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West Virginia: Country's Most Racist Voters
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According to the exit polls, West Virginia's voters revealed that they are the most racist in the country so far in the Democratic primaries. Fully 20% of the voters consisted of whites who reported that race was a factor, and they voted for Clinton 84-10 over Obama. That's a total racist vote of 17%, exceeding the racist vote in all of the previous primaries where exit polls were taken, and going far above the 13.7% in Arkansas, the most racist state before now in this election.
The exit poll asked whether Obama shares the views of Jeremiah Wright. Half of the West Virginia voters polled said that he did (20% a lot, 30% somewhat). Of those who thought Obama shares the views of Wright "a lot", they voted 88-3 for Clinton. That's an astonishing number, and it overlaps greatly with the voters admitting racism. It reflects one vision of racists, that all black people think alike. But the influence of the Rev. Wright case suggests that "iceberg racism" (the racism beneath the surface) is also strongly affecting voting.
What may be most remarkable about these figures is that they show how little history matters in racism. Remember, West Virginia was created as a state during the Civil War when it broke away from Virginia and rejected the Confederacy to remain part of the Union. However, it's not clear if this separation really indicated the people's views, but West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1862 with the requirement that it gradually eliminate slavery.
So why is West Virginia more racist than the former Confederate states? One reason might be lack of contact with blacks. The exit polls indicated that voters were 95% white, and only 3% black. Whites may hold on to bigotry when they rarely encounter blacks and do not have their stereotypes challenged. However, Obama has done very well in other all-white states, including Iowa and Vermont.
Perhaps it reflects economics. West Virginia (like the second most racist state, Arkansas) tends to be a poor white-dominated state. In the face of poverty, many people don't cling to guns or religion. They cling to racism.
The Republican Party's rise to power in recent decades has largely depended upon the fact that impoverished whites blame blacks rather than corporations for their problems. Without these racist whites, Republicans such as Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush could never have won. The biggest hope for the future of the Democratic Party is the dying off of the old racists who helped bring the Republicans to power. But West Virginia skews very old, and poorly educated, which is the worst possible demographic for Obama.
By contrast with race, gender was a key factor helping Hillary Clinton. Overall 18% of the voters said gender was a factor, and they supported Clinton 73-22. Incredibly, among the men who said gender was a factor in their voting, they also supported Clinton 59-34. This indicates that bigotry can be a divided concept. White people, and even white men, can support a female candidate enthusiastically while simultaneously revealing their dislike of black people.
But it's also possible that Hillary Clinton's success at overcoming the sexism that I believe is out there can be attributed to "sponsorship." Hillary Clinton can get the vote of men, and even sexist men, because she has a well-liked white man, Bill Clinton, vouching for her and giving her strong support. If so, the question becomes whether the support of Obama by prominent white men (including Bill Clinton) might help offset the bigotry that's so apparent.
As for the Limbaugh Effect, only 4% of the voters in West Virginia called themselves Republicans, too small for reporting details of their voting. From my calculations, though, Clinton won only about 60% of the Republican vote, better than she did among Independents but less than her margin among Democrats. So the Limbaugh Effect was less than 1% in West Virginia. However, Limbaugh did not aggressively push for Republican voting in West Virginia, which has a closed primary.
As the West Virginia primary shows us, in many parts of the country racism is alive and well and controlling our political process. Many commentators assume that Obama's success with the young and well-educated is due to some "elitist" support he has among the latte-sipping crowd. The real reason is racism. Younger people are less likely to embrace racist views. Well-educated people are less likely to embrace racist views. And that makes all the difference in America, where the continuing significance of race can be measured with alarming detail in West Virginia's primary.
Read more at John K Wilson's DailyKos Diary.
Crossposted at ObamaPolitics.
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I just was blown away with the blatant ignorance of some of the people that found themselves on cameras be they from MSM or from independent news outlets and I was wondering what newspapers were these people reading? or what world did they live in? I mean these people were convinced Obama was a Muslim--did they NOT hear about the Jeremiah Wright debacle--what rock were they living under?!??
Soooo, would it be fair for me to categorize all West Virginians as "backwards rednecks" because of what I saw on television news interviews just as many white categorize blacks as all "ghetto trash" because of what they see on the evening news?
Just throwing it out there....
Unfortunately, stating that sex was important in their decision-making and then voting for the woman in part because of her gender is just another type of or another way of demonstrating sexism, not an advancement in equality. Of course, they weren't as potentially confusing in their reaction to race.
Hi i live in morgantown wv and voted for obama.yes i went to college, well nursing school I was born and raised in charleston. served in the navy went to wvu. i rember a state that did not riot over busing,and afirmitve action, that does not have the death penalty.an
You went to college?
Already you're in the minority there in W. VA.
Are YOU black or hispanic or asian or native american? If you're white, of course you'd never experience racism.
Hell, I'm half-white and I know what it's like for people here in Eastern Washington to treat you if you're not FULL WHITE.
You say you went to college , mike? I did not. I also have not been in the arm force's. I also believe I know when to Capitalize a beginning of a sentence, mike. It makes me wonder if you are who you say you are. Plus, my mother in law lived in west virginia . She died this year at 81 years old. She changed only because of her many relatives in other states. But she still refused to use a computer or other things like a cell phone, and etc. She knew the deep racial divide of Virginia and fought against it often. She knew of Congressmen Byrds ingraved racial feelings and behaviors toward racism. She also knew that Hillary Clinton wasn't being talked about down there because she was a good leader an a woman or to make history. They were talking she said about how they would like to have Bill Clinton back in the white house and the prosper days of the 90's back. Thats why I felt bad for Hillary Clintons win in w. virginia. It's sad, but how it is in w.virginia
This is exactly why we NEED Obama in the White House: so that people like this can see first hand that Black people are not the enemy. They are not scary, inferior, or whatever else these people seem to think. We are all just people.
Thank heavens for the young voters. Generation by generation, this type of intolerance is fading.
We shall overcome. Even white women like myself!
The fact that supporters and associates of Hillary Clinton can rejoice in this vote says everything you need to know about them.
Younger people are less likely to embrace racist views. Well-educated people are less likely to embrace racist views. And that makes all the difference in America, where the continuing significance of race can be measured with alarming detail in West Virginia's primary.
This is quite problematic indeed. You treat racism as if it is individualized rather than institutionized. Also there is no ention of the 7% vote Edwads picked up. This is also telling. How about ti.
You're way too harsh about West Virginia. They're an isolated mountain state with their own culture who don't trust outsiders and have probably never been asked to vote for a "colored guy", as one of them put it, before. I'm sure most of them are decent, well-meaning people who voted for Hillary because Bill made them feel comfortable, and possibly as a reaction against pundits who said their votes didn't count. I've read reports from Obama campaign workers about how the people they met in WV were friendly and even pleased that the campaign workers were asking for their help.
Please. Exit polls do not lie. If 27% ADMIT they are racist, you can pretty much DOUBLE or TRIPLE that for the folks who won't admit it.
teapartydude, you have to understan w. virginia! They are unique, in the way they stay to themself and racism is high there. Listen we were related to people who lived there all there life, the rest the family moved away years ago because w. virginia likes to stay to themselfs, and not only don't like out siders, they don't care for any color folks. They are kind to those of their own color, and kind. They are a state make up of old people, with old ideas! This is why congressman Byrd is elected every time! This is a state that don't like change much. I'm not saying it's a bad state , with bad people! I am saying it's a unique state from the rest of the U.S. and has not moved into the 20 th century yet with the rest of us. Hopely, we will bring them with us as we move into makeing history with the first Black U.S. President.
Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. As a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree, so the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all. - Kahlil Gibran.
Do not use open racism in the US as lightening rod to absorb the nations guilt. It serves better as a mirror to better see the nation, its past and present, and its people as they are.
You can learn to deal with what others are only after admitting and taking responsibility for what you are.
While the (improbable) defeat of Barack Obama in November may not necessarily prove the racism of the American electorate, but it would in fact raise very legitimate questions about it. Here are the facts:
1. America is a very politically schizophrenic nation. No party tends to stay in power through 3 election cycles. America is founded on a skepticism of too much concentrated power.
2. John McCain would be the oldest President ever elected in our history. I think we can all agree that in the times we face, turning back the clock on our leader's world view is clearly not the answer. Couple this with the fact that McCain's own base is not satisfied with him manifested in the fact that he still cannot get 80% of the remaining UNCONTESTED primaries.
3. The opposition party to Barack Obama has faced very real damage to its image. The country is very disaffected by the GOP and frustrated by its economic policies of which many Americans feel we cannot afford another four years
If Obama is defeated running just an average campaign, it is hard to not question the country's motives for voting against their own interests.
I was too young to vote for Kennedy, but I remember how much the adults in my world, liked him. I have voted all my adult life and I voted for Clinton both times. I voted for him without placing a lable on him. I didn't consider him to be a "white" man running for president, he was a MAN campaigning for the "White House" job.
I am voted (and will vote) for Senator Obama because he is a MAN campaigning for the "White House" job. We deserve a MAN like Senator Obama to head this country. I don't believe being white should be the only qualification for the job. Senator Obama is just as capable of running this country, as Senator Clinton. Matter of fact, he has shown me "more" than she has. If how he has organized and ran his campaign says a whole lot. Some folks have complained that he is too young, too inexperienced. Well...who
Since the 1960's when African Americans marched and died for the right to vote white candidates are who we voted for, not that we had any other choice. We even embraced a couple of Presidents as our own (Kennedy & Clinton). This is the very first time that we as black people have come this close to the Presidency and we are just PROUD, not predjudice or racist. Bill Clinton was the majority of black people choice for president in the 1990's and Hillary would have been our choice as well if Barack had not run with his ideas for this country and his message of change. Again this is not a racist decision but we as AA are just simply proud.
A quick note: I favorably reviewed Wilson's The Myth of PC way back in 1995 (the review was published in 1996) in the academic journal Nature, Society, and Thought. I didn't put two and two together until now because the present essay is so poorly argued. I just checked the author bio and was quite surprised and disappointed to find that this is one and the same person.
The fact that so many West Virginia voters believe Obama shares the views of Wright has little to do with the author’s assumption that white voters think all black people think alike; rather it has to do with these facts: Obama attended Trinity United Church of Christ for two decades; Wright officiated Obama’s wedding and baptized his children; and one of the preacher’s sermons inspired the title of one of Obama’s books, The Audacity of Hope. Moreover, Obama’s attempt to hide his pastor’s views leads many people to believe that Obama really does share those views but knows he can’t be elected unless he denies them.
West Virginia voters disagree with Wright’s views (black liberation theology), so Obama’s long association with the pastor troubles them. Does the author agree with Wright? If so, has he been critical of Obama for denouncing Wright? Or does the author, like most Americans, disagree with Wright? If so, then does that make him as racist as West Virginia voters?
West Virginia voters support Clinton over Obama, because she talks about practical solutions to their problems, whereas he talks about “hope,” “unity,” and “change,” glittering generalities that don’t put food on the table. West Virginians are disinclined to vote for a liberal politician from Chicago, especially one who disrespects the culture of small-town America. Because of their experiences, West Virginia voters have developed a built-in bullshit detector that makes them resistant to lofty liberal rhetoric.
Well said. I was very troubled by Rev. Wright's messages. So troubled, that I decided not to vote for Obama. I was also troubled by Obama's own statements about his "typical white person grandmothe
I don't want to be misunderstood. I'm not troubled by Wright's message, MJD615. I'm troubled by the way Obama betrayed Wright by failing to stand up straight for the right of black Americans to freely associate with whom they wish. I am pointing out the flaw in Wilson's thinking that somehow whites are racist because they think Obama and Wright think alike.
Any rational person is likely to come to the conclusion that a man who attends a church like Trinity United for 20 years and embraces Wright substantially agrees with the church and its pastor. Indeed, it takes a great deal of rationalizing to believe that Obama, if what he says about his beliefs are true, would attend Trinity United for all those years. Either Obama lied to Trinity United or he is lying to the nation.
Wright is anti-racist. He, along with many others working with black liberation theology at their backs, are in the struggle for civil rights. Obama, we now know, is not part of that community (whether ever or any more is anybody's guess). He condemned Wright because the white establishment ordered him to do so. White campaign managers (life-long Republicans David Gergen and Ed Rollins) told Obama to get angry and denounce his pastor or else he wouldn't win the nomination. Obama went out the next day and did their bidding, an act that proved Obama is not the new kind of politician his followers claim he is.
You are so wrong.
Rabbid progressives like Mr. Wison will never 'get it' - but here is the 'other side' of this argument.
This is not about the 'racist' vote as race plays a role on both sides - it's about winning in November!
The Democrat Primary is more liberal then the General Election and Mr. Obama has done well by winning the youth, the 'educated' vote, and the 'Black' vote. All these groups will be diluted in the General Election as America's voters are more conservative, less educated and more white than the Democrat Primary - this is not about the 'racist' vote.
Gotta love Hillary's pride in winning over the poor, dumb, old, white voters in WV. That's a nice base she's got there...
I lived in WV for over 40 years, and can attest to the accuracy of this article. Most rural West Virginians have only seen African American's on TV. Outside of the more metropolitan areas there is NO WAY the people of WV would ever support a black man (even if he is half white) for president. This is very sad and unfortunate, but Barack was wise to not waste his time and money on WV, he never stood a chance.
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