"Well, of course. I am an intelligent voter. A candidate's race and gender are beside the point. I am going to vote for someone who I think has the best positions on the issues."

Blah, blah, blah...

Did anyone just watch the Democrat debate? Did anyone stay tuned in to watch some of CNN's followup shows?

Whether you like it or not - race and gender, are a big deal in the 2008 race for President of the United States.

Priceless Moment

Barack Obama said something like "You have a choice between a woman, an African American, and ... John."

Does anyone have the real quote?

quote:

Originally posted by coldfuse:

Did anyone just watch the Democrat debate? Did anyone stay tuned in to watch some of CNN's followup shows?

Whether you like it or not - race and gender, are a big deal in the 2008 race for President of the United States.

Look, you live in a country where people are prepared to prefer one candidate to others because that candidate is of the same faith as they are, right down to the version of that faith ! If that's so, it is hard to see how race or gender can't be an issue.Race and gender are a little closer to fundamental.

What is interesting is that the older black people speaking wanted Hillary Clinton ,because of Bill Clinton's background and history in politics and his dealing with black issues. Young African Americans prefer Obama.

I watched the whole thing but I missed John Edwards actual quote because everyone was talking at once, I might suggest: John says, "What am I? Chopped liver?"
Of course race and gender are important but how blacks, women, white men, white women, etc. base their decisions at the ballot box can run the gamut of possibilities. If we try our level best to be fair and acknowledge that all three candidiates are roughly equal prospects, Hillary and Obama are overdue for consideratrion on the basis of race and gender. On that basis, over half the population of this nation are women, so Hillary deserves first shot at the job. Obama, on the percentage of population deserves second shot, John Edwards is an old familiar story, and we need and apparently want "CHANGE". Sorry, John!.

Does Obama better represent potential for change? Probably? But he also represents a more unknown quantity, IMO. Love her or hate her, Hillary has been under public scrutiny far longer than the others. Do we run the risk of electing someone who will be partial to women, or partial to blacks? How do either avoid the perception of being the "womens' candidate", versus the "blacks' candidate"????

quote:

Originally posted by frankvan:

Does Obama better represent potential for change? Probably? But he also represents a more unknown quantity, IMO. Love her or hate her, Hillary has been under public scrutiny far longer than the others. Do we run the risk of electing someone who will be partial to women, or partial to blacks? How do either avoid the perception of being the "womens' candidate", versus the "blacks' candidate"????

_______________________________________________

Hi Frank: Don't worry about Hillary... there's no way that Obama can win.

Here's why:

Blacks and Hispanics are both at the bottom of the employment barrel...they're both competing for the same lower paying jobs.

Blacks and Hispanics are also competing for housing in the same lower priced neighborhoods.Neighborhoods formerly controlled and occupied by Blacks for decades.

Blacks and Hispanics are also at the bottom of the scale as far as education and school dropout are concerned,thus keeping them out of the better paying jobs market .

Black and Hispanics make up the bulk of the street gang and drug dealing in their neighborhoods and have been killing each other for years.

With all these factors in play...why would any Hispanic vote for a Black for President????

That's why Hillary can't lose...the Hispanics will guarantee the nomination for her.

Thanks to Clinton and Bush's open border policy
and millions of illegal immigrants,the Blacks,I'm afraid are once more in the back of the bus.

hippolips

Hippo, I don't understand hy Hillary gets the blame here, and I don't understand how bush gets blamed for a policy not yet in force. Illegal immigrants have been coming in since before bush was a regular in Boys' Town in the 60s. bush is no more to blame for that than every US President in my lifetime, and probably yours.

quote:

Originally posted by coldfuse:
"Well, of course. I am an intelligent voter. A candidate's race and gender are beside the point. I am going to vote for someone who I think has the best positions on the issues."

Blah, blah, blah...

I think that maybe if the media didn't make such a big screaming deal about it, race and gender wouldn't be the main focus of everything. I mean, after all, Hillary isn't that womanly and Barack isn't that black.

Honestly, I'd like to believe that a person's race, gender or creed do not matter to me when voting for public offices, because these things should not affect their ability to do what is best for the country. Alas, I know there are people who can't get past the idea of a woman being president, regardless of how well suited she might be for the job. So race and gender HAVE to be a big deal -until people realize that they really aren't.

quote:

Black and Hispanics make up the bulk of the street gang and drug dealing in their neighborhoods and have been killing each other for years.

With all these factors in play...why would any Hispanic vote for a Black for President????

Hillary and Obama battle it out to get the drug dealer and street gang vote??? I never realized that about blacks OR Hispanics.

quote:

Originally posted by frankvan:

quote:

Black and Hispanics make up the bulk of the street gang and drug dealing in their neighborhoods and have been killing each other for years.

With all these factors in play...why would any Hispanic vote for a Black for President????

Hillary and Obama battle it out to get the drug dealer and street gang vote??? I never realized that about blacks OR Hispanics.

_____________________________________________________________________

Hi Frank:

I live in the the greater Los Angeles area.Our nightly news CBS,NBC and ABC cover news about greater LA.The gun battles and senseless killings lead our news every evening,most battles are between Black and Hispanic street gangs.

These street gangs control their neighborhoods ...those who live there are in constant fear of their lives and the lives of their children...many are afraid to leave their homes,especially at night.Women are afraid to let their kids play in their own front yards.

Take a trip to LA and watch our evening news for one week and you would realize how dangerous it is to live almost anywhere in the greater LA area. Since you don't live in LA,I can understand why you find it hard to believe my statements.

Talk to those you know in LA and you'll find there is truth in my statements.LA is also the first city that illegals head for once they have crossed the border from Tia Juana.

hippolips

Wow, I guess I'm glad that L.A. is only a small part of our rather large country. Those are terrible statements, but at least Frank and Dorian and Coldfuse and I live in different parts of the country where those statements simply aren't true.

2002 figures:

Ten most dangerous large US cities, for murders:

(1) Washington, DC 45.8/100,000
(2) Detroit 42.0
(3) Baltimore 38.3
(4) Memphis 24.7
(5) Chicago 22.2
(6) Philadelphia 19.0
(7) Columbus 18.1
(8) Milwaukee 18.0
(9) Los Angeles 17.5
(10) Dallas 15.8

Safest:

(1) Honolulu 2.0/100,000
(2) El Paso 2.4
(3) San Jose 3.1
(4) Austin 3.7
(5) San Diego 3.8
(6) Portland 3.9
(7) Seattle 4.5
(8) New York 7.3
(9) San Francisco 7.3
(10) Oklahoma City 8.5

www.benbest.com

Actually, where I live is a stop for Mexican illegals on their way to Chicago. Sometimes, they work the horseradish fields here, or the orchards to the south. My neighborhood was, at one time, mostly foreign. Seeing illegals was no big deal; they were just people trying to make a living or to better themselves, just like our parents and grandparents did when they came to the US. No real notice is taken of such illegals here, except possibly to buy them a beer, a sandwich, or just to wish them luck. Sometimes, you'll see some of the older Mexicans giving them advice on getting food and lodging, or, more importantly, places to avoid. Other than that, we see them as we see ourselves, or at least, our immediate ancestors.

Something most don't seem to realize is that the poor see governments as temporary things*, with changes in policy. But regardless of the government, the poor are still the poor, and somehow endure.



*Remember that millions of the Hispanics in the US Southwest became US citizens not because they moved, but because the borders moved. This was pointed out in the recent story of the woman in Texas who is refusing to allow the government to put up a border fence on her land. Her family received that land via a land grant from Spain in the 1760s. Her family, while not moving, has lived in at least 6 countries, or under 6 different governments: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States. Like I said, governments are temporary things.

Honolulu is safest?

Of course. They've got Hawaii Five- O. No point in trying to murder anyone if you are sure to get caught.