Race is still an issue
- 6 Oct 08, 07:24 PM GMT
Asheville, North Carolina: The first deep shades of autumn have descended on North Carolina.
The crowds at the local high school memorial stadium were still filing in when Barack Obama started speaking.
It looked impressive, but a young man said to me: "Go 10 miles up the road into the mountains and you'll hear a different story.
"Race is still an issue here."
So, later, we drove up I-63 and the Leicester Highway and turned on to a road that ran through the hills.
We were looking for interviews when we saw a man working a plot in the late afternoon sun. He was in his 50s and wore dark overalls.
He drew out his words as he thought about the election.
"I'm a Southerner," he told me, putting tomatoes into a wicker basket.
"My grandfather owned slaves, but I'm thinking of voting for a black man."
I looked at him. The comment seemed to surprise him even as he made it.
He thought about it for a while and added: "It was the Wall Street bail-out that has done it."
He was disgusted that the reckless bankers were being helped - he didn't agree with debt. He was sick of Washington and was prepared to give Mr Obama a chance.
"Something is wrong with America," he said.
I asked him to go on camera but he refused. "I see how TV chops you up," he said, without meaning offence.
But he confirmed that in these rural areas race is still an issue.
For men like himself, electing a black president is still a big step. The young man at the rally had been right.
But this brief meeting confirmed something else: that the economic turmoil is challenging old certainties and prejudices.
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I’m Gavin Hewitt, following Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. My colleague, Matthew Price, is doing the same for John McCain.
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Comments
That man probably realizes Barack Obama has a better shot at leading a nation to better economic times than John McCain. Where McCain's net worth is $150 million and owns 7 homes and Obama whose net worth is $1 million and owns only one home, it seems logical to choose the candidate who lives in means closer to the average citizen and can offer better solutions to the average citizen.
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It is becoming increasing clear that Barrack Obama has great advantage on the economy.I'm sure more and more people will put the issue of race beneath them to vote him in. Times are changing and things are in his favor. John McCain must work hard ro convince electorates that he has edge in dealing with the economy than Obama. If this Southerner who is of the white race would cast his vote based on the ability of Obama to handle the economy then it's nice. People must not be judged by their color but what they produce. Changing times, changing situation.
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This story rings of fiction. Firstly, its overly stereotypical of a white southerner is suspicious, but lets consider whether this man's grandfather could have feasibly owned slaves. Lets assume that this man is 55 years old (Born 1953). If he was born when his father was 29 , his father was born in 1924(62 years after emancipation proclamation). If this man was born when his father was 29, that means the grandfather was born in 1895, 32 years after the emancipation proclamation. Even his great grandfather would have been born in 1866, which using this math was four years to late to own slaves. So if this man's relatives owned slaves, it would have been his great great grandfather, which he would have mentioned rather than just saying his "Grandfather".
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I live in Asheville and I am so proud of my city today. The news has repeated several times that there were 28,000 people at the stadium!! Asheville's population is only about 80,000. But yes, race is still very much an issue here. I grew-up here and see and hear racist and homophobic comments daily. My neighbors even fly the Confederate flag! I spent my youth terrified of many of the people here. Many call Asheville a liberal city, that may be true, but step one foot outside the city limits, and it's a whole other issue. Yes, we have gardens and gather our tomatoes and okra and act in very stereotypical southern ways, but even so, as I have found recently, many Southerners can be more open minded than the Northerners or west coast. Racism is not peculiar to the south at all. It is everywhere, and in my city at least, it is dying, and I say let it die!
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hakeemvince,
On the other hand, lets suppose that the man is still 55 but that his father and grandfather were both 44 when they had children. His grandfather then would have been born in 1865, the year when slavery was abolished by the 13th amendment (as the Emancipation Proclamation only freed states in the Confederacy, composed of states over which the US government obviously did not have effective jurisdiction). They could, of course, have been even older, so that his father really was the legal owner of the slaves as a young man. Or, then again, perhaps he was referring to the practice of sharecropping which, in the post-Reconstruction South, effectively held former slaves in a state of slavery, as they worked on plantations and received no monetary income for their labour.
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I also live in Asheville and I am kind of proud and amazed that Obama chose to come here all of the sudden. I love this town, though I'm not from here. I have lived in other parts of the south, and it's not nearly as racist here as other places. I went to the rally on Sunday and it was quite a spectacle. My mother is an Obama for president volunteer so she was there early on staff. Her father was a WWII veteran who lost the use of his legs and later became an organizer and even activist (when needed) for disabled rights. These rights are now a given and common sense, but in his day, there was no way to get on a city bus in Los Angeles and even few curbs were designed to allow wheeled chairs to go up or down.
With that in mind, she decided to volunteer for the detail to look after the disabled seating section and to get water for those in wheeled chairs or otherwise disabled. It turned out that put her right up front directly next to the stage and she got to shake Mr. Obama's hand, which really made her week, let me tell you. To everyone I am close with, race doesn't even really enter into the discussion.
It seems crazy now, but my grandfather had to fight for common sense. These race issues seem self evident to me and one day we will look back on this and wonder as to why it was such a big deal for Obama to be the first black president. And later we will wonder at why it was such a big deal for a woman to be president.
Human consciousness is beyond these issues, by and large, but it takes a while for societies to shake off the old habits and prejudices that have been passed down by our parents and grand parents and great grand parents... We'll get there.
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But for another view...I was paired into a golf foursome on a city course in Louisville last month. One old-hand retired UAW veteran from Ford started in about Obama, in not too friendly tones, concluding 'It's not because he's black, it's because he's an idiot!!'
For the rest of the round, every time I could get him going about BHO, he would top his drives.
Priceless.
It's not about race for the great majority of people who cannot vote for Obama, but rather his embrace of the far left.
But I fear it IS about race for many who will vote for him, either embracing 'identity politics', or liberal infatuation with the idea of a black president forty years after the King tragedy.
You interviewed the wrong guys about the race question, I fear.
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It really does seem like the tide is turning in Obama's favor (thank goodness). He may very well be the next President. However I have a feeling of foreboding because I can imagine that same old "Only in America" malarkey that was trotted out at the Democratic convention, because he's a black man reaching great heights. Someone needs to tell America that they shouldn't in good conscience pat themselves on the back just for electing a black man. That just proves that for so many years the country has defined people by race rather than for the people that they are, and that finally the US has managed to see past this because a very charismatic man, who just happens to be black, is the best choice to lead them out of a long bad period. To put it in perspective, the US as a nation was among the last western nations to abolish slavery.
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My forebears are from Virginia and South Carolina. Often the word "grandfather" means ancestors or forebears, therefore the NC farmer meant that historically his family owned slaves as did my own. After the civil war, many former slaves stayed on the farms as tenant farmers rather than move north. I've met racial prejudice all over the USA, in Europe and in Africa. Some white Frenchmen disparage Arabs and Africans to the extent of forming a political party, the National Front, for the purpose of stopping immigration and deporting foreigners. My southern family is historically Democrat and I'm voting for Barack Obama. Next week I'm going with the Obama campaign to register voters.
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I have also met people who are changing their notions of race and find it interesting that they really understand what Obama is telling them.
What I find priceless, is "OldSouth"'s attempt at attacking Obama "deviously". It's about as subtle as Palin's attacks on Obama. Calling Obama "BHO" for example. The pricelss part is trying to brand Obama an "idiot" via a mysterious third party. That is MacCarthyism at its best. And Joe McCarthy almost brought our democracy to its knees.
Priceless.
And transparent.
Barack Obama is hardly a leftist. He is simply able to communicate a solid, Keynsian program to people, he is a great consensus-builder and after years of divisive politics from the extreme -- I daresay totalitarian -- right wing, even the the real old south is beginning to realize, a person's skin color makes no difference. And real Southerners do not like to be lied to and manipulated and they are by no means dumb.
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Electing Obama would be the biggest mistake ever - it makes no difference if he's black or white. He is full of spin and no substance. He has no experience of real life. His patriotic credentials are doubtful. This guy's inexperience is shocking. I would rather have McCain anyday even after Bush - at least he is a war hero and has done something with his life before poltics. At the end of the day McCain's the man, not some wet behind the ears lefty who's funded by the Chicago underworld. USA wake up do you really want to destroy your history and heritage just for someone who talks good. If you elect this man I will chose Canada for my holidays from now on and you will not be able to count on my support as a UK citizen ever again......... rednecks wake up before the nightmare begins. Would not have had a problem with Hilary but not this shockingly inept man who's the darling of the middle class liberals.
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It is very unfortunate to see people who make comments about racism, they themselves criticize based on race. Here we are, having a major problem at hand which needs to be ratified. i think Americans must call a spade a spade rather than busy themselves with issues of racial category.
It's about time that the citizens of US make the right choice in order to put the economy on its through footing.
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I have a question to ask, black man, white man, what is the color of their blood?
don't they have brains to reason?
do they walk backward?
don't they take in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide?
Don't they portray all the characteristics of a human being?
I just want Americans to put aside their pride in racial issues and vote for a rightful change and that change is Obama.
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I think as American's you should look beyond race to the candidate. I think ageism may be the problem here and the media's obsession with Obama. If you would rather vote for this man rather than a decorated war hero with all that experience then I really don't know.
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#15
Did you vote for Bush last time out, or the decorated war hero with all the experience?
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Under EEO law, no one has the right to discriminate against anyone either racially,sex,disability,age etc; this has is being violated by those countries who instituted it. This is absolutely not right. It's about time that we -all of us rejuvenate our attitude after all if the Bible "says that our bodies are the temple of the lord" then, no man is definitely an island. Everybody needs somebody. Let's do the right thing.
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The huge media coverage of this race over an extended time means that people are used to Obama's colour and now they can see beyond that to a leader, with a clear vision of change.
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MSM Loves Obama. Where is "The BBC’s Mr X with the McCain campaign." The uneven coverage of the campaign by MSM is unbelievable. Only ever how Obama is doing good and McCain is doing bad. When the election comes and the American rednecks vote I really think there will be such shock that they will be saying the election was rigged or stolen just like Al Gore.
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I would challenge blogbag (#12) to read Obama's book 'The audacity of hope' and still think he has no substance or experience of real life or indeed any of the other need jerk negative phrases you used about him. You might argue that it is just more words but he describes much of his experience and his vision with honesty, great perception and in an inspirational way. And that is what a president needs to be able to do.
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#20
Justin Webb, the BBC's North America editor, is with the McCain campaign all this week. You can find his blog here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/justinwebb/
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# 11 U5656350 wrote:
”What I find priceless, is "OldSouth"'s attempt at attacking Obama "deviously". It's about as subtle as Palin's attacks on Obama. Calling Obama "BHO" for example.”
Not at all. I'm sure that people who feel the need to refer to ‘Barack Hussein Obama’ – I've read that it's compulsory on Fox News for example - also constantly refer to Sarah Louise Heath Palin, John Sidney McCain and Joseph Robinette Biden.
And anyway, not voting for people with funny foreign names is a perfectly valid principle. In the 20th century the US fought in 2 World Wars against (amongst others) Germany. Imagine if the US had been foolish enough then to elect Presidents with funny foreign-sounding European names. Like Eisenhower. Or Roosevelt (twice)........
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Will Gavin Hewitt be following the McCain election campaign? Further evidence who the BBC are backing.
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16
Can't you read? I'm from the UK and thus do not have the vote. I may well have voted for Kerry if I could or Bush's father.
17
I am not the bigot rather you are. I am open minded unlike you. My father fought nazism a good two years before the USA could get off their complacent backsides to do so. Where is the bigotry in supporting McCain? - rather you are the ageist anti white who jumps on the media bandwagon. You are the disgrace - you are the narrow minded one.
21
Wouldn't waste my time reading a book by Obama - what has he actually done of any substance - McCain has spoken by his actions in service to his country
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24
Totally agree the BBC does not know the concept of balance - they are a left wing politically correct organisation funded by a poll tax which we have no choice but to pay in this country which mouths this sort of propaganda. The people of the UK should unite to scrap this anachronism.
Of course they back Obama - he's just a reflection of them and what they aspire to. One has only to look at the dumbing down in BBC output to see why Obama appeals to them. They don't like McCain because he's white and he served his country and of course old and a bit conservative. They can't look at things objectively.
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Gavin,
Congrats to your blog!
I think that in most peoples eyes', race is still an issue...
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#20
i dont know why you conservatives on here are worried about mccain losing, the supreme court is still 5-4 republican so they'll take care of things for you, just like 2000
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Blogbag:
How in any way does the fact that McCain has fought in a war have any bearing on whether he would be a good president or not? Does the president often go to war? Is the next president likely to end up as a POW during his term?
The only reason to support either candidate is if they are a good politician with good policies. McCain doesn't qualify for that in my opinion. It doesn't matter if he fought in Thermopylae, so unless his war experiences taught him how to run an economy, provide health care to all Americans and show the rest of the world that America can be better than the Bush years, his war experiences are irrelevant.
"Totally agree the BBC does not know the concept of balance - they are a left wing politically correct organisation funded by a poll tax which we have no choice but to pay in this country which mouths this sort of propaganda."
What are you talking about? Firstly, you do have the choice to not pay the tv license. Course, then you don't get tv at all. But I gladly pay a tv license (and I'm a student so money isn't the easiest thing to part with) because the BBC alone is worth it. I'm sorry if you think the BBC has a left wing bias, but to me, it is neutral. It presents both points of view, and generally doesn't judge. For something left wing, you should see the Guardian or the Independent. After those, the vast majority of media sources in the UK are right wing, so maybe it just seems that the BBC is left wing because it is not right wing like all that lot? And in this issue the BBC is neutral too: have you not seen the text at the top of the front page of Gavin's blog that says, "I’m Gavin Hewitt, following Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. My colleague, Justin Webb, is doing the same for John McCain."? Go look at Justin's blog for all your McCain needs. If anything, the fact that it is Justin covering McCain means that the BBC is focusing more on McCain than Obama since Justin's blog is very popular and therefore reaches a greater audience.
"Wouldn't waste my time reading a book by Obama - what has he actually done of any substance - McCain has spoken by his actions in service to his country"
You claim that Obama hasn't done anything of substance, yet won't read his book? Don't you think that if Obama has done something of substance (which politically he's done plenty), then he would've mentioned it in his book??
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It will remain to be seen if race is still a major issue, but it seems times are too dire to be worried about the colour of one's skin. Most Americans are not so "backwoods" as the gentleman in this story. If Obama loses, it'll be more on the basis of his policy ideas. However, it seems most Americans don't understand who/what is culpable for this "perfect storm" of economic woe.
What's more troubling to me is how McCain and the Republican party are being blamed for the American mortgage crisis, which has its roots in the Jimmy Carter (Community Reinvestment Act) and Clinton Administrations. The news media seems unwilling to investigate those currently serving in the U.S. Congress who did nothing to stop this problem with it's second-largest lending institution, Fannie Mae. Wonder why? Well, they're Democrats and most are up for reelection. So people like Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, etc. who long had the ability to quell this problem continued to take their "gifts" from their lobbyists (e.g., Fannie Mae) while turning a blind eye to the sinking ship of America's second largest lending institution, Fannie Mae. Chris Dodd and Barack Obama received the highest campaign donations from Fannie Mae. Franklin Raines (former CEO of Fannie Mae, who took huge bonuses and defrauded Fannie Mae); was a mortgage and housing advisor to Barack Obama's campaign (as late as July 2008). Barney Frank's lover is an executive for Fannie Mae.... It goes on and on....
Is race going to be an issue in this campaign? Hardly. It's all about the economy, and the obtuse Americans who refuse to do their research as to the cause of their economic woes will end up electing an empty suit who can speak well into a camera. American politics follow an age-old rule. Anything bad that occurs just prior to an election is ALWAYS blamed on the incumbent party, whether they are culpable or not. The election will always swing to the opposing party, even if the candidate is vacuous and detrimental to the future of their country.
Please watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h00DsC9-zI
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Googlebux:
While some of the policies of Clinton's administration have caused this crisis, the vast majority of economists will tell you that Republican deregulation is the main cause.
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I'm disappointed with this blog report. Race is not nearly as influential a factor in the minds of most western NC voters as Gavin implies. I've lived in those mountains and know that yes, most people will probably vote Republican, but because they are politically conservative, not because they are intrinsically racist.
To imply that many people of western NC will decide who to vote for on the basis of skin colour over policies is seriously unfair and inaccurate. It is as bad as to suggest that African Americans will vote en masse for Obama because he is black instead of his because they agree with his political position.
This kind of reporting adds to the picture of a dated, racist South which is presented all-to-often to a generally ignorant UK audience (I would, by the way, include myself in these ranks until a few years ago). It seems Gavin has opted for the easy report on race, which draws readers but is ultimately not nearly as nuanced as is required by the topic.
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Dear deamon138,
While both political parties in America DO have blood on their hands, the vast majority of AMERICAN economists agree that the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac scandals are a huge root to this falling tree. Republicans have long shouted for more regulation of these institutions. Freddie and Fannie are government institutions that took on way too many risky mortgages from the low-income sector. CEO's like Franklin Raines cooked the accounting records of Fannie Mae, and then Democrats intimidated those Republicans in congress (who wanted more regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) by "playing the race" card, insisting that they were being "unfair" to their minority constituents. Somewhere along the line, American Democrats decided that it was a "right" to be a homeowner, whether you have earned the money to afford it or not.... I'm not saying that Wall Street execs. aren't culpable; there's blame for many branches of this "tree" of economic woe. However, the Democrats keep screaming for regulation, but when potential regulation fell upon THEIR lending institutions (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), they scream about "unfairness and racism". If the failure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are largely to blame for this economic crisis, who was in charge there? Who did what? Democrats have had the last two years to sound the alarm bells, if this was due to Republicans. All the seats in the House of Representatives are up for reelection shortly. If there was REAL Republican culpability in the House, it would've been all over the American mainstream media, because it's just one more thing that helps Obama seal his victory. There are 7 words that explain why the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is not explained in the media: DEMOCRATS UP FOR REELECTION (in the House).
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You know, I have now heard this a lot. Go to some areas of the country and you will no doubt hear bigotry, and not just in the south. But these people are also very fed up with the Bush administration and the republican party as a whole. I have now heard a number of times someone making a racially derogatory emark, and then follow it up with - but I'm voting Obama because it just can't get any worse. And I think this election is opening up a lot of people's eyes to their own prejudice as well.
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As an American it is interesting for me to read the comments of others on this very strange election. First, race is still an issue in some places, but I personally don't think it will make much difference in this election. Those who wouldn't vote for Mr Obama because he is black wouldn't vote for him for policy reasons, and vice versa.
Mostly, it is shocking how the incredibly insane nonsense that is clearly clogging up people's brains here is leaking over to others. On the financial crisis, it is very clear that all sides have a hand in it. Yes, the Dems did fight for sub prime mortgage lending, but that was the legislative right that was given to people by Congress (and Fannie/Freddie were the implements to execute). In our system, if you don't like something you work to change it. To blame Carter, when Reagen and Reps controlled for 12 years after he left office, is absurd. They could have changed things if they felt like it. Clinton obviously supported things, but after that if Bush didn't, he, with control of Congress for 8 years, could have. So stop already with the "blame the Dems" stuff. Of course, they did have a hand but NO ONE'S hands are clean.
The key issue now is how to get out of this mess. People should focus and decide on that. Reps believe that the way out is to cut taxes, particularly on higher income people and businesses, as they will invest and allow the economy to grow. Dems believe the way out is to cut taxes on the middle class (lower income pay virtually nothing anyway) who will spend and drive economic growth. The fear of tax increases is that in 1932 when Hoover finally drove through massive tax increases on the upper income group it deepened the Depression.
I think the trick is to balance things appropriately. For example, McCain says "American business taxes are the second highest in the world", but we also know that 2/3 businesses pay no tax at all. What is the important "fact" here? Is it the rate or the amount?
I have decided to vote Obama. This was not decided based on Obamania (he simply doesn't move me) but based on logic. I believe that his plans, and his ability to calmly work with many people, is what we need right now. I hope that the name-calling and fear mongering will not shut down people's brains.
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Obama is that rare comet that appears once in a
hundred years. Miss him Americans, and you will have to wait another hundred years for another like him.
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#20
Main Stream Media (MSM) are part of a leftist plot?
Was it Susan Jacoby who warned of the compartmentalization offered by so many different and customizable media sources, that would let us find others who think nearly the same to hunker down with and rail against the rest?
First were "liberal elites"
Now "mainstream media", a new phrase to me. Nixon and Agnew didn't use the term but would understand right away.
On TV, Fox news and CNN Headline are well right of center. CNN main channel is more balanced but often seems vacuous. MSNBC roots for the left side of polls. AM radio is overwhelming right wing. My local newspaper is a right wing multi-section dail with the old independent left-wing and progressive tucked in as its own section. In short, I see mostly a slight majority of media biased towards the right-wing, and no-one on the left to match to vitrioloc tone of Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter.
The 'shock and awe' cheerleading we saw 5 years ago was an example of the right wing or at least 'yes-man' tone taken towards the Iraq run up by much of the national media.
#33, I disagree with your media bias assertion and point to almost 3 decades of Republican efforts to descontruct the new deal and increase private sector control of health insurance and retirement, efforts towards huge gravy train hand-outs to the banking and finance industries coupled with less government control. Add to that Bush's consumption-targeted tax cuts for small business and middle class that favor our trade deficit, and his revenue-starving larger tax cuts for the wealthiest few. Yes, democrats in Congress share part of the blame, but it is a minority of the blame, both in votes and policy intent.
#36, 37, Experience in other roles does not equal competence for a new role. I think McCain's greatest and best competence is as senior Arizona Senator. I think Obama has greater potential for Presidential competence.
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Of course race is still an issue, anybody who thinks otherwise, just doesn't look at the news. In a country where the designation, Arab, seems to be held in the same regard as, paedophile ; and Sarah Palin sneaking in little fear stoking remarks, I am still surprised nobody has seriously come out and said " Stop it". Just goes to show how morally bankrupt the born-agains are. False christians.
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Race is certainly an issue in this election.. even though I am an African, i wont join the bandwagon for Obama simply because he is black. I like to think am more discerning than that. In my opinion, he has no verifiable track record of accomplishment, no experience and zero personal convictions. the more i look at him, the more i see an individual on a personal journey of self discovery. I see an individual on an inordinate ambition to make history as the 1st black president in US history.
I see a man undeserving of the accolades and hope placed on him by a fawning media. Obama looks out for only one person, and that person is Barrack Obama!
He has used questionable associates and friends to get ahead in politics only to later deny and dump them, and now he is using the palpable fear of Americans over the state of the economy to get ahead in the polls, and BREAKING NEWS!!! HE IS GOING TO DENY AND DUMP THOSE SAME AMERICANS IF HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS, THEN AFTERWARDS IMPLEMENT IS OWN PERSONAL AGENDA.
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Excellent article! It really gives an informed, balanced and interesting prospective on the Obama's campaign. I have been following avidly every aspect of the campaign through many medium and too often the commentators consciously omit, add or simply destort undeniable facts. However, often they still get away with it... So it's refreshing and comforting to get a fair reporting and analysis.
Thank you.
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to icetayoa,
...something tells me that you are not an African but rather a white republican doing a poor job in shooting -down Obama character and intentions. And I tell you why, your personal and hursh criticism on Obama it's something we all accostomed to by now after so many offensive partisan attacks... I will add that if you were just expressing your personal views (more than welcomed by the way if genuine) you wouldn't end-up sounding just like a tired pro-McCain scripted slogan. I know this because i have accountered few people like you before engaged in attacking Obama disguising themselves so to better influence the readers.
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I am voting for the White half of Obama. Why isn't this brought up ? He was raised by his white grandparents. I do not consider him being half black an issue. At least he was born on American soil unlike John McCain who was born in Panama.
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29 -deamon 138
Washington, Bush Snr and Eisenhower were in wars to name but a few. No you don't have to go to war but perhaps it is a test of a person's character and mettle. Your opinion of McCain is fine, its just that I don't happen to agree. I feel that Obama fails the character and personality test - he also failed to back funding for US troops in Iraq because he was never in their shoes, unlike McCain and his family. What is Obama's history of fighting in the US military then?
You say about the BBC that I have a choice - no TV or pay and have the TV - not much of a choice then. What if I want to watch Sky and not the BBC? Also the poorest in the country pay the same as the richest so its a poll tax without representation. In other words a regressive tax, hardly compliant with your left wing views, Employees in the BBC earn huge amounts without so much as a report in the BBC news - again hardly consistent with a leftie such as yourself. Your claim that the BBC in neutral is not in fact correct - Panorama programme title 'Obama and the Pitbull' - if its not evident from that then I don't know what is. It is clear to any numpty with their marbles who they support.
So I have to buy Obama's book to see what he has done of substance - no thanks I would not fund this man. I note that you do not list his alleged deeds of poltical substance (like betraying the US military perhaps). If by substance you mean a lawyer funded by the underworld and who associated with a known terrorist and a pastor with dubious views (9/11 was justified for example) and who broke a gentleman's agreement by taking the seat of a real black female politician of substance's seat in Chicago, then we're talking. And who's dirty tricks campaign prevented the first woman president being elected.
I note your chums in the BBC have never really investigated any of these facts or exposed the real man behind all the spin. Too busy slating McCain perhaps or with their snouts in the trough of the poll taxpayers money - no credit crunch for them then.
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I find it amazingly one-sided with conservatives and media likes of FOX News (fair and balanced?) as the election draws to a close, the predictions of chaos and destruction to life as we know it. Panic and fear are the greatest enemies of a confident and strong nation such as the US. This is where our national character shines and stands proud or we succumb to blame and embarrassing inner quarrels. It seems conservatives and liberals are like firefighters standing around watching the house burn down trying to point fingers only interested in the evidence going away but saving the vault! I have always said money does not vanish into thin air, it just changes hands. Somewhere along the way the money bag got into the wrong hands and everyone wants to blame something tangible or one person, liberal or conservative. What is not invisible is how everybody says “Joe The Plumber” is the symbol of the American worker while he has never had a voice until now and his only card left to play is in the voting booth and even that garners little confidence as we have seen how that voice easily gets the microphone switched to the off button! The hypocrisy is that a large part of these blue collar jobs are shipped out of country on foreign soil and domestically, illegal workers champion those jobs here. Capitalism seems to want its cake and eat it too, for the true prosperity lies not in the investment of America collectively, but the investments consolidated for the handpicked and privileged. It was an inevitable plight for this nation to be tapped out of money so now we are forced to tap out our resources. What a master plan it is to bankrupt a whole nation! If there is a wise man in heaven watching all this go down, I am sure he is afraid to invest anymore miracles on a mob that hires the devil to not only be the broker, but their lawyer as well.
Wal-Mart, President Bush and the rich are easy targets for blame, but each of these factors is supported wholeheartedly and patriotically by the rest of us without question. Americans always seem to put themselves under a spell with the “superman syndrome”. That super hero as a cowboy whom can rule the sunset. He rides through the sunrise raping and pillaging sleepy village casino’s and comes back to the fort to sing a song to his maiden whom can never be safe until every savage is tamed, declawed or no more. It’s John Wayne economics and we are still “in the old times” with our treatment of one another as we hail our flags and tuck our bibles under our pillows in the hopes that those bad dreams stay away, but what happens when we wake up and the nightmare is real and the savages have come back by learning how to count money or run for president? Placing a sign outside your gun store during a sale calling for wrath against “Osama Bin Biden” only raises more hate and division that keeps Americans just where the devil wants them to be, fighting amongst themselves and keeping their eyes off the prize. Conservatives are not angry because liberals will destroy this country, they are angry that in a democracy everyone gets a chance at being a millionaire or homeless. This nation has reached its pinnacle of prosperity and greed. There has been the fulfillment of an ivy league Presidency and John Wayne economics, its just that conservatives are angry it cannot be kept that way eternally and the thought of casting a dark die in the paint of the Whitehouse only taints that shining glow of a temple on the mountain top.
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Don’t get me wrong, I like John Wayne, the actor. I liked him in “The Cowboys” and “The Green Berets”, but his inescapable charisma does not allow him to compromise and have a slow driven character. I miss the good old days of Reagan when I was serving on foreign soil and terrorism was contained and the fear remained only where it rightfully belongs, in the heart of those wanting to attack us. Today, fear is a powerful tool used by all sides and it drives our common interest further and further away from us all. Our technical age is all about speed and taking care of business right now, which in no way means, paying the check first, so I don’t see how either sides of the aisle can claim expedience in that area. How ironic that Joe the Plumber is only good for PR right now, but ACORN is demonized for trying to register him to vote. If the group is predominantly corrupted or compromised and there is a history of mismanagement and partisan control, shut it down I say! On the other hand, you don’t cut your arm off to save a finger nor cut your throat to save your arm! Elections are always frustrating venues for either side whether ACORN exist or not. The last thing America needs is an organization that registers poor people? McCain claims ACORN is a threat to our democratic process and our very fiber, not Wall Street’s bailout, the wars, the economy policies of Bush or our dependency of foreign goods, just a grass roots organization that registers voters. After the McCain campaign and FOX News figured out there is a difference between “voter fraud” and “voter registration fraud”, it was only yesterday the definition was cleared-up, it appears by large, most of the registrations compiled by ACORN have been legitimate, why push it? It can only become another backfire for those fueling this issue since there is also a McCain association with this organization in the form of fundraising. When and how did McCain begin to turn his back on this group? Americans fears about Obama can and should be expected. Any man wanting one the most powerful jobs in government should be scrutinized and investigated, war hero’s included. As we enter the new millennia as a country still showing pockets of the last century or two philosophy in the wrong areas, the world watches with us to see what America is truly made of and I don’t think salvation is gonna come so easily as most Americans become less and less forgiving.
I believe individual acts of salvation can even make a difference such as buying solely American made or using less fuel for unnecessary travel. We should not allow petty conveniences and liberal attitudes about spending put us all in the poorhouse, but rather enjoy the fruits of our labor by it simplest means. We should stand by our soldiers no matter where these wars end up and give McCain the respect due as the elder statesman, but there is a need for calm and strong leadership. I liked McCain many years ago and still do. I would not ignore an opportunity to pick him up if he were walking since I was raised to respect my elders. Conservatism is not a bad thing, but neither is being liberal. It is the balance of the two a Democratic and Capitalist society must not allow to lean too far in either direction for all sides to prosper. The American people are too strong and intelligent to be taken down by hardships thrown in our direction. History proves me right.
I was raised Republican but changed parties after Nixon. I felt like anything was better than a corrupt Republican, I was wrong. There are elements that surround that office to insure checks and balances. One is that it is a four year job. What is the threat of a four year term for the first black president? It is embarrassing to think that a 200 plus year old office of international voice is bound inside one race. This seems to only keep that leadership in the strangleholds of complacency and stagnation. At this point, I would vote for Snoop Dogg and Howdy Doody. There are major wrongs in our government, but before we can point fingers at a national level, we should point fingers to the local representatives sent to our state and federal legislative offices. I sometimes get labeled a liberal, Jesus hater or wacko for weighing both sides and many times you get hated on for not choosing sides. I believe that element of society serves only to continue and “us versus them” mentality when in the end, we all end up on the short end of the deal. It should rather be that all parties correct their own shortcomings before attacking outside the group whether black or white, rich or poor, liberal or conservative. The reality is that America is no longer defined by those ancient realms and our modernizations in communications and science does not make everybody politically identifiable, even rich men get the blues. We must readjust our attitudes about the future without replaying into past rules and boundaries. Racism should be a thing of the past and not our historical ball and chain. It creates suspicion, fuels hatred and demeans our constitution to nothing but an outdated piece of paper. Let us apply the Constitution to not only protecting our rights to bear arms, but our rights to equality, prosperity and freedom as well.
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Received from an astute friend in America:
What if......
Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think
about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different?
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three
month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe
disfiguring car accident?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he
was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers
but also acquired them through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in
1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings
and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline
problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive
qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Educational Background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. Think about it.
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Well Toubab,
I would say that your friend has done an excellent job in pointing these facts out....
I would write that again 100%
The world will be in more of a crisis if John McCain and Sarah Palin get into the two highest offices in the land.
I can't believe with this information painted in black and white people can still say that the two of them are the best suited for the job because from reading it, it has made it crystal clear to me that hands down Barrack Obama should win by a mile!
I can believe however that if he wasn't black it would be so clear cut that he would win, but there are still disappointing truths that no matter what there will still be racist issues in this world.......
We are all born the same way, we will all die the same way.
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#4 I was thinking the same thing- this is a very dodgy blog. for this mans grandfather to have had slaves both the grandfather and father would have had to have fathered children in extreme old age. It possible but highly improbable.
The second point would be that very few Southerners owned slaves. Due to the British and later US blockade a slave cost roughly the same as a new BMW today. A handful of rich plantation owners had slaves. The majority of white southerners lived lives little better than the slaves.
#43. McCain was born in a part of Panama that was legally US territory. Obama was born in Hawai. Both were born on american soil but neither were born in the continental USA. If this fact is influencing how you vote even a fraction then I'm truly worried.
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This blog by Gavin Hewitt was entitled "Race is still an issue". There is a persistent effort to exaggerate Obama's differences in relation to McCain's by pointing out that he is Black and from an un-orthodox up-bringing and interpret all this to mean that he is somehow un-American. In public, it is not acceptable to express reservations about a candidate's skin colour so any discomfort and reservations people may have on the issue of race is instead converted to talking about his religion. Didn't Elmer Davis say, "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." There is no reference to issues of race or religion in this quote. It is irrelevant and to judge a person's ability solely on the colour of their skin is bigoted. The core issues are so much more profound and if people are narrow-minded enough to fail to see this then that is indeed a pity. America is not just a country for white people. Its demographics in relation to race and ethnicity are diverse. For example, there are people of Hispanic or Latino origin, there are Black/African Americans, there are Asian Americans, there are American Indians and there are Pacific Islanders and others. It is this diversity, this multiculturalism which makes America a truly great country. To be short-sighted and to overlook the rights of all these people because they are not white is the realm of the far-right, the white supremist groups and does not have a place in mainstream politics.
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"so any discomfort and reservations people may have on the issue of race is instead converted to talking about his religion"
So how do you explain the constant attacks on Sarah Palins religious beliefs? I don't think there's any debate about her racial origins. Obamas precieved sympathy with muslims is surely even more valid that Sarah Palins alleged belief that humans rode dinosaurs 6000 years ago (not that I've ever heard her say anything like this)
On a broader note I would never attack someone because of their race for the simple reason that you can't choose it. Religious beliefs on the other hand are a conscious choice and fair game for criticism.
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Is Turkish delight trying to point out that there is no racism in America? Or has he totally missed the point that the article, along with previous articles, is trying to make.
That there may not be overt racism in this election but race is still an issue for many voters in their decision and that race alone can determine the swing in many areas.
At no point in this article is anybody judging Obama's competence based on his race.
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#52 "That there may not be overt racism in this election but race is still an issue for many voters in their decision and that race alone can determine the swing in many areas."
Remember that race works both ways: do you anticipate Obama losing in downtown Harlem or New Orleans? Equally claiming that Colin Powell has started supporting Obama based on skin colour rather than policies is no more outrageous than some of the comments I've read on this blog.
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I'm not arguing that fact, I'm saying that race does have a huge impact on voting patterns
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You'd have a hell of a job proving or quantifying that though.
Given a vote I'd think long and hard and probably vote McCain, not because he's a white guy but because I know what I'm getting. Obama could be what JFK promised (and failed) to be but my gut instinct tells me he's Blair to the power ten and he's likely to do something very silly in Iraq. The colour of his skin just isn't a factor.
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a vote for McCain is a vote for more of the same.
Grow a pair and take that chance on the only man who has offered the US any hope in the last decade.
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I am not interested in getting in to a correspondence with other bloggers about what I have written.
I have expressed an opinion just like you and countless others have. You do not have to agree or disagree with it. However, it would demonstrate a degree of maturity if you could just accept the fact that people are entitled to their own opinions.
We live in a Democratic society and thus we are able to have an opinion and participate in blogs and share our opinions with others. Difference in opinion is a positive tenet. Let us learn to respect each others differences.
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I find it alarming that most refer to Obama as "black." Surely he's just as "white" as he is black??????
The guy has mixed heritage - half of each, so race, clearly, should NOT be an issue.
He represents both sides of the coin and is better placed to unify the races - for heaven's sake, he is an embodiment of racial unity!!!
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#47
#58
Well said. Both comments are excellent.
However, the real question isn't about race, age, qualification or religion......it's who chose these two out of all the people in the USA.
It's like being given the choice between which eye to be poked in; left or right?
WAKE UP and realise the people who are really in charge have already agreed either candidate will 'win'.
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for what it is worth, in my opinion, I could follow Obama as a leader, I could not follow McCain, he does not inspire, provoke, challenge or identiy to anything.
I think Obama would be held in far higher esteem around the world and could communicate and respond to other national leaders and people far more effectively than McCain, who I feel seems very one dimensional.
I'm from the uk, and am 29 years old so not the best person to comment on us politics, but there can surelt only be one vote. Obama.
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