Should McCain Write Off African-American Voters?
Despite a decline in his favorability rating among African-Americans, John McCain could do what appears to be the impossible.
Republican presidential contender John McCain bluntly said in a June 5 interview with ABC World News Tonight that he didn’t feel that he had to address racial issues in the campaign. At first glance it seems that it wouldn’t do him much good if he did.
The universal political consensus is that if ever a GOP Republican presidential candidate had virtually no chance of getting any measurable number of black votes it’s McCain. The passion, even sheer thrill, that blacks feel and have shown at the chance to back the first black presidential candidate with a legitimate shot at winning the White House is off the charts. Black voters have stampeded the polls in near-record numbers in some states to back Obama. Many are unabashed in saying in exit polls that race is the big reason they turned out. That’s unlikely to change in November, and that again seems to be bad news for McCain.
A May 30 Gallup poll found that McCain’s unfavorable rating among blacks has leaped more than 25 percentage points since last June. But poll numbers in and of themselves don’t tell the whole story about how elections are won or lost.
No GOP presidential contender since Barry Goldwater with his blatant anti-civil rights, pro-states’ rights pitch did worse than Bush Jr. in the 2000 presidential election with black voters. He got a dismal single digit percentage number of their vote. In 2004, he did only marginally better overall among black voters. His Democratic rival John Kerry still got nearly ninety percent of the black vote. That’s about the same percentage that Obama got in the primaries. But the numbers and percentage of the black vote that he got ultimately weren’t the deciding factor in Bush’s victories or in Hillary Clinton’s primary wins over Obama. The more important thing was whether they were able to get at least some percentage of the black vote in the must win battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Put simply, Bush, or Clinton didn’t need to get a major bump up in black support to win, they just needed a marginal increase in the key swing states. They got the few percentage points they needed in those states and that made a difference in their wins.
McCain starts with something that Bush never had among black voters: a much higher favorability rating. The Gallup poll that showed McCain‘s unfavorable rating jump also showed a slight uptick in his favorability rating among blacks. It wasn’t much, but it’s just enough of a slender thread to hang a bet on that by spending some time and resources in courting the black vote he could do what appears to be the impossible and actually win a small but significant percentage of the vote in some key states to make a difference.
McCain made that bet last September. He was the only major GOP candidate to agree to participate in a GOP debate on race and urban issues. He ultimately backed out but only after the other major candidates also declined to appear. Since then, McCain braved boos of the crowd at the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration in Memphis in April, and even managed to turn the boos into applause when he did a public mea culpa for opposing a state holiday for King in Arizona. He then traveled to Selma to speak at the Edmund Pettis Bridge where civil rights marchers were mauled by police in 1965 to commemorate the Voting Rights. He’s accepted an invitation to speak at the NAACP convention in July.
McCain is under no illusion that this will do anything to dampen Obama enthusiasm among black voters. He candidly admits that it will be the steepest uphill fight to get the barest amount of black vote support. The intent, though, is to get a small ramp up in the black vote in the must win swing states, and even more importantly, to soften the hostility toward his candidacy. The idea is to do and say nothing to inflame and anger black voters. A bungle here would guarantee that blacks would flood the polls en masse not just to vote for Obama but to vote against McCain. That would be political suicide.
The black vote in every election since Lyndon Johnson’s landslide victory over Goldwater in 1964 has not been in play for any GOP presidential candidate. That’s because with the arguable exception of Bush in 2004 none have done anything to get it. McCain says this time he will. He won’t shake their massive support for Obama, but he doesn’t have to. He just needs a few more of their votes in the right places to make the difference.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House.
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53 Comments
1. David Thomson:Can anyone imagine the uproar if John McCain was receiving minimally 90% of the white vote? The GOP candidate should not spend even one moment of his precious time trying to attract the black vote. A very large percentage of them are racist to the core. Jeremiah Wright is their hero. Too many blacks feel entitled and will demand even more affirmative action programs and “reparations.” The selection of the not ready for prime time Barack “Barry” Obama by the Democrats is overwhelming proof of white guilt and black racism. A rational person should be appalled by his thin resume. He is perhaps the least qualified major presidential candidate of the last one hundred years. I can’t even think of a close second.
Obama is a race hustler and any non-Ivy League white and Asian American individual would be foolish to vote for him. Jews should especially be fearful. Radical blacks and their leftist white allies have every intention of playing them for fools. Race relations in the United States are being set back at least two decades. Is the country ready for a man of color becoming its next elected leader? Absolutely! someone like Thomas Sowell or Shelby Steele would win by a landslide. No, Obama should be rejected for the content of his character and not the color of his skin.
Jun 10, 2008 - 2:06 am 2. Perry Birman:Mr. Thomson,
I wanted to write something, but I couldn’t do a better job than you.
DITTO for me.
Jun 10, 2008 - 3:57 am 3. pa:he better no way in hell my friend……
Jun 10, 2008 - 4:10 am 4. Eric Dondero:And Bob Barr?
There are Black libertarians out there. Could it be possible that Barr peels away a few Black votes from Obama for the Libertarian Party?
Jun 10, 2008 - 5:37 am 5. rotwang:Why stop there? I think he can pretty much write off this election, period.
Jun 10, 2008 - 5:54 am 6. AJ:Sad that blacks are voting for Obama. After all, he’s at least half white, probably more.
If the left (or blacks) read more often, they’d know:
That the GOP has always been good for blacks and the Dems have always been bad, especially between 1800-1965 when they enslaved blacks, then lynched them, promoted segregation and avoided giving them civil rights. Now they keep them down for purposes of votes. That’s nearly as bad.
After all, the “great” LBJ cherrypicked on all of Eisenhower’s Civil Rts. Legislation. After all, LBJ opposed anti-lynching legislation over and over, as well as civil rights legislation and integration ideas. He, like all the southern Dems before him, was a bigot.
The Dems controlled the media, presidency, and academia in the 60s, so spin and revisionism was easy to accomplish. JFK was no fan of blacks either.
It is possible that some of the old-fashioned white GOPers in today’s South came from Democrat families, but Bob Byrd—the only former Klansmen in the Senate—is a proud Dem, Al Gore Sr. was a big time racist Southern Dem, and Strom Thurmond was originally a Dem/DixieCrat. He only later switched because he was angry with the party since they would not let him continue to filibuster the 1964 Voting Act because LBJ was now president.
That Goldwater, while running for president in 1964, voted agst the CR Act, was a mistake. But he only voted against it because he preferred the original one—written by Eisenhower.
So, instead of lynching, enslaving and segregating blacks, Democrats now destroy them thru social welfare programs and inner-city “activist” leaders/politicians. It’s still racism.
Ignorance of history (and revisionism) is a proud tradition of today’s Democrat Party.
I’m still in my 20s, but I read. The left watches Idol, The Daily Show and MSNBC.
Obama does not know a thing either.
McCain and Bush are both very well-read historians.
Jun 10, 2008 - 6:24 am 7. WJ:Did a little googling, and could not find that Bush is a “Jr.” (am I wrong on this??). If the author is really a “nationally acclaimed author and political analyst”, wouldn’t he be able to get the president’s name right (if he is a junior, I am the idiot then) ?
Also was Goldwater position on federal civil rights legislation driven at all by being against the idea of civil rights, or was it all driven by his belief in State’s rights?
Jun 10, 2008 - 6:42 am 8. dan:McCain could try courting the black vote, as such, but based on Obama’s astounding and transparently race-based voting percentages it seems like McCain should simply let the interested black folks come to him, as those who are interested will. It isn’t like they don’t know who he is.
It’s ironic that the “change” candidate is really just the apotheosis of 1960s thinking and aspirations, while the geezer from Arizona has a more clear-eyed and forward-looking foreign policy.
In my opinion, self-consciously black America and its reflexive sympathizers are at something of a crossroads. Obama’s candidacy is proof that its goals have already been reached – unless, tribe-like, it also demands its own big man on the throne so it can get all those blandishments historically distributed to whitey. That this is so is basically good: race relations seem largely resolved to the extent possible in public life, short of totalitarian-style thought controls. Therefore, self-consciously black America is on the verge or now in throws of the recognition of that equality. What will it do with it, to the extent it does one thing or another collectively? Will it decide to exploit its victory and, sensing that the whites will continue to act as though the white race is personally responsible for past racial segregation and that that segregation has just ended only minutes ago – will it decide on a course of coercion? Or will it recognize the grace of the moment, and resolution of oppression, and endeavour to live according to the meaning of that resolution – in harmony with its non-black fellow citizens? That is, will it choose revenge or not?
Personally, I predict revenge; in fact, I think we are in the throws of revenge now – 90% black vote for Obama being simply one supporting factoid. I hope I’m wrong, though. In any case, the black folks without ambitions for institutionalized racial revenge will be the ones open to McCain’s candidacy, and they will come to him if they want to, just like everyone else.
Jun 10, 2008 - 6:50 am 9. newton:George W. Bush gave a speech before the NAACP in 2004. I don’t remember what else he did to get the vote of African-Americans, but the results were all the same: 90% went for his opponent.
Why try it if none of them will listen to you, anyway? McCain should not even bother. As far as that topic is concerned, it is all over even before he starts.
Jun 10, 2008 - 6:50 am 10. politicalreacharound:Thanks David Thompson for explaining race relations to us. What will really set us back 20 years is to have people who think like you in office. Do you even know any black people? Do you think of the ones you know as affirmative action aquaintances who you describe to people as “this one black guy I know”? How easily you play to fear card after it has been so widely discredited in politics the last 8 years. “the blacks are coming, the blacks are coming!”. Obviously you are scared of minorities who you don’t understand. If you don’t know why they would be inclined to vote for Obama over McCain (and it has nothing to do with black radicalism) than you need to stay off the political blogs. You sound like a bitter, afraid individual on the wrong side of the generational divide. This country is moving forward whether you like it or not and that means get used to calling Obama “this one black president I know”.
Jun 10, 2008 - 7:14 am 11. Ed Wallis:I concur with “David Thompson.” Bravo.
(Poor “politicalpratfall”…just thinks insulting cheap shots are an actual method of argumentation. Go to The People’s Daily Kos-sack, child.)
Though – I must admit – I’d be amused to see the (shall we say “obverse”) article: Should Obama Write Off White Voters? – Despite a decline in his favorability rating among White Americans, Barack Obama could do what appears to be the impossible and actually win a small but significant percentage of the white vote in key states.
Heh.
Jun 10, 2008 - 7:37 am 12. Dark Helmet:Africans can not vote in elections. Only Americans can. Africa is a place, not a race.
Jun 10, 2008 - 7:51 am 13. vb:McCain should talk to black voters. He should talk to them about the issues that affect all of us. Blacks suffer as much as whites from gas prices. Black troops, like all others, in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve support and not condescension. He should include blacks in the debates about such issues. Will this win votes? I don’t know, but I don’t care. It is the right thing to do. Perhaps some in black audiences will notice.
Jun 10, 2008 - 7:52 am 14. MarkD:Nobody should “write off” any citizens. McCain should simply make the case why his policies are better for all Americans. If 90% of a demographic believe that not to be the case, they can vote accordingly.
Not being a fool, I’d ask myself how any politicians policies affect me, and vote accordingly. I don’t care how other “white, fifty something, veteran, white collar, college educated males” vote. McCain needs to ask Black America if they were better off under Jimmy Carter – because that’s what we’re voting for or against.
Jun 10, 2008 - 8:00 am 15. politicalreacharound:Whatever, its called open forum you prick. You guys are so stupid. The author demonstrates that Gore and Kerry won 90% of the black vote despite being white. How does this work in your narative that racist blacks are only voting for Obama because he is a racist black radical like themselves? So maybe blacks come GE won’t be so much voting for Obama but against the republicans. And why would any black person choose a candidate that was against MLK day? Oh I forgot you people are too dumb to understand what an open comment forum is let alone race relations. Must be all that time devoted to preparing for the rapture.
Jun 10, 2008 - 8:04 am 16. Marc:Castigating the lot, because of the few. Which is really the point of the whole discussion Mr. Reach-Around. You can’t argue against racism while disparaging an entire demographic of Christians or those whole enjoy this website. Myopia.com is calling.
Jun 10, 2008 - 8:50 am 17. AJ:” Do you even know any black people? Do you think of the ones you know as affirmative action aquaintances who you describe to people as “this one black guy I know”?”
politicalreacharound, though I am glad you are literate unlike most libs, why do you bother to play here in the Big Leagues? I read your comments and they always SO naive.
What you described above is how 99% of the Dems see blacks? ALL the Dems I know are filthy rich and live in segregated 100% white gated communities. They treat blacks as inferior tokens. You made my point for me. You were probably writing about yourself and your friends.
Jun 10, 2008 - 8:51 am 18. Truth:Thanks to all my fellow Americans for setting the record straight on the black vote. David Thompson Your ignorant comment and those who share your ignorance are the reason blacks lean left. Blacks vote on their experiences in life and the future they want. Just like everybody else. When G.W.B went to the NAACP in 2004 it was after he got heat for not going in 2000 an later invites prior to 2004.
Blacks are not any more racist then any other people. Don’t confuse racism with anger or a difference in culture. Blacks love their white brothers.Just look at how they interact with their teammates(easy example). But don’t think for one second they should not point out unjust people no matter who they are. Like G.W.B
Jun 10, 2008 - 8:53 am 19. Annony:“Truth”, I’d really love to believe that, but the numbers don’t lie. When 90+% of a racial group line up behind one of their own, that’s racism. What would you call it if 90+% of whites lined up behind McCain? A coincidence?
Jun 10, 2008 - 9:06 am 20. Truth:A.J it’s the lesser of two evils. No one is naive. It’s funny how you separate Dems and libs when you refer to rich people and illiterate people. Your subtle comments don’t go unnoticed but I Won’t label you racist and use the term so loosely. Your just ignorant. Your stats are bull.
Jun 10, 2008 - 9:14 am 21. Gary Ogletree:There are untold numbers of black voters who don’t trust Obama, regardless of race. McCain might motivate some of the fence sitters to go vote. The danger is that he panders to the NAACP race hustlers and loses lukewarm supporters of various races in the process. What? McCain pander to the left? Yeah, he has experience in that area.
Jun 10, 2008 - 9:15 am 22. SwingShiftCEO:This will be the easiest election for black and white racists. No thought is required on any side.
A vote for either major candidate is a vote for further erosion of personal rights, a futher dilution of the constitution, and a greater loss of our sovereignty.
Racists, both black and white, have it easy, as the partisans always have. Rational, thinking voters have a much more difficult decision to make: throw a vote behind a candidate you can actually believe in and hope others do the same? Or vote for one guy because you don’t want the other to win, fully realizing that the guy you voted for will end up damaging the country in much the same way the guy you voted against would have?
I, for one, am done with “false dilemma” politics. I do not plan on voting republicrat come November.
Jun 10, 2008 - 9:32 am 23. Truth:Annony;
Look at the Dem percentage of the black vote the past few elections. Kerry and Gore got 80%. It’s an anomaly. A black dem after a horrible repub. Also he is a good candidate. If he were repub he wouldn’t get that hi a percentage. But If he were white he would still get 90%.
The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines racism as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular racial group, and that it is also the prejudice based on such a belief.
Just because we use the term to loose. Therefore taking away the power of racism.
Jun 10, 2008 - 9:34 am 24. Dark Helmet:ahhh racism, it doesn’t discriminate.
Jun 10, 2008 - 9:36 am 25. AJ:Truth,
Your arrogant, feckless user name tells us all we need to know about you.
Funny that you call me ignorant when you have no idea where I live, what I do each for a living, what ethnicity I am, etc.
I would not presume to judge you, but that’s because I am not the kind of person who does that in such a juvenile, immature way.
Thanks for not labeling me a racist, though. Mix in a spell/grammar check next time, tough guy.
Jun 10, 2008 - 10:31 am 26. Dave II:There are MANY blacks who see Obama for who he is and what he stands for…and they will NOT be voting for him!
-Blacks who see his stance on abortion and know that abortion has caused a virtual HOLOCAUST in the black community.
http://blackgenocide.org/
-Blacks who see his relationship with convicted slumlord “Tony” Rezko, who virtually recruited Obama out of Harvard, and then took campaign contributions from him while they went without heat in his buildings!
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_evelyn_p_080404_barack_obama___opera.htm
-Blacks who see in Obama’s (former) church, and Black Liberation Theology, a DIVIDING of the races, not a UNITING under Christ’s love for ALL races.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26306
http://www.thelandofthefree.net/conservativeopinion/2008/06/02/obama-and-the-religion-of-race-war/
-Blacks who see Obama’s lackluster record in Chicago and Illinois politics, and know he’s a pawn of the Chicago political machine he’s tapped into.
http://www.slate.com/id/2188010/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120450564143806509.html (this one’s a must read!)
Sure, they are in the minority of Blacks out there…but so what? I’m certain blacks are voting for Obama because of race…but again, that is to be expected. There ARE those though who see through the empty rhetoric and “victimology” and refuse to play along…unfortunately, they get castigated and maligned for being an “Uncle Tom” or “too white”.
Actually, THAT is what Obama is counting on…and even Michelle plays on that chord with her denouncing “middleclassness” (translation: acting “white”) so many Blacks who don’t want to vote for Obama are caught in a grip of “guilt” and confusion, and it is difficult at best.
McCain shouldn’t discount or write-off ANYONE, but the reality is…he will be lucky to get 10%.
Jun 10, 2008 - 10:50 am 27. TomJW:Of course McCain will court the black vote, while he continues to write off the conservative vote.
Jun 10, 2008 - 10:54 am 28. Ed Wallis:“AJ,”
“PitifulScratchAround” and “Twoof” display the bravado of immature-yet-dangerous bullying which replaces actual debate.
It seems that over at Hot Air there were some similar Leftist trolls who came around, trying to pretend to be über-macho conservatives, and could hardly do more than yell names at the other posters.
Soooooooo obvious….
Jun 10, 2008 - 10:55 am 29. Truth:Ha,
AJ-Funny that you call me ignorant when you have no idea where I live, what I do each for a living, what ethnicity I am, etc.
What does that have to do with ignorance? Where does ignorance live? what does it do for a living? What ethnicity is it? I Called you that based on what you said. Your baseless rhetoric. your imagined stats.
Since your a expert on the ideals of political parties you should know the philosophies have changed throughout U.S. history an roles have reversed. You can keep all the social programs as soon as they dole out the 40 acres.
Is that the best you can do?
I get my opinions out and you can check my grammar Diane Chambers.
Jun 10, 2008 - 11:03 am 30. Linda P:Black have voted almost as a block for Democrats in recent history. Then, when given a choice between Hillary and Barack, and after years of fervently supporting Bill and Hill, they suddenly go 90% for Barack. Hmmm.
Jun 10, 2008 - 11:11 am 31. What:Oh well Linda. Go ahead and Hmmm all you want. The racist history of this country put blacks in this situation. If you call everybody white racist who thinks Larry Bird is the greatest. Then you can Hmmm. Or call every presidential process up until now racist. Then you can Hmmm. Please quit. Barack is black(he’s half white for arguments but not at the dinner table). And blacks may feel he may not(he may) just sweep their real social issues under the rug. Along with the other issues facing a nation. There is no Hmmm. It is what it is but it isn’t any Hmmm. There is nothing wrong with identifying with someone. Do you Hmmm at Italians voting for Italian candidates or Irish or Catholic or Jewish?
Jun 10, 2008 - 11:55 am 32. Truth:Bullying Bravado? C’mon please Ed wails (cries). The truth hurts. whose pretending? I am a centerist. There are good and bad in both major parties. We can debate all day I will run rings around you. Dangerous? What are you gonna do snatch my American flag out of my hand or turn on the fire hoses and call out the dogs.
Jun 10, 2008 - 12:12 pm 33. Smarty:GJ What, blame white people for black racism.
If there is any one reason why racism exists in white people under the age of 50, it is only party black criminality, black underachievement, and black welfare utilization. Mostly is is blacks having…wait for it… EVERY ADVANTAGE yet they still (directly or thru white-guilt surrogates) blame whites for everything.
And now, when black racism is on parade, out come the “blame whitey first” crowd.
Jun 10, 2008 - 12:22 pm 34. lee:Some black people ARE racists / xenophobes, as are Latinos and Asians. And I say this as an Asian. IF you ever live in places celebrated for its “diversity” like LA (an euphemism for “Balkanized” according various ethnic zones) you’ll understand that veiled tension between different ethnic groups, notably black vs. brown.
I really hate race baiters to the core, especially because their understanding of racism hasn’t evolved beyond a KKK member waving a confederate flag marching to the tune of “Let’s all get them colored folks.” If you think non whites can’t be racist (more true outside of America) you are completely delusional.
Jun 10, 2008 - 1:09 pm 35. 1965:Smarty are you saying that blacks all should be socially equal in 40 yrs. What do think 10 generations of forced ignorance will do to a people? Crime comes from poverty. Where did the poverty come from? white people under fifty can pretend there parents did not set the system up but they did(not all but the ones in positions of influence went with it). It is not racist to be aware. We don’t care if your mad. You tell me when the light should have gone on. If you took one day to actually learn about blacks in America you wouldn’t be so closed minded. Dredd Scott, Jim Crow, Brown v the board of Ed. Give me a break. But you have a magic wand that can make all that stuff not have any influence on todays society and social structure. We don’t want your stinking guilt we want you to acknowledge.
Jun 10, 2008 - 1:20 pm 36. Mary in LA:Mr. Hutchinson, thank you for writing this piece. Your analysis is very persuasive and, so far as I’m in a position to judge, accurate. McCain wasn’t my guy in the primaries, but I guess he is now, and I hope he’ll read your article.
Jun 10, 2008 - 1:52 pm 37. newguy40:Dred Scott?!
At what point do a people just say, “that was yesterday” and focus on today and the future.
Jun 10, 2008 - 3:33 pm 38. Olivia:Wow there is a lot of nastiness and ignorance in the comments regarding this post and it’s coming from both sides. But thank you Mr. Hutchinson for the article. I will speak as the one of the few black people who lurks around here. McCain should court as many votes that will make a difference. If some of them are black so be it.
What many fail to understand is Jesse Jackson does not speak for me nor do any of the other so called black leaders. I hate the egomaniacal race baiters as much as y’all do. Not just for being stupid and manipulative, but by influencing the way I’m perceived just because we have the same skin color. Stop listening to the media hype and try not to promote silly stereotypes.
Obama came at a perfect time for the Democratic Party. When surveys since 2002 were showing black people becoming more and more disenchanted and estranged from the Democratic Party, particularly younger black voters.
Jun 10, 2008 - 3:52 pm 39. Olivia:I liked Obama at the beginning, the way almost everyone liked him before we knew anything about him, like his creepy associations and socialist agenda to name a few. I’m voting McCain even though I don’t like his energy policies or his amnesty plans. The Republicans could make some effort. And it would be nice to know I’m welcome. Everyone forgets there were 10-20% of black voters who didn’t vote for Obama at all. There is a tremendous amount of community group think and pressure put on non-traditional black voters. Capturing a chunk of them in the GE could make some difference.
Oh and dark helmet. I’m African and voting in this election. I have no idea what the point of your comment was.
Jun 10, 2008 - 3:53 pm 40. vb:1965: Back around the time you were born, things were starting to open up for blacks. Lots of educated blacks tried to help others take advantage of new opportunities. They were called Uncle Tom by radicals who told young people that learning to read was acting white. These same radicals were applauded by the white radical chic folks. People like Bill Cosby were criticized by blacks because they didn’t show black reality. Gansta rappers have been praised by whites in the entertainment industry. All of these people used real black people to get power and to make money. It is time to disempower them.
Jun 10, 2008 - 4:03 pm 41. 1965:Vb I agree. “there is always a stage for a fool.” But American history does affect society today, and I am over it. I just can’t standby and let people make comments about affirmative action, welfare, ect. Because the programs are needed and a large percentage of people on it today are direct victims of past policies. But again vb I agree.
Jun 10, 2008 - 4:26 pm 42. John Samford:Once it becomes common knowledge that Ohhhh……BAMA is 12.5% black 37.5% Arab and 50% white, a LOT of blacks will feel like they have been used, which they have been.
Jun 11, 2008 - 12:44 am 43. john:Red, Yellow, Black, White or Magenta with Olive Green Plaid, they are STILL Americans and have the right to vote ( baring certain nonsensical restrictions). Shouldn’t they have a candidate that hasn’t tried to trick them?
Plus If Big Mac has a lick of sense, he will ask Condi to be his VP. Democrats had to choose between a Arabic/Muslim (BHO IS a Muslim. He was born a Muslim and he will die a Muslim. What he thinks about that doesn’t matter. When a Muslim denies Allah, they don’t stop being Muslim, they become an apostate Muslim. The Koran is very specific on that point. Apostates get their head cut off) claiming to be black and a female. Why not vote Republican and get BOTH? That is aa American a solution as you can find.
There was a lot of racism by whites 30 years or more ago, I remember it. I listened to the crap the older generation of my family spewed out. We as a nation have made great strides since then but we have more to do. We will never get to be a more tolerant and open society until we can let go of the past but the race baiters (black and white) have allot to lose if we do that’s why they act and talk as though it is still 1950. I have no problem with a black man or woman or anyone of a different race than me becoming president. But this guy Obama is NOT the one. That’s not because of his race but because he IS the MOST liberal person running. Michael S. Steele is the one to watch in the future. African-Americans would do well to drop the democrat cool aid and get behind this guy. The Republican Party has been given a bad rap when it comes to race relations and they need to push back. The democrats don’t care about race they just want the votes.
Jun 11, 2008 - 7:42 am 44. Smarty:Crime is not proven to be caused by poverty. As a matter of fact, a better argument exists that says a lack of laws and civility cause poverty.
In the 50’s, only 1/3rd of blacks were born to single mothers. Now, it is 70%. So it isn’t that blacks are slowly recovering from racism, they are going to hell in a handbasket due to self-inflicted wounds.
And any black 30 years old has known NOTHING but special protections and outright advantage. Any black my age, 40, has lived their life with legalized discrimination against whites for their benefit.
And I for one am sick of it.
Jun 11, 2008 - 9:45 am 45. Dr. Frank Lippenheimer:Should McCain Write Off African-American Voters?
Of course not. But he also should not go out of his way to “court” the black vote. It will do him no good, and will only make him look like a schmuck.
What McCain SHOULD do, however, is go WAY out of his way to court conservatives, who remain rather cool to him (and for good reason). If blacks do not turn out for him, he can still easily get by. But if the GOP base stays home, he’s cooked.
Jun 11, 2008 - 11:37 am 46. Believer:Dr. Frank Lippenheimer:
I agree pretty much with what you’ve said. But I’m hoping McCain won’t have to do all that much to get conservatives to vote for him in the end.
By November, I hope they’ll have heard the truth about Obama, and how far to the ruinous left he would take us, that they’ll be first in line at the polls.
Jun 11, 2008 - 1:53 pm 47. breaux:It is my impression that currently, the GOP base is yet to or just starting to warm up to John. Although it is still early, that’s a bad sign for him. My feeling towards the ‘08 election is that it is going to be an interesting November. Stage left, we have a revolution simmering; stage right, we have an old-school flyboy with guns blazing. At Pollclash.com, they got the captions right on the dot (Obama: We Can’t Afford to Keep Doing What We’ve Been Doing vs. McCain: America’s Economy is Fundamentally Strong) – two entirely opposing tones. Me? I’m going to sit back and relax, and enjoy the show. However, for the first time in years, I will be voting – and I will be voting O. It is time for a change. It is time to surprise ourselves with a change.
Jun 12, 2008 - 7:31 am 48. orlandocajun:Breaux,
“However, for the first time in years, I will be voting – and I will be voting O. It is time for a change. It is time to surprise ourselves with a change.”
If you think that it’s time to elect a marxist, go ahead and vote for “O”. It won’t be a surprise you get. It will be a shock. Obama is a media invented figment of the imagination of the weak liberal mind. The man’s not qualified to run a 7-eleven much less the United States of America. McCain’s not much better.
“We Can’t Afford to Keep Doing What We’ve Been Doing” What the hell is that supposed to mean? Does it mean that the Democrats in Congress can’t afford to prevent domestic exploration of oil and the production of nuclear energy? If so, then he’s right. The only problem with that is that he would continue to do what the Democrats have been doing…stonewalling any effort to produce cheaper oil.
The Democrats can’t run a restaurant in the Senate and you want to trust them with our health care? Maybe you feel guilty because you don’t think that you’re paying enough taxes. OK, then “O” is your guy.
Finally, with “O” in the White House, you may want to avoid skyscrapers.
Jun 12, 2008 - 1:29 pm 49. Believer:breaux says: “It is time to surprise ourselves with change.”
You sure as heck will be surprised. At what’s in your drawers.
Change? You betcha. You’ll be doing that all day long. Everytime you ask yourself, “How could I have been so stupid?”
I’m checking right now to make sure disposable diapers are in my stock portfolio. Procter and Gamble, right?
Jun 12, 2008 - 4:23 pm 50. Kay:The Democratic party thrives on racism, it is a cornerstone of the party of the racist elite in this nation. Why so many sucker into voting for them is beyond me.
Jun 12, 2008 - 4:39 pm 51. The mighty whitey:Yes………..just like Obama can give up trying to reach many, but not all, old white voters as well a sizable percentages of the Latino community who have a high degree of enmity for African Americans.
Jun 12, 2008 - 5:47 pm 52. sbourg:To Earl Hutchinson,
Jun 17, 2008 - 1:56 am 53. The Center:Your article ignores the obvious, so you have an impossible time proposing a workable solution to the problem of black dysfunctional behavior in inner-cities. And whether Obama or Cosby mentions it, refers to the problems, you cloud the issue by criticizing them for exaggerating the issue. No, no one is saying that all young black men are irresponsible. But in the cities, too many are. It’s starts with single parent households with no structure on behaviour, and leads to zero interest in learning in the classroom in grade school, by too many young children in the cities. When you blame the “failing public schools” you’re ignoring the personal responsibility of the students. When you blame “job discrimination” you’re ignoring the fact that so many of city kids drop out of school and have only mastered a very low level of intellectual achievement, at a grade school level believe it or not. Why don’t you write an article that proposes solutions to inner-city dysfunctional behavior and the resulting crime and teenage pregnancies, and absentee fathering? Why don’t you? That’s the real elephant in the room that you weirdly ignored in your article, preferring instead to blame people for mentioning the problems.
So your trying to say no blacks voted for John McCain
Nov 5, 2008 - 2:52 pm