# Obama will be our first Negro President! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 8, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199 "2008-06-08T03:32:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/21 "2008-06-08T17:42:49Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Thanks for the link, but I sure don’t see it in the post above mine. [/QUOTE] The “see the post above” note was simply to reference my note that > [@](#): > > Also, to clarify since my use of the term “negro” is upsetting quiet Sundays for some this morning, re my the 'Freddy the Pig" ( a tremendous poster) teasing reference, it had nothing to do with race, I was simply referring to the fact that FOP has indicated he will not be voting for Obama based on policy issues. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/22 "2008-06-08T17:48:45Z")
[QUOTE=astro] The “see the post above” note was simply to reference my note that [/QUOTE] All I was asking for was a link to his post so I could figure out the context. The “negro” reference had nothing to do with it. I might point out that the link you provided said nothing at all about policy issues. Or why he is not voting for Obama. And for that matter, fails to demonstrate why **Freddy the Pig** should be worthy of such respect. Not that I doubt it. AFAIK, he \*is \*the smartest guy in the room. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/23 "2008-06-08T19:34:25Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] I voted for Obama. I caucused for Obama. I support Obama in conversations. I want Obama to be our next President. But I think McCain will win. I just have the feeling that there are too many Clinton supporters who will take their ball and go home. Some will vote for a ‘moderate’ Republican because they can’t vote for Clinton. Others will vote for McCain to protest Clinton’s loss in the primaries, and to ‘punish’ the Democratic party. I fear that too many Clinton supporters will cut off their noses to spite their faces. [/QUOTE] Has this ever happened before? Has a strong Democratic challenger ever “spoiled” an election and handed it to the Republicans? Did Howard Dean fans (as devoted a group as Hillary supporters) refrain from voting for Kerry? As far as I know, no matter how rancorous the primary, the loser has always managed to bring the majority of their followers along. “I belong to no organized political party…I am a democrat!” - Will Rogers ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/24 "2008-06-08T19:53:53Z")
[QUOTE=gaffa] As far as I know, no matter how rancorous the primary, the loser has always managed to bring the majority of their followers along. [/QUOTE] My impression is that the Democrats have an extraordinary gift for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I personally know one person who says she will vote for McCain if Clinton is not the Democratic nominee. (I mentioned her in another thread. She’s a 70-something Southern woman who admits she’s ‘not ready’ to vote for a Black man for President.) I’ve heard and read many comments from Clinton supporters who say they will vote for McCain instead of Obama. As far as Republicans go, I didn’t find McCain all that objectionable eight years ago. (Not saying I’d have voted for him, but he would have been better than Bush.) Today I do find him objectionable. But I think a lot of moderate Democrats might not. Perhaps, like my friend’s mom, they’re ‘not ready’ to vote for a Black guy. Or maybe they feel Obama is too far to the Left, whereas McCain is closer to Clinton on their issues. A lot of people probably worry about ‘experience’. Clinton ‘has experience’ (though mostly by osmosis), and McCain has experience. Obama doesn’t in their minds. I think Obama has more real experience helping Americans, and I think this is where we should focus our energies. Others may feel that International relations are more important and will vote for McCain on that basis. Certainly I’ve heard people claim they’ll vote for McCain to send a message to their Party. But I also worry that Democrats will vote for McCain because he’s closer to Clinton than Obama is. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/25 "2008-06-08T20:36:46Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/26 "2008-06-08T20:41:13Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Certainly I’ve heard people claim they’ll vote for McCain to send a message to their Party. But I also worry that Democrats will vote for McCain because he’s closer to Clinton than Obama is. [/QUOTE] To me, this smacks of “I’ll move to Canada if Bush gets elected” sour grapes talk. In the end, in the voting booth, when it comes down to four more years of disastrous policies or a chance at something better, I think most will choose appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/27 "2008-06-08T20:50:59Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] To me, this smacks of “I’ll move to Canada if Bush gets elected” sour grapes talk. In the end, in the voting booth, when it comes down to four more years of disastrous policies or a chance at something better, I think most will choose appropriately. [/QUOTE] It’s much easier to cast the wrong vote than to move to Canada. I hope you are correct, that people will choose Obama. I know I have, and will. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/28 "2008-06-08T21:45:42Z")
The best part about this whole primary battle is how Obama has refrained from personal attacks on Hillary. So it’s not as if disgruntled Clinton supporters have a lot to get past. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/29 "2008-06-08T22:23:20Z")
[QUOTE=wheresgeorge04] I think that there is a not-insignificant portion of the poulation that simply says, when it comes down to it, “I ain’t votin’ for no nigger president.” [/QUOTE] I’ve thought of that, and I hope you are wrong, but difficult to say. I also wonder if there may be enough black voters who will vote for him to offset the rednecks? Or, that a higher percentage of black people will actually go and vote, while the haters may be too drunk to vote. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/30 "2008-06-08T22:33:01Z")
Is anyone else hearing the “He’s not really black?” story from the right? Here’s an example - [Don’t like smoke? Then get out](http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/06/07/opinion/letters/00letter.txt) > [@](#): > > _Please try this experiment: Pour a glass half full with Coca-Cola. Then top off the glass with water. Take a sip. Is it Coke? Of course not. Then why do the newspapers refer to Barak Obama as a “black candidate?” He is no more black than he is white._ I really don’t get this line of attack. What are they trying to accomplish with this? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/31 "2008-06-08T22:43:23Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] I really don’t get this line of attack. What are they trying to accomplish with this? [/QUOTE] Rush Limbaugh has been doing it for months. I’m not sure there’s any goal other than making fun of him. Maybe they’re trying to say he’s not so special. At first it seemed like they might have been trying to keep black voters from getting behind him, but if there was such an effort it failed miserably. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/32 "2008-06-08T23:44:50Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] I really don’t get this line of attack. What are they trying to accomplish with this? [/QUOTE] I don’t get it, either. And I didn’t get his motivation when he called Barack a “Halfrican-American” last year. Seems to me that by emphasizing the man is half white and therefore not _really_ black and scary, he’s helping Obama out. Surely he can’t be trying to do this, so his goal must be something else. I guess he’s trying to accuse Obama of passing for black. We are truly living in some crazyass times. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/33 "2008-06-08T23:56:10Z")
[QUOTE=you with the face] I don’t get it, either. And I didn’t get his motivation when he called Barack a “Halfrican-American” last year. Seems to me that by emphasizing the man is half white and therefore not _really_ black and scary, he’s helping Obama out. Surely he can’t be trying to do this, so his goal must be something else. I guess he’s trying to accuse Obama of passing for black. We are truly living in some crazyass times. [/QUOTE] “Halfrican American”? - First time I’ve heard it, but I kinda \*like \* it! If I was Obama I’d own that in a second! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/34 "2008-06-09T00:04:16Z")
To my mind, it’s more accurate to call Barack Obama “biracial” or perhaps Kenyan-American. I don’t care what he’s called, as long as we’re calling him Mr President at this time next year. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/35 "2008-06-09T00:38:33Z")
Genuine question out of curiosity, given some of the discussion above: why hasn’t the United Negro College Fund changed their name long ago? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/36 "2008-06-09T01:06:21Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] Is anyone else hearing the “He’s not really black?” story from the right? Here’s an example - [Don’t like smoke? Then get out](http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/06/07/opinion/letters/00letter.txt) I really don’t get this line of attack. What are they trying to accomplish with this? [/QUOTE] I don’t know that I see this article as an attack on Obama. To quote from the article: > [@](#): > > Alas the “One-drop rule” is still alive. As long as a person has one drop of blood that is anything other than Caucasian, that person loses the “privilege” of being known as white. It seems to me the point they are trying to make is that race should be irrelevant in a day when more and more people have multiple ethnic backgrounds. The idea that if they are Caucasian with any other ethnic heritage means they must be labeled as members of whichever group they most look like at first glance (but it can’t be white) is an outdated idea. I don’t know that I have a problem with that. If someone identifies as a member of a specific ethnic group that is their business. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/37 "2008-06-09T01:10:20Z")
Anyone who thinks that McCain will _probably_ win should bet on it, since you’re getting odds. Obama is currently a greater than 3:2 favorite to win the election. If you honestly think that McCain is better than 1:1, then there’s a lot of equity for you there. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/38 "2008-06-09T01:56:12Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Genuine question out of curiosity, given some of the discussion above: why hasn’t the United Negro College Fund changed their name long ago? [/QUOTE] I’ve wondered the same thing about the [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naacp). I looked at the UNCF site, and couldn’t find a rationale. My guess is that it’s their name, and is quite well known - why change it? It’s clearly not inteded in a derogatory manner. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/39 "2008-06-09T03:06:24Z")
[QUOTE=wheresgeorge04] Unfortunately, I disagree. He’s my pick, but I think that there is a not-insignificant portion of the poulation that simply says, when it comes down to it, “I ain’t votin’ for no nigger president.” Sorry to be blunt. Perhaps they’ll couch it in different language, but I think it’s a real issue. I live in San Francisco, liberal heaven, and I see more racism than one would expect. Not as bad as redneck Central Valley, CA, where I lived for a while, but it’s here. And if it’s here, it’s everywhere. Unfortunately, I think McCain is the next president. Joe [/QUOTE] On the Jefferson Scale of Blackness (from Thomas to George), Obama is in the same zone as Wayne Brady, Tiger Woods, and Will Smith. It’d be different if it was a Lil John/Flavor Flav ticket. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199/40 "2008-06-09T03:26:28Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] I’m with astro, except - why “Negro” President?. [/QUOTE] Well, what term is there that everyone agree upon? Some black people dont like “black” some African-American people don’t like “African American”. Yes, Negro and Colored are a bit old fashoined but neither is racist. It’s still (as **Leaper** pointed out) “United Negro College Fund” and (as **wheresgeorge04** sez) the NAACP. Although they almost only use just the initials. There is no one “right” term. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-will-be-our-first-negro-president/452199.md?page=3)