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Here's something interesting:
During his 42 minute long acceptance address Barack Obama never explicitly addressed questions some voters might have about his race. As the NYT has pointed out, no one at the convention did all week long. His approach was sharply different than John Kennedy's in 1960.
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/53892.htmlAt first I thought this was just an implicit defense of Obama. But I think the article is correct. Obama could have assured people on the public stage that he wouldn't govern as a “black” president but instead as a president for “all”. Kennedy discussed his Catholicism to the public in his address.Why do you think Obama didn't address this issue but Kennedy did? Or is this like comparing apples to oranges because Obama was dealing with race and JFK was dealing with religion – and a particular religion at that which some could argue would essentially make him subject to a foreign state/power?
Kennedy's Catholicism was a big issue for him back then. And he handled it well in conveying his message. I think race is a big issue for only a few, most of us don't care, although some on Obama's side ARE making a big issue of it (Sharpton, Jesse J, and Michelle). I think the two (race and religion) can be compared here and Obama pales in comparison in his handling of it.
I think you're right that Obama doesn't make a big deal of it but it does seem to be stressed by others – I think in the media to a great degree.
Obama doesn't need to “deal” with his race. The only ones concerned with race are the bigots in sheets. I don't think Obama would govern as a “black man” as if governing that way would be “evil” or something. I think he would govern as a leftist who wants to redistribute the wealth away from the “rich” and more toward the poor. Race is not a factor or he wouldn't even have made it this far.
Once again, I have to agree with Don on this. I find it curious that the only ones bringing up race in this campaign are on the left, so who is concerned about race. I think this race is about competence and policy views, not race or gender.
I should make it clear here that I wasn't suggesting Obama bring this up as an issue. What I was more interested in was his campaign's decision not to address the issue, which suggests it doesn't think voters think race is an impediment to supporting him. In other words it shows how culture has “evolved”.That said, I have read in the media that race will still matter when people go in to vote. I recall one article which stated that in the past some black candidates for major office have received fewer actual votes than what pre-vote polling indicated they would get. The implication was that voters might say one thing about a black candidate but not necessarily follow through with that.This divergence between the campaign's view of voters and the media's reporting on voting habits is interesting. Who is right?
Obama doesn't need to “deal” with his race. The only ones concerned with race are the bigots in sheets.
I agree with your first sentence. Not so sure about the second one….it seems to be a concern by leftists as well (as in “why aren't more people favoring him?”).Cafferty: Obama: Race a factor?
Kinda difficult to claim racism when blacks protest Obama's speech. http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=178233&comments=1
As long as anybody continues to make race an issue it will continue to be one. We will all know that the civil rights struggle is over when Race is not even mentioned. It seems to me that these days race is only brought up as a prelude to pointing out exceptionalism by memebers of whichever race they are talking about. The wonder shouldnt be that Obama is a smart black man, if you think about it that is actually taking away from him. By that thinking he deserves merit not because of accomplishments, but because of his race. The irony of the whole thing is that the people making the most noise about race are the Sharpton's, and Jackson's of this world. Most white people are color-blind in my experience. It almost seems as if black American's cant accept that they are now expected to perform at the same level as everyone else, they have achieved equality of expectation, and are now pointing at others as a way of masking their own failures. I should not be surprised as most Black Americans are Democrats and these are the tactics the Democrats have used since at least the great depression to blind the public. Nobody forces Black people to have their own unique culture, they and everyone else, is more than welcome in the mainstream, the choice is theirs.It seems to me that what EVERYONE needs to do is take responsibility for themselves and stop worrying so much about what their neighbors do or have. If we, as Americans, could do this, then race, and many other problems would quickly dissappear.
I am voting for McCain, so I guess you could say I am voting against Obama.But the reason I do NOT want Obama as POTUS has nothing to do with his color, name, rumors of his religion, etc etc etc..He could be white, with red hair, green eyes, and have freckles, and be named Seamus Patrick O'Hoilihan and I would not vote for him, simply because he is a Lib.Race means diddily, a man's values are what counts. and I abhor Obama's values.
Good comment. A person has a personal culture and like their large (shared) culture is is 10% visible behaviors and 90% invisible values… we find out about a person and their values based on the behaviors… sometimes the two are inconsistent; other times spot on… if it walks like a duck….Obama quacks.
Obama doesn't need to “deal” with his race. The only ones concerned with race are the bigots in sheets. I don't think Obama would govern as a “black man” as if governing that way would be “evil” or something. I think he would govern as a leftist who wants to redistribute the wealth away from the “rich” and more toward the poor. Race is not a factor or he wouldn't even have made it this far.
You get my “most racist sounding post” award. I'm sure it was not intentional, nor reflect any deep seeded racial prejudices. 🙂 Explain to a white faced innoscent canuck how would a “black man” govern?ps the USA needs to move left for it's own good, seriously social programs freakin rule dude! Am I my brothers keeper? = Universal Healthcare, yes or no?
the USA needs to move left for it's own good, seriously social programs freakin rule dude!
Yeah, right, for its own good. ::) Here in the USA, we support the unpopular concept of working and personal responsibility more than we do “social programs” (although I fear if Obama's elected, that will change real fast)Welcome to Western Civ BTW. 🙂
