If Obama Loses racism is the only reason McCain might beat him. (liberal insanity alert!)

slate (of course!) ^ | 8/23/2008 | jacob weisberg

[milwguy]

What with the Bush legacy of reckless war and economic mismanagement, 2008 is a year that favors the generic Democratic candidate over the generic Republican one. Yet Barack Obama, with every natural and structural advantage in the presidential race, is running only neck-and-neck against John McCain, a sub-par Republican nominee with a list of liabilities longer than a Joe Biden monologue. Obama has built a crack political operation, raised record sums, and inspired millions with his eloquence and vision. McCain has struggled with a fractious campaign team, lacks clarity and discipline, and remains a stranger to charisma. Yet at the moment, the two of them appear to be tied. What gives?

If it makes you feel better, you can rationalize Obama's missing 10-point lead on the basis of Clintonite sulkiness, his slowness in responding to attacks, or the concern that Obama may be too handsome, brilliant, and cool to be elected. But let's be honest: If you break the numbers down, the reason Obama isn't ahead right now is that he trails badly among one group, older white voters. He does so for a simple reason: the color of his skin.

[03A3]

That’s kinda my point. The irony is they are Dems.

[johniegrad]

I disagree...there are a whole lot of white people out there who will not vote for him because he is black.

Just saying it doesn't make it so. What data do you have to support your opinion?

[dirtboy]

Yeah, and racism was the reason Kerry lost to Bush in 2004. It wasn't that Kerry, like Obama, is hyper-liberal. Nah, us racist crackers just weren't ready for the first Orange-American president:

[Spok]

Obama is the first affirmative action candidate for the presidency. They say not voting for him is racist, but his race, to his liberal supporters, is his only attribute. It’s a dicotomy: would you vote against a qualified candidate solely because he’s black, or would you vote FOR an unqualified candidate for the same reason? Is Obama’s candidacy the former or the latter? That, in a nutshell, is the argument America is having with itself.

[noDixieCan]

There are a whole lot of black people out there who will vote for him just because he is black.

[03A3]

But this is more than offset by the number of blacks who will vote for the Obamaloon simply because he is black.

With the exception of 2000 the black vote is monolithic. Now if Obama causes more of them to vote you may have a point. But the fact that working class white Dems wont vote for a black man is significant.

[socal_parrot]

Obama may be too handsome, brilliant, and cool

One has to wonder if Jake lit up a cigarette after writing this piece of trash.

[palomonte]

Obama will get over 90% of the black vote - the media refers to it as “ethnic pride” - they don’t speak about the white people who won’t vote for Obama because he’s black.

I don’t know whether one offsets the other or not - there are all kinds of polls showing the percentage of black voters for Obama - but I can’t find a poll which shows the percentage of white voters for McCain.

Me...I don’t care - as far as I’m concerned racism exists in this country and if the media, when the election is over, “blames” a McCain victory on racism - my response would be “whatever”.

[combat_boots]

‘57 states’,

There are 57 moslem ones.

Well, if he wins, he can work on facilitating the end of life due to age or illness....the other end of the abortion spectrum.

[Verloona Ti]

The comments on the article at Slate are overwhelmingly negative and mocking. Perhaps the threat of being called a racist no longer frightens people.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Oh but it does as evidenced by the Democrat primaries in: WV, PA and OH.”

I don’t think so - unless you’re talking about how over 90% of blacks automatically vote for him because he’s black! I lived in PA for a very long time. The simple fact is most people there do not give a damn that he’s black. What they disliked is his elitist attitude, his clear lack of patriotism, and his socialist policies. The Republicans there nominated Lynn Swann (who is black) for governor. No one cared that he was black.

[GAB-1955]

Very early on, I decided I wouldn't vote for Obama because he's an good speaker without political experience. He should have waited until 2016.

[Fee]

ALL FREEPERS prepare!!!! The black community in the inner city are so wound up tight that they believe OB will win and the only way he can lose is if whitey cheated. It means we freepers better stock up on guns and ammo in case OB loses and definitely stay away from the inner city routes on election day. All you need is one of OB’s staff proclaim that the GOP stole the election, the inner city blacks will riot like LA. Nonblacks who happen to be driving by black neighborhoods may be attacked and cities should prep up just in case whole neighborhoods go up in flames.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“It does to the 98% of the black voters who will be voting for Obama simply because he is black.”

That I agree with entirely. I don’t think most whites care about his race. I think those whites who dislike him do so because he’s an elitist, socialist jerk and not because of his race.

[bigLusr]

His skin color really doesn’t matter to most people. It does to the 98% of the black voters who will be voting for Obama simply because he is black.

... and the 98% of those suffering from white guilt.

[03A3]

I’m going by the exit polling after the primaries in WV, PA, and OH. The MSM was worriedly showing white working class Dems saying they would never vote for a black man. I was astounded.

[RipSawyer]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“I disagree...there are a whole lot of white people out there who will not vote for him because he is black.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I will give you one thing, there will be more who don’t vote for him because of skin color than there will be who don’t vote for him because he is,”too handsome, brilliant and cool”. The writer is an idiot, if someone wants to call him handsome and cool this is not worth arguing over but he is not “brilliant” and anyone who thinks he is is far from brilliant.

[Joe Boucher]

You are correct in that a whole lot of whites will not vote for a black. And a whole lot o blacks will vote for Obamma b=only because he is black.
Then there are the more enlightened ones who hopefully recognize just how poor a choice The Illinois Senator is.
He is too inexperienced at this point o turn ove the deys of power to.
Plus his associations and ideas are wanting.

[umgud]

McCain will not beat Obama, but Obama will beat himself. Here’s why:

Yes, there is an element of racism and when a voter goes into the voting booth, political correctness won’t follow him/her inside. Some of this may be the Bradley effect.

The big reason Obama will lose is not due to race, it is due to his far left position. The country as a whole is not as far left as this Dem nominee.

[mike-zed]

The louder the libs cry “if you don’t vote for BHO, you are a racist”, the more they will alienate moderates.