Just conjecture here, but if I were black...

[msallied]

And had carried with me a history of having people with my skin color subjected to centuries of slavery, segregation, and discrimination of both the de fact and de jure variety in this country, and for the first time, I had an opportunity to vote for a candidate who was also black, who I felt truly represented me and my people (because in politics at large, so few are black, even in our modern day and age), do you think it would be SO bad and SO unusual for me to vote for the FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT??

Why is ANYONE shocked that Obama is receiving more of the black vote? Why do you look at that as a "great racial divide?" To assume that it would only be viable to pretend we are color blind here is ridiculous. If you are a black person today, chances are you either still remember segregation or have a family member who does. To know that you have a chance to bring in the first black president in YOUR lifetime is absolutely monumental! And that's if you're black. I think the prospect is so uplifting to this young white girl that I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

So don't automatically jump to the conclusion that we're racially divided because blacks are largely voting for the black candidate. I ask you, after everything blacks have been through in American history, why SHOULDN'T they?

[Texas Hill Country]

1. the same could be said for gender.

[Cali_Democrat]

3. Blacks have gone through MUCH MORE HELL in this country than women

[electron_blue]

14. I respectfully disagree with you.

But let's not get into an argument about this. Everyone ought to vote for whoever they feel/think will be best for the country.

[Cali_Democrat]

17. You have got to be kidding me

Were women...

Lynched?
burned to death?
dumped off of slave ships in the middle of the Atlantic?
castrated?
whipped?
enslaved?
seperated from families?
churches burned?
segregated by jim crow laws?
attacked by the KKK crosses burned in front of their homes?
experimented on with syphilis?

No? Didn't think so.

[electron_blue]

27. Of course women weren't castrated, but

they have been tortured, killed, killed, separated from families, enslaved (yes, ownership of women by husbands was legal) segregated by numerous laws, attacked *in* their homes, and subjected to many immoral experiments and acts. It's really pointless to get into a contest over who was treated worse. But know that women of all races have suffered incredibly in this country.

[roseBudd]

19. Right cuz those Salem Witch trials were so horrific

[SoCalDem]

24. and Rush week at the sorority was pure hell

:rofl:

They are something else, aren't they :eyes:

[roseBudd]

26. OMG!! You forgot the Potato Famine! It was HUGH!!!

[msallied]

6. Why yes, yes it could.

Which is why, when I feel like there is a female candidate who doesn't feel like she has to act like a man in order to win, I may consider voting for her.

[gabeana]

2. The same people that are saying its wrong

to vote for a black candidate if you are black see no problem voting "My Girl" because she is a woman see steinem and marsh, their fans fill this board

their hypocrisy is ripe

[msallied]

7. Indeed. n/t

[NashVegas]

23. What Same People Would That Be?

Please, do tell. I've had to search far and wide to find anyone who's not a complete fruit-loop - and even those are rare - telling an African-descended person that they are wrong to vote for Obama based on their racial identity.

[truedelphi]

4. I think it helps a lot that this specific black candidate

Is the wonderful person that he is.

The guy will make a great President.

[msallied]

8. I couldn't agree more. n/t

[mamalone]

15. Zactly!! nt

[roguevalley]

20. he also isn't the product of slavey, another unique factor. In fact, I think his ancestors

owned slaves here. (On his mom's side) but that would be less awful than finding out you are a cousin to dick cheney. Barack is an amazing man and will be a great president.

[Lyric]

5. I have no problem with people who choose to vote for Obama because he's black.

I've never had a problem with it, and I agree with you completely. What I have a problem with are the folks who insult the intelligence of women who choose to vote for the first female President for the same reason.

Both groups are discriminated against, and have been discriminated against for a VERY long time--sometimes in different ways, but the underlying hurt and humiliation remain the same. I'm not saying that all blacks should vote for Obama, or all women should vote for Clinton. What I'm saying is that the ones who *do* use race or gender as a positive determining factor (because let's face it, their policies really aren't that different) shouldn't be insulted or called stupid/naive/etc.

[LisaM]

9. I agree with you completely.

I have said many times that once Edwards dropped out, I realized how MUCH I wanted a woman president (and please don't hand me: but not this woman, because despite the fact I already know you like Barbara Boxer better, she's not running).

Identity politics are very complex things. It interests me when they work in reverse sometimes - not just people voting against their interests, but actively choosing not to vote for, say, a woman when you're a woman yourself, because you really don't want a woman president. Kind of the Ann Coulter/Laura Ingraham/Michelle Malkin model.

[msallied]

13. As a woman myself, I would love nothing more than to see a female president

But women are often their own worst enemies, politically. After all, it wasn't men who sought to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. It was other women. I'm voting for Obama because I think he's the better candidate. I too think that African Americans are largely breaking for Obama because of that as well.

[uponit7771]

10. Same for women too, I wouldn't blame them but they're not supporting Hillary in the numbers

...blacks are supporting Obama...I think that speaks volumes.

[galaxy21]

12. It's not just becuase he's black

if this were Alan Keyes, he wouldn't be getting 92% of the the black vote.

He's an appealing candidate anyway.

[TheDonkey]

22. that is the thing. It is not JUST because he is black. There are many black candidates that have

flamed out with little support from the black community because they did not connect. Most people were saying a year ago that is what would happen to Obama.

It didn't because Obama connects and is a great candidate.


I feel bad for women voting for Hillary. I understand how important this is but the problem is she is a damaged candidate and is not connecting with a HUGE segment of the vote. You'd think she could lock up females 90/10 but she cannot. It is because of HER not her sex.

[bluetrain]

11. Just conjecture here, but if Barack Obama were a black woman s/he wouldn't even be in the race.

[msallied]

16. Your conjecture is more conjecture than mine.

[ScarletSniper]

18. I posted something very similar....

[NashVegas]

21. Not In the Slightest Bit Unusual Or Upsetting That Barack Obama Gets 90% of the Black Vote

When he's the first African-descended candidate who had a realistic chance going into it.

What is upsetting to a great many people, myself included, is that women who lean toward Hillary Clinton have not being afforded the same respect - to peacefully proclaim our preference without being harrassed and told we're being naughty girls.

[Bucky]

25. This argument makes a lot of sense if, every time you saw a black person, you saw a victim

There's a lot of problems in this country--racism being among the worst of them. However not every problem, nor every solution to our problems, can be defined through the filter of race.

I can't see how assuming all African Americans are a monolithic, unified, un-diverse block of voters marching in lock step helps our country overcoming the legacy racism. Frankly, such an assumption seems to buy into the basic paradigms of racism.