“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” - Yamamoto (not really)
From the Post:
Clinton, of New York, continues to lead Obama and other rivals in the Democratic contest, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. But her once-sizable margin over the freshman senator from Illinois was sliced in half during the past month largely because of Obama’s growing support among black voters.
Much like how the media dropped the ball on reporting what Katrina has done structurally and politically to black America (let’s just say all the inroads Bush tried to make in the black vote are lost for a generation for the GOP), they aren’t yet aware of what I think would be the outcome of Obama as the Democratic candidate. As the failed campaigns of Michael Steele, Lynn Swann and Ken Blackwell can testify, it takes more than just a black face to get black voters out for you. There is already a bond between the Democratic party and black voters, and while it is already an integral part of the machine that gets Democrats elected to office, you would see it work overtime (churches, civic organizations, online and beyond) if the end result would be the first black president. The circle jerk of arguments in the media and academia about Obama’s “blackness” are just kind of nonsense noise in the real world. Should Obama make it through to the general election, there will be a huge new army of people who want to tell their kids, grandkids, etc. that they voted for the first black president.
UPDATE: The Nation’s Ari Melber has more at “Black Voters Like Obama”
“… there will be a huge new army of people who want to tell their kids, grandkids, etc. that they voted for the first black president.”
And that they still belong to the party that nominated him.
And who wants to say, “I voted against the first black president?”
Janus, thats not really a problem given the current political situation. For one thing, most of the people who would line up to vote against Obama due to race would already vote against Obama due to his party. They are all either republicans or old schoold democrats who vote Republican in presidential campaigns anyway.
Secondly, 2008 is unlikely to be a very close election regardless of what polls say right now. During the campaign it will become obvious that the Republican nominee just won’t ever end the war, and can’t be trusted on issues of war and peace (also likely to be how Obama defeats Clinton). I doubt it will be close enough for the racism factor to come into effect.
The Repbulican party is completely hamstrung with regard to matters of race - even one statement from them that could even remotely be construed as a racist comment will get nightly MSM news play and daily mention in MSM newspapers. As I have always said, Obama must survive the Hillary juggernaut which (because she is a Democrat and Dems always get a free pass for these kind of things) will attempt to gin up discord, division, and in-fighting within the party ranks. As Rush Limbaugh says, with Bill Clinton still running the party, somebody is going to wake up with a horse’s head in their bed sooner or later.
An interesting Presidential race would be between Romney and Obama. No one can criticize Romney’s religion, and no one can criticize Obama’s race. That ought to take the wind out of a lot of sails in the press.
Mike, what media do you read or listen to? I never hear any read any criticism of the Republican’t Party in this world.
Mike, your comments are nonsense. Pretty much anybody who makes a racist comment is going to get called out in the MSM. Take Joe Biden, for example. Democrats shun people who say the kinds of stupid things he’s said, which is why he’s not a legitimate candidate for President. I expect the same from Republicans.
The circle jerk of arguments in the media and academia about Obama’s “blackness” are just kind of nonsense noise in the real world. Should Obama make it through to the general election, there will be a huge new army of people who want to tell their kids, grandkids, etc. that they voted for the first black president.
Isn’t this sort of a contradiction on your part? On one hand you’re saying all of the ‘blackness’ stuff is nonsense (which I agree), but then you’re saying people want to tell their kids and grandkids that they voted for the first black President.
Well, what if the nominee were a Republican? Contrary to the myth that there is this humongous voting bloc within the GOP that is just ready to thrown on a white hood, a black Republican actually has a better chance of winning a general election than a Democrat. Case in point, Michael Steele actually received a higher percentage of the white male vote in Maryland than Ben Cardin. Would those same people rush to tell their kids and grandkids how they didn’t vote for the first black President?
And this is a serious question that I’m hoping somebody will address: What will it say about the Democratic Party if Obama doesn’t make it through the primaries?
After all, the CW is that if Obama isn’t elected President, then it would because of racism, though I don’t think that is the case. Would racism be a factor were Hillary to prevail in early 2008?
On one hand you’re saying all of the ‘blackness’ stuff is nonsense (which I agree), but then you’re saying people want to tell their kids and grandkids that they voted for the first black President.
I think what Oliver is referring to is the right-wing pundits claims that he “isn’t black enough” for them. Whatever the fuck that means.
I plan to vote for the first black president.
But, in my view, obama is just the best candidate and is this really unique individual who comes along when the country is on the verge of collapse and is the guy who rights it again and puts it on a different track. Like Lincoln or FDR. I feel Obama is one of those people.
thats not really a problem given the current political situation.
bachelor degree online