Comments on: DeFrank: The Ugly Truth about this Election

By: Whitey

Whitey — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:21:55 +0000

They got a whole church built around hating me and I’M the racist?

By: Another Drew

Another Drew — Thu, 08 May 2008 03:34:04 +0000

Bradley Effect:
Of course, it didn’t help Bradley to have a on the ballot a proposition to ban all handguns.
The gun-owners voted big-time, and I would doubt that Bradley got 5% of that vote. And, those guys don’t talk to pollsters, either.

By: Steverino

Steverino — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:54:54 +0000

I think Sean P is spot on. I was living in California during the Deukmajian/Bradley gubernatorial race. In the weeks leading up to the election, the Bradley campaign aired ads that ran (to the effect of): “Let’s prove that California has the courage to elect a black governor.”

I was pretty offended by those ads, and I suspect a lot of other people shared my view.

By: rrpjr

rrpjr — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:47:26 +0000

Stashiu3 is 100% correct. Poor McCain has no idea what’s about to hit him.

By: Sean P

Sean P — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:52:32 +0000

To the contrary, I think Thomas DeFrank should keep up his crusade of questioning the racial motivations of every white person who doesn’t vote for Obama. I suspect this tactic will have the same effect the Guardian’s efforts to get their (British) readership to call Ohioans and ask them to vote for Kerry.

By: Horatio

Horatio — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:31:30 +0000

What color is a someone with a “melanin-enhanced” father and a “melanin-deficient” mother? “Melanin-neutral”?

Damn, I abhor Hyphenated-Americans

By: Zelsdorf Ragshaft III

Zelsdorf Ragshaft III — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:07:56 +0000

To defeat Obama, all that will be necessary is for the 527s to run TV ads showing Wright preaching, Ayers dancing and Obamas home in Chicago. Toss in Michele O’s disappointment (hate) of America inspite of her Ivy league education and there you have it.

By: Lily

Lily — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:06:40 +0000

It is not irrational for a white person to hesitate to vote for a man who attended and supported a “Hate Whitey” chruch for 20 years.

By: Gerald A

Gerald A — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:59:22 +0000

He reports the Clintons believe a Democrat will win the Presidential election no matter how contentious the nomination process.

I think they’re right that if Obama would win without the contentious process then he will also win with it. So it comes down to whether he can win, period. If this is shaping up as a really huge Democrat tidal wave in Nov. it will probably carry Obama in with it. If voters are in a little calmer mood then Obama probably can’t win IMO. In any case all this stuff about Operation Chaos is meaningless. The primary battles will be long forgotten come election day.

By: Don

Don — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:38:06 +0000

Wow, that was bad. I wish I could delete that.

Actually, I don’t think the color issue is about divided loyalties at all. They’re two separate things. Nobody thinks that African-Americans are really loyal to Africa, although the slam has been made against “hypenated Americans”. The issue at stake more often is self-conscious identity. In the case of loyalist vs. patriot, just as in the case today of Democrat, Republican, Green, Nascar, literati, or stoner, people perceive themselves to be a part of a group that they define for themselves. Skin color is a quick identifier, but so are black trenchcoats and lip piercings.

Obama can mount a credible run for office because many Americans identify with something about him apart from his complexion. People know so little about him that they can read into him what they want. But the more defined a candidate is in terms of policy positions or other identifiers, the fewer people will consider him to be part of their group.

Colin Powell, like Obama, isn’t considered by most people to be a black, a liberal, or a conservative. I think most people would think of him as a successful military figure who speaks well and looks good on TV, part of a successful military operation that ended fast. THAT is why he’d be a strong candidate.