The White Guilt Card?
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:58pm Matt Margolis
My opposition to a young, charismatic African American candidate who campaigned on hope and change was dubbed by that candidate’s supporters as racism.
The candidate I’m referring to is not Barack Obama, it’s Deval Patrick. The parallels betwen the two candidates campaigns are uncanny… even the reactions by their supporters are virtually identical, as Kimberly recounts that her opposition to John McCain was immediately dubbed as being a form of racism.
Just yesterday, I was stopped in the parking lot by a couple of liberals because of my McCain-Palin bumper sticker. One said, “You’re a racist because you’re voting for McCain!” I replied, “No, I’m a Republican and I’m voting for the Republican candidate. I wouldn’t vote for Obama if he was white.” That stopped them in their tracks. Of course, it also gave me a wonderful opportunity to talk with them about Obama and McCain.
Make no mistake about it… Recent stories about the role of racism in the campaign are merely a preemptive strike to explain why Obama will lose in November, as well as an attempt by the media to invoke white guilt amongst undecided voters so that they will vote for Obama to “prove” they aren’t racists.
This attempt by the media to make a vote for Obama a vote against racism is hardly a new thing. When Deval Patrick was campaigning for the Democratic nomination for governor in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe, in their endorsement of Patrick, said,
Patrick doesn’t often explicitly address his race in the campaign. But his positive reception [...] has been a good sign that this state can move beyond its reputation as old, cold, and closed.
Deval Patrick, despite his warm rhetoric on the campaign trail about change and hope, has become perhaps the most incompetent governors of Massachusetts since Mike Dukakis (who has also been playing the race card for Obama) and the jury is still out on who will ultimately prove to be the worst.
It’s worth noting that despite Deval Patrick’s overwhelming victory in 2006, his approval ratings are down the toilet, and he’s abandoned many campaign promises, like property tax relief.
Deval Patrick is a prime example that a well-given speech is no substitute for genuine leadership. It was no suprise to me that Hillary defeated Obama in Massachusetts, despite Deval’s endorsement. The Democrat voters of Massachusetts were already duped once — they weren’t about to fall for it again.
Barack Obama would be a horrible president regardless of whether he is black, white, male or female. he is the most inexperienced and unqualified presidential candidates for a major party in history. But his image won over the left-wing base of the party, and he’s the candidate the party as whole has to offer in November. I am very confident the people of America won’t be fooled the same way so many in Massachusetts were back in 2006.
This election shouldn’t be about race. It should about who is ready to lead. The answer to that one is clearly John McCain.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats
24 Comments
1. Mark | September 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I follow your arguement, and with that being said, I would have to assume you feel that if Palin had to step into McCain’s shoes for some unforseen reason she also would not be qualified to lead the nation just as Obama is not, correct?
2. Dennis | September 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
The primary attributes Deval Patrick and Barack Obama share aside from race is that they both are Harvard educated attorneys and both possess eloquence of speech. Their life experience and career paths otherwise are remarkably different. Patrick never held elected office before becoming governor of Massachussetts whereas Obama has been a successful state senator and United States senator. He has been extensively scrutinized and vetted by popular vote repeatedly prior to the current election campaign.
There is no logical reason to presume Obama’s administrative competence or success would mirror Patrick’s in any particular. The comparison is reflective only of Margolis’ superficiality. The assertion that “Barack Obama would be a horrible president” is gaseous emotional speculation rising from an immature grasp of reality.
Unfortunately McCain’s grasp of reality is equally tenuous, and by his repeated factual stumbles and policy reversals he has demonstrated himself even less ready to lead now than he might have been eight years ago.
3. Now What? | September 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Hi Mark and Dennis,
thank you for speaking up and saying what is actually the truth.
For McCain to speak on sexism is equal to Obama to speak on racism. It’s a fact a as a white man to know that Obama may lose because of the 50% blackness and it is not about his ability to lead.
As an independent, I haven’t decided who to vote for, but the state of Va. will probably vote for Obama.
God is in the corner of the winner.
4. Retired Spook | September 23rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Mark,
You have actually made a brilliant point. Read your post back to yourself, slowly, and see if you don’t agree.
5. Fredrick Schwartz | September 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Race is an issue in this election like it has been in no other in the history of the United States. As a matter of fact this election is the first time America has really had a chance to vote on what means more one’s race of one’s country. I expect that since race trumps country in most American dealings domestically, like neighborhood was everything when I was kid in Brooklyn, then those who think racially will get the man they want as their next president.
You’ve got to see this from all angles to realize the power of this motivator. The white vote of undecides who think that America IS ready for a black president will be the number that decides who becomes president. If that number is higher than the number of rural voters for McCain and Caribou Barbie then you will be calling Barack Obama Mr President in four months.
All I can say is if McCain and Palin win and something goes wrong and they appear unprepared or demostrate that they are unable to lead I, personally, will not tolerate any spin. None of this “it’s the Democrat Congress” bullshit either. I’m willing to rise or sink with my candidates in my homeland you should be willing to do the same. But as this is no longer a Bush connected blog I can tell what will happen at the first sign of their inability or unpopularity in the polls. November of 2006 really shook your tree didn’t it Matty?
6. Pain | September 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Deval Patrick= Next Attorney General
7. Deejah Thoris | September 23rd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Somehow I don’t think if this were Mike Steele of Maryland running with Tim Pawlenty the right wing would have so much trouble with “lack of experience” but they would be flocking to Bob Barr because of race. There were any number of minority candidates that could have been paired on this ticket but what you got is what you didn’t want John McCain who was almost John Kerry’s running mate four years ago and the governor of a state awash in rape, corruption and political malfeasance. Soon it will be crawling with lobbyists!
D.T.
8. kimberly4victory | September 23rd, 2008 at 3:40 pm
The problem with you, Deejah, is you don’t “think”. Your post was hogwash. I would have been happy to vote for McCain with either Steele or Pawlenty as the #2.
Freddie: Race is an issue with Democrats only. They are the only ones that keep bringing it up.
How about that reporter who quoted a Democrat stating she wouldn’t vote for a black president. Then another reporter found the woman in question and she was pissed. She claims to NEVER have spoken to that reporter or to have said such a thing.
9. Deejah Thoris | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Hey Kimmy!
You know as well as I do [I grew up in racially diverse Iowa and went to college at Marquette in Milwaukee where I discovered black culture up close and personal and my own sexuality up close and personal. ] that there are just some white adults that do not like black people, people of Spanish speaking origins or even people from the Asian continent. If you aren’t white and American they want no part of you. It’s called xenophobia a fancy name for being afraid of cultural or physical dissimilarity or as you call in the US “racism.”
I f what you say is true Kim that race was only an issue being brought up by Democrats then Obama would win in a landslide. There is a certain 10% of the white electorate on both sides that would never under any circumstance vote for a black man for president. Period. That goes for Democrats as well as Republicans.
My point hinged on Steel being the Presidential nominee not the veep. Even subconsciously it’s a tough thing for you to accept that a black man Steele, Patrick, Obama, or even Powell could have gotten there. Even having a 100% rating from every Right to Life lobbying group is not enough to get a black candidate the nod as GOP presidential nominee. The best you guys could do is put up Bobby Jindal a faux black from the South. What does that accomplish except proving MY point?
10. Dennis | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Kim, you are out of touch with reality if you believe race is an issue with Democrats only. That is one of the most bizarre things I’ve read today. Because “they are the only ones who keep bringing it up”? You’ve got to be kidding.
A racial decision is a foregone conclusion with plenty of people on both sides of the aisle. The best most of us can do is to ignore it and keep pumping on the issues. That may tip a few aside from their racial bias, but it won’t work with very many who’ve started out with one.
And that goes for blacks and whites, both parties. I believe the total number of all people who start out with a racial bias is decreasing but these things don’t go away so quickly. I have Republican relatives in small town NC, and if it is any microcosm of larger America you can bet there are millions who might vote for a black candidate for city council but will never vote for a black president.
11. Eric T | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
You got black racists, and white racist Democrats. How are the democrats going to solve this problem?
They either gotta get rid of race based affirmative action type programs that give preferential treatment to certain groups. Or just go ahead and put everyone on it. So that way even the hillbilliest, poor white folks out there, don’t feel like they are getting left behind, when it comes to first crack at a good job, government grants, business loans, ect…
12. Fredrick Schwartz | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
11. Eric T | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Can you honestly tell me what Affirmative Action is?
13. Dennis | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Now What - nobody can presume God will be in the corner of the winner.
“The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.” Ecclesiastes 9:11.
14. kimberly4victory | September 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I would definitely vote for Steele as POTUS. He is a genuine, intelligent, thoughtful, conservative man. I misunderstood you … trying to work and blog at the same time. Also, and this might shock you, I would vote for a Democrat who was black IF he was qualified and I thought he could lead the country.
Have you heard ONE Republican leader bring up race as the reason why people won’t vote for BO? I haven’t. That was my point, FS.
Why are whites the only ones considered racist? How about the 90%+ blacks voting for BO? Aren’t some of them considered racists for voting for BO only because he’s black?
PS Isn’t BO “faux black”?
15. kimberly4victory | September 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Ruh Roh.
58 percent for Obama among Hillary supporters three months ago …
58 percent for him among Hillary supporters now!
The biggest reason for not voting for him is he is not qualified. The second is he commited voter fraud. No mention of race AT ALL.
Gotta love ‘em.
16. Eric T | September 23rd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Fredrick-
They are policies that are based on collectivism and merely another equal form of discrimination because they can result in qualified applicants being denied entry to higher education or employment because they belong to a particular social group.
17. Ricorun | September 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Spook: Mark, You have actually made a brilliant point. Read your post back to yourself, slowly, and see if you don’t agree.
If it was so brilliant, why are you so enamored of Palin?
18. FmrMarine | September 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
K4V
>>>Why are whites the only ones considered racist? How about the 90%+ blacks voting for BO? Aren’t some of them considered racists for voting for BO only because he’s black?>>>
Absolutely !!!!!
Just like many blacks follow men like Je$$e, al, wright, calypso lowie, oBOMBa etc
Not only follow them but proclaim them their LEADERS !
HOW is THIS NOT RACISM ??????
>>>” Gary Fields and Jonathan Kaufman, Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2008
An anxious murmur is rising among black voters as the presidential race tightens: What if Sen. Barack Obama loses?
Black talk-show hosts and black-themed Web sites are being flooded with callers and bloggers reflecting a nervousness—and anger—over the campaign. Monday night, Bev Smith, a nationally syndicated black talk-show host in Pittsburgh, devoted her entire three-hour show to the question: “If Obama doesn’t win, what will you think?”
“My audience is upset,” she said. “Some people said they would be so angry it would be reminiscent of the [1960s] riots—that is how despondent they would be.”
Warren Ballentine, a nationally syndicated black talk-radio-show host, added: “Once Sarah Palin was picked and African-Americans saw the Republicans ignited again, they got worried. We are scared now.”
Black nervousness could help Sen. Obama, the first African-American to head the Democratic—or any major party—ticket, by boosting black turnout in November. But if Sen. Obama loses, “African-Americans could be disappointed to the point of not engaging in the process anymore,” or consider forming a third political party, said Richard McIntire, communications director for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
{snip} The latest Wall Street Journal poll shows 88% of blacks backing Sen. Obama. Black voter registration has surged.
{snip}
“If he loses, it will shake the very ground that we stand on mentally as far as what we need to be to succeed,” said Robert Gordon, a 48-year-old engineering surveyor from Dallas. “From day one, we’ve been told to be a certain way, to be neat, intellectual, speak clearly. He is the symbol of what we were told to be by our parents and by society as a whole. If this doesn’t work, what does that do to our psyche? What do I tell my sons? No matter what the hell we do, it doesn’t matter? We can only assimilate so far.”
{snip}
Melvin Thomas, a professor at North Carolina State University and past president of the Association of Black Sociologists, said black response to the election likely will depend on “how African-Americans will see a vote against Mr. Obama. What does the racial distribution of that vote look like? If the answer for African-Americans to the question of why Obama lost is race, an Obama loss will have the potential to deepen the racial cut.”>>>
19. neocon | September 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Who is Sarah Palin?
Right Rico?
20. Retired Spook | September 23rd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
If it was so brilliant, why are you so enamored of Palin?
Hey, Rico, what can I say — she’s HOT and she can skin a moose.
21. phnx | September 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
“Why are whites the only ones considered racist?”
An interesting question, the answer is that definition of racism has been defined by leftist elitist academics to foster white guilt.
The fact of the matter is that racism in one form or another exists across all racial and ethnic lines.
While living in South Florida, I attended a church which was approximately 60% black. I was surprised to discover the degree of racism which existed within th eblack community…not so much directed at white members, but at other blacks. The church was made up of Carribean island blacks as well as American blacks and whites. There existed a hierarcy within the balck community with the Jamicans at the head, looking down on the Bahamians who looked down on the Grenadians, who looked down on the Trinidadians, who looked down on the Haitians, who looked down on the African Americans, at the bottom of the totum pole.
From what I have observed, Republicans tend to vote on issues without regard to race. This is a generalization, to whcih I will readily admit, some will vote on the basis of race. However, Dems are are far more concerned with race that with issues. College educated white liberals are eager to vote for Obama as a confirmation to themselves and their friends of their sophistication and intellectual and cultural superiority.
Its amusing to me when the leftists on this blog continue to refer to the ‘vetting’ of Obama, and yet are unable to point to one single accomplishment in his short political career.
Granted the man is an impressive orator, but take away the teleprompter and the speech writers and the man stumbles to put together a coherent statement. Nevermind that his economic proposals (ie. rasing corporate taxes) will destroy the economy. As for me, not voting for him has nothing to do with racism, and everything to do with his proposed policies.
22. Ricorun | September 24th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Chris Rock has a funny take on black racism (warning: strong language). But closer to the topic, while I’m sure there are some black folks who will vote for Obama simply because he’s black, it’s also true that large percentages of black folks vote for the Democratic candidate even if they’re white. Kerry got 88% of the black vote, Gore 92%. So the fact that Obama is polling 90+% isn’t exactly extraordinary. One could argue pretty effectively it isn’t even notable.
On the flip side is this poll, which suggests Obama has some up-hill sledding when it comes to white voters: Statistical models derived from the poll suggest that Obama’s support would be as much as 6 percentage points higher if there were no white racial prejudice.
Of course there are other reasons not to vote for Obama. For example, his resume is rather thin. Then again, McCain’s Palin pick kind of complicated that issue. Good thing for McCain that Obama’s not hot and can’t gut a moose, lol!
23. Eric T | September 24th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Ricorun-
That video was very funny!!!
24. Kahn | September 24th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Note - I don’t care about race. But, I wasn’t voting Dem anyways.
The polls seem to indicate that lots of DEMOCRATS are racist.