# Will bigots cost Obama the presidency? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503 "2008-09-21T00:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/21 "2008-09-21T06:36:53Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’d be interested in reading the results of a poll conducted entirely by automated calling (“Press 1 if you are a registered voter”). It would allow people to give the answers they want without having to tell a human being. I believe it would reveal people who wouldn’t otherwise admit that they won’t vote for Obama because he is black. > > I wonder if the Obama campaign has done a poll like that. > > By the way, I’m in Kansas City, and McCain support seems amazingly soft. Obama signs outnumber McCain signs by more than ten to one, even in areas that were displaying Bush signs in 2000 and 2004, and [Jim Talent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Talent) signs in 2006. He really does not seem to have very deep or wide support in the conservative Republican base in this area. They may hold their noses and vote for him anyway, but if they aren’t excited, they aren’t going to donate. That would assume people are honest with themselves about their reasons. A pretty big assumtion IMHO ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/22 "2008-09-21T06:39:45Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > This is a fraudulent comparison. There’s a difference between trying to get somebody into a tent and trying to keep them out. elaborate please ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/23 "2008-09-21T07:06:21Z")
A couple of my Democrat friends have been undercover with their bigotry for a few years. I was hoping that maybe they had become a little more thoughtful. No such luck. The election seems to have made them feel more comfortable with their prejudices. Relationships have become strained in a couple of situations. And it’s not the political issues that are causing the tension. It is the fear that a black person might be equal to them _or better_. Then what will they do? Sadly, these people are well-educated. Bigotry isn’t limited to the ignorant. Nashville will vote for Obama, but Tennessee will probably continue to vote Republican. But the Republicans don’t have a monopoly on racist attitudes. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/24 "2008-09-21T08:45:46Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > This is a fraudulent comparison. There’s a difference between trying to get somebody into a tent and trying to keep them out. Voting or not voting for someone because of their race is a racist action, no matter what their skin color is. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/25 "2008-09-21T09:34:09Z")
> [@JonScribe](#): > > In other words, uneducated bigots don’t bother to vote. Actually, I think they do. But it won’t matter. Obama will have about an 8-10 point lead, which will more than compensate for the 2.5 percent. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/26 "2008-09-21T10:57:14Z")
According to [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), bigot means: > [@](#): > > a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion. Most of the bigots I have met in life have been extremely liberal people who (I imagine) will probably vote for Obama. My experience is probably somewhat biased since I live in the Northeast and went to an elite college. I’m sure there are plenty of bigots who will be voting Republican. My best guess is that the number of bigots voting for the Democrats will be roughly balanced out by the number of bigots voting for the Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/27 "2008-09-21T12:37:31Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > According to [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), bigot means: > > Most of the bigots I have met in life have been extremely liberal people who (I imagine) will probably vote for Obama. My experience is probably somewhat biased since I live in the Northeast and went to an elite college. I’m sure there are plenty of bigots who will be voting Republican. > > My best guess is that the number of bigots voting for the Democrats will be roughly balanced out by the number of bigots voting for the Republicans. Bad guess. Racism is alive and well. Obama has a tough sell because of his color. In the Detroit area many bigots are not shy. They point to Kwame Kilpatrick as an example of what blacks do with power. I point to Bush as what white people do with it. But many will not vote for Obama because he is black. It is not close to balancing out. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/28 "2008-09-21T12:48:13Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Bad guess. Racism is alive and well. I didn’t mention racism at all in my post and I don’t deny that racism is rampant in the United States. But the OP asked about “bigots,” which doesn’t seem to mean quite the same thing. To be fair, the OP probably was using the word “bigot” to mean “a white person who has anti-black sentiment” By that definition, I agree that there are lots of “bigots” in the country and that these “bigots” are likely to undermine Obama’s chances of winning the election. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/29 "2008-09-21T12:48:31Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > The Democratic party is the party that really keeps Jim Crow (i.e., the victim mentality) alive. As an historical side note, remove the parentheses from the quotation above and it becomes literally true - the Democrats were the ones keeping Jim Crowe alive. It was also the Democrats that foiled the introduction of federal anti-lynching laws by mounting filibusters as recently as the 1940s. ---
**Author:** ![Avumede](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/avumede/32/7235_2.png) [@Avumede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avumede)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/30 "2008-09-21T13:19:44Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > Voting or not voting for someone because of their race is a racist action, no matter what their skin color is. I think there’s a big difference between “I want all presidents to be white” and “I do not want all presidents to be white”. One is exclusionary, one is inclusionary, which is what Diogenese was saying. And I think there is a moral difference between them, in as much as the former statement necessitates that one always chooses the white candidate, while the latter statement allows an array of candidates, including whites. ---
**Author:** ![Avumede](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/avumede/32/7235_2.png) [@Avumede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avumede)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/31 "2008-09-21T13:27:07Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Right. So no single black person is responsible for aything in their lives, meaning black Americans as a whole are not responsible for anything that happens to them. The Democratic party is the party that really keeps Jim Crow (i.e., the victim mentality) alive. Well, I think we can agree that black people are responsible for things that happen in their lives. A guy robs a liquor store, he’s responsible and should go to jail. That is only reasonable. But can we say that that same black person was responsible for being poor? I don’t see how you can fault someone born into poverty, since these societal problems are caused ultimately by the slave trade. Since being poor and discriminated against are really the “troubles of blacks”, I would like to hear the reason why someone would think these are the fault of the blacks. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/32 "2008-09-21T13:39:20Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Perhaps you forget how many people just simply hate Clinton just _because_. No, but they’re almost all tighty-righties. Not a single Democratic vote would have been lost by a Clinton candidacy, and very few independents. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/33 "2008-09-21T13:40:03Z")
> [@JonScribe](#): > > . . . that there are enough people who disregard such considerations that they will overwhelm the votes of those who are led by their prejudices. Normally this would be true. But in such a tight race, even a small minority of bigots can seriously tip the scale, especially in the “battleground” states. And yes, the bigots are out there; and yes, they will vote in record numbers; and yes, it could cost Obama the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/34 "2008-09-21T13:40:37Z")
> [@Avumede](#): > > I think there’s a big difference between “I want all presidents to be white” and “I do not want all presidents to be white”. > > One is exclusionary, one is inclusionary, which is what Diogenese was saying. And I think there is a moral difference between them, in as much as the former statement necessitates that one always chooses the white candidate, while the latter statement allows an array of candidates, including whites. How about: 1. Given a choice between a white and a non-white, I will always vote for the white. 2. Given a choice between a black and a non-black, I will always vote for the black. From what I’ve seen, blacks can be just as racist and exclusionary, as whites or any other group. Given the opportunity, anyone can be a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/35 "2008-09-21T13:49:37Z")
I would like to see a similar poll that measures how having a black Democratic candidate impacts blacks who might have voted for John McCain. I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume some blacks that would otherwise vote Republican would vote for Obama for racial reasons. I will go so far as to predict the smallest percentage of the black vote for a Republican in modern election history. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/36 "2008-09-21T14:02:41Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > This is a fraudulent comparison. There’s a difference between trying to get somebody into a tent and trying to keep them out. So if I say I’m voting for McCain because I think there should be more old white men in Washington, that would be OK with you? ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/37 "2008-09-21T14:28:14Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > So if I say I’m voting for McCain because I think there should be more old white men in Washington, that would be OK with you? I’m voting for McCain because I think there should be more hot white women…period. (That’s a JOKE, people…) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/38 "2008-09-21T14:28:46Z")
[Interesting article](http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/15/ohio/), and [this one](http://www.slate.com/id/2198397/), not the first I’ve read on the topic. There’s a fear that there’s stealth gap in the polls, that people are not stating their real commitment over fears of being perceived as racist–read this the other day, can’t find the article. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/39 "2008-09-21T15:16:11Z")
Obama got [heckled](http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2B0SbafWmP8MdULXrPlL2tKrY9Q) at a rally in Florida the other day by a group of african americans who claim he is selling out the black community. I don’t know how widespread is the sentiment, nor do I know exactly what is its basis, but there is also that kind of stuff going on… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503/40 "2008-09-21T15:31:27Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > Voting or not voting for someone because of their race is a racist action, no matter what their skin color is. Nope. Voting AGAINST somebody because of their race is racist. Voting against Obama because he is black is exclusionary and racist. Voting FOR him because he’s black is inclusionary, not exclusionary. It’s not a vote against whitey and it’s lame to pretend that it is. Trying get somebody into the tent is not the same as trying to keep them out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-bigots-cost-obama-the-presidency/464503.md?page=3)