I haven't read this entire thread, but I can tell you that the novelty act that is Barack Obama is without question impacted by the fact that he is half black and that he has an unusual name. There is no question this benefits him, as he is seen as unique. If he were 100% white or 100% black and went by the name Barry Dunham (his Mom's maiden name), then he has less of a uniqueness. Less 'hipness'. Really that's not in dispute. I believe I can say this safely, many blacks raised in predominantly white environments (like Obama was), have a HUGE advantage. They sound 'white' when you hear them talk. Ask is not 'ax', words are articulated, etc. Mike Tirico, Wayne Brady, Alan Keyes, Shane Battier, etc. Yet they all qualify for affirmative action. They all benefit from the white guilt. Rightly or wrongly (probably wrongly, but it is what it is), they benefit from exceeding reduced expectations in a social and academic setting (not an athletic setting however). This makes their cultural acceptance much much easier. I'm sure I get a bunch of heated responses, but this is fact people.
wow, just wow, I guess blacks raised in black environments just can't make it in the real world? is that your point? talk about throwing out the kitchen sink, ebonics,affirmative action? what else you want to toss in, running scared huh
Let’s see. I want to run for president What are my strong suits? Color - Black Name - Barack Hussein Obama Yeah! Americans are gonna love me!
I also like how you declare your ramblings as fact. i guess we can't debate with these facts people, shane battier is in the nba because he sounds white. brilliant logic
That's interesting speculation but I'm not sure that would be the case. While I don't believe Obama's race is the primary reason for his popularity it is part of his appeal. At the risk of being accused a racist I don't think you can discount his race or dismiss it as a handicap. For better or worse it is a fantastic story that a black man, with the name Barak Obama, can come so far in America. I'm not going to say this diminishes Obama's extraordinary charisma, oratorical skill and intelligence or to say that he wouldn't be successful if not for his race but his race does add another dimension to his appeal. On the flip side the same thing can be said for Hillary Clinton too to have a women also rise to such a high level in America and part of what makes this race so interesting is the possibility of either the first African American or woman to become US President and I think much of both candidate's support is driven by that symbolic possibility. Unfortunately though for those who were supporting Richardson like me not many got excited about the symbolic possibility of having the first Latino US President.
pgabs, you are wrong on both counts. 1) I said this does not apply to athletic settings. See my initial post. 2) I said that blacks who are raised in white environments have an advantage. I did not say that blacks raised in black environments couldn't succeed. Quit twisting my words to match your ridiculous hypotheticals.
And yet just yesterday, you claimed Obama was in trouble due to the racial polarization in the contest, and his inability to attract white voters in Mississippi.
omg, pgabs, just re-read my post. Your last three comments suggest you didn't comprehend much of it. I believe that blacks have reduced expectations in a social and academic setting. If you accept that, then an equal performance by White #1 and Black #1 would be seen as a superior performance by Black #1 due to exceeding the lowered expectations. That's the advantage.
I think some white posters on this BBS suffer from decreased mental acuity due to being really stupid. I'm not sure if that holds them back, but it sure does make them say some moronic crap. Just saying.
the stupidity of this argument in the context of a campaign is that obama has to actually win votes. which democrat who ran in this campaign do you argue is more qualified than obama. why do you think this person is more qualified than obama. do blacks at harvard have a special grade curve that allow them to make lessor grades to graduate from harvard as obama did. what grades did your daddy bush make at princeton. what was his inherit advantage that allowed a "c" student to attend an ivy league graduate school? how did he become president and lastly, do you think whites have a problem with a guy named hussein and has a muslim dad, or does he have an advantage.
who you callin' black? <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9SDHxaYhqAo&rel=1&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9SDHxaYhqAo&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Trader stop speaking as if you know. This is not a fact. I grew up in the Jersey Village area. There is no such thing as white guilt. Nor should there be. Out of all the white folks I know, none have ever expressed a sense of guilt to me about the past. Nor do I expect them to. As for people pronouncing the word "ask" like "AX" so what. TJ, you make it seem like you yourself pronounce every word as it was originally intended to be pronounced. I have never heard you talk, but by the comments I read by you I would put my money on it that you are not perfect pronouncing words either...
Ferraro should crawl back under that rock she has been hiding under for the last couple of decades. Shameless and sad someone in her position/profile would say this. I mean it is understood on a public BBS forum you get your full of dumbass and prejudicial comments--but this is someone who used to be important and used to try to attract votes to her party. ...advantage in working through the system over African American's raised in high poverty areas with poor educational systems, absolutely. ..advantage over Whites raised in elite environments and circles, not in this America. GWB, McCain and Hillary all had huge advantages in getting where they are. Just for example, for sure GWB would not have gone to Harvard and McCain would not have graduated from the Naval Academy without family connections. Now Bill Clinton, being from a poor fatherless White household in Arkansas--talk about overcoming built in disadvantage.
A big problem with Richardson is that he is not good looking. Also his name is not Latino, so it is hard for Latino to pull for him. Finally, the first few primary states don't have a high Latino population, so he wouldn't get the momentum to get it started. But what I mentioned above don't really affect me, I also think he can be a better President than Hillary or Obama
"She gone..." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/11/obama-ferraro-race-flap-r_n_91047.html Ferraro Has Resigned: "Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from her role as a member of Hillary Clinton's finance committee," CNN reports. Here's her letter: Dear Hillary - I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign. The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do to make this a better world for my children and grandchildren. You have my deep admiration and respect. Gerry (Ger-Bear)
wow, she's delusional. what's obama supposed to say, yeah geraldine, I wouldn't be here if I was white?
