GOP Southerners Fear Obama Wave

New York Times:

The sharp surge in black turnout that Senator Barack Obama has helped to generate in recent primaries and Congressional races could signal a threat this fall to the longtime Republican dominance of the South, according to politicians and voting experts.

Should Mr. Obama become the Democratic nominee, he would still have to struggle for white swing voters in the South and in border states like West Virginia, where he lost decisively to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Tuesday's presidential primary. In West Virginia, where more than three-fourths of white voters chose Mrs. Clinton, 20 percent of the white voters said the race of the candidate mattered in their choice.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[HopeObama08]

Prayers anf thoughts for Ted Kennedy. We need you.

[qdog112]

DITTO

[obamasOHangel]

Yes, I pray that all is well with him.

[olivia]

The latest news is that it was a seizure, not a stroke.

[MarkyM]

FEAR being the key word here. Fear is what has ruined this country, Fear is what stops those bible freaks from evolving. Fear is what brings war. Fear is the KKK. Fear Fear Fear!

Don't be afraid of change! I don't complain, I change! Change. Change, Change!

Our new EXIT plan! Here is the last 2 minutes of a soldiers life Click here or Copy and paste the and pass it along to everyone in your address book! http://www.myspace.com/Craftymusic

[bison2]

If it didn't happen in South Africa with a larger black population, why would it happen here? There is no example in modern history that points to such racial retribution.

[k6007]

None. In the US, in fact, just the opposite is true.

[Tyrione]

You're assuming Black South Africans and African Americans have anything more in common than their skin color.

I had several exchange students from Africa during my University years of the 90s and they couldn't stand most African Americans and were appauled with their "we are owed" attitude. This is coming from being in the Northwest.

The lives and blood slaves endured are no more tragic than the lives and blood slaves have lost throughout history, across the globe.

Does it make it any more or less tragic that Humanity has a long history of brutality? No.

In Nature we know the bounds by which wild animals survive.

In Civilization we define ourselves as elastic/mutable beings of Reason.

We fail often.

We learn and evolve.

Let's not forget that and let's not have generations later be the target of derision for something they themselves have nothing in common with past other than the color of their skin.

A person's views can be judged in the present but when they become categorized by generalities of the past it produces nothing but division, by design continuing a guilt-ridden, downtrodden segment of Society.

[BADEN]

Southern whites of the "establishment sort" are ALWAYS scared of anyone that doesn't look just like them.
Southern whites have a pathetic grandeur of delusion of their own self-worth.

Let's see what Blanche Du Bois, that paragon of Southerness has to say on how to get thru the day:

"I ALWAYS depend on the kindness of strangers"­....

They need to get over themselves are become the pathetic little parody of life that they are.

Elvis has left the room LONG ago.

[BrickSykes]

Dear Ted,

Please try to rest and recuperate. OUR Country needs your strong support and leadership now more than ever. Thanks for all your help through the years.

Brick

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

yeah, stroke is not a good thing. hope he's alright..

[SaskiaStars]

How totally ridiculous - those GOPers are they are afraid of something that will make this country great. What in hell is there to be afraid of? More jobs, better economy, rule of law, prospect of peace, civil liberty for all, equality, stronger government, restoring our strength and respect in the world, yea - really something to be afraid of. What a bunch of old racist war-mongering greedy pigs.

[gladys46]

And pigletts!

[SaskiaStars]

yes, pigletts. HA!

[nativeeyes]

Our Prayers go out to a good family guy and a good politician Sen, Teddy Kennedy..

I hope you pull thru SENATOR...

We need more like you in the House...


Obama/Kennedy 08'

[barackobama4prez]

Yes, I saw that he apparently suffered a stroke. I pray he's ok. Shoot, why bad things happen to good ppl....

[nativeeyes]

McCain and Bush, " Attack Obama on Foreign Policy and National Security" "Yeah let's get him"

McCain and Bush," Even though we totally Blew it with 9/11, Afgan War looking for Bin Laden, you the guy that we gave WEAPONS too." "Don't mention the WMD's didn't find and we had no friggin idea what the hell we were getting ourselves into"

McCain and Bush, "Yeah and don't tell them about all the AMERICAN lives that are going to be LOST, for this big Blunder"'

McCain and Bush, " How do we get the hell out of Iraq again?" " Hush, we messed up the economy too, don't let anybody find out about that one, hehehe"


Obama, "These two fools never got anything right in 8 years" " God Help those that want more of this stupidity""

[aliceblue]

Witty. I lauged.

[wedgie]

"In West Virginia, where more than three-fourths of white voters chose Mrs. Clinton, 20 percent of the white voters said the race of the candidate mattered in their choice."

Yes, however, I don't think you can win an election with 20%. And I assure you the people who vote on race are also the people who vote for the Republican Party. They only dropped by the Democratic primary cause Rush told them to.

**

[Annette]

That is probaly true.

I have had doubts that people voting for Clinton because they like her platform are on the whole racists. I prefer Obama but I was surprised at some of the exit interviews. I suspect that Rush the Limp managed to get GOP people to show us and spew their real ideas.

[ChiGuy]

Gay marriage bans being overturned.
A black man as the next president. (And a woman a close second.)
Dems taking Congressional seats in previously staunch Republican strongholds.

It's not just southern GOPers that should be afraid. EVERY one of them from Florida to Alaska should be dreading the next 8 years.

This is gonna be fun!

[Independent voter]

Were the last 8 years some kind of fantasy land for you? The price of oil went from $25 to over $125 under Bush. The president who promised peace and prosperity delivered neither.

[SaskiaStars]

I think Chi is trying to make the point that the GOP war monger facsists are dreading the next 8 years because the tide is turning. He is on your side..

[gladys46]

Breaking news MSN Ted Kennedy hospitalized unknown reasons .... Obama supporter here ferventing praying for Sen. Kennedy!!

[Sundialsvc4]

I do grow tired of articles, professing to be from "authoritative sources," that continue to paint the same old tired images:

... that "black people" vote for "black people" because "they're black."

... that "Southerners" pledge allegiance to Jim Crow, and fear that "black people" might stop picking cotton.

Grow up.

It really does not matter what color your skin is. What matters is where this country is now going, and what to do about it.

On a still-larger perspective, "what matters" is that we've really been handed a Faustian bargain: "a white woman," "a black man," and "George the Third." WHY any of these esteemed Senators are going along with it, I do not know. Likewise, WHY the Media is passively going along with "them's your choices," I know not, either.

What the Media -can- do is to stop running pieces like this. Their only purpose is to sow the seeds of division and confusion; to reap "a house divided." Let's start focusing our attention on just what's been happening these last years, who's responsible, and how to bring them to lawful justice. Then, what to do next.

What do we want "The United States of America" to be? "This?" Or what we knew and took for granted as children?

[Dannydel]

In a perfect world, your wish would be reallity. Unfortunately, the south is still the south and ignorance and deep seated racial fears, still linger.

[robXdion]

You need to get out more and get your head out of the clouds. These articles only skim the truth. Racism is underreported because of the national embarrassment and white shame it conjures up.

[Myshkin57]

I think his point, though, was more that articles like this do nothing to illuminate and just stir up the pot. I'm all for some serious reporting on racism in America. It's still out there and needs to be talked about. But it needs to be reported in a substantive and informative way. This article is neither informative nor constructive.

[Myshkin57]

I think the media plays into it because it's the easy story. Look at some polls of black people, look at some polls of women, and look at the polls of people who have been living under a rock for the past 7 or so years and then just regurgitate the numbers. That's some good news reporting!

They say over and over that there's nothing to talk about at this point. Can they be serious? If the country and the world are so easy and uncomplicated then it should be easy keep everyone safe and prosperous. And, we should be able to solve all environmental, social, and political problems in no time.

Let's face it. Journalism is dead. Only a handful of people do any real reporting and the rest just blather on and on about some minor gaffe or incident. It's truly a sad state of affairs.

[abouttime]

RE: Sundialsvc4 "What the Media -can- do is to stop running pieces like this. Their only purpose is to sow the seeds of division and confusion; to reap "a house divided."
I agree completely. The "mainstream" media has this penchent to appeal to the lowest common denominator. However, we can overcome their bias toward division by uniting. I think Obama has demonstrated his brilliance in avoiding the knee-jerk reactionary bias by concentrating on issues that are important to ALL Americans. His Greatness is shinning from coast to coast because We the people dismiss the simplistic notions of division perpetuated by the corporate media.
Obama 08

[IslandGyal]

I find it ironic that Barack's father was an African and his mother a White American. It's just coincidence, but it interesting the Black experience in America began with African slaves being brought to U.S. shores, and that the next president of the United States of America, will be a product and an African and a White American.

[PatrickforO]

One other thing - Americans everywhere who have any capacity at all to think about the big picture - how they have been tricked by the Rovian 'divide and conquer' 'introduce red herrings to cloud real issues' fearmongering politics year after year into voting against their own best interests - they are finally wising up. We saw this in the recent congressional election in Mississippi. The Republicans ran against this Democrat on Obama and Wright, and lost big. Another example is the debate in Indiana about the gas tax holiday that actually hurt Clinton's lead much more than it helped. All of us are tired of things as they have been, and want our leadership to bring us just a little closer to things as they should be.

As FDR said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Obama has a lot going for him, and has the potential to be one of the great statesmen of American history. Let us put aside our fears and give him a chance in the White House. Let us also elect many Democratic Senators and Representatives on his coat tails, and then let us all continue to be involved in the process of change through keeping ourselves informed, and keeping those we've elected to represent us accountable to do the right things for us.

[GOPHater]

Boy, them thar folk in West Virginny sure is smart, ain't they? Reminds me of Alabama foke.

[WFV]

I say give it time. This election is going to be so one-sided, at least some of the Southerners will change their minds about Obama. Those who don't are going to be sorely disappointed with our new President, but they're going to have to get over it.

[bygollymissmolly]

Hey, if I was going to hold my nose and vote for Hillary, because that is what is best for this country, they can hold their racist noses and vote for Obama for the same reason. Same goes for all the disappointed Hillary supporters.

[Annette]

Who knows even they might realize that after Bushie the country is on to a good thing and that the Democrats are not the scary people they have been indoctrinated to fear. Who knows they may grow up and quit yelling Me, Me, Me all the time.