Saturday, November 28, 2009

Opinion

Michael Barone

The Race Factor in the 2008 Presidential Election

June 16, 2008 01:11 PM ET | Michael Barone | Permanent Link | Print

Reader Comments

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Getting people out to vote

I feel that his race played a big part in him winning the election, for minorities especially. Even though the fact that he was black didn't prevent voters for voting for him, it aided in getting people out to vote. More minorities and teens went out and voted in this election and i think i big part of that was the fact that they saw that change could me made with a different race president. I do think that Obama's race played in impact in getting people out to vote.

OBAMA

NOW HONESTLY RACE WILL ONLY MATTER TO SOME THE ONLY COLOR THAT WILL MATTER IS GREEN ON ELECTION DAY I THINK THOSE WHITE DEMOCRATS WILL GRIT THEIR TEETH AND VOTE FOR OBAMA BECAUSE THEY EITHER HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS,THEIR HOMES OR THEIR 401K I THINK WHEN THEY GET BEHIND THE BALLOT BOOTH THATS WHAT THEY WILL BE THINKING ABOUT NOT HIS COLOR

The Race Factor

I believe the race factor is alive and bristling but hidden in the hearts of many especially in the south. I would hope to be proven wrong but in the lonely confines of that voting booth voters who scoffed when asked if racism would affect their vote will vote against a black candidate. Especially those who are still fighting for the Confederacy with a minimal education.

Years and years of ingrained white superiority are still instilled in too many of our citizenry even though most won't admit it.

election of oboma

if 90%of blacks voting for oboma is not racest,than 90% of whites voting for macain should not be racest.

answer to your article

Using the idea of how many people SAID they would vote for Colin Powell to explain that Obama's race is not really an issue is a very loose, vague, and silly way to make a point. "Saying" you would vote for a black man, and then actually "doing" it, are two very different things.

I live in Kentucky,in a very racist part of the country. I hear the black jokes, comments, and bias against Obama. If the democrats had run a white man after the total failure of the Bush administration, it would have been shue in, a done deal. Your thinking is very idealistic, but wrong.

I live among racists. I know them. They would vote for Satan over a black man, seeing them as one and the same.

There can never be a poll to measure racism because people,even racists, do not admit to being racists.Your argument does not hold water

Re-focusing on the issues

Far too many are deciding which candidate to vote for based on public charisma rather than the issues. Obama's public speeches, while interesting, are completely weighted down with inspirational declarations rather than factual information. I encourage those voters who still have an open mind to examine the issues before determining who to support in the upcoming election. I was a solid Obama supporter until I decided to look strictly at the issues. Most of Obama's policies are nothing more than typical Democratic strategies coated with allure and charm. I, more than most people, would love to see a minority candidate take office, but unfortunately Obama is not that man. Although America's bad repute overseas is of extreme importance, what is more urgent than that is securing America's safety at home, both economically and physically. Most of those who are poised to attack America won't be dissuaded just by a smooth-talking president.

pana of XX

Thank you for proving my point.

Rick of PA,

Thankyou for your response and wish you all the best in your choosing of who will make the best leader of USA and the rest of the world.

pana of XX

It's obvious you did not grasp Barone's article or my post referring to it. Liberals always expose their own lack of education, or poor college performance, by ignorantly attacking others. To lecture me, a person unknown to you, to be proud of my country exposes your realization this statement of Mrs. Obama could be a lethal blow. I did read about Mr. Obama, and also attempted to make sense of what he says when not on script. This is why I term him a neophyte, and I am not some lonely twig blowing in the wind. If you know of a few significant accomplishments of Obama that are unknown please provide them.

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Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications—including the Economist and the New York Times.

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