<p>dntw8up: Haha. Thanks for the clarification. :)</p>
<p>There were two assassination attempts against Gerald Ford. The other one was also female.</p>
<p>That is ridiculous. This is 2008 not 1804. Yes, There are psychopaths out there. Just because Obama’s race is a change doesn’t mean that he’s much more vulnerable to assassination. Who’s to say that an African-American extremist won’t try to kill the Clintons for their comments about MLK? Yes, he might have SS people on him now. But any frontrunning candidate is in danger of assassination. Think RFK. He wasn’t African-American, was he?</p>
<p>Don’t make this into a race issue.</p>
<p>I’m sure we can agree that crackpots come in all colors, genders, sizes and from anywhere. Sadly.</p>
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<p>I agree. Of all the people listed on the post above who were assassinated, or an attempt was made, only one was African-American.</p>
<p>Clinton, as a woman president, would present a far bigger change, and no one seems to be concerned about that possibility for her (or, at least, it’s not being discussed on NPR).</p>
<p>“Clinton, as a woman president, would present a far bigger change…”</p>
<p>So you’re saying gender is a “far bigger change” than race – is there a list somewhere that ranks these differences? Where on the scale, compared to a mixed race male and a white female, would a homosexual candidate rank? Would a transgendered candidate be more like a mixed race candidate in that s/he could be “claimed” by more than one gender/race?</p>
<p>I don’t think race or gender matter and I don’t think one change from white heterosexual male is greater than another.</p>
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<p>Can you say, Jena 6?</p>
<p>While we like to think racism is no longer an issue in our country, I’d reject that. Of all underrepresented groups representing our candidates, crime based on racism has the deepest and longest history among blacks than any other group.</p>
<p>Remember, there are still active KKK groups and white supremacist groups out there… not that they’d necessarily plan something, but it just shows the level of racism that is still present; individual whackos think their sick opinions are OK because there are others like them.</p>
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<p>Well, I don’t think they <em>should</em>, but they obviously do. As has been posted before, in various forms, if Obama and Hillary were white males, no one would be this interested in the two of them, nor in this year’s election-- I don’t care how charismatic and well-spoken one of them is.</p>
<p>If we’re talking about what would be the biggest change in a U.S. President (not talking candidate issues here), having a female President would be it. Let’s face, it we’ve already had a couple hundred years of male presidents, having another (who is half white) isn’t as big a change as having a woman president. My 2 cents.</p>
<p>Electing either a bi-racial president or a woman president, would be quite something for this country. Of course, electing a gay woman of color might outrank them both.</p>
<p>In answer to your question, I don’t know if there are any rankings. Maybe we can recruit USNWR to start one. ;)</p>
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<p>But you don’t have organized underground hate groups that are out to specifically target women and fuel the hatred of women.</p>
<p>I was not trying to say that race doesn’t matter. I was trying to stress the point that unlike in the 1800s to the early/mid 1900s, a candidate who is not ‘normal’ will not be subjected to the same treatment as back then. Yes, the KKK is out there but they do not hold as much power as they did. If in 1800, a minority candidate ran, I’m sure they’d be assassinated by the KKK. At this point, it is less likely to happen. There still are racial tensions. But, people do not accept blatent racism like they used to. Years back, Don Imus would not have been any sort of trouble. Consider how differently his remarks would be perceived. </p>
<p>The American public doesn’t accept open racism like it used to.</p>
<p>PS there was a survey that I saw somewhere where they surveyed Americans about traits of a President they would be most uncomfortable with. I forget exactly what topped the list other than Hispanic/Minority/Morman/Smoker. Or where it was from.</p>
<p>I have heard of the theories of assassination attempts on Obama, not because of his race, but of his former affilaiation with the islamic ties from his step-father. In the eyes of the muslims, he would be considered a traitor for leaving islam and embracing Christianity, thus making him a target for assassination.
Go figure, from the religeon of “peace” ?</p>
<p>I don’t think he ever practiced Islam, so how could they accuse him of leaving it?</p>
<p>And yes, Islam is a religion of peace; what you know about it is most likely reflective of the minority extremists because they get all the attention for their horrible deeds.</p>
<p>“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?”</p>
<p>No myth. Past presidents, their spouse and children, are afforded protection for life.</p>
<p>OT- Driving Miss Daisy is a great movie about the SS a past 1st lady.</p>
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<p>Interesting, since we have a Morman running (and, seemingly, doing quite well for himself), and a minority who also smokes, and who is also doing really well.</p>
<p><a href=“some%20US%20history…”>quote</a> “Tenskwatawa (Tecumseh’s brother) was furious and performed a ritual of twenty stones; the twenty stones representing a generation. He put a curse on William Henry Harrison and the presidency, that every generation a president would die in office. William Henry Harrison became president in 1840 and died 30 days after his inauguration. Whether you believe in curses or not, but until Reagan, every president elected in a “0” year has died in office. President Reagan survived his assassination attempt and apparently broke the curse; or it was a seven generation curse?”
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i think Obama will be ok… ;)</p>
<p>FYI: Presidents elected in “0” years who died while in office
1840- William H. Harrison
1860- Abraham Lincoln
1880- James A. Garfield
1900- William McKinley
1920- Warren G. Harding
1940- Franklin D. Roosevelt
1960- John F. Kennedy
1980- Ronald Reagan- assassination attempt fails/he breaks the “curse”</p>
<p>Wow, that’s amazing!</p>
<p>“If Obama becomes president, do you think his life would be any more in danger than any other president, due to his race?”</p>
<p>“Since Obama had a white mother and a black father, which racial group(s) would threaten him?”</p>
<p>You’re not really serious???</p>
<p>"That is ridiculous. This is 2008 not 1804. Yes, There are psychopaths out there. Just because Obama’s race is a change doesn’t mean that he’s much more vulnerable to assassination. Who’s to say that an African-American extremist won’t try to kill the Clintons for their comments about MLK? Yes, he might have SS people on him now. But any frontrunning candidate is in danger of assassination. Think RFK. He wasn’t African-American, was he?</p>
<p>Don’t make this into a race issue."</p>
<p>African-American extremists who try to assasinate presidents? Nah…</p>
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<p>You mean Guarding Tess?</p>
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<p>If you’re referring to Obama smoking, he quit (I think last spring). Is there another candidate who smokes?</p>