# The First Black President **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 27, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221 "2003-09-27T23:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RoundGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90ced4/32.png) [@RoundGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoundGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/21 "2003-09-29T03:11:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Condi Rice ? Forget it… she would never win. Put Condi up against Hillary in 2008 – it would be the greatest Presidential death-match in history… ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/22 "2003-09-29T03:47:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > \*\*He/she’d have to be a million times more articulate than the fool we have now. > > (People can slam Sharpton as much as they want, but no one can say he’s not a charismatic speaker. He doesn’t speak the King’s English, no, but he isn’t a mumbler or a stumbler, \*\* So are you saying a person who stutters is stupid or that the appearance of a poor speaker is unpresidential? ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/23 "2003-09-29T05:45:22Z")
Well, his name is David Palmer… ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/24 "2003-09-29T05:56:01Z")
Well, his name is David Palmer… ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/25 "2003-09-29T05:57:11Z")
Sorry about the double post, ##$^& hampsters. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/26 "2003-09-29T06:15:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Rice would probably not even be considered if it wasn’t for the fact that she is Dr. Rice. I think it’s exactly why she’ll never be considered. Republicans win by appealing to Joe Sixpack, and a single pro-choice black woman with a Ph. D. just isn’t quite what they’re going to be looking for in the fabled Red America. (Democrats, of course, also struggle to appeal to the common man, but they seem to tolerate a higher degree of eggheadedness. Still, I don’t think someone with Dr. Rice’s profile would have much of a shot as a Dem candidate, either.) Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/27 "2003-09-29T06:30:29Z")
Powell was in a unique position. Voters seem to be willing, to a certain extent, to substitute military service for gov’t experience. And Powell had huge name recogintion, even before being Sec of State. Is there any other Black pol who is even remotely in Powell’s position (even the pre-Sec of State Powell)? As **Mostro** pointed out, there are no Black governors. Has there ever been one? We probably need to get over that hurdle before tackling the presidency. In light of that, I agree with what **RTF** said above. We’re probably a good 20 years from seeing the first Black President. At least. Hell, it took almost 200 yrs to elect the first Catholic president. ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/28 "2003-09-29T07:51:32Z")
I think people are forgetting that the way the demographics of the US are shifting, that there is probably more of a chance that there will be a hispanic president before a black one. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/29 "2003-09-29T11:13:06Z")
I agree 100%. Ford is going to be the first black President. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/30 "2003-09-29T11:40:13Z")
> [@](#): > > They can’t be a moderate, because moderates can’t win the primary. They also probably wouldn’t enjoy too much success as a far conservative. I think too many on the far right (and they vote regularly) would not want a black person as President no matter how much they agreed with him. I wouldn’t be so sure. First of all, us 'Publicans (Yes! The Party of Bartenders!) are pretty practical. If it came down to ignoring the far-right for an election, we’d do it. We have before. But as long as the canidate is reasonably conservative (read that as "anti-abortion) he or she’d probably be elected. Sure, _some_ of 'em may be racist, but… ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/31 "2003-09-29T11:42:27Z")
Republicans do have a better record of nominating candidates that can appeal to middle America. The only big mistake Republicans have made in recent years is Goldwater. Democrats by contrast have screwed up majorly twice: Mondale and McGovern. It’s an open question as to how dumb Democrats will be this time. They certainly are cooing over some weird candidates while shunning or ignoring the moderate ones. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/32 "2003-09-29T12:50:07Z")
Right, and two of the weirder Democratic candidates are black - Mosely-Braun and Sharpton. Which is why the first black and/or female President will be Republican. The power base of black Democrats is made up of too many extremists. Which is why the only black Democratic candidates are morons like Mosely-Braun, or racist scum like Sharpton. Whereas, on the Republican side, Powell, who is genuinley electable, could have had the nomination in 2000 if he had wanted it. If Cheney’s health doesn’t hold out, my ideal scenario would be for him to resign, Bush picks Rice as VP, she serves for four years or so, and then runs on her own in 2008. Then listen to the liberals instantly stop talking about diversity, and start talking about “tokenism”. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/33 "2003-09-29T13:03:49Z")
> [@](#): > > The only big mistake Republicans have made in recent years is Goldwater. Well, goldwater’s problem was that he was basically slandered… ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/34 "2003-09-29T14:43:01Z")
Heck, I’ve been writing in Dick Gregory for 20 years! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/35 "2003-09-29T14:59:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skip \* > \*\*I think people are forgetting that the way the demographics of the US are shifting, that there is probably more of a chance that there will be a hispanic president before a black one. \*\* I wouldn’t be surprised. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see Bill Richardson run in 2012, if not earlier (depending on whether or not he actually sticks around as governor for the entire term(s) and because of the term limit in New Mexico.) Considering the guy has been a representative, the ambassador to the UN, Energy Secretary, and now a governor, that’s a fair bit of experience. Of course, we are talking about the governor and former representative of District 3 in New Mexico, which could prove a problem (starting just with convincing half the country once again that yes, New Mexico _is_ a state and yes, Richardson _is_ eligible.) I say this with the experience of growing up in New Mexico, where being forgotten is a usual experience. Sorry for the hijack. Maybe someone should start a new thread about the first Hispanic President (if there can be enough of an agreement made on what really makes someone Hispanic and whether or not it truly makes sense as a racial category.) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/36 "2003-09-29T15:09:34Z")
**John** , you’re almost right; there have been no African-American governors since Reconstruction. The Hispanic and even Chinese barriers have been broken for governors, but not the Big One. Going by the consensus here, we’ll have to wait another generation at least. The first black President probably will have to be a Republican - but there aren’t any far along in the pipeline after the discredited Powell and Rice. All black members of Congress, all black big-city mayors AFAIK, and every black officeholder except for a few state cabinet members are Democrats. As long as the GOP embraces the Southern hard right, there’s no reason to expect that to change, either. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/37 "2003-09-29T16:30:12Z")
Douglas Wilder was governor of Virginia and had a cup of coffee as a presidential candidate in 92 I think. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221/38 "2003-09-29T16:36:18Z")
Right about Wilder. Tells you how out of date my sources are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-black-president/204221.md?page=1)