The racial Race

[Duemellon]

Okay, I plan on using this thread simply to point out when the media, surveyors, political pundits, & basically everyone else but the candidates themselves (but including their staff, employees, wives, & such) artificially inject race into the discussion. I seriously doubt the subject of age will be forcibly teased out into the open by anyone.

So, when Obama says something like he doesn't think like "those people" & someone immediately says it's about race (those people? who "those people"? Black people?) or when McCain says Katrina was bad but we've recovered & someone whips out a survey saying 90% of Blacks don't think so...

Yah, that stuff.

I just want to point out how the candidates are simply not going to be able to avoid this even if during the entire campaign they don't say a single word. Someone listening to what they say will twist it for print & simply polarize it according to race.

[upwithpeople]

Wow, this thread is almost meta.

[berzerker]

Duemellon brought up race first!

[Frost]

Delete this and put it in the conspiracy thread, professor Hawking :P

[Duemellon]

Hey, thanks guys for making this thread instantly hostile! Nothing like trying to prove your point by making everyone as uncomfortable as possible about it with your derision & fear.

Way to go team!

Now, back to the purpose of this thread which was and still is to point out how this society's media will ensure this race is about race.

[Breeze]

Now, back to the purpose of this thread which was and still is to point out how this society's media will ensure this race is about race.
And if they don't, someone else surely will. :p

[Lenny Krapitz]

Now, back to the purpose of this thread which was and still is to point out how this society's media will ensure this race is about race.didnt u already? thread over.

[Homsar]

Well hey, every other president has been a white guy. Other than that, there's really no good reason to bring it up, but someone will. I just don't feel a vibe in people that tells me that race will play a major role in deciding the presidency. Maybe it's in the back of peoples' minds, but I think this time will be more about exactly how far each candidate distances himself from G.W.B.

[DaHood]

We don't need a black president, we just need one that isn't red. ;) I don't give a fuck what his race is. How's that for turning the tables?

[Duemellon]

And if they don't, someone else surely will. :pdidnt u already? thread over.Amazingly... I did. Did you notice?

But was that the point of this thread. No. It wasn't. In fact, the purpose of this thread is to point out when the media (or non-candidates) start bringing it up when it's not important & begin the polarization. Talking about race isn't illegal, a crime, or the immediate faux pas, but be real: It's going to be made a factor in this election no matter how artfully the candidates dodge it or begrudgingly accept it.

[Breeze]

but be real: It's going to be made a factor in this election no matter how artfully the candidates dodge it or begrudgingly accept it.
So... if they talk about it (i.e., accept it), it's an issue. If they don't talk about it (i.e., dodge it), it's an issue.

Yeah, I don't see how we'll avoid it now. :rolleyes:

[Duemellon]

So... if they talk about it (i.e., accept it), it's an issue. If they don't talk about it (i.e., dodge it), it's an issue.

Yeah, I don't see how we'll avoid it now. :rolleyes:Yah, you got the thread right when you said:And if they don't, someone else surely willBecause this thread is to point out when the "someone else" does & it's the media or the other campaign people (other than the candidates themselves).Uhm... if they (candidates) talk about it (bring it up independently) it's something to point out because the public will see them as playing the race card... one way or the other.

If they (candidates) don't bring it up, then it's not an issue they're bringing up. However, this thread isn't about when the candidates bring it up, it's about when those associated with the candidates bring it up OR when the media injects it into the discussion.In other words:Even though the candidates can make every effort to avoid it, the media & other campaigneers will make it an issue. This thread is to document it when the others bring it up to be polarizing, sensational, or otherwise insipid.This is not a thread to talk about the racial-issue itself, but what the media & campaigneers are doing with it.

I believe most of the early respondents didn't read that in the 1st opening statements & didn't try to see the approach this thread is taking. If they did then their comments don't make sense in relation to that.

[Frost]

Young voters: Obama's race as an asset, non-issue

CHICAGO - For young voters, Rosa Parks' refusal to sit at the back of a bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955 is schoolbook history. Even the racially charged 1992 riots in Los Angeles are a distant memory.
ADVERTISEMENT

The United States is far from a blueprint for racial harmony, but for today's young adults — all born after segregation was outlawed in the mid-1960s — race is not the issue it once was.

They have grown up with Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan among their highest-profile and wealthiest role models. And in their everyday lives, they are much more likely than their elders to have friends of another race, studies show.

Is it any wonder, then, that young adults have been the most willing age group to support a black man for president?

Primary exit polls conducted for The Associated Press illustrate the generational shift that has helped Barack Obama secure the Democratic presidential nomination. About 56 percent of Democrats younger than age 30 supported Obama. That number dropped steadily with each age bracket to a low of 30 percent for voters 65 and older.

Many young voters say a diverse background is an asset for a candidate.

"Rather than just being tolerant of race, we embrace and accept our differences," says Alisha Thomas Morgan, a 29-year-old black state lawmaker in Georgia. "We all recognize that racism still exists. But I think younger people are much more willing to get over it."

They also are more accustomed to seeing people of color in positions of power. The country has, for instance, had a black secretary of state for the past seven-plus years.

"I shouldn't say we're taking it for granted. But it's not especially strange to us," says Tobin Van Ostern, a junior at George Washington University who is spending his summer in Chicago as a leader for Students for Barack Obama.

Van Ostern, who is white, says he understands that Obama's victory is historic.

"But it's one that seems appropriate for the direction the country is going," he says. "In numerous ways, it presents a new image of the United States to the world.

[frizgolf]

Primary exit polls conducted for The Associated Press illustrate the generational shift that has helped Barack Obama secure the Democratic presidential nomination. About 56 percent of Democrats younger than age 30 supported Obama. That number dropped steadily with each age bracket to a low of 30 percent for voters 65 and older.

Many young voters say a diverse background is an asset for a candidate.

Trouble is, the young voters are the most inconsistent in visiting the voting booth, where the over-65 set is the most consistent.

[Frost]

Trouble is, the young voters are the most inconsistent in visiting the voting booth, where the over-65 set is the most consistent.

I agree with you (not that I have to, this is well known). But this time I think it will be different. The candidates young voters were supporting were previously about 1/4th as motivating. Usually there's some voting drive with a "name" that gets a lot of attention trying to register young voters. But this year the candidate himself is the story.

They'll still come out less than older voters simply because they have vastly less control over their lives, where they have to be and when. But I think it's going to be an interesting few days in early November.

[Duemellon]

Young voters: Obama's race as an asset, non-issueA perfect example of the introduction of race into the race when the candidates haven't said anything. Even though this is a "positive" article, the fact they felt the need to bring it up. *sigh*

It's going to get ugly, I do believe.

I have a lot of different comments about what the article was about, about how the "new generation" (which I'm part of) really believe they're racism-free... etc. But that's a different thread, different place.

[Frost]

A perfect example of the introduction of race into the race when the candidates haven't said anything.

Race has been discussed non-stop through this campaign. It's like saying "Why is CNN discussing [company]'s policies on discrimination, if the companies themselves haven't brought it up?

You know I love you man, but this thread is really nonsensical. Unless you're trying to do something where I'd be like "I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE" and I'm too clueless to get it.

In which case you gotta start pming me more, cause I'm a zombie in the a.m., you know that :P

[locofly]

It's going to get ugly, I do believe.


I certainly believe there's a possibility. There will be plenty of different angles they take in terms of the story, but where do we cross the line? Ya know? For instance, at what point does the racial breakdown of voting and polling become irresponsible?

[akip]

i heard on one of the shows that he could turn out enough of an increase in new black and young voters to give mccain a run for his money in states like north carolina and georgia. even if he merely forces mccain to spend his more limited funds defending those red states, he's increasing his advantage elsewhere.

race is a huge demographic factor and there won't be a day when it's not discussed, play by play.

[Duemellon]

You know I love you man, but this thread is really nonsensical. Unless you're trying to do something where I'd be like "I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE" and I'm too clueless to get it.The point of it is to illustrate how people talk about "this or that" candidate playing the race card, when in fact, they didn't. It's the media. It also details just how the media is the mechanism behind introducing & focusing on race when it's really trying to not be an issue.

It'll show just how often & absurdly the media & campaigneers will try to be divisive as we watch the race morph into a battle of race. Not just a battle between candidates & issues.

[dannyboy]

A typical rant on Craigslist from a right winger... (http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/rnr/708347348.html) :rolleyes:

Obama (the end)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: pers-708347348@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-05, 7:12AM EDT


I think that this is it! Obama is the anti-christ. It is just how the bible said it will happen. Crazy weather.Tornados,floods,hurricanes,fires. Then Obama will get elected. After that starts the 7 years and then the end......Have you accepted Jesus as your savior or are you going to wait until you have your "proof" and hope he lets you repent??
Vote Obama and vote for the end of the world!
Come on who in the world would vote for this guy with that kind of name. It amazes me every day to see people interested in this idiot!
Hussein????? This is who we want as our president???
CRAZY!!!!
Mark my words-he is the anti-christ.

[epeolatry]

A typical rant on Craigslist from a right winger... (http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/rnr/708347348.html) :rolleyes:

Obama (the end)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: pers-708347348@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-05, 7:12AM EDT


I think that this is it! Obama is the anti-christ. It is just how the bible said it will happen. Crazy weather.Tornados,floods,hurricanes,fires. Then Obama will get elected. After that starts the 7 years and then the end......Have you accepted Jesus as your savior or are you going to wait until you have your "proof" and hope he lets you repent??
Vote Obama and vote for the end of the world!
Come on who in the world would vote for this guy with that kind of name. It amazes me every day to see people interested in this idiot!
Hussein????? This is who we want as our president???
CRAZY!!!!
Mark my words-he is the anti-christ.

jesus... people are insane.

knowing a lot of well-intentioned liberals who haven't even started to deconstruct their white privilege, I'm ready to start hearing people I actually know say things like I'm not racist, I voted for a black man!

Due, I think this is a good thread-- I like the idea of one-stop-shopping all the pundit stuff specifically on race.

[akip]

there's buzz about dropping some bomb on michelle, even though nothing has surfaced. but innuendo might be enough in the backwaters.

[Duemellon]

Due, I think this is a good thread-- I like the idea of one-stop-shopping all the pundit stuff specifically on race.Yah, I was hoping the actual 2008 campaign threads could avoid being taken down that path when/if such crap surfaces by introducing this outlet as well. The ridiculousness of it all deserves a big Sharpie highlighter over it.

While the rest of the nation deals with the race issue we may have an opportunity to be sure to separate them clearly.

[REMgirl]

Akip, there was a video of Michelle at a church meeting where she goes on a rant against "Whitey". It was supposed to be released by someone to Fox News on Tuesday as a giant bombshell. However, it never got out.

Here's a breakdown of what it possibly might have been. This is from John Cole at Balloon Juice:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=10506

Pretty lame. :rolleyes:

[Frost]

Already debunked. She was saying "why'd he" do such-and-such, and some fool trying to get famous was wanting it to be her saying "whitey".

By the way - craigslist is not the media.

If anything, I think the media is going to focus on what people say about race - not ascribing it to the candidates.

But this is a silly thread. Because it's the first truly viable nonwhite candidate in the history of the country. You should turn in your mensa card if you think it's outrageous that race is a major focus for the media.

It's part of the discussion. If it were or is hillary, her being female would be the focus.

We both know a real, out in the open conversation on race has been a long time coming and has never happened. Now it should, for obvious reasons.

So don't make a thread like this and then turn every mention into a negative with "ugh"s thrown in. Instead, use the opening these reports provide to learn about how other people feel, share how you feel, and progress the discussion past the points where you've been getting stuck at for oh, say the last 10 years.

Don't waste this time with negative framing, use what opportunities arise to find common ground and move the discussion forward.

Ok? At least consider doing that.

[frizgolf]

It's part of the discussion. If it were or is hillary, her being female would be the focus.

We both know a real, out in the open conversation on race has been a long time coming and has never happened. Now it should, for obvious reasons.

S'what I'm thinking.
BTW, I never took the 1st post here as being negative. Just keeping an eye on the media.

[frizgolf]

Already debunked. She was saying "why'd he" do such-and-such, and some fool trying to get famous was wanting it to be her saying "whitey".


About as harmless as using the word "niggardly".

(Who was that? I'm so glad that died down.)

[akip]

i think the best position is to understand it's all coming, and everything that can be exploited disreputably will be via the usual venues---especially the under-the-radar tom toms, where truth is moot. but also understand that the scuzz campaign doesn't represent all there is or will be. obama is a formidable politician. he has a good shot, but must wage a fantastic campaign.

i sent in my first contribution last night---heard that he needs to introduce himself positively now, BEFORE the 527s kick in full force in the fall.

[Duemellon]

If anything, I think the media is going to focus on what people say about race - not ascribing it to the candidates.

But this is a silly thread. Because it's the first truly viable nonwhite candidate in the history of the country. You should turn in your mensa card if you think it's outrageous that race is a major focus for the media.No, I don't think it's "outrageous" but the degree it will be brought up will change the current atmosphere of the campaign. That's what I'm saying.

Currently we all know there's a story about a Black man possibly being president. We don't need to be reminded, asked about our opinion about the race issue, nor do we need the media (or campaigneers) doing that for us. When they start pointing fingers & breaking out the microscope, we should break out the microscope on them & their behavior.

It's not about being outraged that race is an issue in this race, but that people will harp on it when it's unnecessary. When they are persistently pandering to that. I truly believe it's gonna get worse.It's part of the discussion. If it were or is hillary, her being female would be the focus.Yes, if she somehow (thankfully didn't) managed the candidacy I do believe I'd've created this thread for her. Well, not the exact thread, but about genders.We both know a real, out in the open conversation on race has been a long time coming and has never happened. Now it should, for obvious reasons.I seriously doubt we'll have a real discussion about it, even with this prompt. That's part of the motivation for this thread. Just to monitor it's progress. See how it's done.

Asking people to talk about race isn't the same as a simple poll asking if race effects their vote.Instead, use the opening these reports provide to learn about how other people feel, share how you feel, and progress the discussion past the points where you've been getting stuck at for oh, say the last 10 years.Most of the people on this board are intelligent enough about race & conscious about it to have that discussion without this prompt. Using his candidacy to talk about race, as well, is just piggybacking & pork-barrelling or whatever you want to call it. To me, it's more important to focus on the issues & character of the candidates, even while society degrades it to a discussion equality & white guilt.

So I had considered it, but I just don't feel it's appropriate to leverage it to talk about race, but to talk about how society is obsessed with race & the mechanisms it uses to feed/perpetuate that obsession.

[classicgrrl]

I've got a question:

If his race is a positive in his campaigning and not a negative - is this a problem?

I view the fact that he is black as a good thing not a bad thing.

Does this make me racist?

[Duemellon]

I've got a question:

If his race is a positive in his campaigning and not a negative - is this a problem?

I view the fact that he is black as a good thing not a bad thing.

Does this make me racist?This would appear to be the type of convo Frost wants to have. Could you both create a new thread?

[classicgrrl]

This would appear to be the type of convo Frost wants to have. Could you both create a new thread?

no. I'd rather bug you in yours.

:p

[Duemellon]

no. I'd rather bug you in yours.

:pwell :þ back at you! Your breath smells of elderberries!

[epeolatry]

classic, it doesn't make you racist. it makes you an optimist. :D

[classicgrrl]

well :þ back at you! Your breath smells of elderberries!

better elderberries than cat food.

me an optimist. hell hath frozen over.

[frizgolf]

A typical rant on Craigslist from a right winger... (http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/rnr/708347348.html) :rolleyes:

Obama (the end)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: pers-708347348@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-05, 7:12AM EDT


I think that this is it! Obama is the anti-christ. It is just how the bible said it will happen. Crazy weather.Tornados,floods,hurricanes,fires. Then Obama will get elected. After that starts the 7 years and then the end......Have you accepted Jesus as your savior or are you going to wait until you have your "proof" and hope he lets you repent??
Vote Obama and vote for the end of the world!
Come on who in the world would vote for this guy with that kind of name. It amazes me every day to see people interested in this idiot!
Hussein????? This is who we want as our president???
CRAZY!!!!
Mark my words-he is the anti-christ.

better elderberries than cat food.

me an optimist. hell hath frozen over.

Oh, no, it's true! :eek:

[Duemellon]

You seriously need to get over to TalkingPointsMemo or DailyKos, or your own blog or something. This beating-of-the-head-against-the-wall circle jerk that sounds EXACTLY like 140 other threads on here fits on a modern rock website bulletin board kind of like a fist fits in a rectum. Some might like it, but it's really not what it's for, you know?Who's this "you"?

What aspect sounds like 140 other threads?

Doesn't belong on a music website?

Are you ok? Or just randomly ranting?

Are you trying to hijaack this thread or disrupt it with unruly behavior & polarizing accusations?

[classicgrrl]

You POLITICAL JUNKIES seriously need to get over to TalkingPointsMemo or DailyKos, or your own blog or something. This beating-of-the-head-against-the-wall circle jerk that sounds EXACTLY like 140 other POLITICALLY CHARGED threads on here fits on a modern rock website bulletin board kind of like a fist fits in a rectum. Some might like it, but it's really not what it's for, you know?

FIXED FOR DUE.

quit pissin' on our fun and start your own thread.
boo.

[Breeze]

Hey! That was three consecutive posts that didn't mention race.

Knock it off and get back the task at hand!

[Lenny Krapitz]

A perfect example of the introduction of race into the race when the candidates haven't said anything.rather than bring more negativity to the table how about answering a question about this statement

u mentioned they havent said anything. what do u want the candidates to talk about. race? in what sense & manner. how so

without a point this thread just seems like an open forum to bitch about the problems & dust off yer hands and think u did yer job somehow

[REMgirl]

Joebob, this IS the political section after all. And I do read a lot of blogs, including Balloon Juice, Shakespeare's Sister, Mahablog, TPM, Kos, Booman Tribune, Crooks and Liars and sometimes I even venture into insanity like Redstate or Instapundit.:D

Sometimes you want to discuss politcal issues with people you're already familiar with. It's good to bounce ideas back and forth here. Surely if you don't like it, there are plenty o' music threads to post on. :p

We're not here to solve the world's problems. Just to talk out the frustration.

[upwithpeople]

Didn't Barack Obama give a pretty hugely covered, temporarily-primary-defining, JFK-compared-to speech on exactly this issue?

[Duemellon]

rather than bring more negativity to the table how about answering a question about this statement

u mentioned they havent said anything. what do u want the candidates to talk about. race? in what sense & manner. how so

without a point this thread just seems like an open forum to bitch about the problems & dust off yer hands and think u did yer job somehowYour post doesn't, at all, address or properly characterize what I said. In fact, your response seems rather standoffish as if you're bringing a lot more into the conversation than was laid out.

In other words...
It would seem you are bringing in things I haven't said. Why is that? Are you actually new here? I guess we'll deal with that later.

[epeolatry]

meh. i never understand why people come into threads they're not interested just to piss & moan about the existence of said threads.

[Lenny Krapitz]

huh

u said that u wanted the candidates to talk about it right? but talk about it in what way. do u want the senator to just come out and talk about being black? how peoples can try to get over racial divides? im trying to understand yer point. it seemed like u were just complaining. if not then what and how do u propose they address what u want them to address. thats my ?

new here? i usually lurk. guess i should go back to dointhat huh

[1979]

meh. i never understand why people come into threads they're not interested just to piss & moan about the existence of said threads.


Umm...to piss & moan? :D

[Duemellon]

huh

u said that u wanted the candidates to talk about it right?Actually I didn't say such a thing.

It was in the 1st sentence of the 1st post that created this thread. That should answer your question.

It was also said in the 1st sentence of the 2nd paragraph. Then in the last sentence of my 2nd post. It was in the 1st sentence of the 2nd paragraph in my 3rd post. It was in the 1st sentece of the 4th post and the 1st sentence of the 2nd paragraph in that same post. Then again & again in other posts.

Now if you missed it the 1st time that's kinda ok (but weird since it was the 1st sentence of the 1st paragraph) but having said it several times afterwards kinda makes me wonder if you were simply bringing some other "thing" into your interpretation than what was there. U'kno?it seemed like u were just complaining.Uhm... see this is where, if you were new to posting, you're kinda starting off on the wrong foot. That wasn't the purpose of this thread at all & thought I was clear, several times, several ways.new here? i usually lurk. guess i should go back to dointhat huhI didn't say that. I was asking a question.

I mean, if you just missed the point of what I was saying that's cool & such. It's just that you would've missed it so many times & still came up with almost the exact opposite.

And hey,
I know there will be several people who will feel this response to you seemed kinda "harsh" & if you were to retreat to lurking they'd be mad & say I reacted kinda too cruelly. However, this is CE/P & the fact you seemingly disregarded what I was saying again & again is just unsettling to me. I thought I was being very clear about it.

[Lenny Krapitz]

ah ok thxs then for explaining. i thought i knew what u were saying earlier but that whole thing about the candidates not saying anything seemed like u wanted to address it & were complainin that they weren't. just confused i guess

i too wish the media would not bring it up & it would be a nonissue but they continue to go there. which i doo not understand that either, because the majority of tv media i feel is liberal minded ?

[markalot]

ah ok thxs then for explaining. i thought i knew what u were saying

it's thanks, and you not u, and please capitalize the letters. You want to text message someone then do it, this is a message board. Christ kids these days, I tell ya.

:D

[Duemellon]

it's thanks, and you not u, and please capitalize the letters. You want to text message someone then do it, this is a message board. Christ kids these days, I tell ya.

:DWTF mate? meh. You old fart.

[Marlowe]

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1824/thread_sucks.jpg

[Shlep]

About as harmless as using the word "niggardly".

(Who was that? I'm so glad that died down.)

I believe you're thinking of a top aide/advisor to the then-newly-elected Mayor of Washington DC, Anthony Williams.

Seems that the guy used the word "niggardly" (see also: "cheap," parsimonious," "miserly") to describe how certain city funds had been disbursed by the previous administration in a meeting with a handful of other aides. As I recall, the guy sensed the sudden, palpable awkwardness that filled the room, realized what had happened, explained himself, and then (despite not actually having done anything wrong) apologized. Shortly thereafter, word of the incident made its way into the office rumor mill, and shortly thereafter it blew up in the local media. The aide in question-- who was apparently was of Williams' most effective and loyal staffers-- decided to take one for the team and submitted his resignation in the hopes of sparing his boss a protracted and idiotic mini-scandal. Williams accepted, but I think he later quietly rehired him once things quieted down and enough folks realized just how stupid the whole thing was.

Having lived for about 20 years in the general vicinity of Washington, DC, I can say that if there ever was a great case study for this thread to show just how pointless, idiotic, and stupid politics can get when race is injected into the equation...you can't do much better than DC, baby.

[Shlep]

P.S. If everyone is just sicked, tired, and "over" the issue of race in the current Presidential election...might it be appropriate to call this "The I Hate Racial Race Thread"?








"HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!! I got a *million* of 'em!! :D

[frizgolf]

P.S. If everyone is just sicked, tired, and "over" the issue of race in the current Presidential election...might it be appropriate to call this "The I Hate Racial Race Thread"?








"HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!! I got a *million* of 'em!! :D

A good pun for a copycat idea.
Good show.

[Duemellon]

Was the "terrorist fist jab" racist?

Associating Barak with terrorists has been a long standing running gag for some time due to his name. His name appears to be African in it's origin & because it's foreign & from that region it is similar to names we're used to hearing for Islamic people.

So, therefore, the tie to terrorism "works" because of his name & the fact that he's clearly non-White. I mean, we've had weird name in politics before, like Strom & crap like that.

Then, the fact they focused on a gesture that is often considered to have originated within the "Black culture" may be part of it too. By taking advantage of some's unfamiliarity with that gesture & then translating it to a tie to terrorists,... is that an example?

I mean, there's racism, there's stupidity, & then there's just Fox News. Would that have counted? Will people, whenever they bring up "Terrorist Fist Jab" implicitly be bringing race into the discussion?

[Duemellon]

Jun 12, 4:55 AM EDT
Not all Democrats falling for Obama (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UNDECIDED_DEMOCRATS?SITE=OHCIN&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT)
By BEN EVANS and SAM HANANEL
Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nothing personal, Sen. Obama, but our re-election comes first. Barack Obama, for all his attention and primary successes, does not go over so well in a fair number of Democratic lawmakers' home districts. So it seems there is little chance that some will endorse him for president.

Some are counting on Republican votes in their re-election bids. Some are newly minted and in rematches with 2006 opponents. Some may be wary of how their constituents will react to a black presidential candidate. Some, too, have made it a practice of distancing themselves from the national party, fearing the inevitable campaign ad that has their face morphing into Howard Dean, the party chairman, and Obama.

...

Obama, seeking to become the first black president, is hardly the first Democratic candidate to face such resistance. Over the years, moderates and conservatives have avoided associating with nominees going back to George McGovern in 1972 and including John Kerry in 2004. Public endorsements were not an issue in 2004 since Kerry had wrapped up the nomination early.

...

As in the past, many uncommitted Democrats are from the South, which has favored Republicans in recent elections.

Although Obama swept the region in the Democratic primaries with near-universal support from black voters, he often fared poorly among working-class whites. As a result, he is seen as an asset in some districts but a question mark at best in others.

Rep. John Barrow, for example, represents a coastal Georgia district where blacks make up more than 40 percent of registered voters, mainly in urban areas around Savannah and Augusta. Not surprisingly, Barrow - who won his last election by fewer than 900 votes - endorsed Obama in February.

But Marshall, the Democratic incumbent in a neighboring district in rural central Georgia, has stayed quiet.

Marshall's district is less than one-third black, and he needs the support of white Republicans to win, including votes from the military community around Robins Air Force Base. He faces a fresh challenge this year from a retired Air Force general.

Republican campaign strategists already have shown they want to link Democratic candidates with Obama and other national figures, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor.

In special elections last month in Mississippi and Louisiana, Democratic candidates Travis Childers and Don Cazayoux faced television ads attempting to make those connections.

But Childers and Cazayoux won surprise victories, raising questions about the strategy's effectiveness.
___________________________________________

You might want to read the entire article to be sure to get the feel as to why they brought up race, but I"m a bit uncertain the race issue should've been mentioned at all. It's relevence was limited when considering the quotes from the other candidates & there were times race was mentioned in a paragraph but not explained/detailed until somewhere else.

There are places where the race issue is brought up & it seems more relevent than other times (mostly later in the article).

[Breeze]

http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/06/11/fox_obama/story.jpg

[Duemellon]

http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/06/11/fox_obama/story.jpgYah, I ... uhm... yah.

[Duemellon]

Now this one was wholly unexpected...
____________________________
Page last updated at 08:23 GMT, Thursday, 12 June 2008 09:23 UK

Gaddafi attacks Obama on Israel (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7450000.stm)

Libya's leader has strongly criticised US presidential candidate Barack Obama for saying Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel.

...Col Gaddafi's defiant and famously politically incorrect rhetoric returned when talking about Mr Obama towards the end of the speech.

"The statements of our Kenyan brother of American nationality Obama on Jerusalem... show that he either ignores international politics and did not study the Middle East conflict or that it is a campaign lie," he said.

"We fear that Obama will feel that, because he is black with an inferiority complex, this will make him behave worse than the whites."

"This will be a tragedy," Gaddafi said. "We tell him to be proud of himself as a black and feel that all Africa is behind him."

[upwithpeople]

Jun 12, 4:55 AM EDT
Not all Democrats falling for Obama (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UNDECIDED_DEMOCRATS?SITE=OHCIN&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT)
By BEN EVANS and SAM HANANEL
Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nothing personal, Sen. Obama, but our re-election comes first. Barack Obama, for all his attention and primary successes, does not go over so well in a fair number of Democratic lawmakers' home districts. So it seems there is little chance that some will endorse him for president.This article isn't so much about race being an election issue, or race-baiting by the media, as it is about the absolute failure of the Democratic Party to act like grown ups and stop shooting themselves in the foot. It's a pretty sad fucking state of affairs.

Oh, and it's also about morons.

[akip]

well, the latest snapshot polls show obama gaining ground in key so-called hillary groups--women, blue collar and hispanics---and on mccain. what obama maniacs don't get is that he's still, to the country at large, an out-of-left-field, not terribly well known and therefore BLACK guy. it's up to his campaign to move that image toward familiarity so that his race is no longer the first thing voters notice about him. that doesn't happen overnight.

he also still needs to speak more plainly and convincingly about kitchen table issues. if people feel that he connects to their concerns, they'll move past the race thing. hillary did it and they bypassed the hate-hillary thing.

[1979]

Was the "terrorist fist jab" racist?

Associating Barak with terrorists has been a long standing running gag for some time due to his name. His name appears to be African in it's origin & because it's foreign & from that region it is similar to names we're used to hearing for Islamic people.

So, therefore, the tie to terrorism "works" because of his name & the fact that he's clearly non-White. I mean, we've had weird name in politics before, like Strom & crap like that.

Then, the fact they focused on a gesture that is often considered to have originated within the "Black culture" may be part of it too. By taking advantage of some's unfamiliarity with that gesture & then translating it to a tie to terrorists,... is that an example?

I mean, there's racism, there's stupidity, & then there's just Fox News. Would that have counted? Will people, whenever they bring up "Terrorist Fist Jab" implicitly be bringing race into the discussion?


Holy shit dude. You are reaching here.

[slopechz]

Holy shit dude. You are reaching here.

Not so sure about that.

[1979]

Not so sure about that.


1. "Then, the fact they focused on a gesture that is often considered to have originated within the "Black culture" may be part of it too."

Really? The first time I ever saw the fist bump was with these two :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Wonder_Twins.jpg


2. "I mean, there's racism, there's stupidity, & then there's just Fox News."

The news anchor didn't even come up with the term. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_pound), the term "Hezbollah-style fist jabbing" was used by a magazine called "Human Events".

3. "Will people, whenever they bring up "Terrorist Fist Jab" implicitly be bringing race into the discussion?"

No. They will be talking about Fox News, and how much they hate democrats, and how stupid people can be, etc.

However, if we can tie race into every single subject matter ever, well, then I guess we will always "be bringing race into the discussion".

[epeolatry]

http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/06/11/fox_obama/story.jpg

i was just about to post that.

[Duemellon]

1. "Then, the fact they focused on a gesture that is often considered to have originated within the "Black culture" may be part of it too."

Really? The first time I ever saw the fist bump was with these two :Note: "Often considered to have originated". Why so absolute in your response?2. "I mean, there's racism, there's stupidity, & then there's just Fox News."

The news anchor didn't even come up with the term. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_pound), the term "Hezbollah-style fist jabbing" was used by a magazine called "Human Events".Who said they came up with the term? It still doesn't make their claim any smarter. Especially when considering they didn't even cite such information in the rest of their show.3. "Will people, whenever they bring up "Terrorist Fist Jab" implicitly be bringing race into the discussion?"

No. They will be talking about Fox News, and how much they hate democrats, and how stupid people can be, etc.

However, if we can tie race into every single subject matter ever, well, then I guess we will always "be bringing race into the discussion".Well then that's cool if you feel that. I was asking the question if it was a stretch. The question that keeps coming up for many people out there (too many, unfortunately) is what is Obama's ethnicity? Black, mixed, or Muslim? Of course, "Muslim" isn't a race, but those same people who keep considering him "Muslim" dispite overwhelming evidence to the contrary wouldn't make that distinction. They'd assume Mulsim is the Middle Eastern much like Jews are Jewish.

So I was asking. That's what this thread is for.

[1979]

So I was asking. That's what this thread is for.

I thought this thread was to point out where the media brought race into a discussion where it wasn't needed. From the first post :

"Okay, I plan on using this thread simply to point out when the media, surveyors, political pundits, & basically everyone else but the candidates themselves (but including their staff, employees, wives, & such) artificially inject race into the discussion."

However, when you posted your comments about the "terrorist fist jab", you brought race into the discussion - not Fox News.

Someone listening to what they say will twist it for print & simply polarize it according to race.

Isn't that what you did? That's why I think it was a stretch. You connected terrorist fist jab with race. Not Fox News.

[DaHood]

This article isn't so much about race being an election issue, or race-baiting by the media, as it is about the absolute failure of the Democratic Party to act like grown ups and stop shooting themselves in the foot. It's a pretty sad fucking state of affairs.

Oh, and it's also about morons.The Democrats are full of fail. Mark my words, McCain will be President. If there is one thing the Republicans do better than the Democrats, it is stick to their party. I don't care what some of these Republicans say about hating McCain, when it comes down to it they'll vote for him to keep Obama out.

Personally, I hate of them all but the Republicans must go. I'm just not very hopeful that they will.

[Duemellon]

Isn't that what you did? That's why I think it was a stretch. You connected terrorist fist jab with race. Not Fox News.Uhm... I asked if it was a connection or not. You're kinda acting like I made the claim it was definite or some sort've "obvious" thing.

Thus, that's what this thread was about. Finding those times when the did/do & I was asking if it qualified. Not declaring that it did.

[Duemellon]

And don't forget, this is about anytime race is brought up, not just when the Cons do, but when/if the Libs do.

[upwithpeople]

Uhm... I asked if it was a connection or not. You're kinda acting like I made the claim it was definite or some sort've "obvious" thing.

Thus, that's what this thread was about. Finding those times when the did/do & I was asking if it qualified. Not declaring that it did.You're such a coward on your stances, living in these gray areas of semantics.

Fox News didn't claim it was a "terrorist fist bump." They asked if it was a "terrorist fist bump." That's what the news is about. Finding those times when is/isn't needs to be qualified. Not declaring that it did.

[Duemellon]

You're such a coward on your stances, living in these gray areas of semantics.So I'm supposed to be definite & absolute in my stances, resolute with conviction & vowed to hold my view in the face of all challenges & opinion like you?

[upwithpeople]

So I'm supposed to be definite & absolute in my stances, resolute with conviction & vowed to hold my view in the face of all challenges & opinion like you?I think it would be enough if you hold that you held views.

Everyone understands that it would be difficult for you to have as much conviction and resolution as someone like me.

Ok, well that's enough of that. I'm not trying to make you look bad here. From now on.

[Duemellon]

Nader: Obama 'talking white' (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/25/nader-critical-of-obama-for-trying-to-talk-white/)

By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader accused Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic Party nominee, of downplaying poverty issues, trying to "talk white" and appealing to "white guilt" during his run for the White House.

...

Economic exploitation

Nader was asked if Obama is any different than Democrats he has criticized in the past, considering Obama's pledge to reject campaign contributions from registered lobbyists.

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader said. "Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."

...

Asked to clarify whether he thought Obama does try to "talk white," Nader said: "Of course.

"I mean, first of all, the number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas, and have a very detailed platform about how the poor is going to be defended by the law, is going to be protected by the law, and is going to be liberated by the law," Nader said. "Haven't heard a thing."

...

'Appeal to white guilt'

Nader said he is not impressed with Obama and that he does not see him campaigning often enough in low-income, predominantly minority communities where there is a "shocking" amount of economic exploitation.

He pointed to issues like predatory lending, shortages of health care and municipal resources, environmental issues and others.

"He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician," Nader said. "He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

[Duemellon]

If, by "White" Nader meant he talks about the same subjects from a viewpoint dodging sensitive topics about race, inequality regarding opportunity & economics, & other known disproportionate results... then "duh". He's going to get a lot of milage out of avoiding those topics (unlike Jesse Jackson, who's platform was based on it & Al Sharpton who was associated with it before his latest bid last cycle).

If you mean, he talks with an accent & vocabulary like Whites... again... "duh". Where'd he go to school? Who's he talking to? Gimme a break.

If you mean, he's avoiding the economically depressed areas & trying to directly mobilize the disenfranchized people of the 2nd-class demographics? duh, he's mobilizing them without ever stepping foot on their asphalt.

Sometimes people state the obvious as if it's a mystery & instead out themselves as someone who almost didn't "get it".

[akip]

i think taking advice from nadar on how to get elected is not such a good idea.

[juggles]

i think taking advice from nadar on how to get elected is not such a good idea.

Good point. Buckle up Ralph.

[drougan]

I think at this point, the only way Obama would be black would be disingenuously black.

[Shlep]

I can't help but wonder why it is that so much has been made-- and continues to be made-- about Obama being a black man, as well as what his being a black man means vis-a-vis his bid to occupy the Oval Office, when it is common knowledge that he is half white. I have to wonder how things would play out if Obama favored his maternal lineage to the point where he tended to pass for being white, and during his campaign it was his black side that was downplayed.

With regards to the idea that Obama's "foreign-sounding" name might be a source of uneasiness and trepidation for voters: I find it rather ironic that this could in fact bear significantly on his ongoing efforts to become the chief executive of a country where the majority of its 300,000,000 or so citizens are descended from immgrants with "foreign-sounding" names.

As for this business of people making voting decisions which are heavily influenced by variables such as whether or not one of the candidates has a middle name which just happens to be the same last name as the deceased dictator of Iraq (and which is also one of the most common names in the whole of the Arab world)...well, I'm not worried too much. Most people I've been acquainted with over the years who really are that stupid don't vote, and I feel confident that if they did, they'd probably stroll into their local polling site on election day, walk right past the voting stations and into the bathroom, and shortly thereafter leave thinking that they cast a vote when they pulled the lever that flushes one of the upright pissers.

[akip]

I can't help but wonder why it is that so much has been made-- and continues to be made-- about Obama being a black man, as well as what his being a black man means vis-a-vis his bid to occupy the Oval Office, when it is common knowledge that he is half white. I have to wonder how things would play out if Obama favored his maternal lineage to the point where he tended to pass for being white, and during his campaign it was his black side that was downplayed.

With regards to the idea that Obama's "foreign-sounding" name might be a source of uneasiness and trepidation for voters: I find it rather ironic that this could in fact bear significantly on his ongoing efforts to become the chief executive of a country where the majority of its 300,000,000 or so citizens are descended from immgrants with "foreign-sounding" names.

As for this business of people making voting decisions which are heavily influenced by variables such as whether or not one of the candidates has a middle name which just happens to be the same last name as the deceased dictator of Iraq (and which is also one of the most common names in the whole of the Arab world)...well, I'm not worried too much. Most people I've been acquainted with over the years who really are that stupid don't vote, and I feel confident that if they did, they'd probably stroll into their local polling site on election day, walk right past the voting stations and into the bathroom, and shortly thereafter leave thinking that they cast a vote when they pulled the lever that flushes one of the upright pissers.

i thought you lived in tennessee for a while. from this post, one would think you'd never set foot off a college campus.:p

as for the threat of foreign-sounding names, we're not at war with mussolini anymore. hence, giuliani sounds less terrorist-friendly than oBama.

[drougan]

He should have started writing it O'Bama and tried to pass for Irish. :rolleyes:

[Duemellon]

I do believe, for the sake of referencing such things later, the post starting this thread (http://woxy.com/boards/showthread.php?p=1375185#post1375185) goes here.http://www.nypost.com/seven/07092008/news/nationalnews/jesse_jackson_sharply_criticizes_obama_119161.htm

well, at least it's not as bad as "hymie-town".

[Duemellon]

Jesse Jackson has always been a self-promoting fraud.I am always disappointed when people take such a stance when they look at someone who is speaking up against what they view is wrong in a public forum.

The moment they say something, you can accuse them of trying to "house the mic" & beaugaurd the camera simply because you believe what they're saying is absurd or just incorrect. Therefore, the logic would be, if they are saying stuff that even they don't believe, they're just saying stuff to say stuff.

C'mon, people can actually believe such things that their saying, even if you're stunned that any person out there could possibly harbor such views. He's not being disengeniune, he's just being printed. If reporters spent every day following you around with mics waiting for you to say something print-worthy, eventually they'd get some "absurd declaration soundbyte" & others would start thinking you're just a megaphone grandstander.Well, there it is: the first public figure to say, without quite saying it, that Obama ain't black enough.See the post in this thread about Nader (http://woxy.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1369304&postcount=75). He already did.

A few others have already complained that he isn't addressing or discussing issues about civil rights & has no history of being active in such movements & therefore isn't a candidate for change in racial equality & further therefore isn't concerned enough about "Black issues" to be someone they can support.

I've heard that a few times before this already.

[akip]

C'mon, people can actually believe such things that their saying, even if you're stunned that any person out there could possibly harbor such views. He's not being disengeniune, he's just being printed.

so the rev and many of his generation, having fought for civil rights, are uncomfortable with obama's emphasis on personal responsibility rather than on racism per se. sounds honest to me.

[Duemellon]

so the rev and many of his generation, having fought for civil rights, are uncomfortable with obama's emphasis on personal responsibility rather than on racism per se. sounds honest to me.Well, Bill Cosby's been saying that for decades. When he said it, he was intentionally misquoted & reducto absurdum'd to death. Then people said he was being divisive in the black community & trying to present himself as bourgois black.

It's called the "Black conservatism" movement. It's been around a long long time. In fact, Jesse Jackson preached it for a long long while, so I don't understand why he's uncomfortable with someone promoting such a thing. I guess he's working off of newspaper quotes & hasn't been invited to meet/talk with Obama.

Which is totally logical to me. Obama, whether or not he truly respects Jackson & Sharpton, can't afford to look as militant nor as bent on race-relations as they are. He just needs to appear to be a "new breed" of Blacks who look past the racism & see nothing but bunnies & duckies.

If anything, Jackson's complaints about him boost Obama's favorability with those concerned Obama will turn all "Malcolm X"... heck... they don't even want him to turn "King Jr." on them! They just want him to stay all Bryant Gumbel & Wayne Brady like.

[akip]

If anything, Jackson's complaints about him boost Obama's favorability with those concerned Obama will turn all "Malcolm X"... heck... they don't even want him to turn "King Jr." on them! They just want him to stay all Bryant Gumbel & Wayne Brady like.


will smith. bryant is crankier.

[drougan]

will smith. bryant is crankier.

You forgot about Morgan Freeman as well.

[monkey neck]

You forgot about Morgan Freeman as well.

And Vanilla Ice.

[drougan]

And Vanilla Ice.

That's perhaps the most racially insensitve thing I've heard all week.

[Duemellon]

Obama's "dollar bill" response...

Was that the race card or did McCain with his counter-response? or did McCain play it with the political ad in the 1st place with Hilton & Spears?

[markalot]

Politician states the obvious, gets burned.

[Duemellon]

UPPITY.... It was only a matter of time before Republican officials shifted from oblique racially-charged language to brazen racially-charged language.

Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term "uppity" to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday. Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama. "Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.

Asked to clarify that he used the word "uppity," Westmoreland said, "Uppity, yeah."

Now, one is tempted to note how truly absurd it is that a Republican feels comfortable calling the Democratic candidate part of "an elitist-class" when the GOP nominee owns so many homes, he's lost count. But let's put that aside.

Lynn Westmoreland is a white, right-wing southerner who, not too long ago, took a bold stand against reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. For him to smear the first major-party African-American presidential nominee as "uppity" is ... what's the word I'm looking for here ... unacceptable.
—Steve Benen

Link (http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_09/014560.php)It deserved to be archived.

[Breeze]

It deserved to be archived.
Thanks, Due. I meant to cross-post that here. :cool:

[the happy prole]

Sarah Palin is apparently hot. Michelle Obama, not so much.

Why?

[Duemellon]

I will say that since the inception of this thread I was waiting for someone to start a copycat thread of "The Agist Race". Of course, there should now be "The Sexist Thread"

[Unrequited]

Sarah Palin is apparently hot. Michelle Obama, not so much.

Why?

You got me...I think Michelle Obama is hot and Sarah Palin looks like Peggy Hill.

[clonE]

You got me...I think Michelle Obama is hot and Sarah Palin looks like Peggy Hill.

Awesome, she is totally Peggy Hill a decade prior to the show!

Physically, I think are both are hot, the only way I could choose between them would probably involve a threesome.

I finally heard Palin speak, she does not sound smart [nor does Peggy Hill though]. Plus, lying is generally a bad trait, so that was another strike against her.

I haven't heard Michelle's voice yet, but my vote has never been in doubt so I'm not going out of my way to hear anyone.

[markalot]

M. Obama's voice is rather pleasant to listen too, Palin gives me a headache. I turned the volume down and thought the speech was great.

[Breeze]

Sarah Palin is apparently hot. Michelle Obama, not so much.

Why?
Beats me. I don't see Palin as anything more than pleasant-looking, in a bank-teller sort of way.

[Breeze]

Palin gives me a headache. I turned the volume down and thought the speech was great.
I get this, too. Palin has the same kind of grating tone that Hillary has--like there's a frequency she hits that just resonates in an annoying way, regardless of what's actually being said.

[the happy prole]

I will say that since the inception of this thread I was waiting for someone to start a copycat thread of "The Agist Race". Of course, there should now be "The Sexist Thread"

I'm serious about it. Michelle Obama is a fairly attractive black woman, and that's kind of been mentioned here and there, but not in the same way as people seem to be drooling over Sarah Palin.

Is it because of how Michelle Obama dresses and handles herself? Or is it one of those "there are hardly ever black women in Playboy" things? Are the equally attractive but it's the difference between VP and First Lady? Or between how Republicans and Democrats view attractive women? Does Sarah Palin's supposed hotness help or hurt her?

I think there is some interesting interplay between race, politics, and sex going on here.

[Unrequited]

I'm serious about it. Michelle Obama is a fairly attractive black woman, and that's kind of been mentioned here and there, but not in the same way as people seem to be drooling over Sarah Palin.

Is it because of how Michelle Obama dresses and handles herself? Or is it one of those "there are hardly ever black women in Playboy" things? Are the equally attractive but it's the difference between VP and First Lady? Or between how Republicans and Democrats view attractive women? Does Sarah Palin's supposed hotness help or hurt her?

I think there is some interesting interplay between race, politics, and sex going on here.

The people who drool over Palin the most are Republicans. Frankly, I don't care what a female VP candidate looks like. But, since the vast majority of Republicans are white males, you get the white pinup VP opinion espoused more.

[upwithpeople]

The people who drool over Palin the most are Republicans. Frankly, I don't care what a female VP candidate looks like. But, since the vast majority of Republicans are white males, you get the white pinup VP opinion espoused more.Certain people want to relate. They want their politicians to either be guys they'd drink with at a bar, or women they could possibly take home from a bar. That's Sarah Palin. She's sassy and sassy, but if you can trick her into losing count on her lemon drops, you'll see her boobies. One hopes.

Michelle Obama might be smarter than I am. And Obama too. That's not what I call a leader. I don't want things to seem like I'm not good enough to do them. I want regular joes doing hard jobs, because then it's like I'm doing them too, because I sure am not going to stop watching TV and eating McDonald's and saying 'Merica and staying blind to our trajectory to third-world status.

[akip]

michelle's not only MUCH more fashion-forward than palin, she's got these incredibly long arms and she could grab that beehive and have palin down on the ground with her arms twisted behind her back before you could say, "i've never been proud of my country before now..."

[Duemellon]

...you could say, "i've never been proud of my country before now..."You mean "I've never been as proud of my country as I am now" which is the more accurate quote... of the would-be proned & pwned VP.Certain people want to relate. They want their politicians to either be guys they'd drink with at a bar, or women they could possibly take home from a bar. That's Sarah Palin. She's sassy and sassy, but if you can trick her into losing count on her lemon drops, you'll see her boobies. One hopes.

Michelle Obama might be smarter than I am. And Obama too. That's not what I call a leader. I don't want things to seem like I'm not good enough to do them. I want regular joes doing hard jobs, because then it's like I'm doing them too, because I sure am not going to stop watching TV and eating McDonald's and saying 'Merica and staying blind to our trajectory to third-world status.Best sarcasm eveh.

...that was sarcasm right?

[Unrequited]

michelle's not only MUCH more fashion-forward than palin, she's got these incredibly long arms and she could grab that beehive and have palin down on the ground with her arms twisted behind her back before you could say, "i've never been proud of my country before now..."

You just gave me the laugh of the day. :D

[akip]

You mean "I've never been as proud of my country as I am now" which is the more accurate quote... of the would-be proned & pwned VP.

i LOVE michelle, who is MY idea of a strong, good-looking woman and a role model. i think she looks totally rockin' in those rich colors and sleeveless dresses. luckily, she's found herself a team who knows how to show off her incredible skin and physique, and take away those dark suits, which is a look that scares white people.

i don't go for the palin country singer style, which only looks good on meg white who knows better than to put on some dowdy skirt and jacket.

[berzerker]

Certain people want to relate. They want their politicians to either be guys they'd drink with at a bar, or women they could possibly take home from a bar. That's Sarah Palin. She's sassy and sassy, but if you can trick her into losing count on her lemon drops, you'll see her boobies. One hopes.

Michelle Obama might be smarter than I am. And Obama too. That's not what I call a leader. I don't want things to seem like I'm not good enough to do them. I want regular joes doing hard jobs, because then it's like I'm doing them too, because I sure am not going to stop watching TV and eating McDonald's and saying 'Merica and staying blind to our trajectory to third-world status.

Best sarcasm eveh.

...that was sarcasm right?

I hope it's sarcasm... no "regular joe" I know has 7 houses.

[Breeze]

no "regular joe" I know has 7 houses.
But plenty of them would love to marry a beer heiress. :D

[berzerker]

But plenty of them would love to marry a beer heiress. :D

True... lots of folks like shitty "beer."

[Breeze]

True... lots of folks like shitty "beer."

Yup. Real 'mericans love them there Bud longecks.

[Duemellon]

Who injected race into the race in this situation? The nameless/faceless audience? The McCain campaign for inspiring words of hate which have mutated to those words? The Republican pundits who stirred up those words? Lewis for making the reference?

Page last updated at 15:33 GMT, Monday, 13 October 2008 16:33 UK

Obama to reveal economic package (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7667772.stm)

Democratic US presidential candidate Barack Obama is set to unveil an "economic rescue plan for the middle class" at a campaign event in Ohio.

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Among all voters, Mr Obama leads Mr McCain by 53% to 43%.

Over the weekend, the Republican candidate became embroiled in a war of words after clashing with a civil rights icon.

Democratic congressman John Lewis accused Mr McCain's campaign of "sowing hatred" against his opponent and said he had been reminded of 1960s segregationist George Wallace.

Arizona Senator McCain, 72, who recently said Mr Lewis was one of his most admired Americans, called the reference "beyond the pale".

Mr McCain has also tried to cool his supporters' resentment of Mr Obama, for which he won praise from his opponent.

In Minnesota on Friday, Mr McCain defended Mr Obama after some at the town hall meeting labelled him a "terrorist", "an Arab", a "traitor" and a candidate who inspired fear.