What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating
class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said “I
do” to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after
she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member
of the “Keating 5”? What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election
numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes
positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in
another when there is a color difference.
– Kelvin LaFond, letter to the Fort Worth Star Telegram
If, the biggest little word in the english language.
You can play this game every day of your life, but in the end it’s just excuses and obfuscation. Seems to me to be a preemptive guilt trip you’re trying to lay out on everyone who isn’t seeing things your way. I suppose you think you know what is in the heart of every voter that isn’t in love with BO & JB. Fact of the matter is the media has spun this for so long to the left on a bias that they have, it’s actually surprising to me that the polls are as close as they are.
Frankly, at least for me, it’s the socialist agenda of the DNC that is at the top of my priorities to stop. We need to return America to the values and ideas of the Constitution not some socialist nanny state or police state. Equality and Rights should be the highest priority for our govt. not health care or retirement benifits. The govt. should stay out of trying to control the economy, they do a piss poor job of it. Further none of the latter items are responsibilities of the govt., those were left to “the people” as they should have been.
Racism has nothing to do with it at all.
Carl,
Thanks for weighing in on this. It really is kind of sad to think that if just the colors were changed between these two candidates, that it would be SO Easy to see which of the two were more attractive as far as accomplishments and loyalty to their particular vows.
Facts are facts.
Is it racist that black Americans will vote overwhelmingly (90% plus) for Obama?
Carl,
I like that you have brought the election back to those elusive “issues.” While I disagree with your perspective on the issues, it is so much more refreshing and productive to base a debate on issues versus individual characteristics. However, of the GOP/DNC candidates, it seems to me that Barack is the only one trying to focus the election on issues.
Red,
It would be interesting and enlightening to play out that “if.” It may actually be that the press would have underplayed those detriments for fear of being perceived as racist. It’s hard to know but excellent food for thought.
To merge Red and Carl’s points, I think that absent discussion about issues, people are pretty much left having to ponder the character (or lack thereof) of the candidates. McCain and Palin have been dodging the issues better than Jerry Rice dodged tackles, so you’d think people would be left concentrating on things like McCain’s poor standing in his class; his fidelity; his character, etc. Still, that doesn’t explain why the polls are so close, which leaves one contemplating perhaps racism does figure into this equation.
“Is it racist that black Americans will vote overwhelmingly (90% plus) for Obama?”
if they see him as the better cadidate,I think not…the same goes for the (White American) McCain supporters
Rick,
“if they see him as the better cadidate,I think not…” – pure crap
I disagree. We all tend to be comfortable with and vote for our own kind. Is that racist? To some extent – yes, we are all “racist” black, white, brown, yellow and red – get over it.
oh yeah – it is not Black American or White American.
It is Americans who happen to be black or white, etc.
“Black American” or “White American” sends shivers up my spine – how about you?
That White American, .. excuse me, that American who happens to be white – his foot – it is really ugly – that dude needs a foot make-over, ee-yuckkk …!!
Red –
You know I love you dearly, but I have to side with Carl on this one (big surprise, I know). You forget that John McCain and Barack Obama are two totally different people, race aside. While Obama may be smarter and may possibly even have more personal accomplishments under his belt than McCain, McCain has accomplished more for the country, starting with his Vietnam service and culminating in his bi-partisan work in the Senate.
Sure, the hot-headed McCain may scare the hell out of me whereas Obama only scares me a little, but you forgot one role reversal in your article that really would change the face of this election. What if Obama was the angry, short-tempered one? The McCain camp would surely do everything in its power to paint him as an ‘angry black man.’ Luckily, that isn’t the reality, but it’s food for thought.
SMS
Red Vixen –
You must think most OJ bloggers are stupid.
You conveniently missed the “what if “Obama served five years as a POW in Hanoi.” Or, “what if” Obama had served in the military defending his country. And there’s the “what if ” McCain cozied up to convicted felon Rezko and took advantage of a great land deal in a ritzy part of Chicago. Or, “what if Obama adopted an orphan from Bangladesh.
Or what if Cindy McCain proclaimed that for the first time in her adult life she was proud to be an American.” And, what if Michelle Obama were kissing her son goodbye as he/she departed for Iraq.
As a lifelong Dem I find both parties disappointing which leaves me in a reflective state of mind regarding my decision. And this mode has prompted the following observsations:
The GOP is great at winning presidential elections and the Dems are great at losing.
Obama’s stubborness to NOT pick up the phone and make peace with Pres. Clinton is a red flag for me. I believe it exhibited his hubris and lack of good judgement.
I pride myself in belonging to a party of inclusiveness and that’s why I was stunned when McCain selected a woman as his running mate. It’s been 24 years since Ferraro was placed on a presidential ticket. McCain’s decision to choose a woman is “change.”
At the end of the day, McCain’s decision to pluck Palin took courage. I believe the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
If the McCain/Palin ticket prevails, then Obama’s decision to select Biden was a very bad mistake. Selecting Hillary would have demonstrated change and risk. And if Obama/Biden prevail, then McCain’s decision to go with Palin was a big blunder.
Obama’s swiftness to disavow his personal pastor after a near 20-year relationship punctuates a political savvy worthy of any Chicago politician. Couple this with his long list of present voting and I start to question his integrity.
Obama and Palin have a lot more in common than most people want to explore; both are upstarts who have captured the imagination of the country. And both have been elevated to celebrity status by the media. And they both lack experience to lead or co-lead this country.
The rich irony of another woman possibly being Obama’s undoing is a sweet treat for many.
Obama peddled his primary contests on change and then selected an old white guy who has served in the Senate for nearly three decades who, by the way claims he is NOT a Washington insider.
All in all, I believe this presidential election season to be filled with weirdness.
Sarah,
Starting with his Vietnam service? Maybe crashing 5 planes is an accomplishment; it sure sets him apart! And I am grateful he survived everything he endured, no one can or should take that away from him, but that can’t be the sole basis for his qualifications as president. McCain held no veritable position of leadership in that conflict.
What bi-partisan work has he done in the Senate the past 8 years? (I’m not being facetious, I’m curious to know what everyone finds impressive …)
Here is an exchange of opinions between Gloria Steinem(Gloria Steinem is a co-founder of the Women’s Media Center) and Sally Kohn(the director of the Movement Vision Project of the Center for Community Change, which is interviewing hundreds of activists across the country to determine the progressive vision for the future of the United States) about the bias against race and gender and which one is more of a disadvantage, still, today.
http://academic.udayton.edu/race/2008ElectionandRacism/RaceandRacism/race02.htm
Recently in The New York Times, Gloria Steinem argued that if Barack Obama was a woman, he wouldn’t be elected. That’s probably true. Ms. Steinem then concludes that “gender is probably the most restricting force in American life.” That’s definitely false. Or, rather, a false choice. The reality is that racism and sexism are both profound and pervasive throughout our society. Ranking different forms of oppression is a ridiculous waste of time. We should be working to eradicate all forms of oppression, not deciding which one takes precedence.
In other words, just because Senator Obama was (at the time of Ms. Steinem’s op-ed) surging above Hillary Clinton doesn’t mean that racism has taken a back seat to sexism in the American body politic. Voter preferences may actually have to do with perceived differences on the candidate’s positions. Or they may have to do with how each candidate USES their identity: Senator Clinton highlighting her uniqueness as a woman in appealing to women voters, Senator Obama emphasizing how his experiences as an African American give him a more universal insight on unity and solidarity that applies across race. It’s not to say one approach is right or wrong but merely different TAKES on their marginalized identities not merely different identities between these two candidates.
Nonetheless, it’s probably true that if Barack Obama were bi-racial and a woman, he might not be where he is today. But Ms. Steinem neglected to note that if Hillary Clinton were an African-American woman, she probably wouldn’t be either. It goes to show not that one form of oppression is more persistent than the other but that both run deep and strong in our country, as witnessed most powerfully where they intersect.
Strict gender roles and norms still pervade our society. Glass ceilings and double standards are all still too common. And racial profiling and lack of meaningful access to equal opportunity in education, jobs, lending and more still plagues African-American communities. These are real problems, and I hope that whomever we elect — white or black, male or female — they can use their own experience of privilege in life — or lack thereof — to breakdown the barriers of discrimination and create an America that truly values all of us. That deeply American ideal of community values — that all people are inherently equal and interconnected — is what we need to be reminded of, regardless of the messenger.
The roots of racism and sexism are the same — the desire to maintain power and privilege for some at the expense of everyone else. Our only hope of addressing EITHER racism or sexism is to address them BOTH together. Rooting racism AND sexism from every facet of our social, economic and political institutions and practices to create a better America is far more worthwhile than debating which form of oppression is faring worse.
Longboobs –
It doesn’t matter if McCain had ‘a veritable position of leadership’ in Vietnam. He really has reached across party lines and shown leadership as a Senator with McCain-Feingold and McCain-Lieberman, two pieces of legislation I can think of off the top of my head. None of this means that I’ll vote for him. I’m simply reporting the facts.
SMS
Can somebody wake me up when the elections are over?
Anon, this being a presidential election season to be filled with weirdness is a mack-daddy understatement.
Don’t know about you guys, but I’m not sure I can take 52 more days of this!!!
anon,
You seem to have a sour view of Obama’s not including Senator Clinton on the ticket.
Biden’s a boring pick, but he’s completely vetted for the spot as VP. Hillary was a completely vetted candidate, too, and to tell you the truth, it is a mystery to me why she was not selected. But she wasn’t and she and her husband stole the show when they put their endorsements behind Obama and the Dem ticket this year.
Palin’s vetting seemed to be centered around her gender.
I’ve voted Republican most of my life and I know what it’s like to have my candidate win. In order to win, Republicans have consistently voted party lines – and that has been a winning strategy. Sometimes the message makes it necessary to just vote the party.
It’s taken a derelict like Bush to make so many of us shun the GOP – his insulting treatment of our troops, our country, our economy, our world reputation, our constitution and much more… Sometimes the message makes it necessary to vote actively against a corrupted party.
I see the anti-venom to the Republicans and I am voting for that. You’ll do what you do because that’s your choice. But if you want the democrats to win races, you’ll vote party lines in elections and reform the party platforms inbetween those races. Just saying ~
I think we can all agree…. this election is going to be a barn burner!
😉
Longboobs says: “What bi-partisan work has he done in the Senate the past 8 years? (I’m not being facetious, I’m curious to know what everyone finds impressive …)”
Here you go longboobs:
1. Campaign finance reform
2. Judicial confirmations (Gang of 14 – 7 reeps & 7 dems)
3. Ban on use of torture
4. Patient Bill of Rights
5. Immigration reform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCMY8UBDlY “Obama hasn’t crossed the aisle, to the ire of his own party” – Ross Simpson of the Associated Press
just for starters longboobs – want more ? Now go find, (make up), another reason to not vote for McCain.
OK, enough. All this talk of old 1990’s bi-partisan maverick McCain is almost as irrelevant as his misadventures of 35 years ago. (Did you hear he was a POW?) This is not the McCain who is running now. Today’s McCain is Rove’s puppet who votes with Bush 100% of the time (this year.)
#1 and 5 above, his Campaign finance reform and immigration reform, he has said in recent years that he would now vote against both of them.
#3. On the ban on torture he had it both ways in a really grotesque manner. After making a big heroic deal of opposing torture (reminding everyone of his past experience at the business end of it) he quietly worked to pass the Military Commissions Act, granting the CIA and other agencies the license to use methods even more vicious than were used on him at the Hanoi Hilton. Not to mention his vote to confirm torturemeister Alberto Gonzales, which dismayed so many of us back when we thought McCain had a conscience.
#2. The Gang of Fourteen did a modestly good thing but it didn’t have much to do with judicial confirmations, as it did with preventing the majority Republicans from upending decades of Senate tradition and using the “nuclear option” to prevent all filibusters. If you want to talk judicial confirmations, there have been no judges too rightwing or extreme as to not get McCain’s support, and he promises “more judges on the Supreme Court in the mold of Scalia, Alito, and Thomas.” (LADIES ARE YOU FREAKING LISTENING?]
Longboobs doesn’t need to look too hard for reasons to vote against McCain. I suggest:
1. He lacks the moral character to lead this nation.
2. He lacks foreign policy experience and judgment.
3. He has shown himself to be extremely unpredictable and irresponsible, and in all cases favors war and belligerence.
4. By his own admission he understands economics no better than Vern Nelson, who is not running for President, but does think the economy is doing just fine.
5. He has begun to show signs of Alzheimer’s, not to mention poor health, which forces us to take very seriously the idea of a President Palin.
Good enough? I’m working on posts documenting more of the above. Keep cool this afternoon! Take it easy!
Mann, ALL Racist?? AGAIN,I Think NOT
Face it, McCain’s decision to choose Palin,was because Obama DIDN’T pick Clinton.
Another good reason to vote for McCain for president, is Palin as the next president.
cook –
Please stop abusing the 1st Amendment. It only goes so far. It doesn’t cover hate speech. 16 years of Palin? Come on! 😛
Yeah, Canada will look better and better by the day.
Dude, where’s my country?
SMS
V: Thanks for educating (or for those smarter than I – reminding) us about the here and now McCain. What probably took you 2 minutes to write would’ve taken me 2 days!
Face it, McCain’s decision to choose Palin,was because Obama DIDN’T pick Clinton.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that, and I think he would have chosen Palin even if we did have Hillary. The reason ROVE MADE HIM PICK PALIN (he himself prefered Liebermann) was to energize the rightwing religious zealot base who didn’t trust McCain and for good reason – look how happy they are now from Jubal on up – they know Sarah Barracuda is a BONAFIDE religious fanatic.
Always multiple reasons for anything you do, but I think that was #1 reason for Palin Pick.
PS Sarah darling, Juicemother extraordinaire, can we please have numbers on our comments again? Pretty please? And how do we all like the new off-white background colors? I think they’re PURTY!
Ricl Says: September 13th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
“Face it, McCain’s decision to choose Palin,was because Obama DIDN’T pick Clinton.”
LOL – yeah, you’re RIGHT !! Ha – ha – I think it is so f’n funny – you dems don’t know whether to sh*t or get off the pot.
Ha – ha – ha !! You are so f’d up – I don’t think that you will ever recover from what McCain pulled on you all. What a joke, check and check-mate. I can’t get up off of the floor, I am laughing so hard ! He – he – he …
Love the contrasting background, getting to really really like Red Vixen
Mann, make sure to have a couple aspirins and a lot of water, do not drive, get to bed. I hope you’re OK in November when we send saucy Sarah back to Moosejaw or wherever.
and Anonyms, cold shower. The Vixen is wed.
mann,
To address another veracity-challenged claim in your comment: Lugar & Obama. Coburn & Obama. Seems like substantial bi-partisan legislation to me.
Thanks to everyone who has come by to read/comment. This election has certainly challenged political history with its additions of age, women, color, demographics etc…. Living in California, I think it’s hard to imagine race as being a major factor in voting, however, tolerance is not well-practiced everywhere in this big country. Here is something I thought might be worth sharing on the subjects of race and the 2008 elections. It is an observation from someone who does web design work and he posted it on his blog, following the Democratic primaries earlier this year:
http://blog.frivolousmotion.com/2008/02/election-2008-racism-still-exists.html
“This morning, two of my coworkers asked me who I voted for in last night’s primary. Upon hearing that my support went to Barack Obama, they responded with absolute horror. No, not just incredulity. Horror. Shock. Disgust. I’m serious.
“What do you think is going to happen to America if that guy…you know he’s black…you kids don’t know…you don’t know what it was like…when that black guy was Mayor of New York – Dinkins – do you think that was good…I’m telling you right now, white people are going to have a hard time…I would never vote for him…” and on and on.
Effectively what they were saying was that electing Barack Obama as President would turn the United States of America into the United States of African-America, a place where blacks hold uncompromising power over whites and other minorities…………………….
These women – one is from Russia and the other from Peru – both U.S. Citizens now (interesting, perhaps, though I’m sure that has less than nothing to do with their feelings) – just shook my faith in the American electorate. Not because they want someone other than Obama to win (one of them didn’t even vote, and hundreds of thousands of other people want someone else, too), but their (lack of) reasoning for it. I mean, I’m not asking other people to carefully consider the policies and qualifications of the candidates. I guess all I’m looking for is a shred of rationality – even merely a little excitement about one candidate in particular – a sense that the motivation is rooted in something other than being strongly against (and especially for racist, sexist, or related reasons) the others.
I tried to argue that just because they didn’t like New York City under Mayor Dinkins (and here my other coworker piped up to say that he liked Dinkins), that didn’t mean that America under Obama would be remotely similar. The assertion that not all black people are exactly the same, just as not all white people are exactly the same (duh) fell on deaf ears.
One of these women actually indicated that if Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic race, she would, without a doubt, vote for “that other guy” – a politician on the “other side” whose name she didn’t even know.
I have never – never, not once, ever, in my entire life – personally experienced the expression of sentiments like those to which I was a witness this morning. Never.
How naive of me to think that we had somehow moved past this kind of hateful, hurtful stuff. The way they said to me, “You want a black man to be President?” with such disregard for the possibility that I might have black relatives or close friends – just an assumption that I was somehow betraying my “race” – really hurt. And it was really disappointing. I really hurt for them, too.
One thing I agreed with: “You kids don’t know what it’s like.”
Nothing could be more true.
And, given the taste I got this morning, nothing could be more welcome.”
Vern spits out … “OK, enough. All this talk of old 1990’s bi-partisan maverick McCain is almost as irrelevant as his misadventures of 35 years ago. (Did you hear he was a POW?) This is not the McCain who is running now.”
Character does not have an expiration date. We are a composite of our lives; Vern wants to pick & choose. It doesn’t work that way.
Vern’s utter disrespect for McCain’s service to our country is unexcusable. Vern’s comment denegrades all men and women who have served our country.
Vern & Chris Matthews to need to keep in check their Obama sensations that run up & down their legs. At least NBC reigned in Matthew’s infactuation with Nobama.
Vern –
I’m glad you’ve been thinking, and your comment…”ROVE MADE HIM PICK PALIN,” got me thinking.
What a coincidence Obama selected Biden when the Georgia incident blew wide open. I believe world events and the party “steered” Obama to chose Biden because of his national security and foreign affairs credentials. And Sen. Biden’s artful timing of scooting off to Georgia certainly solidified the Obama/Biden marriage. Once you think about it, it’s typical inside the Beltway politics.
McCain’s decision to select Palin was a game changer that could be straight out of Rove’s handbook of winning elections. Unfortunately Obama has not risen to this game change.
C’mon Vern, all is fair in love & war. Where can I ship the cheese to go with your whine?
Red just increases my admiration with each post. Thanks for the info Vern, but the attraction is purely intellectual. I had written off all Republican babes as just seeing things differently from me and in a way that I could never relate to (it also appeared that this was mutual) but Red is exposing me to a new thinking/feeling paradigm that I had not before been exposed to. I know it was because of my lack of exposure to these women that I had not witnessed this before and not because they weren’t there. So thank you Red, I’m a fan.
Anonyms,
I like your posts and point of view as well. I have a little cyber crush and you and vern and a couple others as well. Intelligence can be very attractive 😉
Please check out Rachel Maddow. You might enjoy her. I find her refreshing.