Election 2008: The Race Factor - Just how does it affect the Outcome?

I just finished reading an article where an attempt was made to measure the possible effects of Race on the upcoming presidential elections. It generally showed there was a bias against Barack Obama because of his race. I (Site Administrator) sent a link to the article to a reader of Wackx.com and this was her response:

Wow! Just reading it pisses me off though. So forgive me and I hope I don’t offend anyone…….

No one wants to talk about race, I understand that, but who are these people that this article refers to, who are these people that think this? Where do they come from? I’m not naive enough to think that prejudice doesn’t exist…..but seeing in print as it relates to this election is frightening, though, obviously, it is on the minds of those who support Barack Obama.

Would you or I be the exception because we are not ‘lazy’, ‘violent’ or ‘un-intelligent’, or are we lumped into that category too, simply because our skin is a different color? I’ve come across this in some discussions - as if to justify why a person would vote (or not vote) for Obama….. He is not REALLY Black, because he is not ALL Black, after all he had a White mother. So the hell what!

That’s a subject for another day. But, it all goes to show that there are so many different attitudes about Blacks, multi-cultural, bi-racial. So, simply speaking, just how many and how much might those attitudes sway the election in favor of McSame and Bush in a Skirt, is anyone’s guess.

If this election doesn’t pan out in Obama’s favor, where do we go from here? This is a time when Country First should have a deeper meaning than voting for someone simply because one of the candidates served in the military and was a POW, and oh, by the way, he isn’t Black.

I just think it is sad, that we, as a country, because of those types of attitudes might give up the opportunity to move ahead in this great country, and settle for McSame and McPalin, clearly neither prepared to run this country. With the two of them at the helm, and probably one really, because McSame is so in danger of dying sooner rather than later, McPalin and Mr. First Dude (Independent Extremists) will be running the country, and will be giving jobs to their own unqualified friends, and where will this country be, then?

Can this really happen, can it really be happening? I’m also sure that Obama doesn’t have all the answers, no one will, until they get into the White House and see the mess left by the former Chief of Staff. But his vision is certainly clearer than McSame’s. Barack Obama is running for the Country, not the Blacks, not the Whites, not the other minorities. So, THIS IS OUR TIME, THIS IS OUR MOMENT. If this isn’t our time, we won’t see it in our lifetime.

Is this what it may boil down to, not a discussion about the candidates, but unspoken or blatant prejudices? Me, I HATE to think that race is this big an issue at such a critical and pivotal time in our lives, in our Country. Let it be a factor in a positive way, why does it always have to be in a negative way.

It’s a fact; Obama is bi-racial, Black, and African-American. He is not like the pictures on any currency we know in the USA. So yes, race is a factor, but here’s a man who offers everything this Country needs at this time, here is a man that people are rallying to like never before, here is a man being supported by every ethnicity, here is a man that so many of us believe can lead this country in the right direction and will put Country First.

Here is a man that the country believes is the right man for the job, that most of the WORLD respects as the best candidate. Why then, is race even an issue? Why do we even have to consider those attitudes that say, I’ll do anything but vote for a Black man. Because, that’s the reality of how things are.

Being different doesn’t always have to be negative. This is the very first time in many of our lives that I think everyone has gotten so into politics, so caught up in learning everything they can, so proud to see this ‘unlikely’ candidate on this great journey. There’s a reason for that. A very good one - he’s got the right stuff.

So how close will this election be, and will it come down to race? I shutter to think. I know all of us are doing what we can to get the word out. I wish I could do more. Like Obama, I want to think we are better than that. I want to be optimistic. But everyday when I see McSame and McPalin stoop to the levels they do, I’m less encouraged, but still optimistic. It’s very very scary.