[i]Maybe We Can’t by Cinque Henderson
The black case for Obama-skepticism.
Post Date Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Ninety percent of black Democrats support Barack Obama. So that might leave an observer wondering: What the hell is up with that other 10 percent? Are they stupid? Do they hate their own race? Do they not understand the historical import of the moment?
I can shed some insight on this demographic anomaly. In gatherings of black people, I’m invariably the only one for the Dragon Lady. I’ll do my best to explain how those of us in the ever-shrinking minority of a minority came to our position.
But, before going any further, let me fully disclose my predispositions. I disliked Obama almost instantly. I never believed the central premises of his autobiography or his campaign. He is fueled by precisely the same brand of personal ambition as Bill Clinton. But, where Clinton is damned as “Slick Willie,” Obama is hailed as a post-racial Messiah. Do I believe that Obama had this whole yes-we-can deal planned from age 16? No, I would respond. He began plotting it at age 22. This predisposition, of course, doesn’t help me in making the case against Obama, especially not with black people. But, believe me, there’s a strong case to be made that he isn’t such a virtuous mediator of race. And it’s this skepticism about Obama’s racial posturing that has led us, the 10 percent, into dissent.[/i]
Read the whole thing. Obviously I’m a white guy and am already against Obama (and Clinton too, for that matter), so what do some of the black guys who’ve defended Obama think?
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
Actually, there’s no way Obama can win either, unless Hillary were to drop out - somehow that remains unsaid by all these salty analysts…[/quote]
[quote]
BostonBarrister wrote:
Actually, there’s no way Obama can win either, unless Hillary were to drop out - somehow that remains unsaid by all these salty analysts…
lixy wrote:
So it’s a conspiracy now?[/quote]
No conspiracy. Just some individuals with individual preferences acting on them - Barack does very well with journalists, and whittling the Dem candidates down to one would also be the best thing for the Democratic Party, which also does very well with journalists.
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
lixy wrote:
There is no way Clinton can win this thing. Every electoral analyst worth his/her salt said that much.
And please, enough with the racial threads!
Actually, there’s no way Obama can win either, unless Hillary were to drop out - somehow that remains unsaid by all these salty analysts…
…[/quote]
Hillary will likely not walk out of the convention with the nomination but she will get whatever else she wants otherwise it will be a deadlock.
I am very impressed with the way she is handling it. If I thought she would fight half as hard to benefit the US as she is to benefit herself I might vote for her in November.
Hillary will likely not walk out of the convention with the nomination but she will get whatever else she wants otherwise it will be a deadlock.
I am very impressed with the way she is handling it. If I thought she would fight half as hard to benefit the US as she is to benefit herself I might vote for her in November.[/quote]
You’re probably right - from her perspective, the question is how she could be persuaded to step aside.
To persuade people to do what you want, you either have to threaten them, bribe them or convince them (there are various levels of each of those categories, but I’m pretty sure that about covers it). Let’s assume she’s not going to be convinced or threatened: What does she want? It’s necessarily something better than being Senator of NY, right?
Vice President Hillary? I think that’s the one thing she won’t want - assuming she thinks that a Dem can hold the Presidency for 8 years, she’ll be old by the end.
Perhaps it’s because they realize that Obama could be the first and maybe the last black president for a long time. Maybe they don’t think some of Obama’s policies are going to work. So they don’t want to vote for someone who is going to mess it up for everyone else.
On foreign policy Obama is going to be a lot like Jimmy Carter. Some of us are old enough to remember those years.
The 10% of blacks not voting for Barry Obama are made up of people like Herman Cane, Thomas Sowell and Clarence Thomas. They understand how liberal he is. They know his policies are un-America because they are Marxist in nature. The 10% not voting for Barry Obama know voting should never be based on someones race. The Democrats do a great job of playing identity politics. They distract voters from seeing the true policies behind a politician by building up an image or catchy slogan. I would say the 10% not voting for Barack are well-informed, good Americans who do not fall for identity politics.
I would probably be tempted to vote for just about any black presidential candidate solely because of race if I were black, at least until we had one. I imagine it would feel quite alienating to be a member of a group that’s been a sizable minority for the entire history of the country yet hasn’t once even come close to having a member in the presidency. I would probably vote on color just to feel like I belonged and was welcomed in my own country.
I’m just guessing though.
[quote]Mick28 wrote:
DK 14 wrote:
The 10% of blacks not voting for Barry Obama are made up of people like Herman Cane, Thomas Sowell and Clarence Thomas. They understand how liberal he is. They know his policies are un-America because they are Marxist in nature. The 10% not voting for Barry Obama know voting should never be based on someones race. The Democrats do a great job of playing identity politics. They distract voters from seeing the true policies behind a politician by building up an image or catchy slogan. I would say the 10% not voting for Barack are well-informed, good Americans who do not fall for identity politics.
Well said…very well said.[/quote]
The stupid never stops with you.
I’m pretty sure those 10 percenters are supporting Clinton, because they like the Clintons?
[quote]DK 14 wrote:
The 10% of blacks not voting for Barry Obama are made up of people like Herman Cane, Thomas Sowell and Clarence Thomas. They understand how liberal he is. They know his policies are un-America because they are Marxist in nature. The 10% not voting for Barry Obama know voting should never be based on someones race. The Democrats do a great job of playing identity politics. They distract voters from seeing the true policies behind a politician by building up an image or catchy slogan. I would say the 10% not voting for Barack are well-informed, good Americans who do not fall for identity politics. [/quote]
So all the blacks voting for Obama are uninformed idiots who’s ignorance will destroy America and all the blacks voting for Clinton are holy warriors doing god’s work. Gotcha