Black Republicans offer hope after Barack Obama's failures

[tzor]

How many times do I have to explain who the Dixiecrats were, and why the Democrats lost the South for good with the passage of Civil Rights?

Oh sure I know them. Weren't they in a Disney movie? Oh wait, that's the "Aristocats." Never mind.

[john9blue]

This has always been a sore spot for me as a black man. What tkr4 & Viper discussed already is really true. It's bullshit that that the Dems get credit on the civil rights bill, but because the perception is that they cared more about it, they get the credit. My grandparents had a picture of LBJ signing the bill and shaking Dr. King's hand after. My dad & mom now have it hanging over the fireplace at his house. That image of a Democrat signing the bill speaks louder than any words a Republican might speak on civil rights in their opinion. I rejected both my parents' faith and political views right around the time I graduated high school, so for me I think that a majority of blacks get hooked on imagery and don't give a damn about historical facts.

It really bugs me when I hear some black speaker say stupid shit like Bill Clinton was the first black president, or Kanye West talk about Bush hating black people. But that's the crap I've got to put up with in my own family. I remember when I used to pick on a few white kids to impress other blacks - it gets you "reputation points" and solidifies yourself within the "group". It's stupid but I did it. One of the guys I used to pick on was a conservative, and when we were later adults, he went out of his way to secure a job for me despite the fact I treated him like that. He showed his true self to me by doing that, and it humbled me. No "brother" ever did anything to to inspire me to be a better person, whether it had to do with my job performance or just being a good husband & dad. With the exception of my parents, I tell other black people to shove it up their ass now when they try to sell me on this group mentality that we have to stick together to protect ourselves from Republicans. I like thinking for myself and am never going back. F*ck the socialists.

I've been treated more like an equal by my white conservative friends than any black group. I'm judged by my opinions and content of my character rather than my ethnicity. And if any of you other blacks out there think I'm an Uncle Tom then F*ck you too!

You, sir, are hardcore.

[Phatscotty]

The man makes a good point. Either it's "group solidarity" or "blind groupthink" that's responsible for their still 91% approval rating of Obama (assuming those sources are correct). Like I implied in another post that John is humping to death, there's this mentality that a man of similar skin color is like a savior, and the only choice.

Going on this guy's OP, (judging from employment levels) if blacks have done better under Clinton and Bush, why did white presidents receive such low approval ratings from the majority of blacks?

Well, we've actually been discussing something similar in my US Government class. My teacher basically asserted that the main reason 95% of blacks vote Democrat (this is the figure from the textbook) is that going back to the civil rights era, it was mainly the politicians from the Democrat party that supported the civil rights era laws. It was mainly the politicians from the Republican party that supported the segregation and the status quo. So, that would explain partly why they stick so strongly with Obama. The other reason is simple, because we as a country finally have a black president. I think that they see that as a victory. And even if he does some things that they don't agree with, I think they feel that if they were to not support him, they would somehow be traitors to their race. Just my take on it.

about the strongest case for blatant racism I might have ever seen. Sure, a valid point...but big time racism

[Phatscotty]

While the article is interesting, I must find myself strongly disagreeing with the premise. Blacks (most of whom are ancestors of those who were forced into slavery here) support Obama, not because he is black (has ancestry from Africa but no ancestry to anyone who was ever a slave in the United States) but because he is a Democrat. This binding force is one of the strongest prejudices imaginable (as any conservative African American … like J.C. Watts can attest) and the most illogical since the close loyalty does the voter more harm than good in the long run.

This is very difficult to overcome (I would say it is currently impossible). It is easier for a nation to elect a back president than it is for the African American community to elect a Republican African American (for no matter how well they think of him, they are bound by their own faux sense of loyalty to vote Democrat anyway). There is some decay of this self harming mindset in younger African Americans, but only some.

It is the same faux attitude seen among many Jews today, their deep commitment towards Democrats (which comes from their former European roots where socialism was the counter to the anti-Semitic governments at the end of the 19th century) even though the most pro-Israeli presidents have been Republican, not Democrat. It’s all about tradition!

great analogy

[Timminz]

Down with the blacks! Damn racists.

[hairy potter]

it's no surprise. people are always more attracted to the image of a politician than their actual politics.

[Phatscotty]

Down with the blacks! Damn racists.

why not just down with racism, period?

oh....I forgot

[Timminz]

Because everyone knows that the era of racist white people is long gone.

[hairy potter]

Because everyone knows that the era of racist white people is long gone.

at least racist white people have a point

[Timminz]

Because everyone knows that the era of racist white people is long gone.

at least racist white people have a point

nice

[Phatscotty]

Because everyone knows that the era of racist white people is long gone.

why do you always have to have a color to blame, or one more than the other? racism is a human problem. racism does not discsriminate. there is no race more racist than any other.

[Phatscotty]

Because everyone knows that the era of racist white people is long gone.

at least racist white people have a point

43% of white people voted for Obama
4% of black people voted for Mccain

[john9blue]

43% of white people voted for Obama
4% of black people voted for Mccain

if i say that blacks as a group are more racist than whites... does that make me racist, or a statistician? i wonder...

[Phatscotty]

43% of white people voted for Obama
4% of black people voted for Mccain

if i say that blacks as a group are more racist than whites... does that make me racist, or a statistician? i wonder...

a realist

[hairy potter]

i may be overthinking things a bit, but is it not fair to say that people tend to base their vote on a variety of factors? and therefore not just on skin colour?

women were less likely to vote for thatcher than men. what does that say about UK voters, when viewed from your weird little 1D, conspiracy theorist view of the world?

[squishyg]

(dips her toe into the water)

Democrats have long believed they have a lock on the black vote. However, neither major political party particularly cares about poor, black people. It is overdue for the oppressed to abandon a two party system.

[hairy potter]

if poor people actually used their vote, rather than just sitting in front of the TV eating burgers, then maybe the political parties would pay some attention to them

[squishyg]

who should they vote for? the party that doesn't care or the party that doesn't care?

[hairy potter]

does america honestly only have two political parties?

[Phatscotty]

i may be overthinking things a bit, but is it not fair to say that people tend to base their vote on a variety of factors? and therefore not just on skin colour?

women were less likely to vote for thatcher than men. what does that say about UK voters, when viewed from your weird little 1D, conspiracy theorist view of the world?

it might actually be possible because of something Thatcher did??? Why does it have to say something about the voters?

[squishyg]

does america honestly only have two political parties?

we only have two major political parties. and neither addresses poverty.

[hairy potter]

i recently saw somone on here bandying around the statistic that 40% of americans live on food stamps. if 40% of america voted for a marginal party that promised to address poverty, that party would probably become a fairly major political force.

[Phatscotty]

i recently saw somone on here bandying around the statistic that 40% of americans live on food stamps. if 40% of america voted for a marginal party that promised to address poverty, that party would probably become a fairly major political force.

then you should have immediately "saw" the correction. the reality is 40 million Americans get food stamps.

i think it's 42 million now...

[hairy potter]

i recently saw somone on here bandying around the statistic that 40% of americans live on food stamps. if 40% of america voted for a marginal party that promised to address poverty, that party would probably become a fairly major political force.

then you should have immediately "saw" the correction. the reality is 40 million Americans get food stamps.

i think it's 42 million now...

why the quotations? 'saw' was correct in the context that i used it, you inbred.

42 million is still fairly sizeable. it's around 15%.

[rdsrds2120]

Alright. Firstly, racism is defined as:

–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.

I don't believe that, with these criteria, blacks in America are racist, they just aren't color blind. There is a definite difference between the two. If I say that, "I have a black friend", or "my black friend isn't doing so well", I am not being racist, but I'm not being colorblind either. Addressing someone by their race in a nonnegative or positive way isn't racism, nor is it a bad thing. Race should be addressed as a characteristic, and something commonly known and accepted such as your gender, hair color, age, etc. Just because someone refers to race as a description for something, or uses it in debate, it does NOT automatically become a racist comment.

So is Black support for Obama racist? No, it is not.
Does Black support for Obama have to do with the fact that Obama is half black himself? Yes, I believe it does.

This could be a near perfect analogy comparing the differences of nationalism and patriotism. Nationalists believe that their country is the best, couldn't be better, and that nothing is wrong with their country. This is analogous to black Americans supporting Obama, despite statistics and fact.

Patriots often get the cold shoulder for criticizing their country, trying to extrapolate on their countries faults, and disagreeing with policies. This would be analogous to a little over 9%, I imagine, of the black Americans who don't approve of President Obama's economic policies.