"Is Race the Issue?"

[caesu]

of course speculation.
but i think it is hard to find someone who can mess up as much as Bush did.

[WhiskeyGirl]

June 29, 2008, 10:00 pm

Obama’s Weakness With Whites: Party Problem as Much as Race

(snip)
It is more than a little ironic that it has taken the first African-American to win a major party presidential nomination to make clear to everyone what has been the case for more than 40 years in presidential elections: Democrats have a problem with white voters.

Suddenly, the topic du jour on television and radio talk shows, at water coolers and the most exclusive cocktail parties is how well Sen. Barack Obama can do among whites, especially the demographic group pundits call the “white working class.”

The truth is these voters have been around for decades. They’re “The Silent Majority,” “Jill and Joe Six-Pack” and “Reagan Democrats,” and whatever the name, they have given Democratic presidential candidates the back of their hands since 1964. That was the year Lyndon Johnson won in one of the biggest landslides in American history, and any demographic group he did not carry probably held its meetings in a telephone booth.

Neither Jimmy Carter nor Bill Clinton, the last Democrats to occupy the Oval Office since then, won a majority of white voters. Mr. Clinton came relatively close in 1996 and might have done so in 1992 had Ross Perot not been in the race. But focusing on those near misses overlooks the larger point: Sen. Obama, the son of a white mother and black father, could lose this election badly and still outdo the very pale — Sen. George McGovern in 1972, former Vice President Walter Mondale in 1984, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988 and possibly Sen. John Kerry in 2004 – among white voters.

The Big Disqualifier?

For those voters, especially ones without college degrees, the fact that Sen. Obama is black may not be as much a disqualifier as his background as a Democrat from the Frost Belt with no national security or executive experience and a voting record judged by the nonpartisan National Journal as the Senate’s most liberal during 2007.
(snip)
Although Mr. Clinton won enough votes to take the presidency, after his reign, Democrats continued to see the formula for victory as before; increasing minority turnout — especially African-Americans, and to a lesser degree Hispanics — while winning those white voters most likely to see things their way — single women, union members and those with low incomes who viewed government as their salvation.

Ignoring Views and Values

Such a focus ignores the views and values of the larger group of white voters.

The truth is that, more than we like to admit, polls consistently show a correlation between race and ideology in American society. White voters, as a group, are more likely to favor a limited role for government here at home and a more aggressive posture overseas. In general, polls show Democrats — and a disproportionate share of black voters — favor a smaller, less adventurous military and a larger role for government on the domestic front.
(snip)
This disconnect goes a long way toward explaining the GOP White House dominance since 1980.

The question this year is whether an unpopular war, an even less popular Republican president and a slumping economy can change those dynamics in favor of Sen. Obama — or perhaps whether just the American electorate has become less white enough so that it does not matter.

But making a big deal about Sen. Obama’s weakness among white voters, among those with or without a college education, and assuming it has to do just with his race ignores history. It does a disservice to both Sen. Obama and those who oppose him.

http://blogs.wsj.com/politicalperceptions/2008/06/29/obama%E2%80%99s-weakness-with-whites-party-problem-as-much-as-race/?mod=googlenews_wsj

The comments are interesting...

[WhiskeyGirl]

Obama has to convince the undecideds

Paul West | Washington Bureau Chief
June 29, 2008

YORK, Pa. - Barack Obama is on his way to a blowout victory this fall, if you believe recent polls that show him leading John McCain by 15 percentage points.

Big summertime leads in presidential contests have a way of fading, though. Comparisons are already being drawn to 1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, who looked like a mortal lock after he bounced, in late July, to a 17-point advantage over George H.W. Bush.

Obama could fall back, too, unless he makes a convincing case to millions of undecided voters who still regard him as a stranger, despite the fact that his name and face are recognized around the world.
(snip)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-id.infocuswest29jun29,0,1452548.story

(If I were the opposition, I would subtly remind people in Wisconsin that Obama is from south of the Cheddar Curtain, and therefore a "C**** Illinois Driver" )

[WhiskeyGirl]

The coming fascist state

By David M. Huntwork
web posted June 30, 2008

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences." -- C.S. Lewis

Rather disturbingly, presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama made the following statement while campaigning in Oregon:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK." "That's not leadership," Obama declared. "That's not going to happen."

I'm sorry, excuse me? I'd be happy to see him or one of his cronies point out to me where in the constitution an Obama administration has the right to tell me how much food I can feed my family, or how many miles my car must get per gallon to be legal or whether or not I can turn the air conditioner on. The soft tread of fascism is being heard behind all the "chicken little, the sky is following" environmentalist rhetoric, and those who have bought their propaganda hook, line and sinker are among the most dangerous people to be found in the political arena.

It won't be the neocons who usher in an unprecedented wave of government taxes, regulations and controls into every aspect of American life, but the crying, fainting, ignorant masses who so blindly cry for change without understanding what kinds of change await them if their candidate is swept into office. Be careful what you wish for.

The average middle class American is the target of this new pogrom of the new millennium. Americans are routinely vilified and called lazy, wasteful, gas guzzling ingrates. Americans are somehow almost solely blamed and held responsible for the thawing of permafrost and the cause of the nightmarish embodiment of all evil called global warming simply because hard working people have the sheer audacity to heat their homes, travel to work, grab a hamburger or turn on a fan if it gets hot.

I have often stated that if true fascism ever materializes it will come from the Left, not the Right. It will not spring from Bush's meager attempts to listen to al-Qaida phone calls or build bases in Iraq but from those who so vigorously proclaim that they will do whatever it takes to save the planet from ourselves no matter what the cost. The ones to watch are those who blatantly and unapologetically seek to institutionalize government authority and control over every single aspect of your life. The Green movement is really the watermelon movement; green on the outside, red on the inside, and armed with a fascist mentality when it comes to government intrusion, regulation and control over industry, business and ultimately every aspect of your daily life.

You shall know them by their words and deeds. They are the ones who cheer soon to be $5.00 a gallon gas prices and tell us that we have been spoiled for far too long. ... Obama is their chance to seize power, fulfill their vision and enact their agenda. Now is their time for ‘change'. But it won't be for the better.

The fact that no one is even suggesting inconveniencing the growing, polluting and oil guzzling behemoth that is China and the surrounding nations in Southeast Asia should be the most obvious of warning signs to make one pause and think about what is at stake in this ideological grab for unprecedented power in the name of ‘saving the planet' from ourselves.

http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0708/0708obamaenvfas.htm

[A's Fever]

Obama certainly seems to have the conservatives running scared, if not outright panicked.  Apparently the conservatives' only approach to stopping the Obama train is to write frantic fear-mongering articles, usually including at least one of the following nouns: fascism, Marxism, communism.

In my view, the question "is race the issue" and the related discussions on race, theology, ideology and the rest have totally missed the point.  Change is the issue, and change is what Obama promised.  He appears to have identified the pulse of the country.

I do not know if he can deliver or not, but perhaps Americans would not be so thirsty for change if Mr. Bush's benevolent leadership had not left us with the following:

*Over 4,000 US soldiers dead in Iraq, and around 500 in Afghanistan.  Not only is there no end in sight, but conflict may be spreading;

*Unemployment on the rise (Thursday's numbers will be interesting - if you are in the stock market, pray for good numbers then hang on tight);

*Gas approaching $5 per gallon (how is the US energy policy working for you? Oh wait, our energy policy consists of going after the traders);

*Food prices spiraling out of control - rampant inflation

*Misery index on the rise - that's your misery index right there: unemployment + inflation;

*Economy teetering on the brink of recession, if not technically in one yet;

*Stock market entering bear territory (how is your 401k looking these days?);

*Housing prices down significantly (depending on geographic location).

I could go on, but the picture is bleak enough.  How many of us Monkeys can say that we are better off now than 8 years ago?  I think America wants change, and wants it now.  And I think that is what is propelling the Obama campaign, not white guilt and all that other crap we keep reading about.

[WhiskeyGirl]

Obama certainly seems to have the conservatives running scared, if not outright panicked.  Apparently the conservatives' only approach to stopping the Obama train is to write frantic fear-mongering articles, usually including at least one of the following nouns: fascism, Marxism, communism.

In my view, the question "is race the issue" and the related discussions on race, theology, ideology and the rest have totally missed the point.  Change is the issue, and change is what Obama promised.  He appears to have identified the pulse of the country.

I do not know if he can deliver or not, but perhaps Americans would not be so thirsty for change if Mr. Bush's benevolent leadership had not left us with the following:

*Over 4,000 US soldiers dead in Iraq, and around 500 in Afghanistan.  Not only is there no end in sight, but conflict may be spreading;

*Unemployment on the rise (Thursday's numbers will be interesting - if you are in the stock market, pray for good numbers then hang on tight);

*Gas approaching $5 per gallon (how is the US energy policy working for you? Oh wait, our energy policy consists of going after the traders);

*Food prices spiraling out of control - rampant inflation

*Misery index on the rise - that's your misery index right there: unemployment + inflation;

*Economy teetering on the brink of recession, if not technically in one yet;

*Stock market entering bear territory (how is your 401k looking these days?);

*Housing prices down significantly (depending on geographic location).

I could go on, but the picture is bleak enough.  How many of us Monkeys can say that we are better off now than 8 years ago?  I think America wants change, and wants it now.  And I think that is what is propelling the Obama campaign, not white guilt and all that other crap we keep reading about.

What kind of change does Obama support?

What kind of people has he surrounded himself with over the years?  Who has influenced his thinking?

There are an infinate number of ways to make things better in this country.  What changes does Obama see in the future? 

What is the record of Senator Obama?

[WhiskeyGirl]

America's New Middle Name ~

In show of solidarity, Obama supporters adopt his middle name

By Jodi Kantor Published: June 29, 2008

Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Kentucky, gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

"Emily Hussein Nordling," her entry now reads.

With her decision, she joined a growing band of supporters of Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who are expressing solidarity with him by informally adopting his middle name.

The result is a group of unlikely sounding Husseins: Jewish and Catholic, Hispanic and Asian, and Italian-American, from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Oklahoma.

"I am sick of Republicans pronouncing Barack Obama's name like it was some sort of cuss word," Strabone wrote in a manifesto titled, "We Are All Hussein," that he posted on his own blog and on dailykos.com.

"My name is such a vanilla, white-girl American name," said Ashley Holmes of Indianapolis, who changed her name online "to show how little meaning 'Hussein' really has."

Obama may be more enthusiastic, judging from his response at a Chicago fund-raiser two weeks ago. When he saw that Richard Fizdale, a longtime contributor, wore "Hussein" on his name tag, Obama broke into a huge grin, Fizdale said.

"The theory was, we're all Hussein," Obama said to the crowd later, explaining Fizdale's gesture.

Nordling's uncle liked the idea so much that he joined the same Facebook group that she had. But when her father saw her new online moniker, he was incredulous.

"He actually thought I was going to convert to Islam," Nordling said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/29/america/obama.php

[caesu]

Obama certainly seems to have the conservatives running scared, if not outright panicked.  Apparently the conservatives' only approach to stopping the Obama train is to write frantic fear-mongering articles, usually including at least one of the following nouns: fascism, Marxism, communism.

In my view, the question "is race the issue" and the related discussions on race, theology, ideology and the rest have totally missed the point.  Change is the issue, and change is what Obama promised.  He appears to have identified the pulse of the country.

I do not know if he can deliver or not, but perhaps Americans would not be so thirsty for change if Mr. Bush's benevolent leadership had not left us with the following:

*Over 4,000 US soldiers dead in Iraq, and around 500 in Afghanistan.  Not only is there no end in sight, but conflict may be spreading;

*Unemployment on the rise (Thursday's numbers will be interesting - if you are in the stock market, pray for good numbers then hang on tight);

*Gas approaching $5 per gallon (how is the US energy policy working for you? Oh wait, our energy policy consists of going after the traders);

*Food prices spiraling out of control - rampant inflation

*Misery index on the rise - that's your misery index right there: unemployment + inflation;

*Economy teetering on the brink of recession, if not technically in one yet;

*Stock market entering bear territory (how is your 401k looking these days?);

*Housing prices down significantly (depending on geographic location).

I could go on, but the picture is bleak enough.  How many of us Monkeys can say that we are better off now than 8 years ago?  I think America wants change, and wants it now.  And I think that is what is propelling the Obama campaign, not white guilt and all that other crap we keep reading about.

What kind of change does Obama support?

What kind of people has he surrounded himself with over the years?  Who has influenced his thinking?

There are an infinate number of ways to make things better in this country.  What changes does Obama see in the future? 

What is the record of Senator Obama?

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/



http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf (PDF)

[A's Fever]

Obama certainly seems to have the conservatives running scared, if not outright panicked.  Apparently the conservatives' only approach to stopping the Obama train is to write frantic fear-mongering articles, usually including at least one of the following nouns: fascism, Marxism, communism.

In my view, the question "is race the issue" and the related discussions on race, theology, ideology and the rest have totally missed the point.  Change is the issue, and change is what Obama promised.  He appears to have identified the pulse of the country.

I do not know if he can deliver or not, but perhaps Americans would not be so thirsty for change if Mr. Bush's benevolent leadership had not left us with the following:

*Over 4,000 US soldiers dead in Iraq, and around 500 in Afghanistan.  Not only is there no end in sight, but conflict may be spreading;

*Unemployment on the rise (Thursday's numbers will be interesting - if you are in the stock market, pray for good numbers then hang on tight);

*Gas approaching $5 per gallon (how is the US energy policy working for you? Oh wait, our energy policy consists of going after the traders);

*Food prices spiraling out of control - rampant inflation

*Misery index on the rise - that's your misery index right there: unemployment + inflation;

*Economy teetering on the brink of recession, if not technically in one yet;

*Stock market entering bear territory (how is your 401k looking these days?);

*Housing prices down significantly (depending on geographic location).

I could go on, but the picture is bleak enough.  How many of us Monkeys can say that we are better off now than 8 years ago?  I think America wants change, and wants it now.  And I think that is what is propelling the Obama campaign, not white guilt and all that other crap we keep reading about.

What kind of change does Obama support?

What kind of people has he surrounded himself with over the years?  Who has influenced his thinking?

There are an infinate number of ways to make things better in this country.  What changes does Obama see in the future? 

What is the record of Senator Obama?

The biggest change Obama offers is that he is not Bush and does not promise a continuation of the Bush Administration policies.  That was my point.  I believe Americans are sick of the current admin and where it  has led us.  JMO

[Tamikosmom]

A sign of the "changes" to come?

Janet

++++++

Denver Shocked as Singer Opts for 'Black National Anthem' Over 'Star-Spangled Banner'
Wednesday, July 02, 2008

A jazz singer shocked some Denver residents after replacing the words to the national anthem with those of the "Black National Anthem" during the annual State of the City address this week.

Rene Marie was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper delivered the annual address on Tuesday. Instead, she sang the lyrics of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" — a hymn commonly referred to as the "Black National Anthem" — to the tune of the national anthem, MyFOXColorado.com reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375164,00.html

[Tamikosmom]

When I read the lyrics to the Black National Anthem and ... then considered the implication when I read the following quotes from James Cone ... BLACK POWER & BLACK THEOLOGY ... I could only shake my head.  It must be remembered that James Cone's Marxist, anti-American writings formed the foundation of the ministry at TUCC ... the church which Barack Obama held membership in for the past twenty years.

Is this blatent sign of disrespect for the America of our Founding Fathers ... a glimpse into what Barack Obama's "Change" implies?
________

Denver Shocked as Singer Opts for 'Black National Anthem' Over 'Star-Spangled Banner'
Wednesday, July 02, 2008

A jazz singer shocked some Denver residents after replacing the words to the national anthem with those of the "Black National Anthem" during the annual State of the City address this week.

Rene Marie was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper delivered the annual address on Tuesday. Instead, she sang the lyrics of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" — a hymn commonly referred to as the "Black National Anthem" — to the tune of the national anthem, MyFOXColorado.com reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375164,00.html

++++++++

QUOTES - “BLACK POWER & BLACK THEOLOGY”

“Christ is black therefore not because of some cultural or psychological need of black people, but because and only because Christ really enters into our world where the poor were despised and the black are, disclosing that he is with them enduring humiliation and pain and transforming oppressed slaves into liberating servants.” James Cone

“Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community.” James Cone

“Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love.” James Cone
 
“In the New Testament, Jesus is not for all, but for the oppressed, the poor and unwanted of society, and against oppressors … Either God is for black people in their fight for liberation and against the white oppressors, or he is not.” James Cone

[Tylergal]

In January you will see Barack Obama take the oath of office.

You may be correct. 

it looks like it. McCain is dropping in the polls faster now.
if only Obama would have run in 2004. he would have had so much more chance to beat Bush.


we know now, that it probably would have saved so many lives and treasure. to name only two things.

You have finally lost your remaining marble.  He was not even an elected official then and would have had less chance of beating Bush than a fart in a punch bowl at a White House gathering. You have to be the dimmest bulb I have ever witnessed who would even make such a stupid statement. Nobody even knew him then but the Nation of Islam.

[Tylergal]

This is Obama's record other than being a community organizer (what is that anyway)?  I think I found out.  IT's organizing such things as the Million Man March.

http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/002750.html

[Tamikosmom]

This is Obama's record other than being a community organizer (what is that anyway)?  I think I found out.  IT's organizing such things as the Million Man March.

http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/002750.html

Thanks Tylergal

The Million Man March - This endeavor was the baby of the Louis Farrakhan ... the leader of the Nation of Islam.

When it comes to Barack Obama donating to any great extent of either his time or funds in the past ... it has been to TUCC, the Nation of Islam and organizations with connections to terrorism that operate under of Islamic charities.

Janet

[caesu]

In January you will see Barack Obama take the oath of office.

You may be correct. 

it looks like it. McCain is dropping in the polls faster now.
if only Obama would have run in 2004. he would have had so much more chance to beat Bush.


we know now, that it probably would have saved so many lives and treasure. to name only two things.

You have finally lost your remaining marble.  He was not even an elected official then and would have had less chance of beating Bush than a fart in a punch bowl at a White House gathering. You have to be the dimmest bulb I have ever witnessed who would even make such a stupid statement. Nobody even knew him then but the Nation of Islam.

nobody knew him then?

he gave a widely reported speech on the Democratic Convention Boston in 2004.
already then some were saying he might one day become president.

but you wouldn't have noticed that while you were bathing yourself in the B.S. your much beloved GWB spews out over you.

and he wasn't not an elected official? please stop your B.S.
he was elected in 1996 en re-elected in 1998 and 2002 for the Illinois Senate.

(i usually don't like to respond in this way, but due to Tylergals misinformed way of expressing i make an expecption).

[Tylergal]

Oh, Hi, Caseu.  How's that micromidget brain of yours doing?  Fried, I guess?

[caesu]

Oh, Hi, Caseu.  How's that micromidget brain of yours doing?  Fried, I guess?

at least i use it and i don't make up stuff like you are doing constantly.
i've caught you so many times doing it.

and when i try to correct it the only thing you do is make some comment like this one you just made.
have fun in your distorted parallel reality. you would have made a great fiction writer in hollywood.

[Tylergal]

+++++, he was just elected and could not jump into the race the same time it was going on.  How stupid are you!!!!

[caesu]

+++++, he was just elected and could not jump into the race the same time it was going on.  How stupid are you!!!!

you are not making much sense. so i am not the stupid one / +++++ here.
he was re-elected in the senate of Illinois in 2002 and got elected to the U.S. senate in 2004.

why do you feel the need to call people with such names everytime when you are wrong?
is it your way of dealing with getting called such names in your daily life?

[Kermit]

+++++, he was just elected and could not jump into the race the same time it was going on.  How stupid are you!!!!

you are not making much sense. so i am not the stupid one / +++++ here.
he was re-elected in the senate of Illinois in 2002 and got elected to the U.S. senate in 2004.

why do you feel the need to call people with such names everytime when you are wrong?
is it your way of dealing with getting called such names in your daily life?

Name-calling is the first indication of the person's inability to defend their position from truth.
It's like trying to put someone down in order to build their own ego.
It never sticks. Is unreliable and the individual is exposed as untrustworthy.