Comments on: Fanning Fear of a Black President ?

By: Cantanker

Cantanker — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:49:36 +0000

Who is calling Obama black, anyway?

Isn't he 50% white?

Are we still back in the slavery days of "one drop of black blood"?

By: cosmoetica

cosmoetica — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:55:11 +0000

Doma: First off- The Bible- KV or not, is a book of myths, and most definitely not facts, so perhaps therein lies some confusion.

As for the first part, I agree, but a statement like Shuck & Jive calls up all the Stepib Fetchit' BS of the past and is bigoted. To not see that is to be willfully disingenuous. To claim that it's not is the very reason such broad claims by Leftists are made, because the manifest BS that is racist is not called out, or condemned.

By: domajot

domajot — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:30:43 +0000

Cosmo-
re:...records are facts, as are their stated opinions"

That's true.
However, commenting about WHY they made certain statements or voiced certain opinions is speculation,. So is the INTERPRETATION of said statements and opinions.

What the King James version of the Bible says is fact. What it is claimed to mean is tinterpretation and speculation.

By: cosmoetica

cosmoetica — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:12:25 +0000

Well, when Bill Clinton talks about Shuck & Jive, there's no avoiding race being played. Do people overreact to some things? Yes. But that does not mean it's not there- just perhaps not in all claimed instances.

And all politicians or leaders in any field get idealized, which is why so many fallen heroes abound.

By: DLS

DLS — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:43:27 +0000

“The reason O has succeeded thus far is he hasn't played the race card.”

Actually, he's not only part of Democratic “identity consciousness” (Dem interest group identity politics) being a black American, but is relatively young and attractive and largely unknown prior to the race, so he's a Fresh, New Face that appeals to many, especially to naive youth who idealise him.

By: DLS

DLS — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:41:38 +0000

Actually, Cosmo, the issue here is that these people are floridly psychotic and seeing racism where nothing of the kind exists. And in this instance, obviously the issue wasn't his race but his middle name and association of him with Muslims and with anti-Muslim sentiment. This was the very thing in the news featuring a conservative commentator who was invited to throw “red meat” to a GOP-voter crowd prior to an appearance by John McCain, if you recall.

By: cosmoetica

cosmoetica — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:18:21 +0000

'Here are only real facts in the present race:
Obama is black. Hillary is a woman. McCain is relatively old.
Everything else is speculation.'

Well, only if one is afloat in a vacuum with the three people. In the real world, there records are facts, as are their stated opinions.

By: domajot

domajot — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:44:41 +0000

The issue of race and gender discussions as it relates to politics has spun completely out of control.
Is it racist to remark that someine is, indeed, black?
Is it sexist to note that someone is actually a female?

A truly bigotry-free society should be able to describe a person's partivulars (much like: he has red hair; she is tall) without bringing on a storm of emotional responses. We have a long way to go before that will be the case.

In the meantime, what we are dealing with is the question of intent. Why was a particular observation made? That involves guesswork, and when guessing, one has to be cautious. Perceived Intent, like beauty, is very much in the eye of the beholder.

I don't mind speculation; if done judiciously, it can be most instructive.. What we have, instead, is speculation presented as 'fact'' We are awash with such 'facts' , and with every onslaught of new 'facts' we are further removed from reality and rational thought.

Here are only real facts in the present race:
Obama is black. Hillary is a woman. McCain is relatively old.

Everything else is speculation.

By: cosmoetica

cosmoetica — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:59:34 +0000

Mikkel is rt- there are hidden biases, but they transcend sex and race. Almost all human decisions are emotional, and then retro-justified. This is why divorce is so high while arranged marriages last longer.

By: cosmoetica

cosmoetica — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:58:05 +0000

DLS: 'Time after time the losers lie — where there is no racism, or sexism, they imagine it anyway and say it is concealed in “code.'

You've nailed the Hill Shillers to a T. The reason O has succeeded thus far is he hasn't played the race card.

By: mikkel

mikkel — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:41:44 +0000

I don't know, most voting is highly emotional and if you believe that Harvard had figured out how to measure subconscious bias then the vast majority have racial and gender bias. I don't think that many people sit there and think "I won't vote for this person because they are a different race/a woman" but I do think that it is very possible that the bias has to be overcome somewhat.

It can be overcome by seeing the person as an individual, and could be either negative (I hate such and such) or positive (I love how they talk/have experience, etc.) but for most people, I think that once the choice is made most "analysis" tends to be self affirming. After all, it can easily be argued that the performance of the President is almost impossible to know beforehand anyway, and that all support at this point is more a matter of faith than anything else. Maybe that's why a large chunk of voters don't even bother to think much about it at all until a day or two before they vote.

By: DLS

DLS — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:39:27 +0000

Time after time the losers lie — where there is no racism, or sexism, they imagine it anyway and say it is concealed in “code.” They're more idiotic than any kind of stereotypical rightist paranoid who sees “the unseen hand” of the Illuminati behind every event.

By: cosmoetica

cosmoetica — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:30:15 +0000

Obama has so far fairly well neutered his masculinity and bleached his color, which is what so goads Clinton and the Rightists- that they have had trouble baiting him.

The reality is that the 2 NE states were split, Ohio was a big win for Hillary, but realistically, Texas was a win for Obama- he ended up w MORE delegates! The net is Hillary gained a handful of delegates she will likely give back with losses in Wyoming and Mississippi.

The fact is that Hillary cannot reach past the working class white and old Latino base. Obama is competitive there, and BURIES her in all other demographics, save women, where he is competitive in some states.

There simply is no way, post-2000, the Dems can derail Obama w/o it seeming that the first real black man w a shot at the Prez is being screwed. They may as well gift wrap the White House to Big Mac.

By: Macan

Macan — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:01:31 +0000

What is Novak talking about? “Exit polls also suggest that Bill Clinton successfully played his racial angle.”

Was Novak even awake for the past week? Bill has been dispatched to Outer Mongolia. This was Hillary Clinton's “win” however you look at it.

By: T_Steel

T_Steel — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:54:09 +0000

The simple fact is this:

1. White citizens have voted for white politicians.
2. Black citizens have voted for black politicians.
3. White citizens have voted for black politicians.
4. Black citizens have voted for white politicians.

No disputing that. And of course there are the white and black bigots that will not vote for anyone outside of their color. But Senator Obama has proven that white folks will vote for him. And IF he gets the Dem nomination, those white folks won't abandon him because they realize.. OH MY GOSH..

HE'S BLACK!

Scary... You know how CRAZY we black folks are. With all that color on us and stuff.

By: Fanning Fear of a Black President ? : BigMouthFrog

Fanning Fear of a Black President ? : BigMouthFrog — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:41:43 +0000

[...] The medias use of the “Race Card” [...]

By: Fanning Fear of a Black President ? · SmokeSignalz

Fanning Fear of a Black President ? · SmokeSignalz — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:32:55 +0000

[...] TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFanning Fear of a Black President ? March 6th, 2008 by JOE GANDELMAN Two commentators from different parts of the political spectrum have raised the issue of whether the race card has been played against Senator Barack Obama via the use of more subtle code words. The Huffington Post’s Mario Ruiz writes: With Hillary’s big Ohio win and smaller Texas one, look for the whackos to become unhinged in their racist attacks on Obama now that they perceive some vulnerability in the candidate. And t [...]

By: Fanning Fear of a Black President ?

Fanning Fear of a Black President ? — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:13:30 +0000

[...] Fayetteville Free Weekly wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFanning Fear of a Black President ? March 6th, 2008 by JOE GANDELMAN Two commentators from different parts of the political spectrum have raised the issue of whether the race card has been played against Senator Barack Obama via the use of more subtle code words. The Huffington Post’s Mario Ruiz writes: With Hillary’s big Ohio win and smaller Texas one, look for the whackos to become unhinged in their racist attacks on Obama now that they perceive some vulnerability in the candidate. And t [...]

By: Fanning Fear of a Black President ?

Fanning Fear of a Black President ? — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:53:22 +0000

[...] Celebrity News, Fashion, and Gossip | Hollyscoop wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFanning Fear of a Black President ? March 6th, 2008 by JOE GANDELMAN Two commentators from different parts of the political spectrum have raised the issue of whether the race card has been played against Senator Barack Obama via the use of more subtle code words. The Huffington Post’s Mario Ruiz writes: With Hillary’s big Ohio win and smaller Texas one, look for the whackos to become unhinged in their racist attacks on Obama now that they perceive some vulnerability in the candidate. And t [...]