Will that make you feel better for some reason?
what???
what in the world are you talking about? Perhaps if you, I don’t know, maybe explained what you are trying to prove with your hypothesis it would help.
I am sure there is someone out there who is voting based on that–so what. What does that prove? You have people here telling you the reasons they are voting for Obama and you ignore all of that?
So what is your agenda? So let me ask you–do you feel a little special that your are NOT voting for a guy because he is black?
I’d be voting Obama even if he were purple - Please explain what you mean.
I can speak for myself: I feel “special” for lots of reasons and that’s not one of them.
I can understand that some people do not see in him the potential for greatness that I do, and I can understand that some people believe that other candidates would be better Presidents than him. I do not assume that any one who dislikes him does so because of his skin color. But the claim that Whites are voting for him because he is Black is absurd. The insistence that such must be the basis of his appeal, offensive.
I thought I had already done something like that.
I’m glad to have a viable candidate that is a black man and one that is a woman. We’ve allowed the good ole boys club to fuck us up for too long. Let me be clear that it is who Obama is as a person and a candidate that attracts me to him. The fact that he is also a black man is is a social bonus.
Really enjoyed this post. Thanks. I remember that quote and how impressed I was at the accuracy of his thought process.
Why should it make me feel special? I had nothing to do with getting him on the ballot. And I’ve never in my life voted for a Republican anyway. I voted for Obama in the Florida primary, which would not have made me feel special even if the votes were to count; I voted for him because Clinton has roots in the DLC and Obama has not.
I remember that quote and was happy to read it as you were. The thing about Obama is - like the guy in the quote - he is reaching people in this way all across the country and yes, all across differing demographics. This is why when I hear racist, bigoted remarks about him I get mildly offended, because for someone to refer to Barack as simply “a black” is grossly misunderstanding the man and what he stands for. And that irritates the heck out of me. Obama is defined by what his beliefs are and how they translate into action - to me he has been acting in a stately - presidential manner, through thick and thin and yes, that too impresses me. I’m not thrown over by his oratory, I’m simply blown away by how aware he seems to be of the issues that really affect this country.
I will admit that I feel just a little special to be able to vote for this black guy.
It’s funny how much can change in 4 years. This made me laugh out loud, though it made perfect sense in 2004.
Back then, a lot of people were talking about Jeb Bush as a serious contender in '08 and I even recall a few Democrats saying that they actually respected, or at least were not disgusted, by Jeb, even though they couldn’t stand George. I’ve heard that he’s actually a smart and articulate man, much more so than his brother. The thing is, over the course of Bush’s second term, he lost so much popularity and dug himself deeper and deeper into the Iraq disaster, that the name Bush became synonymous with an incompetent and corrupt presidency, and now the thought of Jeb as a candidate is laughable.
As for Obama, the guy has mad charisma and he actually seems cool, which is something that only Kennedy has been able to do in the whole history of the United States. He’s definitely JFK-esque and this really helps his youth appeal. His race does have a lot to do with it also, in various ways for different people - blacks naturally would be more likely to vote for someone they perceive as similar to them, especially since we’ve never had a black president, some whites might be motivated by subconscious “white guilt” and want to make up for the injustices of the past by showing that they support minorities, and generally among (white) youth today, it’s “cool” to be black. It’s always been “cool” to be black. Jazz is black. Basketball is black. Hip-hop is black. Subversive, rebellious pop culture of youth has always drawn from black influences, and I do think that part of Obama’s appeal to kids is that he’s seen as cool partially because he’s black. But this wouldn’t be possible without his extreme charisma, which is something that transcends race.
I’m very conflicted with Obama. Part of me wants to vote for him because he’s so unique, I feel like it’s time for a change, it’d be nice to have someone other than an old white guy in the Oval Office, and I do agree with a lot of his policies. On the other hand, he is viciously anti-gun and especially anti-concealed carry. Illinois, his state, has some of the harshest and most restrictive gun laws in the country - and I do believe that Obama, deep down, despises private gun ownership and would be tickled pink if every rifle and handgun disappeared from civilians’ homes. He claims, officially, that he “supports the rights of hunters and target shooters,” but he completely leaves out the issue of self-defense which is what the second amendment is all about.
In a country where civilians aren’t allowed to arm themselves (with more than single-shot rifles) the only people with the monopoly on power will be the government, law enforcement, fascist Blackwater-type paramilitary groups, and of course criminals. So I am a die-hard, firmly-committed and absolutely uncompromising supporter of that second amendment, and it is very, very difficult to imagine voting for someone who is so against it - even if, as many here have stated, his anti-gun policies have little chance of being applied to the country. That doesn’t even matter to me - what matters is that I can’t on principle support someone whose views on guns are, in my opinion, so unbelievably ignorant.
It’s going to be a tough choice for me. I might not vote at all.
Strangely the Republicans attack Edwards for that.
Argent while we can have (and have had) some reasoned discussion on what Obama’s gun rights/control views actually are, I think that you can agree that the President has actually little to do with what happens in that regard. The Congress and the Courts control the ball there.
Written by Bill Cosby
Article from Wall Street Journal:
Rev. Wright epitomizes the thoughts and actions that have prevented and continue to prevent black America from moving ahead and achieving their potential as a people. He suggests that this United States of America made up of sons and daughters of immigrants (I’m talking of the millions of 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation immigrants in this country) of every race, creed, color and religion each and every one of them who had nothing to do with slavery, somehow owe something to a group of people who have never been slaves?
It’s amazing. It seems everyone is to blame for the shambles black society is in with its violence, drugs, high school dropout rates, misogyny, and a host of other real and virulent problems, except for the very people who engage in such behavior.
Enough. As a society, culture or people, they should look within themselves and fix their problems. When did this man become the spokesman for the black church? And of course his church is different, but that doesn’t mean his message and philosophy is acceptable, or productive or non-offensive or not-racist or indicative or our greater cultural behaviors, values and norms as Americans.
And yes, the link between this man and Obama really does matter. At a very minimum, it provides insight into the political and philosophical strain that Obama adheres to.
Maybe so but my point:
is that I can’t truly respect anyone who would believe this deep down, regardless of whether or not he could enact it.
Well Argent 'tis true that if agreeing with your POV on concealed carry, as a matter of principle, not as a matter of practical difference to the laws, is your litmus test, then you would have a hard time supporting Obama.
I suppose you need to decide whether or not you actually can respect someone with whom you disagree on an issue so important to you, in the case of agreeing with most of his other positions and otherwise finding him best qualified for the office.
Good luck with your decision. I would encourage you to consider the possibility that coming to a different conclusion than you on that subject is not proof of ignorance or stupidity but just proof of a different belief about the importance of concealed carry as a means of assuring freedom from tyranny and perhaps a different analysis of the limited data available on whether or not concealed carry provides for greater public good or harm. You can believe that his analysis is flawed without believing him to be ignorant you know.
I feel extremely special at the opportunity to make the heads of people like you explode.
Argent Towers I think Obama really believes in the Constitution and I think that even if he personally believes that gun ownership is ‘wrong’…he’s not going to mess with the Constitution in order to take away that right.
I’m trying to understand where you’re coming from, you seem to be saying that unless Obama believes as strongly as you do in gun ownership; regardless of his ability or desire to alter the Constitution to restrict them, you may not vote for him and I don’t get that…there are so many things in the country that need to be fixed and that he can fix, why base your opinion on something that’s not in danger of being removed?
Of course you’re entitled to feel that his stance on this is something you can’t accept or support.
Bill Cosby hasn’t been relevant in 20 years. It’s like he stopped acting and suddenly transformed into the black version of Andy Rooney. “Ya ever notice that we black people don’t give near enough kudos to the Republicans for trying to force us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps?”
I’ll add this, I’m city guy; grew up in NYC and have a real problem with concealed weapons; as in my neighbourhood when someone was hiding was weapon, they were looking to kill someone…so chances are you and I will have issues on concealed weapons.
However I understand that different people have different experiences, I understand that a gun is tool, no different than a hammer or a computer and I understand that what works great in NYC, doesn’t work so good in upstate NY, where I am now and one must be adaptable.
I have no doubt Obama knows this too and he’s a lot brighter than I am.