[Crilosajsamq]

Well if Obama was just white and not black at all would he still been elected President of the United States?

I think in my opinion Obama was president simply because he's black, he seems to be quite incompetent for the position, and many americans back 2008 were voting for him and no one had a clue what his views were, they just wanted a black president, horrible! Way to go world. Or, so if they wanted a black person for the job why did not they chose Condoleezza Rice?

Do you agree?

[barsikjal]

I knew Obama was going to win President as soon as I saw him in the Senate, years before the election, years before his candidacy was announced.

If he were white? Sure why not, who else was running, John McCain?!


John McCain would have crashed Wall Street straight into the ground…

[HedgeYourBets]

Well if Obama was just white and not black at all would he still been elected President of the United States?

Yes, because the country was ready to hand executive power over to the Democrats. That said, Obama's whole "change" shtick was certainly linked to his fresh-faced (and fresh-raced) image so his inspirational platform wouldn't have had anywhere near as much impact if he was just another Skull and Bones Bilderberg country club old money honkey ass motherfucker. Ya dig?

I think in my opinion Obama was president simply because he's black

Did you see the opposition? Do you think any person in his right mind would want Sarah fucking Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency?

Or, so if they wanted a black person for the job why did not they chose Condoleezza Rice?

Because she's a neocon and we are sick of that shit.

[xanaxist]

I doubt Obama will win another election. Half of the US view him as a Muslim-loving socialist pansy.

[gomosopions]

yes, he still would be elcted, he won because of political reasons, not racial ones.

[StitlyDute]

I think Obama would have lost the Democratic race against Hillary Clinton if he wasn't black. The Clintons are very ruthless and would have no qualms about using the "sexist" card to gain votes.

[MightyMasd]

I think Obama would have lost the Democratic race against Hillary Clinton if he wasn't black. The Clintons are very ruthless and would have no qualms about using the "sexist" card to gain votes.

Clintons > everyone else who participated at elections.

[JulieSmithXIV]

I think in my opinion Obama was president simply because he's black

Do you agree?

Yes. That's why the US has had so many black presidents over the years.
Obama was elected because he was effectively marketed. He appealed many different groups and had an amazing campaign. Moreover, he was perceived as being the antithesis of George W Bush.

Or it was simply because he was black. I like simple answers.

[gusunsuth]

I agree with everyone. Karl, you don't understand American politics, obviously. I worked on Obama's campaign in my state, and I closely followed the election, from the primaries. If being black was the only thing, then Jesse Jackson would have been president in the 1980's.

Obama won because it was the perfect situation.

The overwhelming majority of people hated George Bush, therefore his party. Republicans were demoralized, didn't turn out to vote. They got a candidate, McCain, who was not very popular in his own party. McCain picked a VP candidate who came off as unintelligent, even Republicans I know thought it was a disaster.

But before we look at the general election, we have to look at the primaries.

Primary:

Th Clintons were always controversial inside the Democratic party, although overall, with independent voters they were pretty popular. Hillary really had no experience, she just tried to run off her husbands (not very feminist thing to do) and appeal to women, sometimes directly.

Obama never openly appealed to race and actually usually tried to avoid the subject, until Clinton loyalist tried to inject it all the time (in a down low way), because that is how the CLintons play politics, I don't think they are actually racist, I think they are just evil cold political animals who know there are a lot of racist inner-city whites and southern Democrats who are also xenopohobic, pain him as an outsider, who may be Muslim, who has a foreign name (muslim one), who is also black. well...that scares folks in many areas of the nation. If he was named Jake Smith, sound the same, same education, biracial, it would have been much harder to play that card. People say it was a "race card" I don't think so, it was more a xenophobia card. In any case it is did not work.

She lost the primary, and she heavily counted on the party to come to her aid and rescue her and throw support behind her against the will of the voters.

Two things:

1) She found many people in the party hated her and her husband for years ago and were waiting to take revenge (like Kennedy haha)

2) The Dems would never go against the popular will of the voters and risk losing another election to a Neocon. Forget it. So it had to be Obama.

What is also interesting is, if you look at each states primary election. Obama tended to win states that were heavily black or had nearly no blacks at all. For example, Obama won South Dakota, no blacks to speak of, and South Carolina, a state where most Democrats are black. I think in states with no blacks the whites are actually more likely to consider a black guy because there is no racial tension. In states with a lot of blacks, sometimes politics is polarized by race, so most people who are Democrat are black/minorities

Hillary won a lot of big states, which she argued, showed she was more electable in the fall, but Obama won far more states and it added up, that was the strategy.


General Election

As far as the national election. McCain was a war hero, something I personally respect. I also like McCain because he rarely towed the party line, which always got him in trouble, but if he didn't like something he would say it bluntly and vote against it, party be damned. He realized this would not help him win the primary, because a lot of people in his party did not trust or like him, so before the election he tried to become a "mainstream republican"...that made me loose respect for him.

He also chose Palin, obviously a low brow redneck trashy idiot. Who was Governor of a state smaller than my county outside of DC, where most people don't vote. It is hard to become mayor of my city than it to become governor of Alaska. My city is more diverse, highly educated (one of the most educated places in the United States, so therefore in the world). I was not impressed at all. If he choose Romney that would have been better, but I think he was afraid.

Romney lost to him for one simple reason. He is Mormon, and the "Religious right" does not consider them "real Christians".

Anyway, although i strongly considered voting for McCain, something that put me at odds with my liberal white friends and black family, I changed my mind, due to his chooses during the campaign.

I am pretty moderate, and Obama ran as moderate, but I know he is a big liberal, thing is he is also fairly practical.

I think next election Romney will likely win or some new guy will come about. i'm not sure Obama will win, likely, it depends on the state of the economy, that's going to be the big thing, everything else is okay.

So if Obama was "white" would he have won?

Maybe he would not necessarily had black support in the primaries over Hillary Clinton (black folks loved her husband) so I'm not sure he would have made it out of the primaries.

If he did...would he have won the national election?

Yes. Mainly because the same number of blacks (roughly) would have voted for him, as well as Hispanics, and the amount of young whites who wanted to put a nail in the Neocon coffin was very VERY high.

[FetMiddle]

In my opinion it was not Obama who won, It was the Democrats
Also the desire of end with the Iraq war the American society had, McCain wouldnt end that war as fast as Obama would.

Marketing played a major role in that election, Rahm Emmanuel is considered a guru on political advertising.
It was more the role of celebrity Obama had than the race, he was the "trademark of the 2008". Media plays a mayor role in the American Society, according to Forbes' List of most Powerful people Lady Gaga is more powerful than Nancy Pelosi.

I knew Obama was going to win President as soon as I saw him in the Senate, years before the election, years before his candidacy was announced.

What about the George Prescott Bush? Do you see any political future to him?, i have the impression he will be the first Hispanic president of the USA

[patrycjakolekk]

I knew Obama was going to win President as soon as I saw him in the Senate, years before the election, years before his candidacy was announced.

If he were white? Sure why not, who else was running, John McCain?!


John McCain would have crashed Wall Street straight into the ground…

Many people view him as just "black" but he is really a mulatto and I would consider him mix rather then just "black". But anyways, Yes McCain didn't act well in the election he had strong cards on his hands but overall Obama was the choice of the people primarily because of health care and the mid east war.

[Yartonbler]

Are you kidding? If everything was exactly the same except he was white, he would've won by an even greater margin. The '08 election was basically guaranteed to go to a Democrat in any case, given the overwhelming anti-Republican sentiment.

If anything, Obama's race caused him problems. I imagine a white candidate that charismatic and with that kind of well-oiled grassroots organization would never have faced any sort of legitimate threat from an opponent that chose SARAH PALIN as a running mate.

[fudelholf]

Are you kidding? If everything was exactly the same except he was white, he would've won by an even greater margin. The '08 election was basically guaranteed to go to a Democrat in any case, given the overwhelming anti-Republican sentiment.

If anything, Obama's race caused him problems. I imagine a white candidate that charismatic and with that kind of well-oiled grassroots organization would never have faced any sort of legitimate threat from an opponent that chose SARAH PALIN as a running mate.

Or you overestimate the liberalness/intellectual abilities of your fellow Amurikans

[PefeFoesk]

Or you overestimate the liberalness/intellectual abilities of your fellow Amurikans

It has nothing to do with intellect in the end. The Obama campaign was incredibly tight, one of the best run political campaigns in years, probably decades even.

On the grassroots level it was pretty amazing, I saw it with my own eyes. I also saw the racism and xenophobia present, even in my very liberal area.

[carpartsho]

Well if Obama was just white and not black at all would he still been elected President of the United States?

I think in my opinion Obama was president simply because he's black, he seems to be quite incompetent for the position, and many americans back 2008 were voting for him and no one had a clue what his views were, they just wanted a black president, horrible! Way to go world. Or, so if they wanted a black person for the job why did not they chose Condoleezza Rice?

Do you agree?

No, you're wrong.

He was elected based upon his platform, personality and the politcs of the country at that point in time. His race just made it more complicated to run a successful campaign.

Obama is hardly incompetent. What is your basis for that statement? Please provide an example of what you mean?

Obama ran on a very clear and specific platform and he is successfully implementing that platform of ideas. The first President to actually do so in many decades. Those people who don't agree with his platform (and didn't vote for him to begin with) are exceedingly mad that he has been successful in getting his ideas passed into law. Some really don't like the fact that he is Black, but those people also never voted for him to begin with but again, they really don't matter. They lost the election.

[VitaliyMurnov]

Obama is hardly incompetent. What is your basis for that statement? Please provide an example of what you mean?

As a President:

1. He appointed radicals to the Supreme Court,
2. He raped the constitution and the Jeffersonian Federal values with the Health Care Reform Bill.
3. He show weakness to the world kissing the ring of an Arab King.
4. He disrespect the victims of Pearl Harbor sending apologies to Japan.
5. He appointed a criminal (tax evader) Timothy Franz Geithner as Secretary of Treasury.

As a Nobel Peace Laureate:

1. He increased troops to Iraq (then he retired them )
2. Afghanistan war.
3. Guantanamo????.

Anyway i think he is a bit better than Bush, but not better than the Clinton.

[otheloComRole]

As a President:

1. He appointed radicals to the Supreme Court,
2. He raped the constitution and the Jeffersonian Federal values with the Health Care Reform Bill.
3. He show weakness to the world kissing the ring of an Arab King.
4. He disrespect the victims of Pearl Harbor sending apologies to Japan.
5. He appointed a criminal (tax evader) Timothy Franz Geithner as Secretary of Treasury.

As a Nobel Peace Laureate:

1. He increased troops to Iraq (then he retired them )
2. Afghanistan war.
3. Guantanamo????.

Anyway i think he is a bit better than Bush, but not better than the Clinton.

1)
What radical did he appoint to the supreme court??????

Please state who they are and what they did that was radical.

2) Please describe exactly what he did to conflict with "Jeffersonian values" in regard to the Health Care Reform bill. I seriously doubt you had a clue what Jefferson stood for. In any case Jeffersonian values were "raped" long ago by Abraham Lincoln.

3) Showing respect is weakness? If America wanted it could turn Saudi into a glass parking lot. We are not weak to Saudi Arabia.

4) He apologized for dropping nuclear bombs on civilian populations, not for the war. He did not mention Peal Harbor. Please elaborate.

5) Actually Geitner paid all his taxes, although he was indeed delinquent, but most people agree that Geitner has done a good job while in office. The business elites wanted him and Larry Summers, Obama put them in there to bring stability and confidence to the markets.

1) He decreased troops in Irqq, not increased them.


You have no clue what you are talking about.

He increased troops in Afghanistan.

2) He did not start the Afghan war, the Taliban/Al Qaeda did. He is trying to find a way to pull out without handing the nation back over to the Taliban, which would definitely be unstable, especially since they are also trying to destabilize Pakistan.

Do you have a better solution. Please share with all of us...

3) Most of the prisoners in Guantanamo are now gone, he is slowly phasing it out, but they have to go somewhere...we can't just put them on the streets of America.

[shashaffff]

Many people view him as just "black" but he is really a mulatto and I would consider him mix rather then just "black".

he identifies with AAs
he calls himself 'black' (as well as biracial, such things are not mutually exclusive here)
'nuff said

the issue has really been beat to death
US socio-racial concepts, social perceptions, right to self identify

post-racial America is a neo-liberal delusion
his position and performance should be the issues beat to death

[wepoiyub]

1)
What radical did he appoint to the supreme court??????

Please state who they are and what they did that was radical.

2) Please describe exactly what he did to conflict with "Jeffersonian values" in regard to the Health Care Reform bill. I seriously doubt you had a clue what Jefferson stood for. In any case Jeffersonian values were "raped" long ago by Abraham Lincoln.

3) Showing respect is weakness? If America wanted it could turn Saudi into a glass parking lot. We are not weak to Saudi Arabia.

4) He apologized for dropping nuclear bombs on civilian populations, not for the war. He did not mention Peal Harbor. Please elaborate.

5) Actually Geitner paid all his taxes, although he was indeed delinquent, but most people agree that Geitner has done a good job while in office. The business elites wanted him and Larry Summers, Obama put them in there to bring stability and confidence to the markets.

1) He decreased troops in Irqq, not increased them.


You have no clue what you are talking about.

He increased troops in Afghanistan.

2) He did not start the Afghan war, the Taliban/Al Qaeda did. He is trying to find a way to pull out without handing the nation back over to the Taliban, which would definitely be unstable, especially since they are also trying to destabilize Pakistan.

Do you have a better solution. Please share with all of us...

3) Most of the prisoners in Guantanamo are now gone, he is slowly phasing it out, but they have to go somewhere...we can't just put them on the streets of America.

I agree and disagree on some points, i wont discuss the subject because it is politics and it is related to interest, your interest may not be the same i have and my interest are not the same i have (i export and i like the strong dollar) ergo we will enter in a very subjective discussion (also a sabotage to the thread OP). Anyway i still prefer Obama over McCain or Mitt Rodney but i prefer Clinton, Guiliani or the other democrat from North Carolina (i cant remember his name, he ended 3rd in primary) over Obama.
You are right about Lincoln, i never liked that guy he made a police state without habea curpus, Bush were close with the Patriotic Act too.
Btw the radical Judge i mentioned was the Woman (i think Sotomayor is her surname) according to my standard she is radical i wouldn't like someone like her in my country, but as i said it is very subjective and i am not American so i don't care.

[Menierofe]

In reality if Obama was "white" he wouldn't be "obama"

but if theory he would of still won if he was BLUE !