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

[NoLove4HillaryAnymore]

They should be. When the grassroots are done with them, they will change their party affiliations.

[whizkid]

What Obama wave in the South?
He'll be no stronger there among AA voters than Clinton, Gore, or Kerry.
Plus he'll lose the Rust Belt.
The Democratic party's lack of pragmatism in 2008 is astonishing.

[openlids]

coming from someone who swore up & down every night Clinton was going to win

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Clinton who?

Haven't heard that name mentioned in the news in days.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Reading comprehension can be listed alongside your other failures in life.

Guess what, pissoir? No one even mentions Hillary any more. Not ONE mention of her on any of the network newscasts tonight.

All about Obama.

Positive coverage, too.

[Thereandback]

It's not about the percentage; it's about the turnout.

[JR49]

It is your dream...:)
Everytime when I read or watch Repubs comments I have to laugh their stupidity and naivity. VA goes with Barack Obama for sure....an­d REpublicans can go to the hell with their policy of fear. I guess most of them would return back to school or at least read wikipedia.­..especial­y cheapter about appeasement and Neville Chamberlai­n...

[justwaitandsee]

Keep telling yourself that

[kay]

Why don't Clinton supporters know why Democrats win the "rust belt"?

Democrats win the rust belt because they run up huge margins in urban counties.

They don't win conservative, rural "Clinton counties" against Republicans.

They win the counties where all the people are, and they lose the conservative counties.

[Idiocracy]

Can we please out-vote the ignorant people of this country and take back America in NOV !!!

I am white, jewish, wealthy and am voting with the "normal, logical, reasonable" people of this country.

America only has one hope for any kind of decent future...

Obama 08 !!!

[Parkhurst]

And its this kind of profoundly dumb rhetoric that will turn so many people to McCain in the fall. Who would not like to burst this self-regarding retard's bubble - just because. This kind of hubris invites resentment. Yes, indeed, let us take back America from posters like this.

[mesuki]

Please...i­f your reason for voting for McCain is that you don't want to hear the voices and opinions of Obama supporters,then that makes you a very weak person. Strenght is being willing to make a change and getting out of your comfort zone. One of the problems with this country is that people always expect the government to solve all of their problems,and when things go wrong they start whinning and bitching.T­he reason I love Obama is that he invites all Americans to roll up their sleeves and work at changing this country instead of waiting for someone else to do it for us. Taking back America is gonna require educating people,and helping them to see the truth.Not sitting back and complaining!

[disgusted48]

McCain? Any sad sack who votes for McCain must really not have much hope for a better America. The true definition of "lowered expectatio­ns."

[kellygrrrl]

The GOP cowards deserve exactly what is coming to them

Reap What You Sow HATERZ

[Sctt859]

Everything looks good for obama so far, huckabees joke, the attack against michelle, Mccain agreeing with bush and obama attacking both with out backing down. The GOP are scared they have been scared all along.

[sanywhere]

i agree. bush helped obama yesterday. now, mc cain is tied to bush for good. they will lose the south in nc, and miss. the map is going to change. looks great so far.

[meltingpot101]

Huckabee's joke was anything but fun. It was in bad taste and for many of us Upsetting. For some reason the Huff has closed the comments on that blog. Wonder why???

[disgusted48]

Huckabee has a very bad habit of pandering to the crowd he is in front of. Wheher it is to white voters in south carolina defending the confederate flag or to the NRA making jokes about shooting Obama. Pandering is not a good trait for a pastor, let alone good presidential material. Typical republican policitian.

[BlueOnBlue]

Obama may not carry much of the South, but just that we are talking about it is inspirational.

In addition to carrying the African American vote, he has a chance of getting substantial numbers of new Southerners, including transplanted Northerners and young people who have not yet had racism pounded into them.

Meanwhile, McCain is going to look worse and worse as the campaign progresses. His hero status isn't enough to cover up his multiple positions on key issues. For instance, he won't be trusted on immigration or taxes, issues where he has taken varied stances. His supposed strength is in being steadfast and unwavering. It's a totally phony reputation and it will progressively crumble.

That won't go over well in many areas, including the South.

Obama has been in a merciless spotlight for months.. It is now swinging toward McCain.

(anyone remember Vicki Iseman?)

[Sneaky]

Whoa there, back up a bit. "Racism pounded into them"? I'm born and bred Southerner, and grew up in an area fast becoming a massive ghetto in Central Florida. If you really want to talk about racism, come down to where I'm from and spend a week with me. We'll talk after.

Anyway, nobody wants McCain. Okay, a very odd few want him, but generally Republicans are only tolerating him because they, like about everyone else, have been lead to believe party line above personal preferences. The RNC is forcing McCain down the throats of a large body of disenchanted Republicans.

[Sabreen60]

Why don't you come out a say what you mean? Are you equating 40 million African Americans with what you experience in Central Florida. If that's not racist, then I don't know what is.

[StillIRise]

In response to your follow-up post (which I can't respond to), you may find blacks in urban settings, such as you've described, that exhibit fear, a strong dislike for white people, prejudice for their own, hatred for those from outside of their community, or other forms of biases, but you will not find racism. Sabreen has provided a definition of a racist, and this definition is specifically exclusive to the majority race, those with the power to suppress or oppress the minority race. There is also other criteria to this definition that excludes blacks and other minority groups from the strict confines or what a racist is.

However, I totally agree with your views about McCain vs. the Republican Party. They have virtually been forced to settle for him, but he is not at all their first or even second choice of who they wanted the nominee to be. This accounts for his inconsistencies and rapidly changing positions on the war, etc. He has to appease the conservative wing of the Party, as well as the religious right (Hagee) to win over their support.

[justwaitandsee]

And there is no better place for justice to begin, than the place where injustices began

[estevancarlos]

The middle passage? The Door of No Return in Ghana? It didn't start in the South.

[justwaitandsee]

In America, it started in the South

[dulios]

Ah, yes, blame Africa for the enslavement of blacks in America.

[FogBelter]

When was the last time the GOP Southerners did anything meaningful for their constituents? It's about time the wave washed them out to sea.

[chronic]

Exactly!


All the right wing politicians do is spread hate and fear.

Then get in government and complain about government while pigging out on thier winning$.

OUR TAX DOLLAR$!!

[meltingpot101]

GOP southerners afraid of the black vote....th­at is truly poetic justice. The GOP across this entire country should be afraid. The time for corruption and special interest groups ruling the government are coming to an end. The usual scare tactics and guilt by association are no longer effective.

Americans may be more fearful of another four years with the repugs in the whitehouse than just about anything else.

[Sneaky]

Adam Nossiter, Janny Scott, thank you. We absolutely needed more correlation with racism and the South.

Just to keep perspective alive, whether or not Obama wins the "black" vote means about as much as whether or not I change my political party. It'll be something to talk about, but have no effect on the outcome. The "black" vote isn't numerous, comparatively speaking. I hate that term, by the way. "Black" as a term should have died when the nation was founded, and those who continue its use today prove that we as a culture are not ready to give up the issue of race.

This young, Southern white male won't vote for Obama. For a former professor on Constitutional law, he seems to be awfully confused as to what authority and powers politicians have (Global Poverty Act). He also seems utterly unable to give sound descriptions on what he -does- plan to do, within the limits of presidential power, and what he plans to UNdo to help clean up the mess Bush made of the Executive Branch. Lying to Indiana about whether or not their gun rights were safe wasn't a good selling point for me, either.

Race has nothing to do with most people's voting choice, and neither does gender. Get over yourselves.

[08timefortruth]

Even IF every word you said was true why would you vote for McCain or do you plan on not voting period?

[Sneaky]

Every word I said is true. I do not plan on voting for McCain, because of his similar actions. I won't vote for someone who can't do their job as per their job description. And I most certainly plan on voting, just not for any of the "big three" the media and two largest lobbyists (DNC and RNC) like best.

[TheKnownTruth]

Think....n­aaaa forget it ...wouldn'­t do any good.

[Sneaky]

Humor me.

[sanywhere]

he never lied to indiana. i know it may be hard to understand; but, there is a thing called nuance. he wants the rights of gun owners to be different for urban vs. rural communities. that is what he has said, and hillary has said all along. furthermore, at least he is talking about cleaning up the mess bush made while mc cain wants to continue the flow of blood at the cost of americans.

[Sneaky]

No, he said pretty plainly that gun rights would be safe. And if the concept of "different rights for different places" doesn't offend you, the concept of "rights" isn't one for you, I see. They apply, to everyone, equally, unless by due process of law justly applied they are suppressed.

I'm not sure what the latter comment refers to, so I'll wait for clarification.

[funkmeisterD]

You are completely full of shit. I was born and raised in South Carolina, grew up there through the 60's and 70's and after living in New Orleans, Atlanta, and North Carolina I settled in the Northeast because I had more opportunities in the industry I'm in.

In the South, with regards to Obama, race has EVERYTHING to do with Obama.
Your two or three piddly reasons why you are not going to vote for Obama tells me that just like many other white southerners, you'll use any excuse not to vote for him.

Our country is in the most pathetic condition, globally/r­elationall­y, and Obama is the only candidate who can restore these relationships.

So your choice would be either McCain or Hillary? My guess is McCain.

Yeah, maybe the term "Black" should have ended a long time ago, but then again, wait a minute, the news coverage and political pundits of this presidential race also refer to "White" voters as "White".

The term black is a badge of honor among blacks in this country, while whites will refer to themselves as "white" in the context of talking about "blacks", but in a much more derogatory way.

You have no idea the wave of voters that are going to turn out this time, and they WILL vote for Obama.

So you get over yourself.

[Sneaky]

Spoken like a small-minded cheerleader and not a critical thinker. Fair enough, to each their own I suppose.

Of the people whom I work with, they are predominately Democratic. They generally dislike both Democratic candidates. Why? Their policies suck.

Of the people whom I generally hang out with, they are generally more libertarian and Republican. They generally dislike ALL of the big candidates. Why? Their policies suck.

You can't prove that Obama can change this nation. He can't even prove it, because he has nothing currently to support the notion that he can. Bush was supposed to be an amazing leader, too, especially in foreign policy (what a lie that turned out to be). Do "blacks" hate him because he's white? No, they think his policies suck.

No, I'm not voting for McCain. He's guilty of much of the same Obama is, and plain stupidity besides. I'm not voting for Hillary, either (suuuucky policies, same as Obama, but at least she has the guts to try to detail her plans. Sometimes.­).

I'll ask you kindly, sir or ma'am, to take your assumptions and examine them very closely. Americans aren't as dumb as you seem to feel they are, and a large number of them don't like candidates BECAUSE THEIR POLICIES SUCK. I have nothing against the man personally; I can only judge him from a distance on his words and actions. Based on those, Obama is not someone I can ever support for president with a clean conscience.

[DoninJoisey]

"Race has nothing to do with most people's voting choice, and neither does gender. Get over yourselves"

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that that doesn't apply to. Just listen to some of the comments that came out of W V.

[Sneaky]

I agree. There are a lot of people. In a country of how many millions of voters, though, the ones who actually vote (way too small a portion of the population for my liking) consistently tend not to vote based on gender and ethnicity. A large number of dumb people do, but they're not a large percentage of people, and I wouldn't count on their number as "swing votes".

[kellygrrrl]

time to get ready to combat some very real Voter Suppression in the South

Let's get the troops on the ground and fast!!!!!!

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

I emailed Kev and asked him to pass my email along to you.

[kellygrrrl]

great. I don't want to dump this on Kev. I wouldn't mind being the liason and getting clearance from both parties to pass on email info

I'll have to set something up.

[iBgood]

They are doing it in many southern states now with their new proof of citizenship requirement in addition to regular ID.

[Sneaky]

I fail to see how this would be a bad thing. Explain?

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Not going to be as easy this time. I am sure that plans are already underway to have huge numbers of attorneys on call in every County.

Knowing what the Repubs have done in the past makes it easier to plan for this time.

As we have seen, this campaign runs like a Swiss watch.

[kellygrrrl]

they are doing it with ID requirements
and they are setting up polling places 10 and 20 miles away from neighborhoods where people don't drive.

Did you see those kids in TX from the mostly black college.
Their polling place was 7 miles from campus so they all marched like a parade with their band all the way to vote.

We need to support and fund transportation in NOV.

but we need to get peeps on the ground now to sort out ID requirements.

[Vantunow]

The Obamicans are coming! The Obamidcan are coming!

You better believe it!

South Shall Fall Again!

[kellygrrrl]

The South Will Rise!!!!!!!!!

[RTIII]

You tell that ass, Kellygrrrl! THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN!

[windyindie41]

Good. It's time these folks felt real fear, and what better person to give them then an inspirational, well-educated young black man, who will lead this country into a new era of greatness. But just like under Bill Clinton, these people will remain willfully ignorant to any true sucesses or achievments that Obama has happen, and will probably use the eight years Obama will have as President to rebulid their coalition of hate in the form of the Neo-Neo-Con's. Because, let's face it, the Republicans are headed to this ultra-mega­-humungo-r­ight-wing congolmeration ideology, which is the exact opposite of where the majority of Americans wnat to be.

[Cyndee1113]

Obama is bi racial. He will not only be for African Americans but he will be for Whites, latinos, Asians and American Indians. Obama would not be where he is in this race if it were not for all of us. If Obama becomes President, I hope you are not expecting him to become the black savior because that is not gonna happen. We all will benefit.

[windyindie41]

Of course I agree with you 100% about Obama leading all the races of America equally as one, something the Republicans fundalmentally are incapable of. My only point was that the people in the South who are racist, or bigots everywhere for that matter, are also incapable of seeing Obama as anything but a black man. Just like they are incapable of seeing Bil Clinton as anything but a draft-dodging, pot-smoking hippy, and Hillary as the biggest harpy in the world. Hopefully, after Obama gets elected, they will come to see how much better things will instantly be for EVERYONE, though I doubt it, considering these kinds of people live to hate.

[harriscrl3]

Gee thanks NYT for labeling Obama again as the black candidate but its not jus the black vote that republicans should be concerned about its also the Youth.

But once again this is NOT simply an AA phenomena or youth phenomena this is a country where the people are FED UP at a FAILED GOVERNMENT in more ways than one. National secuirty is important but when you are spending 500 billion dollars on a war and people dont have health insurance people dont have pension people are losing their jobs it sort galvanize them. See thats the mistake that people make they think that all this turnout has to do with Barack or Hilary and perhaps a large number of it has to do with them but its also a BACKLASH against an unresponsive govermnent and if the repugs think that they can swiftboat without having any policies to offer middle class and poor Americans they better think again. They need to sit their azzes down and try to come up with good policies and solution is stead of launching political grenades at the opposition party while they are on Foreign soil. My advice for the repugs they better start finding them some economist and sit down and come up with ways to FIX this country or they'll be comparable to DOG FOOD.

THey are failing to see the DIRE circumstance of the American people they are suffering and they not in the mood for BULLSHIOT from the GOP.

Carol

[meltingpot101]

Your right.

GWBush has motivated people in a way that has made this country ripe for change.

[DoninJoisey]

And McCain is right with him.

Isn't just the youth - it's the educated they have to fear.

[kasinca]

All Republicans have ever had is dirty politics including lying, cheating, stealing, making crap up. fearmongering. If they ever told the truth, not even the knuckle dragging troglodytes would vote for them. Republicans are failures at governing and they are successful in lying and hate.