Samuel L. Jackson did.

“I voted for Barack because he was black. ’Cuz that’s why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them,” Jackson said. "That’s American politics, pure and simple. [Obama’s] message didn’t mean sh-t to me. In the end, he’s a politician. I just hoped he would do some of what he said he was gonna do.

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What's worse, in your eyes:

Someone voting for Obama because he is black, or
Someone NOT voting for Obama because he is black?

And do you really think BOTH didnt happen in '08?

I think voting for him because he is black is worse just because everyone on the left was all up in arms about how if you didnt vote for him you were a racist. Honestly if you have to fear being called a racist just because you didnt vote for someone who is black then there are some real issues in society.

Both did happen in 08. People did vote for him because he was black, and people didnt vote for him cause he was black. That is just how it is. Racism will always exist no matter what, you cannot change peoples minds on something they feel passionate about. That being said, I think this time around people will actually be more thoughtful about the process instead of basing it on race. While there will still be people who will say oh he is black im voting for him, and there will be people who say he is black im not voting for him, then there will be the smart people who will actually look at policies, track records, potential plans, proposed budgets etc etc and make a decision based on that.

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LETS GO BUFFALO!

just...nvmd.

NY Intensity, you obviously have some major issues about this. All the talk of "racist" motivations people had for voting FOR Obama seem to be coming from the right in the media, and right-leaners here. I don't hear people on the left saying "people who voted for McCain are racist", and I live in the capital of the left. You know what this leads me to believe? That it's these people who are always bringing up race in connection with Obama that have the real problems with his race. Whoever smelt it dealt it right?

If you are worried about seeming racist, maybe you should stop making sweeping generaliztions based on individual incidents. Sam Jackson is black and he says he voted for Obama because he's black. Yes, that's racist. But much more racist IMO is taking that and then saying see, the only reason people vote for Obama is because he's black. That's pure paranoia man. And furthermore it's nothing close to a constructive debate about the merits of Obama as a candidate, so I'm done with this line of deabte.

YiR - they're both problems. I may be a bit of a conspiracy theorist, but I feel like that election was run like a popularity contest, and everyone wanted to be a part of the "change".

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I know you're not an idiot, but starting a thread like that makes you seem shallow and it's insulting to imply to the many people here that voted Obama that they did so simply out of racism or fear of seeming racist. That's just as shallow as someone saying anyone who didn't vote Obama is racist.

I thought the political thread needed a grenade. (sarcasm)

Honestly, I'd like to ask if you guys think that race had an important role in the last election? I'm not looking for statistics, because I can look those up, just what your gut feeling is. Mine is that people were enamored with the idea of "change" because they were sick of war. What better way to really "stick it to the man" than to elect a (half) black man who ran his entire campaign on that word alone? 4 years later, and there are still young men and women dying in Afghanistan, and we only JUST left Iraq last year.

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Also, for what its worth, I am a very shallow individual. I take things at face value, and try not to delve into peoples' feelings too much, because that's how wars get started.

I didn't imply that anyone here voted for Obama because of race. Samuel L. Jackson did.

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Don't pull some Xcheck shit. You had an agenda that quite obviously was not just about Sam Jackson.

This is not about Obama's record, but his campaign in 08. It wasn't just "change" without some specifics. Obama=national healthcare, MaCain=no universal healthcare. Obama=shift in tax policies toward reversing Bush cuts, McCain=slash taxes. Obama=fossil fuels & alternative energy, McCain= "drill baby drill". Obama= close Gitmo (I know he didn't), McCain =no change in course.

The election was certainly not just about race and feelgood abstractions in my memory.

Do you not believe it was also (R) vs (D), and everyone was just plain old sick of (R)?

Honestly, I think the Republicans fucked themselves when they chose Palin, but they wanted something that was on a comparable level to having a black guy.

Did I mention that I voted for Obama? It sure as hell wasn't because he was black. It was because of the change that was touted. It's because I thought he actually had a fucking plan, that he had the gumption to actually call out the entire senate or house and tell them to quit being bitches. He doesn't. He's not a straight shooter. He's willing to bend to appeal to a wider audience (as evidenced with his change in his stance on birth control recently)

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He's a politician, i.e. he's a fraud. And yes, I think it was much more D vs. R than it was black vs. white. All I'm saying is you don't need the race stuff if you have a beef with him, you have legitimate reasons to dislike his performance. But starting a thread like this makes it look like you feel he won unfairly due to the white man getting the shaft by some sort of affirmative action.

I'm quite disappointed in the man. But honestly, I think you're pinning the hopes you did then on Ron Paul now, looking for that big "change". Truth is he'd turn out to be a politician in the end too I bet.

I'm aware that I may very well die by posting in a politics thread but here goes.

What, pray tell, is the difference between people voting for Obama because he's black and people voting for say, JFK because he was young and good looking? I'd say Samuel L. Jackson was pretty spot on. The vast majority of people vote for someone who looks like them or acts like them. We like people who are like us. Let's face it, the elections pretty much are one huge popularity contest. Does anyone really think that the majority of people voting are truly 100% educated on all the candidates? I certainly don't.

This isn't an issue about people voting for Obama because he's black. It's an issue with people who simply don't feel like educating themselves on politics, and will vote for any politician who looks the best to them based on very little information. That's hardly a situation that's unique to Obama.

Bingo

The thing is, I've watched RP for a long time, and he hasn't really changed his POV at all. On anything. Last election, I'm not really sure why I didn't write-in RP; I guess I got caught up in the kool-aid.

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so what's the deal with "Thar be dragons" anyway? It says the forum is locked but it sure seems like we have access to it.

As far as write-ins go, our two-party system really fucks us over. I have voted for many democrats in my life, not because I liked them as candidates so much as because it was more important not to end up with the official you'd like least. But then of course that traps us from ever changing the system because we vote as if there could never be anything but two choices in the end anyway. It's the Catch-22 of American politics.

Whoa! Hold on a second here!

Barack Obama is black?

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This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
--Emerson

Oh really? Because you've said you voted for ron paul everytime since you were 18.

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