Overheard, two voters discussing Harold Ford Jr......

[Punkingal]

First voter, "You do know he's black."

Second voter, "I don't care if he's purple, I'm not voting for a Republican."

Seriously, my brother heard this very conversation, in a small town in Tennessee. I hope lots of people in lots of Tennessee small towns feel the way the second voter does.

[saltpoint]

1. Mehlman and Corker et al should roast in hell for that ad.

Agree with you -- I hope Tennessee voters reject the Republicans in this Senate race.

[Maccagirl]

2. But just think about the comment from the 1st voter

This IS the 21st century, right? I have so lost faith in my fellow Americans.

[Punkingal]

3. Yeah, I know...

The barber who used to cut my brother's hair, said he wouldn't vote for Ford because he is black. Hence, he is no longer my brother's barber. It is sadly a given here in Tennessee that there are people like that. Ignorance is the reason. They have never questioned the racism and bitterness handed down to them, just accepted and embraced it.

[POAS]

8. It's not just Tennessee, here in Ohio

AND being white AND working in a blue collar environment I hear the "n"-word used often.

[Punkingal]

23. Yeah, a lot of Ohians are originally from the south....

I had a black friend in New York tell me once she preferred Southern racism, because it was open, while in northern areas, it was more under the radar, but still very much alive.

[bigdarryl]

5. unfortunately people still look at the color of a person when voting...

it's no coincident that there's only one african american senator in the senate. the rethugs did push polling on this in Tenn. to appeal to the first person who said you know he's black don't you.

[1932]

12. Freakonomics has an interesting chapter on racism.

According to an analysis of The Weakest Link, white Americans are not willing to be publicly perceived as racist to the degree that they won't vote off black people, even if their performance is poorer in the first half of the show. However, they are more than willing to vote Latinos off in the first half even when their performance is good, meaning they don't check their anti-latino biases against reality.

However, in private (like the voting booth) people aren't afraid of public perceptions.

So when you poll people about voting choices when a black person is a candidate, they may not tell the truth...

[iamjoy]

4. I Didn't Believe My Parents 4 Years Ago

I'm in Florida.

Four years ago, a very smart, accomplished man was running for Governor in the Democratic Primary - State Senator and Air Force Colonel Daryl Jones

It just so happens that Jones is black. My husband and I were aware of that, but only barely. After all, Jones was obviously intelligent and well spoken. He was funny. He was accomplished. He had good ideas. That's all that should really matter, right?

But my parents, who grew up in Florida during segregation said Floridians wouldn't vote for a black man. I told them that Jones didn't fit any of the negative stereotypes society seems to have against blacks. They said that didn't matter, people wouldn't see past his race - the people who grew up drinking out of "white" water fountains (many of the baby boomers) just wouldn't be able to bring themselves to vote for a black man. And there were enough of them in Florida (my parents said) to make a difference. Good Ol' Boy Bill McBride won (the primary) and went on to be soundly defeated by Jeb.

Hearing that Harold Ford's race is even an issue in the race makes me think my parents were right. And that's sad, that enough people can't see past that.

Oh, and Daryl Jones - he's now running for Lt. Governor as Jim Davis' running mate.

[rfranklin]

7. There's plenty of racism up here in New Jersey as well....

it's just not polite to speak very openly about it. Just ask your average Joe to talk about Newark, NJ and the surrounding towns and you'll probably get an earful of racist stereotypes.

[Greeby]

6. "I don't care if he's purple, I'm not voting for a Republican."

lol. Barney for Senate!

[sendero]

9. I tend to believe..

... it is mostly older folks who are racist. My parents, in their 70s and 80s, certainly are and they try to hide it (I'm white, I'm raising a black stepson) but it pops through from time to time.

It used to piss me off but I finally realized that people at that age are simply not going to change their core beliefs. I was raised to be racist, but I grew out of it quickly when I left the house and found that everyone is pretty much the same.

I used to think that racism (about other skin colors) was sorta "natural", like the fear of the different. But my boys were raised in a Montessori school where there were all races and it became clear very quickly that race meant nothing to them. It's just a sad learned thing.

I think most younger Americans reject racism, and there is that ray of hope.

[SharonAnn]

Yes, "You have to be carefully taught." from South Pacific

[AnotherMoonbatLibrul]

15. Regarding our kids

that's absolutely the truth. My kids have gone to school with kids from all different kinds of backgrounds and ethnicities, and in talking at home about their classmates they NEVER say one word about ethnicity. I have rarely learned whether a friend is Asian, African-American or whatever until I have met them in person or heard an identifying last name (but even then I've learned not to assume). As you say, race means nothing to them. Thank God.

[Jai4WKC08]

19. Unfortunately, those older Americans are still voting

And in fact, they vote in much larger numbers than people in other age groups.

The absolute only chance Ford has is in GOTV. If blacks and liberals turn out in droves, and if moderate to conservative whites will sit at home because they don't like Corker either, Ford may win. Otherwise...


'Course, if Diebold is a factor, none of it matters.

[POAS]

10. Makes you wonder about Blackwell

in Ohio. Are some people (from both sides) not voting for him because of his race? He is much farther down in the polls than DeWine is in the Senate race. One would think that all things being equal the margins would be comparable.

[ellacott]

11. I'm from Ohio too

There's a concern that Blackwell is doing so bad that he might drag down the entire Republican ticket in the state. I hope it's true.

Ohio definately has it's issues with race. I think it's so ingrained in people that they don't even recognize it.

[POAS]

14. I agree and specifically

when you say, "I think it's so ingrained in people that they don't even recognize it".

People with negative attitudes about blacks that I know have had little, no or mainly negative contact with anyone black so to them their "stereotype" view is fact. I've got a tact I have used a few times now that confronts them when they aren't expecting it. For example, when the shooting happened at the Amish school in PA I made a point in our discussions of saying something like, "isn't that just so typical of whites? It must be the way they were raised. You just can't trust white people around kids." Reverse the roles and throw it back at them, some may even get the point.

[ellacott]

16. That's a good way to turn the tables

Sometimes you have to actually hear something said to get a better perspective. :)

[ktowntennesseedem]

13. Mixed emotions--reflective of mixed-up Tennesseans

The comment from the second person sums it up for a lot of locals here, and gives me great hope that change is in the air, or that we are at least very close to it. That person could have been most anyone, a lifelong Dem or a repentant Repub, someone for whom race has never been an issue or someone who has thrown off latent or long-held racist views and is finally seeing how ugly even subtle racism is. If it is someone from that last description, that perhaps gives me the greatest hope, because it signals growth and maturity; it is a sign of tolerance and respect triumphing over prejudice and hate.

But the comment from the first person overshadows all of that for me. It reminds me how far we still have to go before, as MLK put it, we consider the content of one's character more important than the color of one's skin. Especially troublesome because this not only does this person consider color more important than character, he or she felt in necessary to point out Ford's race because it isn't obvious from skin color alone. I fear their are plenty of folks around here who think like that first person, and that makes me wonder if the human race will ever evolve enough to realize King's dream. People of that backward mindset are more prevalent than they should be in this day and age, even in the South. I just hope their numbers are dwindling, and that, regardless of who wins Tennessee's senate seat this time around, the lingering problem of racism will be exposed and thus one step closer to eradication.

[Punkingal]

17. Are you in Knoxville?

Because our great hope is that if Ford comes out of East Tennessee close, he will win, because middle and western Tennessee will go for Ford.

[ktowntennesseedem]

21. Yes, Knoxville.

I agree, if Ford can just keep it close in ET, he's got a good chance. I think it all depends on turnout and GOTV efforts. Ford will do well in West & Middle, and will do well in larger cities; Cork-for-brains will do better in the East and in rural counties.

Here's hoping the optimist in me can be stronger than the pessimist these last few days!

[Sensitivity]

18. Thanks for the Hopeful word

[Katzenjammer]

20. There are 2 who can't tell the difference between the label and the reality (nt)

[fuzzyball]

22. I play golf with mostly bluecollar crowd here in Washington state

and the N**gger word is used more often than I want.
When will Americans start behaving as Martin Luther King
said "judge by the content of their character and not
the color of their skin"?

It is about time!!!