"America isn't ready for a black president..."

[TCJ70]

"White people won't allow it"
"The racists are still too strong here"

I hear these things from multiple sources daily on the some of the radio stations in Chicago (WLS/WVON/etc) and occasionally on TV. How many people here actually agree with that? And what will those same people say when Obama becomes president?

I think America is "ready" (whatever that means) and that Obama will be elected president. Is that sentiment, that America isn't ready, strong here?

Sincerely,
CTJ70
A 20-something voter

[AtomicKitten]

1. Well, heads up America and say hello to President Obama.

[Melinda]

2. "Is that sentiment, that America isn't ready, strong here?" Ummmm...

On a left-wing liberal site like DU?

Surely you jest.

And a belated welcome to DU.

[FrenchieCat]

3. They hope that if they keep repeating it, enough will repeat it and

make it true. It is nothing more than more fearmongering.....and Hillary Clinton and the media are the ones advanced the notion when it wasn't being asked of them.

the race baiting has worked to some degree, but not to the degree that the corporate tools had hoped.

Once voters get to see Obama close up, they will forget how much melanin he has in his skin.....because at the end of the day, that really is the only difference between Black and white.....of which he is both.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Yup. They'll say it in the lying guise of being "concerned" about *others* being racist...

And then conclude that because of those *others*, we shouldn't have a black candidate. Which, curiously enough, is *precisely* what those *others* wanted.

i LOVE racism by proxy! It's like *magic*!

:rofl:

[calimary]

18. That's the political way of putting on protective gloves - so your own hands don't get dirty.

Doesn't mean your own hands aren't plenty dirty already.

Well, if they're still struggling uncomfortably with their own racism, I shall giggle at them. With not a little bit of scorn. It just confirms who and what they really are.

[lastliberalintexas]

21. Thanks, I didn't know I was a racist

:eyes:

I do know some people who might otherwise vote Dem who would not vote for a black. The men in that group probably also would refuse to vote for a woman, so I am not saying that to argue for a different candidacy.

But some on this site sound like idiots almost trying to claim that racism no longer exists and we're all living in a color blind society. Yeah, ok.

[BlooInBloo]

24. Glad I could help.

[TCJ70]

25. Who said racism doesn't exist? n/t

[Shakespeare]

19. That's a great graphic!

:thumbsup:

[TrogL]

5. America will do whatever it sees on TV or in the movies

There have already been several black presidents in the movies, often played by Morgan Freedman.

[YOY]

6. I think America is ready for my/our generation to take power

Sorry babyboomers.

We, your kids, are officially old enough. Keep interested and keep voting, but do trust us to handle things now. You did a good job on us. Most of us are smart enough to not judge a person by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. More of us believe that than folks of your generation.

We still love you Boomers...unless you vote McCain...

but he's my generation. He put himself through college. Not from a rich family. I could have grown up next door to this guy and felt proud of that fact. I understand if he's too busy to drink a beer with me. I hope he is.

[woolldog]

16. nice

:thumbsup:

[YOY]

30. It's honestly why I like the guy

I could have grown up next door to him. I grew up next door to a lot of people.

One is broke and living hard scrabble back in Ohio still. He doesn't want to leave the state.

One had to leave his Republican daddy's firm and move to California for work purposes. He's a Republican...but even he can only take so much BS before he opens his eyes.

One died recently, pancreatic cancer at 35. No family...never had time for it. I always thought he might be a "straight acting" gay guys. At any rate he's dead at a young age.

One is turning tricks. I feel sorry for her. She was always a little slow, but I hoped it would be OK for her.

One is the guy who designed Puss in Boots character in "Shrek" and several of the Characters in the "Bee Movie." I went to his wedding. He's doing well. I'm happy for him.

Somehow, I like the idea of a middle class kid making better than any middle class kid ever did before and the line "anyone can be president" being true instead of a lie meant to pacify a dysfunctional democracy.

[murielm99]

35. What kind of bullshit is this?

Obama is a boomer, a late boomer. And plenty of boomers support him and plan to vote for him. Try getting him elected without boomer support.

Your condescension is sickening and unnecessary. Stop the divisiveness.

[Avalux]

7. Some people aren't ready but the majority of us are.

I think on a message board with mostly progressive Democrats (and centrists too), we are more than ready.

It's about time we progress in this country; electing a black man as president might open the eyes of those who "aren't ready"; which is a very good thing.

[invictus]

8. n/t

[Bucky]

9. Basic propaganda technique. To get people to believe something, repeat it constantly

The harder you sell this meme, the more people will find permission in their own consciousness to vote against Obama. Of course they'll give themselves other "reasons" why to vote for McCain. But breaking down enthusiasm for Obama will begin with this sub-surface attack.

[Ian David]

10. "Why not? We already have a retarded president." -- Chris Rock n/t

[texpatriot2004]

14. Yeah, why not, they are ready for a moron. Or at least stuck w/

the moron that was thrust upon them by the UNsupreme Court and a suspect "election."

I was thinking of Chris Rock's segment on the retarded pResident too.

[Uben]

11. Okay, maybe they're ready for a white man

Obama is half white, you know. I don't know why everyopne calls him a black man, technically, he isn't.

I don't care if he's chartreusse or puce! He's a man, he's American, he's as qualified at least as much as Bumblebritches Bush was, and he's not a neo-con. What's not to like?

[DinahMoeHum]

12. Ready or not, here he comes.

:kick:

[Cha]

13. There will always be bullshit racist a$$holes lookin'

to make a buck off of suckers. They're in the minority now.

[City Lights]

15. And many of those saying it voted for one who is learning impaired.

We see how well that worked out.

[TCJ70]

22. What got me to post this was...

...that I was listening to WVON (a self-described black owned and operated radio station) and callers were repeating this! The majority of callers to the station are also black. It kind of disturbed me. I guess if you spend so many years feeling trod upon it could suck all the hope out of you, but at the same time, I think we're really underestimating ourselves and the voters in this country.

[City Lights]

28. It is disturbing.

And it saddens me. I thought we'd come farther than this.

IIRC, Carole Simpson, who supports Clinton, was saying the same thing recently on Larry King Live.

[atufal1c]

31. I think black people are still in shock...

I live in Chicago and I've told people before that I think a lot of black leaders did not take Obama seriously before Iowa. They liked what he had to say, but they dismissed him as throwing your vote away.

And after 8 years of Bushie/Republican bullshit, black people were as determined as everyone else to put a Democrat in the White House, so this was no time to take any chances. It wasn't until Obama won primaries in several states with large white populations that black people began to believe.

By that point, many of them had been committed to HRC for months. I know I was. And many black superdelegates were, too.

Witness the civil rights leader, John Lewis, a SD, switching to Obama. He talked about how he agonized over the decision. He knows that the Clintons have been very good for black people. I'm sure he shakes his head, as I do, when I hear people say otherwise. And he knows HRC would make a fine President. But in the end, he admitted, with some wonder, "Something's happening."

What's happening is that a combination of America's changing demographics, disgust with Republican policies, and, most importantly, it's changing attitudes, had made what seemed difficult if not impossible, suddenly seem within reach.

People are still adjusting to it.

And this isn't any old candidate. It's not an attempt to break through some barrier so that one day we can get a "good" black president. It's not a candidate that excites black people, but leaves other people cold. The ENTIRE Democratic party is excited about Obama.

It takes a little getting used to.

Having said that, WVON is what old black people listen to! And old black people are like old white people--they're set in their ways. And they've seen their hopes and dreams dashed far too many times to fall for something preposterous as the idea that white people would ALLOW there to be a black president.

Are you surprised? 40 years ago a black man couldn't drink from the same water fountain as a white man. Black people were openly attacked by whites in the streets with the SUPPORT of the police.

Some of those blacks are still alive. And they like WVON! LOL!

Some of those white are still alive, too.

I wouldn't expect either group to have a whole lot of faith in the process.

[writes3000]

34. THIS IS A FANTASTIC POST. Thank you for posting it.

You are spot-on about what is happening and how it's happened.

Great, great post.

[Shakespeare]

17. Yes and no. You REALLY should listen to this piece from NPR yesterday:

Clearly, a lot of people are NOT ready. But we shouldn't let that stop us.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90483754

Do listen to the NPR piece, especially the interviews with WV voters.

[lastliberalintexas]

20. I tend to agree

Though I also say that America isn't ready for a female president, etither. But I think that this year is probably our best chance of getting a black president, just because the disenchantment among republican voters is so, so high. In a "regular" year where republicans were happy with their incumbents and pleased with their nominee, a black man or a woman of any color probably loses, especially given the bias of the electoral college.

[Writer]

23. Look at it this way: Americans are more ready for a black president than for a female president. nt

[nradisic]

26. We're more than ready....

The bigots and racists can move to Mexico if they don't like it...Racism went out of fashion in the 19th century.....ignoramuses can shove it.

[ChazII]

27. The United States is ready. n/t

[madrchsod]

29. wls? i can`t get wvon out here...but why listen to them?

there`s 820 which you can get 24 but i can`t .hell even boers and bernstein on 670am are more entertaining and politically left than any station in chicago but 820...

[TCJ70]

36. I bounce between a few radio stations...

WCPT, WLS (mainly for the Roe Conn show), and WVON. Variety I suppose.

[NotThisTime]

32. As a whole it IS ready, there are SOME people who are not, they'll have to get used to it

[DU GrovelBot]

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