[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Well, of the small % of black Repubs there are, some of them voted for Obama and SOME (read: some) of them said it was because of the opportunity to vote for a black man. But whether that would've happened regardless of who the candidate is, is something we can't assume.

Example: Jesse Jackson did better in 1984 and 1988 than people expected and got a lot of primary votes. But he still didn't win over black voters and have the longstanding support that people expected him to. Part of that has to do with the time period of racial politics (1984, 1988) and some has to do with the fact that many blacks weren't fond of a Jackson presidency, including his inability to censor himself. Blacks, in general, liked him as an activist and loved the idea of a black president, sometime---but NOT Jackson. He still wouldn't have won because he lacked the backing from whites, which is what Obama had and ALL candidates need to win.

But the fact remains that Obama was deemed highly qualified, even if folks weren't as knowledgeable about him and his platform as they should've been. His views were not in constrast with how many of these blacks viewed social, political and economic policy--he's a Dem and many found only small differences between Hillary and Barack's platforms. If it was a black candidate that these black voters were nervous about or a black candidate that was a conservative Republican, such as Armstrong Williams, the average black voter may not have even LIKED HIM, let alone voted for him. (I like Armstrong, though ) Now, Colin Powell is different because some people view him as more of a reluctant Repub and less conservative than he lets on.

I see what you are saying....but be aware that it does seem like racism to people when someone claims that the only reason they voted for someone is for their race. I totally understand where anyone like this is coming from and am playing devil's advocate, but a statement like that really upsets many people, not just racists. My husband was really offended by that, and I can tell you that he is the most open minded person I've ever met. We all have our prejudices, but sometimes we should all be careful to not stir up unnecessary emotions. I have a feeling that despite what these people say, race is NOT the reason why they chose to vote for Obama, though it was a huge factor.