In November this year, the people of the United States will go to the polls to elect a new president. For the first time in history, one of the contenders is black. Obama has now won the support of the Democratic party and the lead up to the elections is looking to be fascinating. The whole world is watching to see what the Americans will do. The fact that the US might elect a black president this year leads us to our your view question – is the US ready for it? Have the racial troubles of the 60s now receded far enough in to the past for people to accept the idea? Please remember to attack points of view and not the people speaking. Ad hominem attacks are a signal of defeat in a debate.
Is the US Ready for a Black President?
My answer: Yes. I believe the majority of Americans are ready for a black president. I think the American love of politics and their desire to see integrity in the office means that they will vote for the best man for the job – regardless of race or gender – and I think that this year the election will prove that.
Yes. And i hope he wins!
I hope so… or things have not progresses as far as they should have by now.
What’s wrong with black???..
Competency, integrity, and your credibility is not measured by the color of your skin..
Racist!.
Should I say,we’re Lucky coz were white and they’re not coz their black??
Where is equality?
I didn’t think I would need to say it – but I will delete any racist comments.
appie: who is racist? My response to the question suggested that Americans will vote based on integrity not skin color.
yeah right jfrater..
I was just bothered “somebody’s” comment..
well, I think, it’s not a good idea blogging dirty comments here right?
this is for smart people not for uneducated ones..
appie: indeed – which is why I deleted his comment.
I definitely think that the majority of Americans, especially younger ones don’t even consider the color of his skin; we are ready for a black president. However, and I hate to say this, but I think he would have a higher than average chance at being assassinated. There are certain groups in this country that would definitely attempt it. It would take a long long time for that wound to heal. I try not to think about it…
paradoxo: let’s hope not – I think he has great potential.
appie: okay – it is fine – I saw the comment and deleted it. Let’s move on now
Sorry..
My fault..
I can’t recall his name..
I should have placed his name..
I’m not against black people..
I have lots of Black American friends…
I love Martin Luther King JR.
Speaking as a lifelong democrat i dont think Obama is qualified to be president. George Bush has just about ruined the chances for McCain to be elected president because he,s the one of the worst presidents in history and Americans are ready for a change. Im gonna do what the late George Carlin say,s im not gonna vote for anyone that way you cant blame me when they f@#k up i didn,t vote for him.
I really hope so. But I do fear he will not make it the whole term, he will almost assuredly have several assassination attempts. In all probability before the election happens, but I do hope, I hope very much.
To me, race has nothing to do with competence, but in all honesty, there are a lot of idiots out there. There are too many white supremacist nut-jobs in this world and if Obama is elected, I worry about what might happen. I think that the majority of Americans may be ready, but all it takes is one idiot.
Like comment 10, I believe the majority of younger Americans are ready for a black President. Sadly tho, there is a very powerful group that wont allow this to happen: Older male Republicans. Just watching some of the cable news shows alone is disgusting; from Neil Cavuto of Fox to Lou Dobbs of CNN, these “news men” have been disparaging Obamas every move. I am sure there will be either some very nasty personal attacks on Obama or some funny business in the voting. Hopefully, there will be enough support to overcome that.
Me: White male in his 30′s who will be voting Obama
Yes, the US is ready for a black president. The only problem is that liberals aren’t ready for a conservative black president just as conservatives aren’t ready for a liberal black president. Party lines are much more divisive than race. Thomas Sowell would make a much better president than Obama. Obama’s not even facing issues with being (half) black or having a muslim-sounding name, he’s facing adversaries who question his judgement and ability to run the most powerful nation on the planet. It’s got nothing to do with race and he knows it. You might as well ask if America is ready for a female president or a one-armed president or a president in a wheelchair. We’re stuck in a rut of older white male presidents because A. it’s expensive to run for president so rich people tend to do it B. that’s what our politicians tend to look like. The political arena is open to one and all. It’s just like the sciences. Women aren’t highly represented because there aren’t a lot of women who go into the field. It’s only a matter of time before someone who looks different becomes our president, and naturally that person will be applauded and go down in history as the first “whatever” be it black guy or chick or jewish person. But I bet you whoever it is will be just another politician-they’ll just look different doing the job.
I think that “qualified” is a very subjective term. A lot of “qualified” and experienced candidates have made huge mistakes in foreign policy, the economy, their choice of staff, etc. Lincoln had very little experience but made smart decisions (the sorts of smart decisions one would have to make in order to go from being a state senator to presidential candidate in 6 years) and inspired people for generations to come with his speeches.
And as far the assasination angle, any idea how many people want Bush dead?? I don’t think Obama would have any higher than average odds.
JFrater ~ Can I ask why you think Obama would make such a great president? What have you been reading/hearing/watching?
i would love to say that America is ready, but I dont think they are.
Honestly, some red-neck would assasin him before he reaches the whitehouse… i would love to be proved wrong.
Alot of America is ready, but not ALL of America…
rushfan: I like him based upon the speeches I have heard him give. I don’t agree with all his politics, but I do like what he says generally.
jfrater ~ will you be watching his highly-anticipated acceptance speech tonight?
I believe that there are parts of this country that are not ready for there to be a black president and there are parts that are. Its interesting that I hear many older educated black people say that they don’t think that we are ready to have a black president yet. One woman I met during a hospital stay not too long ago who was a teacher said ” its only been forty years since they killed Dr King and I don’t believe things have changed enough that someone won’t kill Mr Obama too” and that echoes the sentiment of the others in the demographic I have spoken to.
I think more importantly that Obama is not ready to be president so it isn’t really a relevant discussion. For the record I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican and I would vote for the candidate that best represents my beliefs which is neither of the major party candidates this election.
In the two party system if neither candidate fits your views if you vote you’ve lost, so the only way to protest is to not vote which is what I will do this year just as I did in 2004,
YES, AMERICA IS READY–Just not O bama–Ineptness shouldn’t be the strong point for electing a president.
rushfan: I will – though I didn’t know about it until mentioned it
In my opinion, it’s simply about the US being ready for a DIFFERENT kind of president. A non-white, non-senile, non-”let’s go to war forever”, non-awfully-Republican president.
And the answer is hopefully yes, FOR THE SAKE OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.
I will say America is ready, but I also want to mention that a lot of the Barack support is mainly hype..
It’s becoming a fad to like him and many people don’t even know what his platform is.
Yes we are. I don’t this THIS particular gentleman is the best candidate running this year. But I’m glad to see that we as a nation have come far enough to give him consideration. The same thinking goes for a woman president. Remember the men who’ve held this job were from a pretty narrow group,….even amongst white men. We’ve had only one Catholic president, only one bachelor, only one who didn’t graduate college, only one divorced and none whose surname originated from outside of Northwestern Europe.
definitely, just not this huckster
“Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans”
Another great report from the Onion.
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/portrayal_of_obama_as_elitist
“I think the American love of politics and their desire to see integrity in the office means that they will vote for the best man for the job.”
Seriously? You believe the American people (of whom I am one) vote for the “best man for the job”? I think most people vote for the person who speaks to the single issue they like and forget the rest. You’ll also have those who will vote for him just because he’s black which has been seen in areas where he received 99% of the black vote. Just sayin.
I think it’s ridiculous that the question even has to be asked. Race shouldn’t have any relevance. Experience should. Obama has no experience or unique qualifications; I really don’t see what the big deal is about him.
Politicians are ALL douchebags. Each and every one of them. Douchebaggery sees no color.
On race, in case it DOES matter, here’s a snippet from an article by Dr. Jack Wheeler:
>He is half-white, which he
> rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides but
> is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his
> Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim
> his Arabic parentage to people in Kenya . Only a small part
> of him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which he
> pretends he is exclusively.
>
> What he isn’t, not a genetic drop of, is
> ‘African-American,’ the descendant of enslaved
> Africans brought to America chained in slave ships. He
> hasn’t a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his
> Arab ancestors were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main
> Arab business in East Africa for centuries until the British
> ended it.
>
> Let that sink in: Obama is not the descendant of slaves, he
> is the descendant of slave owners.
I just hope that if he loses everyone won’t cry “racist”, especially if he loses for legitimate reasons (as a Canadian though I’m too busy following our own politics to really know anything about his platform, I just hate when someone cries “racist!” or “*****ist!” at everything)
I’m Irish so the election doesn’t have any direct impact on me, but if I had the opportunity to vote in the US elections – Obama! Obama! Obama!
I think the majority of the US is probably ready for a black president. He’s a personable, intelligent, thoughtful man – am I just naive in thinking that his skin colour is trivial in comparison to those admirable traits?
One thing that worries me though is those Republican voters in the Bible belt. McCain still has a strong army of support behind him. Although I’ve never been to the US, I am aware that racism among the Bible belt is still a problem (correct me if I’m wrong).
As the US is the only superpower left in the world, the election impacts the rest of the world greatly. If Obama is elected, it will show great progression in the US society from the days of Rosa Parks. The rest of the world will notice and appreciate it.
Plus, he’s not a gun-toting war nut
I would prefer we had a “Blacker” president. But ready or not here he comes. I will vote for him and hope he wins and that the legacy of the Bush’s is one of total shame, incompetence and stupidity
Morgan Freeman has built the road
P.S. FYI – part of his caucasian side is from Moneygal, County Offaly in Ireland.
Just a random piece of info for ya!
Jill W.
I understand what you’re saying, but you can’t expect people to really care that he is descended from slave owners. So are most people!
Slavery has been around forever and most every country has slavery in it’s past, so it’s highly unlikely that ANYBODY isn’t descended from slave owners.
Oh, and my opinion is YES.
Race doesn’t matter.
What I’m really hoping for is a president who is not Christian in my lifetime.
They don’t have to be Agnostic, Atheists or even Jews (like me). I just want to see that America can stop automatically distrusting anybody who isn’t Christian.
Don’t deny it, because Obama’s religion has been a major issue that people discuss.
wow. never thought i’d say this… but i actually don’t have much to say.
i am not ready for a black president…or a white president… or a yellow, red, purple, orange or chartreuse president!
i am ready for a president who can begin to repair much of financial damage our country has sustained over the past 8 years… i make (practically) the same amount of money that i did back in 2005, but i am paying 2$ more a gallon in gas. milk costs over 3$ a gallon, and let’s just not go there.
my properties went into foreclosure, because i made bad judgment calls and thought i could turn them around quickly, but the bottom began to drop out of the real estate market by then. i have had 2 friends return from Iraq, one with a TBI and is now disabled, and he fights every month for a measly $1,250 to live off of!
we are still involved in a war that not only do many Americans oppose, but a great many don;’t even know why we are involved!
i am ready for a president, and administrations, who doesn’t think the answer to our energy crisis is to open off-shore drilling that has been banned by congress every year since the 1980′s…
i am ready for a president that understands that instead of being the global bully, we need to be the global educator, and lead by example…
and i’m ready for a president that stops pandering to big corporations and encourages the small business owners, who are just getting annihilated by such corporations as WalMart, VCA of America, and others.
since Billy Graham socially declared that to “Be a Christian & American” was synonymous with “voting Republican”, there are an untold multitude of backwater, un-educated, un-informed individuals in this country, who only take their awareness of politics or public events from the snippets on the nightly news, who would never desire to see anyone other than a white, American, Protestant male in the White House, that will vote for anyone Republican, so long as it is a white male who talks openly about his religion.
those people, i fear, outnumber those of us whom are more liberal, see beyond the immediate gains, and understand that it will take a helluva lot longer than 8 years to turn this country around. If Obama becomes president, i believe he will lay down a great foundation for other future presidents to build upon and repair all the economic damage, and national disgust many Americans (such as myself!) feel about the previous 8 years…
i have nothing more to say. really.
ringtailroxy
We’ll see…?
I would hope to think that in modern times now candidates should be based on policy rather then of superficial natures such as skin colour or networks… on the other hand there is no need for positive discrimination if he is unsuitable.
however in this case, i believe people are most definitely ready for a black president.. i also hope that this inspires people of different cultures and races to step up and try to help change the world knowing that no judgement will be made purely on race.
I think most of America is, but most is probably still not enough.In the current situation, I would definately vote for Obama, although out of all the candidates he 3rd or 4th on my book.A better question would be if America was ready for a non-centrist president, like Paul, or Kucinics (probably spelled wrong).
Hell yeah,America is ready for a black president!!! It’s time for change,man! On a serious note, the way Bush has been running the country these past eight years has put quite a damper on McCain’s run,him being a republican, but only time will tell. I was also rooting for Hillary for vice president,but oh well, Biden’s good to.
I just found very hilarious image that kind of relates to this topic. Check it out it is very funny.
Why the hell should america care what race the president is, I just want someone to turn this country around Bush *****ed it up.
Coming from the South, I’d like to say we are past “racial” issues, but I don’t think America is ready for a black president any more than America is ready for a woman president…we are too set in our ways. Although “change” sounds good to us in these time of economic hardship, I think it will boil down to race rather than issues.
I believe most intelligent Americans are ready for a black president. I don’t care if your black, gay, or atheist, as long as you don’t push your social policies on me, and you make America a better place.
I don’t like Obama or McCain though.
Why is everyone so head over heels for Obama? because he promises hope and change? or because he’s black? This is complete bull*****. People always give me the typical reason why they’re voting for Obama and it’s either because “that’s what everyone else is doing” or because he has “hope and change”. It’s complete non-sense, as if no one is educated enough to draw their own conclusions about candidates than walking with the whole crowd off a cliff. I’m sick of hearing about this “hope and change”…it reminds me of the movie idiocracy where they watered the plants with brawndo(a sports drink) because it had electrolytes and that’s what plants crave, which of course is totally wrong…Why are you watering the plants with brawndo? “because it has electrolytes”…do you even know what electrolytes are? “yea, it’s what plants crave”…..i think i rest my case..
Is the US Ready to stop asking ridiculously racist questions that distract the voter from truly important issues?
Vote for Barr or Nader
i dont know. two party elections dont cut it for me. ultimately the path will go for who ever’s got the money and the gall to make it through to this point and those with enough political “got yo back” behind them, be it a blue gorilla with a swagger and wearing a 10gallon hat , riding a blindfolded ostrich , throwing out lollipops and ipods or someone with the voice, that is able to get across that “HOPE” tagline without it seeming like it was really created by Shepard Fairey, who’s made his mullah and street cred with his “OBEY” propaganda stlye poster grafitti..
Tell em what they wanna hear now.
it’s the time for high drama now. showtime!
the trail was like a recieving antenea.
” might need to adjust that one a tad to the right- or is it the left?”
“add some tin foil to that one there”
kiss the babies and give a golly handshake to the elders. eat a burger, play some pool, drink a beer with the regular shmo.
Stevie Wonder singin ole time faves with barack additions, while a bunch of little american flags wave around
god bless our country
the way the news plays it here is leaning on the pop side of obama.
the cool one
good luck Micky C!
The white guy on tee vee, talkin to the black woman on tee vee, “Its a different kinda obama and accent you’ll see and hear when he’s givin a speech in a southern black church.”
Al Gore talkin now to Obama fans. He gave his “go obama” bit–cheers expected places–, now he gives his “climate crisis” talk, and the good feeling of the crowd is trying to sober up.
but where’s the racism- hidden, erased or pushed back, as it can overshadow. The LA riots were just 15 years ago.thats not that long ago. and that was a pressure pot purculating for a while..for sure.
racism still exists in different ways worldwide, but the majority of voters here are not overt racists and the true hate mongers are like speckles of gore we wish not to look at straight in the face.
hypothetical “joke” here: what if Obama grows an afro in the white house…well, what would happen then?
Where’s the tough as nails jornalist that goes into the dark jungle of the mind of america and record the howl?
Jerky – Conservatives don’t want what’s best for freedom and democracy.
Diogenes’ dummy, agreed 100%. I hate the two party system, it’s more about money than anything else.
ringtailroxy for president!
51. Shlufi:
I think is not an american who is asking, but you’re right.
People shall not vote Obama because a black president will make the country seem more advanced.
Unfortunetly, for many people in some places of the States seems that skin color is still an important issue.
Diogenes’ dummy ~
thank you for the nomination, but i must decline. you see, i am certainly NOT qualified to run for presidency.
obviously the entire country has gone totally downhill since the Reagan era… a time of big spending and the Cold War. Then it was Saddam Hussein and the Gulf War. then it was Bin laden and the Iraq War… do i detect a trend?
now, I am well aware of Clinton’s part in the bombing of South Africa…. but i don’t believe it caused so vile an economic crisis as this war does today.
and whatever happened to the communal love of all americans? according to my grandfather, during WWII,things like War Bonds & Victory Gardens where the norm, and the american public eagerly made sacrifices so the soldiers had fresh food, supplies, and raw materials…nowadays, you can’t pry a teenage girl’s hands from her text phone, the general american attitude is “it’s not my problem” or “i don’t want to get involved” and now the “Green” movement is trendy, and i fear it is a fad, such as Rubik’s Cubes, Tomaguchi, Clear Sodas, and mainstream Alternative Rock!!!
no more. seems others LVers think i ramble…
rtr
p.s. concerning McCain: wasn’t he a prison of war, surviving atrocities, but so brain-washed by the military that he still thinks war is necessary for peace? that’s like wiping my ass before i take a *****…or saying you have to lie to be honest…
theres still lostsa food drives and the like, along with the whole “cellphone for soldiers”thing,but sure-trends CAN be evasive with the horrors at large, also CAN be a necessary release or coat of comfort, immeadiate reaction to the HYPE, like a big rock tossed in a pond…see i ramble too.
anyway- off the”Your View” at hand,in general -
community is truley at stake. agreed.
That Frost poem:
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, /That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, / And spills the upper boulders in the sun, /And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. / The work of hunters is another thing: /I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone, / But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, / To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean, /No one has seen them made or heard them made, / But at spring mending-time we find them there. /I let my neighbor know beyond the hill; /And on a day we meet to walk the line /And set the wall between us once again. /We keep the wall between us as we go. /To each the boulders that have fallen to each. /And some are loaves and some so nearly balls /We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them. /Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard. /My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder / If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it / Where there are cows? /But here there are no cows. /Before I built a wall I’d ask to know /What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence. /Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him, /But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there /Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed. /He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees. /He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well /He says again,
“Good fences make good neighbors.”
We’re not ready for any one who isin’t going to actually do what they say. Too bad Obama can’t actually tell us what he will ‘change’. Whoever will be voted in, it won’t matter, my life will pretty much stay the same. So, I don’t care if we had a black jewish midget as a president, because I’ll still be doing the same things in the same exact way.
already had lots of black presidents:
24
Fifth Element
Idiocracy
etc.