a while back.</p>
<p>Also, that’s all the media has on Wright? One or two clips? In all the years he preached? That’s all they can find?</p>
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<p>Nope, just telling it like it is, and I strongly suspect you know I’m telling the truth. In fact, I strongly suspect that you know more than a few people who feel exactly the way I stated.;)</p>
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<p>Because he has all of the perceived assets of Hillary Clinton, and appears to be a viable candidate. That’s an exciting and unique concept for most black voters, just as the possibility of a woman being a serious contender for President mobilizes a lot of woman voters (who, by the way, are not the least bit shy about stating as much). Until Iowa, a good percentage of blacks were committed to voting for Clinton because they didn’t take Obama seriously as a contender. The fact that he apparently was able to garner the confidence from all those white folks in Iowa made many blacks sit up and take notice, and ask themselves why they weren’t extending him the same courtesy. Then there was the comment Bill Clinton made just prior to the South Carolina Primary, a comment blacks perceived as aimed at marginalizing Obama as some kind of racial radical, ala Al and Jesse. It offended a lot of heretofore black Clinton supporters. It said to them, “I may have been America’s “first Black President”, but I’m willing to insult and alienate you if it will garner votes for my wife.” Now, we can argue about what Bill really meant, but I’m just telling you what black voters believed he meant. It’s kind of like the “bitter comment”. What Obama may have meant, and how rust belt working voters perceived his words could well have been two different things. Doesn’t matter. It effected people’s votes.</p>
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<p>What are you talking about? He’s the story of black America. His ancestry is both African and white American, like the majority of African Americans. He was born in America, not Africa, and is therefore, African American. Plus, when it comes to discrimination, the difference between American blacks and African blacks makes not one wit of difference. Nobody who is committed to the belief that blacks are inferior and should be treated accordingly are going to stop and say, “wait a minute, this one’s directly from Africa. He’s better than our homegrown Ni**ers”:rolleyes:</p>
<p>I had a conversation with several women, all highly educated professionals in their late 50s and 60s. And they said they were for Hillary because she’s a woman. When I said I thought this was a sexist argument, they rounded on me and said, “NO! it’s a feminist argument.” One said she wanted a role-model for her daughter, she argued that men had been elected as presiddents because they were men before and nobody had objected, and so on and so forth. Hillary gender seemed to be the strongest argument in her favor. I tried to mention that she’s no such a path-breaker: Thatcher, Indira Gandhi had been before her; Benazir Bhutto had had a good chance of being elected before she was assassinated. But they would have none of it.</p>
<p>“In fact, I strongly suspect that you know more than a few people who feel exactly the way I stated”</p>
<p>Not really. I live in TX. I live in a precinct that votes 97% republican. I worked for an oil company - not known for democrat employees. I only know half a dozen democrat co-workers. But I do have very good republican friends, and you know what? If I had lived in LA, I wouldn’t have voted for Jindal (he has Indian heritage).</p>
<p>I guess I see little wrong with either- women voting for Hillary because she’s a woman, or blacks voting for Obama because he’s black. This is an historical election, and both are good enough reasons to choose, especially since their positions are so similar.</p>
<p>I guess I see Hillary as much less of a history-maker because other women have risen to positions of power in other countries, and some without riding on the coattails of their spouses.</p>
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<p>Wishful thinking! Polls dipped when the wright stuff came out…you think there’s anybody out there who didn’t know McCain had a temper? The only people who care are people who weren’t going to vote for him anyways. Obamas pastor and his “bitter people cling to guns/religion” quote is going to hurt him with white blue collar workers, the people who decide elections in pa/mi/oh.</p>
<p>To the user that said the wright stuff was taken out of context: Don’t buy everything you read on dailykos. Go back and look at the “taken out of context” video and you’ll notice the pastor is wearing different clothes than the ones he wore during some of his hate-laced rants.</p>
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<p>BS. Jackson wasn’t a viable candidate back in the 80’s but he still drew 90%+ black support. He got it the same way Obama got it, because he’s black. Nothing wrong with that, if I was black in America I’d want a black president as well, but there’s no sense in trying to call it something it isn’t. If Obama was white he wouldn’t be getting 90%+ of the black vote.</p>
<p>“If Obama was white he wouldn’t be getting 90%+ of the black vote.”</p>
<p>I can agree with this statement. But Bill clinton won lot of AA vote too. I would vote based on temprament of the candidate to reachout to the other side.</p>
<p>I would be very disappointed if Obama or Hillary did not choose each other as running mate. If other candidate denies it, then it is okay. If one of them do not offer other candidate the VP position, this will show that thedemocract presedential nominee has really ego problems. In that case, I may end up voting Republican first time in my life. For me more than war economy is more important.</p>
<p>In our asian community many people who are lifelong democrat have voted for Clinton and could change sides. I am just wondering and it may not hold true. If California with its large asian community can be really problem for democrat in case Hillary is not on as a VP on the ticket as she is very popular. Time will only tell in reality what happens.</p>
<p>But, I do agree that Obama as a Presedential nominee will be historical.</p>
<p>That’s the thing with Obama. Many people aren’t ultra liberal and therefore don’t like him. McCain is down 7 points in two polls released last week (One rasmussen, the other SUSA) in California. In Mass Obama is up only 2 in a poll released last week by SUSA. In NJ McCain is either up 1 or down 5 depending on what poll you look at. In New York Obama is up 5 and 8 in the two latest polls. </p>
<p>And what about the swing states? In the most recent polls McCain leads Obama by: </p>
<p>8 in Pennsylvania (taken 4/19)
15 in Florida (taken 4/10)
8 in Missouri (4/12)
7 in Ohio (4/10)</p>
<p>Obama leads McCain by
2 in Michigan (4/7)</p>
<p>“In our asian community many people who are lifelong democrat have voted for Clinton and could change sides. I am just wondering and it may not hold true. If California with its large asian community can be really problem for democrat in case Hillary is not on as a VP on the ticket as she is very popular. Time will only tell in reality what happens.”</p>
<p>I wonder why no one questions Asian voters on why they vote predominantly for White candidates. During the California primary, a network reporter was in a Chinatown and asked several people who they were voting for? All said Clinton except for one who answered “the white woman.” </p>
<p>I’ve always voted for a white man for president.</p>
<p>Blackness alone won’t get you the black vote, Lax. There are plenty of black politicians (mostly republicans) who don’t enjoy any significant level of black support. You can bet Michael Steele wouldn’t enjoy 90+% of the black vote. </p>
<p>Having paid attention to the results of Jesse Jackson’s run for the Democratic nomination, most AfAms really did not believe that Obama had a ice cube’s chance in hell of winning. Therefore, many weren’t willing to waste their vote on him. Just as an anecdotal aside, in December of last year, my first cousin (an African American Male) told me flat out that he was voting for Hillary because she was the Democrat best positioned to win the nomination… My father had expressed to me the same sentiment a couple of weeks earlier. At that time also, the talking heads on CNN, MSNBC, etc., were speculating as to why so many African Americans were supporting Hillary Clinton, instead of Barack Obama. There were a number of African American pundits who flat out stated that the prevailing wisdom within the African American Community was that, Barack Obama couldn’t possibly win the nomination. At that time also, Obama was a relative unknown within the black community. He was this young upstart with the funny name who seemed to come out of nowhere. He didn’t have a history of respect within the community, like Jesse Jackson (who had marched with Dr. King, and been present at his assassination). Other than the speech he’d delivered at the 2004 National convention, people knew next to nothing about Obama. The Clintons, on the other hand, were very well known, and extremely well respected by AfAms (Bill having been dubed, "the first black President, and all). Because of their familiarity, respect, and comfort level with the Clintons, AfAms were very much disposed to support her candidacy. But, like with the rest of the country, the more people became familiar with Barack Obama, the more excited they became about his candidacy. The Iowa win absolutely stunned African Americans, take it from me. It created a tremendous buzz. People who had written him off, started asking themselves, “could it be possible?” Among these, are that first cousin I was telling you about. </p>
<p>Don’t presume to tell me that black folks are so shallow and one dimensional that any warm black body will automatically win their support, because frankly, you don’t know ****. Clearance Thomas is on the Supreme Court, and most blacks can’t stand him. Condi Rice is Secretary of State, and though she has a modicum of respect in some circles, most blacks can take her or leave her.</p>
<p>Truth be told poetsheart, I was also predisposed before Iowa to vote for Hillary. I had no illusions that white people in this country would vote for a black presidential candidate. Iowa was a shocker in the first degree and when I heard Obama’s victory speech that night, I almost cried.</p>
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<p>Has there been a black democrat in the past 25 years who didn’t enjoy massive support from black voters? Blacks vote democratic, this is clear, so I wouldn’t expect them to vote for a black republican. If you think Obama would be getting 90%+ of the black vote if he was a white man, well, then you don’t know ****.</p>
<p>For the record, Hondu (I already know the answer, but folks like Lax may not), tell us whether or not you’re black.</p>
<p>Truth be told, I have never been disposed to vote for Hillary. I think she and Bill have terrible integrity issues that I simply haven’t been able to get around. Ruthlessness is also not an attractive quality in my book, and they are reputed to have that quality in spades. So unless something happens to significantly change my perception of that two headed entity, they’ll not be getting my vote. As I’ve already stated numerous times here, my man was John Edwards. I was seriously bummed when he dropped out of the race—excuse me, “suspended” his candidacy.;)</p>