Charges That Racism Could Doom Obama's Candidacy Are Unfair

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It won him the election. Nobody voted for "change" they voted for a hip looking guy. Thanks ignorant america...but this isn't american idol... Blacks all voted for black. The majority of the "minorities" vote for their fellow minority, the ill informed and easily corrupt youth voted for the cool guy, and morons and thieves filled the rest. This is your president not mine. Enjoy getting screwed over by the guy standing behind you with the knife.
P.S. Bush never blamed Clinton for the horrible situation he left, but you guys blamed Bush for it for 8 years...and will probably do so for another 8 years...just remember it was clinton that killed the economy/financial structure...but I'm not on the Daily Show so don't believe me.

ypsirhC of MI 2:34AM November 06, 2008

The race card is easy to play - but the real issue here is that Obama has done NOTHING he can brag about...at least to make him President of the United States. He flip flops on many issues, and has mande so many blunders (saying he's been in 57 states, 10,000 dying in a Kansas tornado, saying "uh" over 130 times in one interview, because he really does not know what to say, lying about being a Muslim when his own brother said he was and produced a picture proving it, and on and on and on). His "change" ideas are scary: 1. He wants to weaken our National Defense. 2. He wants to befriend America's enemies. 3. His Global Poverty Act would cost each American thousands... 4. His National Health Care Idea could bankrupt America. We do NOT need to tax the American people into bankruptcy. People need to take an indepth look at this man, and not be persuaded by his theatrics. He is very good at that but there is no substance behind him. The stakes are too high for this nation. This issue is competency, not racism.

John Locke of 5:38AM September 26, 2008

36% of whites biased against Obama because of race, half of them enough to vote their bias; 92 percent of Blacks biased in favor of Obama because of his race, 92% biased enough to vote for him because of race.
Whether Obama wins or loses it will be mainly because of race, his history of acheivement and experience doesn't qualify him to be a major contender.

Howard of GA 9:41AM September 25, 2008

If Obama can get Americans to base the election on racism,
then it will take their attention off the fact that he has no experience,
no credentials, and no issues.

Howard of CA 2:25PM September 23, 2008

in both NY Mag & Vanity Fair about the racism that will defeat Sen. Obama.
Yes, there is probably a degree but is it not racist to urge African-Americans to vote for him at least in part because of his ethnicity?
I understand the pride that his candidacy arouses is great but is that enough?
In 1960 whon JFK ran I don't think anyone today remembers how he had to distance himself from Roman Catholicism and vow not to "bow to the Vatican"?
He was only the 2nd Irish/Amer. Catholic to run for pres.
The 1rst, Al Smith, had the Klan marching against him.
Anyway many rc's, Ir/Am
voted because of what he represented and their pride. My parents didn't. They were proud that he could run but that did not get their vote.
Voted for Nixon!!! but on policy, not ethinicity or religion.

hourglass of 2:58PM September 22, 2008

To ic of IL:
I would love to see a woman in the White House but not this one. A woman can set women back just as much as a man if not more. As a woman, here are just a few of the things about Sarah Palin that I find disturbing:
1. She is an extremely outspoken critic of a woman's right to choose and has even publically stated that if her own daughter (she was 14 at the time) was raped she would choose life. Rape is a traumatic event and I personally would not want to put my daughter through the emotional and physical pain of child birth and raising a child at a young age if that was against her wishes. To all of you with daughters out there, think would you want the government stepping in and preventing an abortion in the case of rape. I know that if God forbid this happened to me I would not want to have the child of my rapist even though I am basically pro-life myself. To all you husbands out there, imagine if your wife was raped would you want her forced to have the baby of a rapist? Would you want to stare in the eyes of her attacker everyday? Could you love the child of your wife's rapist like your own? These are seriously things to contemplate, we can't just hope this type of tragedy with never happen to us.
2. Palin like John McCain opposes the S1843 Fair Pay Restoration Act sponsored by Barack Obama. This Act legislates equal pay for a equal days work for women
3. Palin was on board with cutting city funds for rape kits. What does this mean? If your wife, daughter, mother, sister is raped in Wasilla, you will need to pay the town $1200 to collect evidence.
The thing I find most ironic about the Republican party is that even though they would love to take away a woman's right to choose an abortion, they have a terrible record of supporting programs for disadvantaged children born in poverty. It seems that the Republican party only wants to fight for the right for babies while they are still in the womb. Here are just a few examples of how Bush has failed to make children a priority in the federal government. During his 8 year as president, Bush has made cuts to SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program), has taken lunch money away from poor children leaving millions of kids hungry at school, he made cuts to Head Start programs that provide health benefits and education to America's most at risk children, made cuts in funding for after school programs for disadvantaged youths, and made cuts on funding for low income housing. Now let's be serious, if the government starts forcing young women who do not have the money or means to care for a child into having a baby, the government is going to have to step up big time and increase spending for programs for at risk or disadvantaged youths. Children who are unwanted are often neglected or even worse abused. Instead of just championing fetal rights I would love to see the Republicans champion the right of children and support programs for disadvantaged kid

Jeri of MA 9:30PM September 21, 2008

Let's make this simple: In recent surveys somewhere between 14% and 30% of voters say they will not vote for Obama because of his race. These are people who openly admit to not being willing to vote for Obama because of his race. Let's totally discount the 30% number because it usually gets that high only when the survey is focused on areas known to be racist. The average national number seems to be around 14%. There is no arguing about this point since this is the number of people who freely admit to voting based on race.
With regard to ageism, it exists. Even though, it is, in the main, more socially acceptable to be ageist than racist the numbers never reach anywhere near 14%. Because of McCain's 4 bouts with cancer and his actuarial 1 in 6 to 1 in 5 chance of not making through his first term, as well as his being the oldest person to run for a first term age is a more reasonable concern than Obama's race.
There is a very good chance that the votes lost to racism minus the votes lost to ageism will still be higher than the difference in votes between the candidates in the last two elections.
Again, 14% of US voters nationwide admit that they will vote against Obama because of his race. Even if we are to believe that there are no hidden racial affects and that it will top out at 14%, Obama still has a big hill to climb to overcome this bias.
Because I appear to be a democrat based on what I have written....I'll throw the Republicans a bone. In most of the surveys on race that I have seen this year it seems to be the case that republicans have a strong bias agianst african americans. Why is that throwing them a bone? First, democrats admit even more bias than the republicans. Does this mean that republicans are secretly racist? Nope. They just hate generic democrats more than generic black people. For democrats it is the reverse.
Because what I have written here seems to make me appear to be a Dem I will give you one more thing: Since my first voter registration at 18 (in 1993), I have been affiliated with no party. I have always voted libertarian or republican. I'm from Orange County California. I have never voted Democrat. This will be my first time.

Panda of CA 12:37PM September 21, 2008

Here's a poll that will tell you how race will likely impact the election. 30% of DEMOCRATS won't vote for a black candidates.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/20/politics/main4462623.shtml

akindependent of AK 6:30PM September 20, 2008

Fine work, Mr. Barone. I recommend you to all my friends.
Re: your conceding the existence of racism as a motive in insignificant numbers of voters rejecting Obama, I'd have worded it thus:
"Yes, there are some voters who won't vote for Obama because he's black, just as there are some voters who won't vote for John McCain because he's white."
Ouch. I do see why you didn't.

Seattle Washingtonian of WA 2:17PM September 20, 2008

Just tell Jack Cafferty that I wouldn't vote for Ted Kennedy because he is simply just too liberal and has nothing to do with him being Irish. Now why on Earth would I vote for Obama who is even more liberal than Teddy. Skin color is not a factor for my vote; but promises for higher taxes, bigger government, and more entitlements certainly are.

CPN of VA 7:11AM September 20, 2008