Which is better? A candidate who is intelligent, thoughtful, liberal, fair, and HONEST?
Or one who votes with Bush 90% of the time, is in the pocket of lobbyists, is so ill-tempered he called his own wife a c*nt in public, chooses a lying Barbie doll for his running mate, apparently thinks noun-verb-POW is reason enough for being elected, and changes his positions on issues from day to day (hell, hour to hour some days).

If a majority of voters can’t see past skin color, then the USA as a democratic republic will be finished. Totally FUBAR.

(Oh, yeah, and just so you know: I’m a 69-year old white woman.)

Actually, I’ve wondered if Obama’s resume is so impressive that it would undermine the ability of white voters to identify with him. I guess not–after all, look what happened in Iowa. And by a narrow margin, a recent poll (too tired to search for the link–sorry) said more voters would like to attend a football game with Obama than with McCain. I should hope so–for Christ sake I can’t imagine sitting through a football game with McCain. Good lord.

Where did this pick come from? It should find it’s way to the cover of Time Magazine. I’m willing to help get it there if you like.

The people I think we need to reach out to in these next few weeks are the ones that are what I’ll call “subconsciously racist”. The ones that honestly don’t hate or have a disdain for non-whites, but yet feel less-than-comfortable, say, with the idea of their son or daughter marrying someone of a different race.

I honestly feel that challenging those people, in a non-threatening way – intellectually challenging them – may be all that’s needed to trigger their moral calculator to re-factor how they ultimately choose in November.

Ask your friends, neighbors, etc “Would you let your daughter marry [pick your ethnic ambassador here]?” If they miss a beat in their answer you may be standing in front of the vote that chooses the future for you and your family. Someone worth talking to, eh?

“Blackness” isn’t a function of intellect or social strata. African Americans don’t shed their blackness like it is something one desires to be cleansed of via hard work.

I’m worried by what you said because if you take it to it’s logical extremes you’re communicating an opinion that stupid lazy poor=black.

Maybe there’s more truth in that poll than I had given it credit for.

The supposed Bradley / Wilder is much more specific, proposing that x% of voters will tell a pollster they WILL vote for a black candidate, but WON’T in fact do so. The principle explanation offered is that the voter wants to appear non-racist to the interviewer, but in fact is racist.

The whole phenomenon has always been questionable. Who cares what a pollster thinks? Why would voting against a black candidate in and of itself be considered racist?

The whole thing is further confused by the fact that Mayor Bradley (LA) and Governor Wilder (VA) were winning candidates, so it’s entirely based on the differential between polls and final results.

Gives WAY too much credence to polls which may have had any number of other problems, to tell you the truth.

Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail has always been one of my favorites — history isn’t made by people who wait and see, it’s made by people who push hard against odds that seem impossible.

Impressive, paranoid, and probably deliberate misreading of something clear to those of us who actually understand English.

Try this: while by no means are most Republicans racist, most racists vote Republican.

Mark is totally right–the press LOVES to talk about race, playing the “race card,” polling about race, etc. etc. Ever since it was widely agreed to consider Obama black, not biracial, and to bury his white mother, they’ve been running with it. Race is such a sexy issue! Anything but boring old policies, that could mean the difference bewteen life and death for people, the country, the planet.

Are you saying that of all the people who have “even a small, back of the mind, problem with voting for a black man”, 99.9% are Republican?

Or are you saying that this effect does not show itself if the black candidate is Republican?

In either case, is there any factual, or even theoretical basis for that opinion?

The fact that well over 90% of Afro-Americans vote Democratic , is in no way an indicator that Republicans will not vote for a black man.