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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27738018/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27738018/)

I feel very disgusted at how people can act after reading that article. I just hope that none of those people get anywhere near Obama or his family.

Agreed, racism is just disgusting.

Question: Is it racist for people to vote for Obama because he's black?

Quote from: "Titan"Question: Is it racist for people to vote for Obama because he's black?

racâ‹...ism
â€,
â€"noun
1.    a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2.    a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3.    hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Origin:
1865â€"70; < F racisme. See race 2 , -ism

No.

So it wouldn't be racist for someone to have voted for McCain for being white?

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Quote from: "Titan"So it wouldn't be racist for someone to have voted for McCain for being white?

By definition, no.  Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior to another.  Supporting a candidate and believing that they are a superior race are two different things.

It's easy to jump to the conclusion that voting for McCain because he is white is a racist decision.  Humans are more complex than that.  We have a tendency to identify with people that look like we do; it's built into our genes.  Now, if you voted for McCain because he is white and you believe that white people are superior to blacks, then yes, you're a racist.

BTW, I couldn't be more white, and I voted for Barack.  Big fan of a smart man.

Okay, glad to see you're consistent. I just thought that voting for a candidate with race as the main factor...well...it just struck me as rather racist, maybe I'm wrong.

Quote from: "Titan"Agreed, racism is just disgusting.

Question: Is it racist for people to vote for Obama because he's black?

No moreso than those who voted for McCain because he's white (and NOT Obama).

It is my feeling that a good number of votes on BOTH sides had NOTHING to do with the issues or policies of each party but with the person/people running.

The thing that scares me the most about that article is the list of "other" stories... the majority of which were NOT in the southern states, but distributed all over the country.  2nd and 3rd graders chanting "assassinate Obama"... in IDAHO.  wtf?!?!

And they justify that type of behavior because they are afraid to have a black man in office, one who is Muslim.  ARGH!  They so easily dismiss all of his speeches talking about his beliefs (CHRISTIAN!) and let's not forget the Compassion Forum with Hilary.  I guess no one bothered to watch that.  And he's not even AFRICAN.  He's white.  And he's not Muslim.  His FATHER was/is!

AND those who say they wouldn't vote for him because of his inexperienced... then clearly state that one of the reasons they were voting for McCain is because of Palin?!  She has less experience than Obama!

If anything happens to Obama, I predict widespread chaos, blood in the streets. The end of this country, instigated by those who say that having Obama in the WH is the end... and then they'll blame those who voted for
Obama for the chaos!  I'm so sick of people in this country... sick.

Also... notice that the past two elections didn't warrant this response from the Democrats/lowers of the election.  We grieved and got on with our lives.  Vocal about our disappointment, but I don't recall death threats, children chanting, property destroyed, and crosses being burned.

Quote from: "rlrose328"Also... notice that the past two elections didn't warrant this response from the Democrats/lowers of the election.  We grieved and got on with our lives.  Vocal about our disappointment, but I don't recall death threats, children chanting, property destroyed, and crosses being burned.

I was about to say exactly the same thing. Goes to show that a lot of those republicans are at the lower echelon of civilized society. They were the demographic the bush administration wanted on their side as they were 'easily lied to'.

What is it with stupid people not being able to deal with anger constructively?

Quote from: "rlrose328"The thing that scares me the most about that article is the list of "other" stories... the majority of which were NOT in the southern states, but distributed all over the country.  2nd and 3rd graders chanting "assassinate Obama"... in IDAHO.  wtf?!?!

This is just amazing, you finally replace the incompetent liar... And even in the most beatiful way possible, by reinventing yourself and voting a competent coloured guy in the WH! The whole world thanks you for that... except for ... people in the US?!?!?

QuoteAND those who say they wouldn't vote for him because of his inexperienced... then clearly state that one of the reasons they were voting for McCain is because of Palin?!  She has less experience than Obama!

Not to mention about 1/8 of his IQ...

If you had told me a year ago that Obama would be president, I would have called you a liar.  I thought we were decades away from electing a president who was half black or more.  Although I now live in the south, I used to live in Michigan.  There are a lot of racist bigots north of the Mason/Dixon line, too, and I was amazed as to the head of steam Obama generated that wasn't significantly depleted come election day.

Is anyone really surprised by death threats?  I think we all could see this coming.  There are an awful lot of ignorant people in the U.S. and racism is sewn and nurtured by ignorance.  God bless America.

Quote from: "DennisK"Is anyone really surprised by death threats?  I think we all could see this coming.  There are an awful lot of ignorant people in the U.S. and racism is sewn and nurtured by ignorance.  God bless America.

Surprised, no... not at all.  I told my husband when he got the nomination that I'd be surprised if he even made it to election day, so I guess the country isn't as bad as I see it sometimes.  Of course, there were several arrests before election day of idiots who "planned" to assassinate him.

I loathe the people in this country at times.  It's embarrassing to be an American.

Quote from: "rlrose328"And they justify that type of behavior because they are afraid to have a black man in office, one who is Muslim.  ARGH!  They so easily dismiss all of his speeches talking about his beliefs (CHRISTIAN!) and let's not forget the Compassion Forum with Hilary.  I guess no one bothered to watch that.  And he's not even AFRICAN.  He's white.  And he's not Muslim.  His FATHER was/is!

I looooove asking some of my ignorant coworkers why they are afraid to have a Muslim in office (of course, I know that Barack Obama is not Muslim).  What's wrong with that?  I thought that we were supposed to have freedom of religion in this country?  I thought that we were not supposed to discriminate based upon race, religion, color, creed, or sexual orientation?

Oh...wait.  That's right.  We have the freedom to do whatever we want, as long as we are Christian, white, and (probably) ugly old men.

My boss, a well educated man (although religious - seems to be an oxymoron) expressed his concern to me the day after the election that he just hopes that the cabinet that Obama picks is "representative", and not all black.  It was fun to point out that Barack is/was the ONLY black senator - out of 100.  And to boot, he is only the 5th black senator in US history.  Hardly seems representative to me.  The White House could use some pimpin' out anyway (at the risk of sounding racist).

Quote from: "rlrose328"If anything happens to Obama, I predict widespread chaos, blood in the streets. The end of this country, instigated by those who say that having Obama in the WH is the end... and then they'll blame those who voted for Obama for the chaos!  I'm so sick of people in this country... sick.

Doubtful.  The man has such incredibly high security around him that I think it's very unlikely that an attempt would succeed.  I do think that someone is bound to try and take a shot at him, though.

Quote from: "rlrose328"I loathe the people in this country at times. It's embarrassing to be an American.

I can certainly sympathize.  I regained some hope, though, the day that I voted for him.  I was extremely proud to have the opportunity to vote for such a qualified man, all the while seeing history in the making.  I think that the jubilation that was seen around the world after the election in some ways reflected the sympathy that the world has for us.  They do...they've gone from indifference or hatred to pity.

I love this discussion so far. I am a proud supporter of Barrack Obama and the intelligence/ideas he brings to the highest office in our nation/the world. He has the ability to bring people together, something we haven't had for the past 8 years. I believe our country is now headed in the right direction.

Anybody who has the tenacity to threaten such a good man should be strapped down and beaten silly. I am not a wholly violent person, just a situational one. And this situation calls for it.

Quote from: "rlrose328"Also... notice that the past two elections didn't warrant this response from the Democrats/lowers of the election.  We grieved and got on with our lives.  Vocal about our disappointment, but I don't recall death threats, children chanting, property destroyed, and crosses being burned.

You seriously don't remember people saying "If Bush gets elected I'm moving to Canada"? I remember hearing death threats. Of course there are racial undertones from a minority but you can't pin those on Republicans. I didn't vote for Obama because I believe his economic policies are unwise. I hope that he leads America well but I'm skeptical on many things.

Quote from: "Titan"You seriously don't remember people saying "If Bush gets elected I'm moving to Canada"? I remember hearing death threats. Of course there are racial undertones from a minority but you can't pin those on Republicans. I didn't vote for Obama because I believe his economic policies are unwise. I hope that he leads America well but I'm skeptical on many things.

I also share your doubts, Titan. Both candidates of the presidential election, were very weak in their economical knowledge. Hopefully Obama will be able to get some experienced people aboard, who know how the economical crisis can be turned around. On the other hand, I think that Obama cannot keep his promise, that he'll be able to create millions of jobs in just a short period of time. That is just wishful thinking.

Of course there were racial undertones at the election. I believe that at least 90% of the black voters, voted for Obama because he is (half) black. I also believe that many white Americans didn't vote for Obama, because of his skin color. There are a couple of reasons why I wouldn't have voted for McCain. 1. his lack of economical knowledge, 2. Sarah Palin, 3. his age, 4. his health, 5. the negative campaign, which was more about how to paint Obama black (no pun intended) than about how to solve the real problems of the people and finally the ugly,ultra nationalistic views presented at the Republican rallies ("USA über alles", "We are the Übermenschen", "The world must be lead by the USA", etc. etc.).

Quote from: "Titan"You seriously don't remember people saying "If Bush gets elected I'm moving to Canada"? I remember hearing death threats. Of course there are racial undertones from a minority but you can't pin those on Republicans. I didn't vote for Obama because I believe his economic policies are unwise. I hope that he leads America well but I'm skeptical on many things.

Yes, I DO remember people saying they'd move if he were elected... I was one of them.  And if my economic situation had been better, I would have done it, too.  But we had no one to sponsor us in our move, so we couldn't.

No, I don't remember any death threats against Bush... if there were the number there are now against Obama, I think I'd remember.  And I was on the losing side, so I think I'd remember if there were death threats from my fellow losers.

I did vote for Obama... and while he wasn't anywhere near the best choice, he was the best of those available to choose from.  I wouldn't vote for McCain for the exact list of reasons Tom62 stated.

I do agree that the majority of blacks voted for him because he's black, unfortunately.  That was evident by their response to his win.  And I do agree that a great number of white didn't vote for him for the same reason, which was evidenced by the crowd reactions at Palin rallies the month before the election, at least videos of which that were posted on news outlets and the few that I caught broadcast live.

We did the best we could and now, we'll see how it all plays out.  I've got more hope now that I did for the past 8 years, though.

Quote from: "rlrose328"Also... notice that the past two elections didn't warrant this response from the Democrats/lowers of the election.  We grieved and got on with our lives.  Vocal about our disappointment, but I don't recall death threats, children chanting, property destroyed, and crosses being burned.

As others have said, one cannot point the finger at the entire republican party for the actions of a small group of bigots. The article posted had nothing to do with politics per-se, it was all about racism in America. The vast majority of the people sending out the threats are not doing it in the name of the republican party. That's just like saying Hitler and Stalin killed in the name of atheism. As an atheist yourself, I would hope that you can empathize with the Obama supporting republicans like myself. No, I did not vote for Barack Obama, however, he is my president-elec and I will not do to him what the left did to President Bush.

My view on Obama is the same as on religion. All based on hope and not reality. Sure, in a perfect world one could practice diplomacy and reason with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or strip the United States of guns but do we live in a perfect world!? Our presidential election ended up being a civil rights movement and those that did vote based on political credentials were tipped heavily by the media.

Yeah, I may disagree with Baracks policies but I will never be seen protesting against him or flying a "impeach Obama" bumper sticker. I have hope now too, and I will stand behind our president-elect until the end of his term (maybe two).

I too feel that the country will be in absolute turmoil if anything happens to Barack Obama. It could very easily spark another civil war and I believe it is necessary to take precautions with you and your families just in case. Regardless of political and religious believes I care for everyone and would never hope to see an assassination.

Lastly, this is my first post and second day scrolling through this forum. I have been to other forums and disgusted with the arguing and hatred I have seen. This forum is a breath of fresh air, thank you all for being here and making it so great!

Quote from: "Chemistry08"Yeah, I may disagree with Baracks policies but I will never be seen protesting against him or flying a "impeach Obama" bumper sticker. I have hope now too, and I will stand behind our president-elect until the end of his term (maybe two).

Good for you mate, that is what democracy is all about isn't it?

Quote from: "Chemistry08"Lastly, this is my first post and second day scrolling through this forum. I have been to other forums and disgusted with the arguing and hatred I have seen. This forum is a breath of fresh air, thank you all for being here and making it so great!

Welcome to the forum, you should post something in "Introductions"

Kyu

Its a nice post..thanks for writing it.

Quote from: "Chemistry08"As others have said, one cannot point the finger at the entire republican party for the actions of a small group of bigots. The article posted had nothing to do with politics per-se, it was all about racism in America. The vast majority of the people sending out the threats are not doing it in the name of the republican party. That's just like saying Hitler and Stalin killed in the name of atheism. As an atheist yourself, I would hope that you can empathize with the Obama supporting republicans like myself. No, I did not vote for Barack Obama, however, he is my president-elec and I will not do to him what the left did to President Bush.

Finally, a voice of reason. Well said, Chemistry. I think one of the problems is that democrats have become so used to blaming republicans (Bush) for everything that they do not know how to do otherwise. I do not consider myself a democrat or republican purely because it's simply one more way to separate myself from others. Just like I will not immediately hate someone due to their religion, race, or anything else, I will not immediately hate someone due to their political party.
Blaming republicans for the death threats against Obama is no different than blaming the democrats for acts of domestic terrorism by the animal liberation front.

As for Obama, I'm still hopeful that he will be able to get the job done. Not because he is a republican, democrat, half-black, christian, muslim, or anything else, but because he is our president. What other choice do I have? I can either support him, hate him, or be indifferent. I see no reason not to simply support him until he (hopefully he doesn't) proves that he deserves otherwise.

While I know this part of the conversation has passed I would like to point out, that by the very deffinion posted voting for someone based on their race is racist. It assumes that a candidate is superior to his rival simply because of his racial heitage and taking it into account little else. So yes, voting for someone to solely or primarily bassed on the color of their skin instead of the content of theircaracter, to paraphrase MLK Jr., is indeed racism. Or do you not think, that believing someone is better or worse because of skin color is racism?

I'll vouch for knowing a person that didn't care much for the previous President and openly voiced opinions/descriptions of unpleasantness befalling him.  She's ancient and bit crazy, so I'm thinking she wasn't going to be much of a threat.

Now, what I don't remember happening during the last administration, were FBI or Secret Service agents busting an actual group of folks who had a plan and the equipment to actually do some damage.

QuoteI think one of the problems is that democrats have become so used to blaming republicans (Bush) for everything that they do not know how to do otherwise.

Opposition for the sake of opposition, just like the founders of this country wanted

This is all par for the course...