President McCain

Last night I saw some pundits on the news discussing the results of a poll. When Americans were asked if they would vote for an African-American for president, more than 9 out of 10 people said yes. But when asked if they knew anyone who would not vote for an African-American, about half said they know such a person.

One inference you might make from these results, and the one drawn by the pundits on the show, is that people are secretly racists. They tell pollsters they are not bigots, but once inside the voting booth they are.

The other inference is something I call math. If there are ten friends, and only one is a racist, then it is true that 90 percent are not racists while everyone knows someone who is. It’s that one guy.

Here’s the way I think the election is going to go down. Obama will get nominated, and polls will start to show he will get 95% of the African-American vote. This will frighten all the racists who hadn’t planned to vote, and get them to the polling places, thus handing the election to John McCain, even if he is only being kept alive by machines at that point.

Here’s a little unscientific survey question of my own:

1. Do you personally know anyone who thinks Obama is a Muslim?

2. Do you personally know anyone who suspects Obama might secretly hate America and is running for President to destroy it from within?

I know registered voters in both of those categories. That's why your next president will be named McCain. That's just a prediction, not a preference.

Comments

[Iwouldlikeaturkeyburger]

Wow, to think people still strongly believe he is Muslim just goes to show how they are slaves to the media. His tax cut plans for the middle-class may not be full-proof and still needs work; however, Hillary and McCain are the true elitists, who will keep adding fuel to the seemingly never-ending fire of government corruption and inefficiency.

And what ever happened to social responsibility?? People need to collectively rise up and decide not to be selfish consumers and care about everyone else. Closet racists will always be here to hold progress back because of their so called entitlement to a land they claim is theirs..it's a difficult task for people with low IQ to comprehend such ideas, let alone ask them to see things from a different perspective.

And to answer 1) No 2) No. I try my best to stay away from those that wreak of immorality and egocentrism.

[RC Christian]

Obamas foreign policy advisor is Zbigniew Bzrezinski (he was Carters FPA), the man who headed the creation, training and equipping of 'al-queda'. Google "zbigniew osama" and hit 'images' to see him and Osama hanging out and practicing with machine guns. No joke. Wouldnt you think this would be news? If the 'race' wasnt all theater, smoke and mirrors?

Obamas economic advisor is Austan Ghoolsbee (sp), know to his pal G.W. as "the Ghool", from when they were in "skull and bones" together.

Most Obama-philes dont know this though. Obama is no muslim, nor is he an American: he is a globalist, and does the bidding of the Council on Foreign Relations on bended knee, just like John "Keating Five" McCain. Hillary is no better, shes a bilderberger whore.

Read up on Carroll Quigley, and the CFR who openly state that their goal is a one world government, and how national sovereignty is obsolete.

They all have the same masters and the same agenda. ROll your eyes if you need to do that to comfort yourself, but first, run that google image search, and roll your eyes at that.

Its a three-way rip-off. Were screwed.

[shdwfx]

Chant after me:

Hopey changey, hopey changey, hopey changey
*DON'T LOOK AT THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!*
Hopey changey, hopey changey, hopey changey

[Single Mom from NY]

1. I believe he is muslim, which I have no problem with. What ever happened to dont mix politics with religion???
2. The US is screwed regardless if its Obama, Clinton, or McCain.

But what I realized as I read through all the comments, is that there are many Obama supporters. I was one, until I sat down and thought about what it meant to be one of his supporters. Has the middle class not realized that if Obama becomes president we WILL suffer? Already, for example, if a single parent has a job, that doesnt require them to fry burgers, has a hard time supporting their child and tries to get goverment support, they are DENIED because they make too much money??? This will only get worse with Obama. He's worried about the poor (people that make less than 30K a year) than he is about the middle class. We WILL get screwed with him. All this talk about helping the middle class is crap.

And if he happens to get elected, which I doubt because of all the racist people that there are in this country, he will get assasinated (unfortunately).

So yes.. say hello to McCain... God help us...

Hopefully we all get out safe and alive. Canada sounds better everyday...

[Fred X]

Obama does not need to hate America to destroy it with crappy leftwing democrat / socialist / communist policies. He just needs to be elected to do that.

[Errol Smythe]

It really is amazing how there appears to be so many self proclaimed show casing political cases in this election soap opera.We have the media piranha feeding frenzy after the mudsling kitchen sink strategy brainstorming group allegedly set up Reverend Jeremiah Wright to step into the limelight for fifteen minutes of fame so that they allegedly could slice and dice soundbites and put them on those forty-five to seventy two second soundbite loops packaged for the alleged targeted couch potatoe gullible public so that polls could be manipulated up or down.
Those polls sometimes get it wrong and all these ping pong mind games quoting percentages and figures to dazzle and frazzle the minds of the voting public ain't going to work this time.
The streetwise man in the know says the word is on the street that to all intents and purposes the media have got the word from who knows where to wreck Barack cause Barak is on a roll.
All this talk of this and that and fireside chitchat and coffee drinking talk about the Obama/Wright association is just going to dry up.
American's don't like being taken for a ride. The media circus is over. People want to get serious and talk about serious issues. Things that matter. Bread and butter issues. American's are tired of who said what. There sure is something more real to talk about.
Can there be timeout on all this ? The election is not about Obama and his associates. Surely there are real substantial issues that need to be addressed like the rising cost of fuels,alternative energy sources, global food crisis, housing crisis, banking crisis, pension crisis, tax rebates,world peace, global warming and climate change, desertification,pollution,ozone layer,agriculture, poverty,hunger, empty food shelves in Africa etc etc etc.
Barak is just living the American dream. What is wrong with that? Why do we like broken dreams more than fulfilled dreams/ Let the dream live on. Hope is a good thing there is nothing wrong with hope. Peace to all and goodwill to all men . Can there be timeout on all this ? The election is not about Obama and his associates. Surely there are real substantial issues that need to be addressed like the rising cost of fuels,alternative energy sources, global food crisis, housing crisis, banking crisis, pension crisis, tax rebates,world peace, global warming and climate change, desertification,pollution,ozone layer,agriculture, poverty,hunger, empty food shelves in Africa etc etc etc.
Errol Smythe

[Dirk]

People voting for a black guy shows just how much they do not want a woman to be president. The president has always been a white male, and will continue to be a white male until the white race has been interbred away. And if you think this cannot happen, just go to your local Walmart and look at all the black guys with fat white chicks. And, lets face it...women hate each other and will never vote another women in to be president. Most women don't vote anyway. So just ignore what the media covers and get ready for President McCain. Then he can inherit the problems Bush created, etc. Hell, Bush inherited the time bomb Clinton created to go off right in the middle of the next guy's term. Pretty convenient, so he can avoid the blame.

[Dirk]

People voting for a black guy shows just how much they do not want a woman to be president. The president has always been a white male, and will continue to be a white male until the white race has been interbred away. And if you think this cannot happen, just go to your local Walmart and look at all the black guys with fat white chicks. And, lets face it...women hate each other and will never vote another women in to be president. Most women don't vote anyway. So just ignore what the media covers and get ready for President McCain. Then he can inherit the problems Bush created, etc. Hell, Bush inherited the time bomb Clinton created to go off right in the middle of the next guy's term. Pretty convenient, so he can avoid the blame.

[Jamie]

Obama is the only candidate left who speaks to the American public as if we're adults capable of understanding complex issues.

McCain is a senile old fool who changes positions almost as often as he changes adult diapers.

Hillary started out as a Goldwater girl and if you ask me, she's a mole. She doesn't believe in the underlying ideology of the Democratic party, nor does she respect the voter. She's a corporate whore of the worst kind.

The GOP and the corporate Democrats are the ones who are destroying this nation. They neither understand nor appreicate the principles on which this nation was founded, nor do they have any interest in protecting the Contsitution.

To Annie from above, it's small-minded fools like you who are letting this country be destroyed from within. Bush has done more damage to this nation and the world in less than eight years than 1,000 years of liberal rule would do. You should be ashamed of yourself. Actually, you should do the species a favor and tape a plastic bag over your head.

[Douglas Lonngren]

It is too late, Bush has already destroyed America from within.

[HCG]

Yes to both. That 1 person in 10 is me. How can I be so sure he is a muslim intent on destroying the great satan? B-HO and I are in the same terrorist cell. His presidency is the lynch pin of our ingenious plot to destroy America from within! Lucky for us, our plot exactly mirrors the goals of the far left, so we are guaranteed the support of countless morons. http://members.aol.com/innerscoop/wavs/EVILMUAH.wav

I normally wouldn't have admitted to all of that, but I recently watched a James Bond marathon, and now realize it is part of the evil genius code of conduct. You will all be dead soon anyway, so it doesn't matter if I gloat.

[Liana]

No, and No. At least not that I'm aware of, and I'm quite sure.

[Lou]

Yes to both---I know a few people who strongly believe that he's a Muslim, and insist he's secretly going to destory us.
The part that fascinates me is how they cling to both beliefs, even when shown proof that it's not true. Throwing out more and more bizarre arguments, they insist he's Muslim even when it's been proven he isn't.

[mnuez]

Nicely done with the math there! I just read some old post of yours about "Let's make a deal" and you really flubbed the math on that one but I spose you educated yourself in the aftermath of that and did quite brightly with this one.

But even here there's another real easy, real true and real common way to explain these numbers (though your math thingee really DOES cover the bulk of the required response).

People like to feel good about themselves. They like to feel that they're righteous, good and wholesome AND FAR BETTER, SWEETER AND GOODERER THAN OTHERS.

So when you're asked a question like this you DESIRE to be able to answer that you know racists so you interpret whatever tidbits you can into believing that your brother in law will never vote for a black guy.

By the way, I would never vote for an Armenian. Fuckin Armenians!

mnuez

[Tailsteak]

I'm a Canadian, but I provide tech support to Americans. I speak with a broad cross-section of America every day, and the particular kind of tech support I provide usually includes lots of waiting through installs, so there's a lot of small talk.

John Q. Average American is afraid of Barack Obama.

I don't mean they think he'd make a bad President. I mean they wouldn't trust him to bag their groceries.

He's ahead in the polls right now because the people who belong to a political party and vote in primaries are the sort of people who put politics first. When it comes time for the Average Americans to vote in November, they'll be choosing between a young black man with a Muslim-sounding name and a white war-hero with an American-sounding name. It's a no-brainer.

Speaking as a member of the non-American community, I'm begging you guys to vote Democrat. But I've already got money riding on McCain. I think he's a lock, and, quite frankly, it's depressing.

[MM]

I would vote for the person most qualified for the job.
Sadly a pregnant lama could do a better job then the people who are running. And speaking of a pregnant lama, where is perot? If he threw his hat into the ring he would have a very good chance at getting elected due to no one wanting to vote for the other losers.

As for your questions
1) Yes
2) Doesn't matter it already has been distoyed.

A better question to answer is does Obama frighten you?
When you hear him speak is there a little voice inside you saying "do not trust this guy". But, we must have change, change is the answer, more chains, more change, less dollars and more change, more chains.

[Andy Watt]

"The best way to bring about change in the United States is to have some kind of legitimate third party to cater to those of us who drink either the Red or Blue flavors of Kool Aid"

Alas, Mr Tibs, we have that in the UK. I'm afraid it doesn't make any difference really, the "big two" just have so much more power and, as Kang and Kodos said...

"It's a two party system - what are you going to do, waste your vote? mwahahahahaha!"

[Errol Smythe]

Is it necessary to do or say some mind boggling thing to get media attention. I don'ty know.
Preachers know that to grab the attention of a mind wandering audience,in your sermon you build a figurative bridge, build a figurative fire, then destroy the figurative bridge if necessary so that people can examine their options.Your sermon soaked in prayer backed up with scripture from the Bible then has got their attention.
Julius Caesar, history tells us, once did something similar by ordering his army the centurions etc to burn their ships on the shores of a foreign land.
Julius Caesar by issuing such a command inspired a fighting spirit and loyalty in his men to fight so that they could win the battle and win the war and go home to their loved ones.How does that relate to Reverend Jeremiah Wright? As an individual, he may have by deliberate intention focused the media mindset on the stark realities of prejudice.Racial prejudice, religious prejudice,bigotism,bitterness,hatred,malice,unfair media coverage,soundbites and deliberate mind manipulation in this high tech society and the need for reconciliation, truth,self examination, forgiveness,confession,repentance and constructive engagement in this present society.
Will it damage Barak? Who knows.Does America care for Barak with all the media frenzy and media post mortems of his name,his freinds, his associates ?.
America needs to have its own TRUTH COMMISSION. Will America have one? Who knows? Does America care.Yes.America cares for the downtrodden,the sick ,the lame ,the unwanted,the ones with dreams and broken dreams. Some people are honest and others are not so honest.So what? NOBODY IS PERFECT> WE ALL HAVE OUR FAULTS ....BUT THERE IS SELF IMPROVEMENT!!!!
There is strong undercurrents of a reality check up. Why?. Look back to KATRINA, HURRICANE KATRINA.
The ostrich likes to bury it’s head in the sand and the ostrich some say thinks as long as its head is buried in the sand , it’s vision is impaired and restricted and in this ostrich mindset what it cannot see the ostrich believes in it it’s ostrich birdbrain is not there? The ostrich needs a reality check up.
America is a great country. America is an IMMIGRANT BASED COUNTRY. That is why it is great. The beacon of hope of democracy. The open forum of democracy allows freedom of speech because America believes all men are created equal. That is on paper . That is in black and white,but some do not accept that because of the way they were brought up.
sOME OF THEIR TEACHERS MAY HAVE told them that some people are inferior to them and other people are superior. That is wrong teaching.tHAT IS WHY THERE IS SO MUCH CONTROVERSY TO DAY. The truth will set you free.
South Africa under NELSON MANDELA had a time of TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION. Things that worried and hurt and disturbed and offended many people had to be talked about. PEACEFULLLY, TRUTHFULLY, IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF RECONCILIATION WITHOUT RETRIBUTION,UNDER THE BANNER OF FORGIVENESS AND TRUE PEACE OF MIND.
GOD BLESS AMERICA. GOD BLESS TRUTH AND GOD BLESS RECONCILIATION.
All this mudslinging politics and slinging back mud, and negative below the belt teleads is no good. Look how much money candidates are blatantly spending to get elected when there is a food crisis in AFRICA AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD. But people are so concerned with their own point of view they will forget people are dying without food, without democracy, without hope in other nations.
Maybe REVEREND WRIGHT MAY BE WRONG IN THE WAY HE SAYS WHAT HE SAYS, but maybe we need to take a GOOD LONG LOOK at ourselves.Maybe,it is time for self examination .Time for honest self judgement.Is it right to think about self first and others last? Is unfair treatment of minorities a paper excercise that does not mean nothing under our roofs? Are we really christians or make believers? Do we believe in God or are we apostate? GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL ?.
ERROL SMYTHE.

[Errol Smythe]

Is it necessary to do or say some mind boggling thing to get media attention. I don'ty know.
Preachers know that to grab the attention of a mind wandering audience,in your sermon you build a figurative bridge, build a figurative fire, then destroy the figurative bridge if necessary so that people can examine their options.Your sermon soaked in prayer backed up with scripture from the Bible then has got their attention.
Julius Caesar, history tells us, once did something similar by ordering his army the centurions etc to burn their ships on the shores of a foreign land.
Julius Caesar by issuing such a command inspired a fighting spirit and loyalty in his men to fight so that they could win the battle and win the war and go home to their loved ones.How does that relate to Reverend Jeremiah Wright? As an individual, he may have by deliberate intention focused the media mindset on the stark realities of prejudice.Racial prejudice, religious prejudice,bigotism,bitterness,hatred,malice,unfair media coverage,soundbites and deliberate mind manipulation in this high tech society and the need for reconciliation, truth,self examination, forgiveness,confession,repentance and constructive engagement in this present society.
Will it damage Barak? Who knows.Does America care for Barak with all the media frenzy and media post mortems of his name,his freinds, his associates ?.
America needs to have its own TRUTH COMMISSION. Will America have one? Who knows? Does America care.Yes.America cares for the downtrodden,the sick ,the lame ,the unwanted,the ones with dreams and broken dreams. Some people are honest and others are not so honest.So what? NOBODY IS PERFECT> WE ALL HAVE OUR FAULTS ....BUT THERE IS SELF IMPROVEMENT!!!!
There is strong undercurrents of a reality check up. Why?. Look back to KATRINA, HURRICANE KATRINA.
The ostrich likes to bury it’s head in the sand and the ostrich some say thinks as long as its head is buried in the sand , it’s vision is impaired and restricted and in this ostrich mindset what it cannot see the ostrich believes in it it’s ostrich birdbrain is not there? The ostrich needs a reality check up.
America is a great country. America is an IMMIGRANT BASED COUNTRY. That is why it is great. The beacon of hope of democracy. The open forum of democracy allows freedom of speech because America believes all men are created equal. That is on paper . That is in black and white,but some do not accept that because of the way they were brought up.
sOME OF THEIR TEACHERS MAY HAVE told them that some people are inferior to them and other people are superior. That is wrong teaching.tHAT IS WHY THERE IS SO MUCH CONTROVERSY TO DAY. The truth will set you free.
South Africa under NELSON MANDELA had a time of TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION. Things that worried and hurt and disturbed and offended many people had to be talked about. PEACEFULLLY, TRUTHFULLY, IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF RECONCILIATION WITHOUT RETRIBUTION,UNDER THE BANNER OF FORGIVENESS AND TRUE PEACE OF MIND.
GOD BLESS AMERICA. GOD BLESS TRUTH AND GOD BLESS RECONCILIATION.
All this mudslinging politics and slinging back mud, and negative below the belt teleads is no good. Look how much money candidates are blatantly spending to get elected when there is a food crisis in AFRICA AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD. But people are so concerned with their own point of view they will forget people are dying without food, without democracy, without hope in other nations.
Maybe REVEREND WRIGHT MAY BE WRONG IN THE WAY HE SAYS WHAT HE SAYS, but maybe we need to take a GOOD LONG LOOK at ourselves.Maybe,it is time for self examination .Time for honest self judgement.Is it right to think about self first and others last? Is unfair treatment of minorities a paper excercise that does not mean nothing under our roofs? Are we really christians or make believers? Do we believe in God or are we apostate? GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL ?.
ERROL SMYTHE.

[Errol Smythe]

It really is amazing how there appears to be so many self proclaimed show casing political cases in this election soap opera.We have the media piranha feeding frenzy after the mudsling kitchen sink strategy brainstorming group allegedly set up Reverend Jeremiah Wright to step into the limelight for fifteen minutes of fame so that they allegedly could slice and dice soundbites and put them on those forty-five to seventy two second soundbite loops packaged for the alleged targeted couch potatoe gullible public so that polls could be manipulated up or down.
Those polls sometimes get it wrong and all these ping pong mind games quoting percentages and figures to dazzle and frazzle the minds of the voting public ain't going to work this time.
It really is amazing how there appearsto be so many self proclaimed show casing political cases in this election soap opera.We have the media piranha feeding frenzy after the mudsling kitchen sink strategy brainstorming group allegedly set up Reverend Jeremiah Wright to step into the limelight for fifteen minutes of fame so that they allegedly could slice and dice soundbites and put them on those forty-five to seventy two second soundbite loops packaged for the alleged targeted couch potatoe gullible public so that polls could be manipulated up or down.
Those polls sometimes get it wrong and all these ping pong mind games quoting percentages and figures to dazzle and frazzle the minds of the voting public ain't going to work this time.
The streetwise man in the know says the word is on the street that to all intents and purposes the media have got the word from who knows where to wreck Barack cause Barak is on a roll.
All this talk of this and that and fireside chitchat and coffee drinking talk about the Obama/Wright association is just going to dry up.
American's don't like being taken for a ride. The media circus is over. People want to get serious and talk about serious issues. Things that matter. Bread and butter issues. American's are tired of who said what. There sure is something more real to talk about.
Can there be timeout on all this ? The election is not about Obama and his associates. Surely there are real substantial issues that need to be addressed like the rising cost of fuels,alternative energy sources, global food crisis, housing crisis, banking crisis, pension crisis, tax rebates,world peace, global warming and climate change, desertification,pollution,ozone layer,agriculture, poverty,hunger, empty food shelves in Africa etc etc etc.
Barak is just living the American dream. What is wrong with that? Why do we like broken dreams more than fulfilled dreams/ Let the dream live on. Hope is a good thing there is nothing wrong with hope. Peace to all and goodwill to all men . Can there be timeout on all this ? The election is not about Obama and his associates. Surely there are real substantial issues that need to be addressed like the rising cost of fuels,alternative energy sources, global food crisis, housing crisis, banking crisis, pension crisis, tax rebates,world peace, global warming and climate change, desertification,pollution,ozone layer,agriculture, poverty,hunger, empty food shelves in Africa etc etc etc.
Barak is just living the American dream. What is wrong with that? Why do we like broken dreams more than fulfilled dreams/ Let the dream live on. Hope is a good thing there is nothing wrong with hope. Peace to all and goodwill to all men .Errol Smythe.
The streetwise man in the know says the word is on the street that to all intents and purposes the media have got the word from who knows where to wreck Barack cause Barak is on a roll.
All this talk of this and that and fireside chitchat and coffee drinking talk about the Obama/Wright association is just going to dry up.
American's don't like being taken for a ride. The media circus is over. People want to get serious and talk about serious issues. Things that matter. Bread and butter issues. American's are tired of who said what. There sure is something more real to talk about.
Can there be timeout on all this ? The election is not about Obama and his associates. Surely there are real substantial issues that need to be addressed like the rising cost of fuels,alternative energy sources, global food crisis, housing crisis, banking crisis, pension crisis, tax rebates,world peace, global warming and climate change, desertification,pollution,ozone layer,agriculture, poverty,hunger, empty food shelves in Africa etc etc etc.
Barak is just living the American dream. What is wrong with that? Why do we like broken dreams more than fulfilled dreams/ Let the dream live on. Hope is a good thing there is nothing wrong with hope. Peace to all and goodwill to all men . Can there be timeout on all this ? The election is not about Obama and his associates. Surely there are real substantial issues that need to be addressed like the rising cost of fuels,alternative energy sources, global food crisis, housing crisis, banking crisis, pension crisis, tax rebates,world peace, global warming and climate change, desertification,pollution,ozone layer,agriculture, poverty,hunger, empty food shelves in Africa etc etc etc.
Barak is just living the American dream. What is wrong with that? Why do we like broken dreams more than fulfilled dreams/ Let the dream live on. Hope is a good thing there is nothing wrong with hope. Peace to all and goodwill to all men .

[David Capito]

Add another tally to both categories.

[Annie]

DONT SAY THAT
You of all people should know that the higher the possiblity an outcome is in peoples conciousness en mass, the more likely it is to come true in reality.
SO STOP

[Steve]

1. Well, plenty of yakkers on my radio sure seem to like implying it. But I don't know them personally.

2. Yes, I know someone who does: ME! Obama's an ultra-left-winger, which by definition means that he hates America and desires to destroy it (America = Constitutional government; left-winger = "the US Constitution means whatever is convenient to [their] political philosophy or sometimes even whatever is in vogue;" therefore left-wing = anti-American. It really is that simple).

He may not REALIZE that what he desires would destroy us, but that doesn't make it any less true.

I oppose McCain and Clinton on pretty much the same grounds (they represent the same thing, but with a bigger corporate or special-interest fire sale of American assets and influence).

[TallDave]

"It seems to me that the best thing the Republican party can do to ensure McCain's victory is to scare the bejeesus out of Americans, and the best thing the Democratic party can do is to alleviate those fears."

Global warming will kill us all unless we stop producing CO2!

If we don't take all the guns away more people will be shot!

If we support democracy in Iraq more Americans will be killed!

The rich and corporations will control everything if we don't elect Democrats!

Poor children will die if we don't make the government give everyone "free" health care!

Scared yet?

[zardoz]

Cripes!! Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, you go and intimate that Mc Cain might be the next prez. I suppose he'd be better than dubya; time will tell.

[ereneth]

*sigh*

The one thing that strikes me about American democracy is that it gives every citizen an equal voice and opportunity to make the dumbest, most small-minded possible choice.

[Drew]

1) yes
2) yes

sad

[Oliver Clotheseroff]

95% of black folks vote Democrat anyway (as I recall Bush got 7% of the black vote and people were shocked) so I don't think that knowledge will cause racisits to come out of the woodwork.

[Narf]

Oh, and on an aside:

#1 Yes (Admitted or otherwise)

#2 Yes - By definition, if he is a democrat he openly "hate(s) America and is running for President to destroy it from within". No more capitalism, confiscatory taxes, free green cards, trees over people, no personal responsibility, and the primal focus of the destruction of the rugged individualism, self reliance, and small government that is what America was about.

[Narf]

At least the Dem's get to choose which liberal they try to put in office. (Although I agree, there's no way they can win with the final candidate, whomever it is, alienating 1/3 of their party and about 2/3rd's of the total electorate.

Now think about it from the other side... As a real republican, I've had McCain thrust upon me. And now the real question is which of the three liberals (McCain, Clinton, Obama) will be doing the the thrusting to all of us next January...

[cvantuss]

I believe Obama is the most qualified for the job, so that is why I will vote for him. I am white, male, and middle class.

My personal opinion aside, why is it that hordes of black people voting for Obama BECAUSE he is black is not also viewed as racism. Why is there an NAACP, a united negro college fund, Black Entertainment Television, I even saw a show on a sports channel called "Black College Sports". If you replace "white" or "caucasion" for "black" in any of these institutions/programs, you have a screaming example of racism. Why does it not go both ways?

[May]

1. No, plus I don't care.

2. Sadly, yes. A girl I'm kind of friends with burst out with "Obama is a terrorist" one night... Turns out she's a closet Republican. I was sorely disappointed.

[Shawn]

You can say the same thing about Hillary though, that if she's nominated it'll bring all the sexists out to vote for McCain. I guess the most question at hand is, will people vote their hopes or their fears? If they are frightened enough, they will vote their fears.

It seems to me that the best thing the Republican party can do to ensure McCain's victory is to scare the bejeesus out of Americans, and the best thing the Democratic party can do is to alleviate those fears. Kind of make the fight lopsided, doesn't it?

But I have hope. People are sick of being afraid. They will have their voices heard with this election. Mark my words...

[darury]

---From my armchair, it appears that neither of you will have enough "pledged delegates" to secure the nomination, which means that it will be up to the "superdelegates" to decide the election, much like the Supreme Court did in 2000.---

Could we please drop this whole "Bush stole the election" lie? You people conviently forget that Gore wanted ONLY counties where he lost recounted. The SC ruled that was not valid, they stopped an unconstitutional selective recount. And this was a 7-2 verdict, not exactly split along party lines.

And enough with the "FoxNews watches are primates". I put up with 8 years of the Clinton News Network and we still have every other major media outlet fawning over Obama like they're hoping to be his prom date.

[louiswu]

Which is racist: supporting a a candidate because his is black or being against a candidate because he is black.

I will not vote for Obama, but I would vote for Condy Rice. Race is not involved in either decision.
Also is it age discrimination to not vote for McCain? In your case it seems to be.
interesting.

peace out McCain -Rice in 08.

[TallDave]

Obama will get nominated, and polls will start to show he will get 95% of the African-American vote

Doesn't that mean a lot of them are racist?

If a white guy votes for McCain because he's white, why is that more racist than a black guy voting for Obama because he's black?

What if McCain got 95% of the white vote?

[Scott]

My parents whole heartedly believe Obama works for the Taliban. Then forward around emails "warning" people about him. If you asked, they'd say they're not racists. They have black friends.

And we don't live in some repressed back woods state. We're on Long Island, NY.

Bring on President McCain.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Democrats aren't going to win this election, because everybody knows they will raise taxes. People can't even pay to put their kids through college, and they don't want to pay a million bucks on every crack baby that is born three months premature.

Besides, McCain has written several good books that you should take the time to read.

[Captn R]

1. Unfortunatley, I do know more than one ignorant - as in totally clueless, and uniformed - American who thinks Obama is a Muslim. But then I want to say, "So what?" What's wrong with Muslims? Only that same ignorant American will then go on to rant about how they're all terrorists.
2. Thank go, no.

[Josh]

I know someone that was a yes to #1 (my grandmother!) but thankfully was straightened out even before I got to her. This gives me hope that *most* people have gotten past that.

[TaffAndy]

From eric:

"I would submit that Obama will not be elected because he's a Socialist and not because he's black. As a white man in this country I'm constantly told by the media and other Socialists that I'm a sexist, racist, homophobe. Not because I've done anything to prove that, but because my opinions don't exactly mesh with the PC crowd. Socialism scares the hell out of me because any government that can presume to tell me what to think is a government that would stomp all over our bill of rights and constitution, all in the name of being "Progressive". Whatever happened to personal accountability and living with the consequences of our actions? We live in a nation where nobody is ever wrong and we're all scared to make moral judgments because we might be thought of as sexist, racist, or homophobic."

That's exactly the situation in the UK now under the current Labour government.

[TN]

Have you maximized your donation to Obama yet?

[fuzztop]

Despite my being a free range conservative,

> Know anyone who thinks Obama is a Muslim?

No

> Know anyone who suspects Obama might secretly hate America

No

My answers should be qualified, I suppose -- with "not that I'm currently aware of." Since most of my crowd is non-Democrat, there's actually not much discussion about Obama other than occasional quips re: his dearth of experience and substance. (There's been plenty of tongue-clucking discussions about Jeremiah Wright lately....)

If he becomes the nominee, I expect that will change, and it's possible my answers to the two questions would change, too (I'm partciularly suspcious of my in-laws in this regard .)

[Stomper]

I can't answer your questions, because I'm not sure. I never talk politics with my brother or my wife's uncle anymore. Their fear, ignorance and delusions made those conversations too disturbing.

Of all the people with whom I am willing to discuss politics, none have expressed those opinions. I suspect that is more a reflection of me, than of the people I know. Kind of a Literary Digest poll.

--Stomper

[Nicevil]

Obama's neither black or white. He's mixed. And that usually means better genes. In terms of physical health and leadership qualities, he kicks ass. Just look at how he ran his campaign. I would like to see him be the agent of change, he is motivated and shows so much promise, and genuinely care about the American folks.

1 & 2 are irrational thoughts stemmed from irrational fears, it would be crazy to take those questions seriously.

[Jon]

1. Yes
2. No

[fosin]

No to both.

If you said yes to number 2, please get them help...they're a paranoid schizophrenic (or super gullible...but they still need your help). I live in the deep south and don't know anyone who (really) thinks that.

I do know a few people who won't vote for him cause he's black...and many who are voting for him cause he is black.

[Matt]

"There has been an unprecedented rise in new voter registration, and an unprecedented rise in the number of people voting in primaries."

I really hope Jonathan's right . . .

[Andrew Watson]

I don't think he "secretly hate(s) America", but I do think his policies will "...destroy it from within". He's about as far socialist left as you can get. That's bad news.
Posted by: Bill Tuttle | April 29, 2008 at 09:04 AM

Why is that bad news? Because you might end up like Sweden?
Where a large proportion of the country is illiterate, where they have no national health system, where the government ignores people dying from national distasters, where they send poor children off to kill millions and die in their thousands before they're even old enough to drink alcohol...

Oh wait, that's not Sweden...

[Anonymous]

And one more comment - Jeremiah Wright is his FORMER pastor! I'm getting fit to be tied over people associating him as if he's his current pastor and tying them together!

[Anonymous]

No, I do not know anybody who would fit into these categories. However, I suspect that this is only because it's not politically correct to openly convey these types of views in this day and age. If I could be a fly on the wall of the voting booth I think the numbers would be dramatically different. I also know quite a few people who don't vote and I can't see them voting as a result of this. The scary thing is, so many people don't even know how to vote today. When I was in school, I had an hour lecture on the importance of voting and they showed us how to pull the lever (yes, it was an actual lever). Lecture over, we all went back to passing notes and gossiping in class.

[imsully]

1) I do not know anyone who believes Obama to be a muslim.
2) I do not know anyone who believes Obama wants to destroy America.
I DO know some who will not vote for Obama just because he is black.
I know many who will vote FOR Obama just because he is black.

[Natalie]

1)Yes
2)Yes

They are my relatives!! :(
I'm from the South.

[Dale Henderson]

How can Obama do more "...to destroy it from within?" after Bush? There really isn't much left to destroy. What he hasn't pissed away in Iraq, he's given to his corporate elite buddies and sold to his Indian/Chinese task masters.

[Natalie]

I am sick of people acting like Democrats are the only ones with socialist ideas. What the hell was that bail out of Bear Stearns? Right now we are living in a system with capitalist successes and socialized failures. I would much rather let the corporations go under for making risky decisions that didn't pay off than let half the country go without minimal health care.

I really hope you're wrong Scott. We don't even really know what McCain thinks about the war. He has changed his mind three times in the last six months. We don't know what person will end up in office - the neoconservative panderer we see on the campaign right now or the rogue Bush-condemning hardass he has been for the last few years.

[Aardwizz]

Oh boy. We're going to play dress-up today and pretend to be pundits. Fun!

Here's my entry, an open letter:

=========================================================
Dear Senators Clinton and Obama:

You each claim to be "ready to lead". Please prove that to all of us, who are all desperate for true leadership.

From my armchair, it appears that neither of you will have enough "pledged delegates" to secure the nomination, which means that it will be up to the "superdelegates" to decide the election, much like the Supreme Court did in 2000.

And like the Supreme Court in 2000, there will be a large number of people who will never accept that decision. But unlike with the Supreme Court, you are going to need those disgrutled voters in your corner to win the election. So you can't gruntle them in the first place.

The two of you need to reserve a conference room for 3 days, and sequester yourselves. Show the same leadership skills that you know you possess, the same ones that you will use to defend America's interests when you become President, and secure

Agree, up front, that if a resolution can't be reached, that you will decide who will be the nominee by one round of Texas Hold'em, or a coin toss. (Remember to give the deck of cards / coin to the Smithsonian when done.)

Be creative in your deliberatins. Remember to do what's right for the PEOPLE, and not just yourselves. The solution is almost certain to involve one of you being the Presidential candidate, and the other being Vice. Perhaps the role of the VP could be expanded, to something even greater than Al Gore or even Dick Cheney enjoy(ed). Perhaps you can agree that, whichever one of you is the candiated, than in 2012 when it's re-election time, that you will job switch, instead of simply run for re-election.

Be creative. This election is breaking all the rules anyway. Why not push the envelope further?

Please, America needs Leadership. Senator McCain will lead the country. His chosen path is "Same Direction". Both of you have a similar "Change Direction" vision. If your ego, your insistence that you be the one calling the shots, is more important than your vision, then by all means keep up the rancor. It will be you, not the American People, who chose to "Stay the Course".

Regards,
Aardwzz
©¿©¬

=========================================================

My Ssurvey answers:

1) No.
2) No.

These questions remind me of an old smear-campain survey:

"WOULD YOU VOTE FOR JEB SMITH IF YOU KNEW THAT HE WAS A CHILD MOLESTOR?"

You don't actually call Jeb Smith a child molester, but you make that association in some people's minds. Enough to tip the balance.

"Prediction", or "self-fulfilling prophecy"?

©¿©¬

"

[Richard Knickson]

1)- No

2)- Secretly? He's pretty open about it. When has he ever said anything in praise of this country? He's just another far-left socialist who wants to pick the pockets of the half of the country who work for a living and hand the proceeds to the scum who don't. Poor people stay poor because they are stupid and have bad decision-making skills. Oh well, this country is doomed now anyway. We have now hit the point where one half of the population recieves some sort of government assistance money. Any government who robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul, especially when the Pauls are out-breeding the Peters at an alarming rate.

[Simon Jester]

1. No.
2. Yes.

[Ibid]

I had a few people send me the famous Obama = muslim e-mail. I corrected them with extreme prejudice.

I don't know anyone that thinks Obama secretly hates America and is out to destroy it. However, I know lots of people who believe George Bush hates America and is out to destroy it.

I also know several people who believe that George Bush is quite literally Jesus Christ returned. Rather than surrender that belief as George Bush's time in office continued they came to the conclusion that Jesus Christ hates America and wants to destroy it. And since that's what Jesus wants they now shop at WalMart, drive Hummers, and plan to vote for McCain.

I hate people.

[Iain]

Being English, no and no. I do not know anyone who thinks Obama would not be a positive change.

It is certainly interesting that many people here see Obama as 'socialist' though. Err, no, he has never proposed anything remotely socialist as far as I can see, that is just crazy talk, he is as extreme right as all your rabid nutjob politicos. For instance health reform seem drastically required in America - even extreme right wing governments around the world provide some kind of socialised medicine. That is not in itself socialism, just common sense.

[Jonas]

Hey, I'm not american, so I really don't know where Obama or Hillary or McCain stands in any issues. Maybe I should care, since USA has impact on my life too, but since I can't vote, I haven't seen the reason. Can you talk about something funnier next time?

Well, since I'm commenting, here are my answers.

1. No, but I do know muslim ppl. Good folks overall. If I was american, the religion of canditates wouldn't influence me. Politics would.

2. No, and I don't know why anyone would think so. I'm not into details, and I don't know what Obama or any other canditate wants to do or the procedure for being elected, but I think that when running for president you need some support from the political party you represent, and I think that would be very hard to get if you want to destroy your country from the inside. Since he is a candidate, I guess he has some support.

[Miao]

In Singapore, polls revealed that a significant portion of local teenagers thought that Obama was Osama bin Laden's brother.

[Di]

I'm racist I'm fine with Obama being President. Black isn't a skin colour it's a cultural identity. He's what we call a coconut - he's only dark on the outside.

I'm feminist, but Hillary is about as much female as Obama is black. I think she will run the country better (hard to run it worse than it is!). But with all the emotional disappointments she has had to deal with, she must be pretty disillusioned with the world, and men in particular. And perhaps even with women for allowing men to use them. Obama has lived a protected life, perhaps he will be more optimistic and therefore TRY a little harder to right the wrongs.

In my country religion isn't a relevant divider and I know enough really honest, kind, generous muslims to believe that being muslim isn't intrinsically a bad thing. It's a religion that guides most of its believers into doing what society accepts is the right thing. I also know a few really nasty, dishonest, church-going christians. Religion isn't a valid pigeon-hole for character.

[Shivam]

I think you are right. The next president will be Mc Cain. but not for the reasons you said, rather because of the ongoing debate between Obama and Clinton. People will get fed up of both Obama and Clinton by the end of thr debate and vote for Mc Cain.

[Nicanor]

What happened to President Romney? I read somewhere some fellow wrote Romney would be President because Americans voted for the guy with the best hair. Who was it that wrote that?

[drjdouglas]

amen-not wrote:

"People dont seem to understand that NOT voting for obama is not racism...A minority should not be a representative for this country, it's simple logic."

So....all politicians should be white, but that's not racism. Yeah, I'd say that's just about the simplest logic I've ever heard.

[Mike]

I am in the UK. The USA looks racist from here. We had a programme on TV about the problems U.S. high school white girls had dating high school black guys. In "Scrubs" they had to introduce a black female character to date the black male character, it would have been too much of an issue to have a white character date a black character. I know this does happen on some shows (but can't think of one just at the moment - maybe Ally McBeale early series?) but it is never just part of the background. Captain Kirk kissing Uhura is still big news ! (mentioned in Futurama - big news to me) The U.S. is a very racist country, I think you try hard to respect one another and give each other space, I don't see much integration.

[Mark Ingram]

I really find it difficult that Americans can be that easily swayed by what they hear on Fox "News". It's dangerous.

Obama would be good for America, and for it's international relations.

[Petr]

From your statistical facts I draw an obvious conclusion: The racists are very popular. See how many friends and acquitances the few of them make!

So, for all of us IT nerds, there's a chance: We become racists and welcome all the new friends. There's no risk in becoming an outcast - nerds already are outcasts, no change on that front.

[Surabaya Stew]

I predict that Obama will be the new President by virtue of the Electoral College. Just like Bush 8 years ago, he will loose the popular vote. And yes, the difference reflects the margin of White Racists in certain States. It's funny how we thought the 2000 race was proof that the Electoral College had to go; I believe 2008 will make up for it.

[wrench]

1. Do you personally know anyone who thinks Obama is a Muslim?

I know he was, and I know he didn't pay attention in his "Christian" church or he would have know what that preacher was teaching. For all I know he secretly still is. Either that or he was listening and agrees with that pastor, I don't know which is more frightening.

2. Do you personally know anyone who suspects Obama might secretly hate America and is running for President to destroy it from within?

America? No. Democracy? Most certainly. Obama is a Marxist at best, a fundamental islamist at worst.
I also find it disturbing that a group that wants to be treated like everyone else votes along racial lines.

[Phil]

As long as your next president is NOT called "Bush" who gives a monkeys?

[Hologram]

I know for a fact that my aunt thinks he's Muslim, and she probably also thinks that he wants to destroy America.

Wooo for fundamentalist Christian bigots.

In any case, I'm looking at some of the third party candidates to vote for, but if they all end up being stupid I'll go ahead and vote for Obama.

[Keenan]

I'm not even voting this election. There's no one to vote for, and even if I pick a 3rd party candidate, it still legitimizes the system by saying XX% of Americans voted. I want to be one of the ones that didn't.

Not voting is the only way to protest this.

[Bill]

I am still amazed that everyone here keeps referring to Obama as a black man. Folks, his mother was *white*. Does having black ancestors make a person black? And yet having half your ancestors being white DOESNT make a person white??? The simple fact that so many of us here think of him as black -- only because he isn't 100% pure like ivory soap -- betrays the subconscious racism that we all keep assuring each other we don't subscribe to.

And on an unrelated note, all those here who fear Obama's liberalism will destroy the country should notice that the bar has been set incredibly low in the last eight years. Even if he were TRYING to do things wrong, he couldn't possibly do worse than the guy in office now has done. There frankly isn't a whole lot left to destroy anymore.

(And you guys who say Obama is all talk and no action, well you guys must be all talk and no read -- try taking a look at the bills he has introduced in Congress, compare them to the efforts of any young congressman).

Not that he'll win the election. No one has ever accused the US electorate of having excessive intelligence.

[Promythia]

. Do you personally know anyone who thinks Obama is a Muslim? YES

2. Do you personally know anyone who suspects Obama might secretly hate America and is running for President to destroy it from within? YES

[Matt]

I can't say that I know someone who exactly fits 1 and 2, but a family member complained that she could never vote for Obama "because".

[Jeff]

1. No
2. No

[Tiger]

Wait, how many African-American characters are in Dilbert?

[j_major]

so you're saying we should support hillary?

[Kevin Kunreuther]

I'm not as worried about a President McCain as I am I'm worried about who his V.P. and potential successor will be if he dies gets sick or resigns.
OTOH, I'm certain now that Hillary will grab the superdelegates she needs and snatch the nomination at the Denver convention, thus sparing the racists of all creeds and kinds the need to go to the polls and keep the executive office Lily White.
Now what will we do about the chauvinists, anti-Clintonistas and the vast right wing conspiracy that seeks to undermine us all?

[Bob]

I believe George W Bush is destroying America as least as well as a secret Muslim extremist could hope to do.

[Borealis]

I know a student at Cornell law school who believes both.

[Chip]

1 no
2 no

3 Do I know anyone that fears Obamas shares some of Wrights views. Yes

[logan]

"Speaking of math, if 10% won't vote for Obama because he is African-American, and 50% won't vote for him because he is a leftist, then how will Democrats ever learn anything if they chalk the loss up to just racism?"

The liberal mind is loaded with denial. It can't be our policies of high taxes, handouts, and a socialist bent that caused us to fail it is that the public is just racist and sexist.

I only hope your prediction happens the way you say. I am no fan of the old guys but I love my country more than I hate John McCain

[Good Point]

Scott, I'm glad you've moved from your opinion that the Republicans would have to rig the election to win. Clinton and Obama have seen to it that this is no longer necessary.

Keep up the good work. Your blog is my sole source of national news.

Oh god I hope you're right.

[Nicki Lagrange]

sweet baby Jesus - if it's president McCain, we are all well and truly stuffed ...and by 'we' i mean human civilisation, not just the current political entity known as the USA

humans will probably survive - i read recently that scientists suspect that about 70,000 years ago, due to a massive drought in Africa, human numbers were reduced to as low as 20,000 individuals - if we bounced back from that, we may again

[TraderJohn]

I agree there will be the racist voting block, but I don't think it will be decisive. Most racists are Republican anyway, and the massive black turnout will nullify any extra racist turnout.

I'm afraid that Obama will be swiftboated. If they can't do it in the election, they'll do it like they did to Jimmy Carter: they'll blame the hard economy on him. Of course it won't be true, the economy and all the hardships we'll face in the next few years are all George's doing, but with enough press saying it's his fault the people are stupid enough to believe it.

[Andie H]

I don't know anyone who fits either category. The one person I do know that has any issue with Obama also has an issue with Clinton because, "The world isn't ready for a black or a female leader." What are they seriously teaching in schools now?

[Andy Coulter]

the other thing is obama is also half white. does that make him a euro american as well?

[Andy Coulter]

i know the republicans suck but the democrats are such a bumbling train wreck. they can fk up a one car funeral.

[Tom Steele]

1. Do you personally know anyone who thinks Obama is a Muslim?

Obama isn't a Muslim?

2. Do you personally know anyone who suspects Obama might secretly hate America and is running for President to destroy it from within?

Yes, family members. They also think 9/11 was an inside job and that Mexicans are going to take their jobs.

[L.A. Liberal]

I'd have to say "yes" to both questions.

The person I'm thinking of is my father, who's probably a pretty typical white Republican 80 year old from the Midwest.

[RavenBlack]

I'm also (along with a prior commenter) of the opinion that he's going to 'lose' to Clinton. You can see that the money's been pushing Clinton, not McCain. That's where the bought votes are, that's where the victory goes.

[bobovski]

1. No
2. No

[Ray Kremer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_effect

[Alsadius]

1) Not really, but all the people I talk to about politics are real political junkies, and they wouldn't get something like that wrong.
2) Not explicitly, though I'm of the opinion that he'd probably do some really nasty things to America unintentionally even if his intentions are good. And, while I'd be hard-pressed to name a President who didn't do something I disliked(William Henry Harrison, maybe), I think he'd be worse than most. But I'd wager against it being malicious - he's merely wrong.

[Marie]

1. I personally think Obama is a muslim, or at the least a supporter of muslim culture/values.

2. I think he hates the U.S. as it is, and wants to change it broadly into more of a culture that he prefers.

I'd vote for a black man, but not for that black man! Actually he's just as white as he is black, but no one even mentions that any more.

[Mr Cranky]

Don't you pine for the good ol' days when the Dems were the evil party, and the Repubs were the stupid party? Now, in their efforts towards wider appeal, the Dems have become the evil and stupid party, while the Repubs have become the stupid and evil party.

But what do you expect? Americans are on average greedy thieving idiots, who ask only what their government can do for them.

[Jeff]

GOD DAMN AMERICA

[R]

Those are false inferences. Just because half of the people out there know someone who wouldn't vote for a black man doesn't mean that 9/10 wouldn't base their vote on race.
If we assume the 9/10 statistic is correct, then it follows that on average about 1/10 people would not vote for a black man because of his race. The average person knows significantly more than 10 people, and so it'slikely that they know at least one person who wouldn't vote for a black man because of his skin color.
What should be surprising is that ONLY half of the people responding know of someone who would base their vote on race - if about 1 in every 10 people is a racist, and most people responding to the poll know significantly more than 10 people, one would expect almost everybody knows someone who would not vote for a black man because of his race.

[steve rosen]

Fear + ignorance + resistance to change = more of the same."There's no cure for stupid."

[ammbd]

Frankly none of the candidates by either party appeal to me. They all seem to be shills for one lobby, business or other. What I want to vote for is someone who can bring back genuine common ground & end all the polarizing b.s..
Of course, I also want the American public to wake the hell up & smell the bread n circus disaster we've rained down upon ourselves - so it's not like I want much, eh?

[brewtality]

1. Yes
2. Yes

We are pretty screwed either way...

Obama/Hillary both wants bigger government in financial matters (income redistribution)

Mccain want bigger government through reduced freedoms (legislating morality)

What is more important, freedom or money. I think I am voting liberatarian.

[kebram]

So... if I don't like Obama I am a racist...? Typical. If I believe climate change is driven 99% by sun cycles... I love pollution and hate trees....

Gotta love the liberal logic being applied out there now a days.

[burt]

wow. yes to both. course my friends are all hard core rightwingers, even if they dont know what it means.

haha that logic actually makes sense!!!!!!!!
you know, that bit about racist people voting because afro-amercians are voting obama makes sense. and makes me hate politics even more =(

Burt (unregistered) trub

[pavel]

1. Yes, sadly I do.

2. Not that I know of, but there are some people I suspect and therefore give 'em the stinkeye whenever I see them. Bastards.

[Michael]

No and No. Personally, I like Obama best out of the three current candidates. But I won't vote for him, since I disagree with the policies that he says he holds.

[Robert MacEwan]

We teasingly joke about people being ignorant and/or racist, but I run into them everyday here in Washington, NC. First you laugh at comments until realizing they are serious.

Like discussing how Iraq attacked America and how Bush is a freedom fighter for the American way. These folks scare the crap out of me at times. These are the folks FoxNews targets.

[Michel]

1. Yes.
2. No.

[jim]

1. Yes
2. No

And I'm very surprised about anyone believing 2 is true. That's a bigger lie to pull off, isn't it. But at least, according to your un-scientific poll...its a lot less than 1.

[Bing]

Right. Let's say that we have a small town with just 100 people in it and there is just one person among them who wouldn't vote for a black candidate. But in that town, everyone knows everyone else well enough to know how they'd vote.

A pollster comes along and asks how many people might vote for a black candidate. 99 people raise their hand. The second question is how many people know at least one person who wouldn't vote for a black candidate. Again, those same 99 people raise their hands as they glare at the one person.

There is no mathematical contradiction in saying that 99% of those people would vote for a black candidate and 99% of the people know someone who wouldn't.

[jasonrelliott]

I talked to an indiana idiot who could only identify as reasons not to vote for Obama that he wasnt a patriot because he didnt wear a flag pin and didn't serve in the military. When I asked if he really wanted to decide the future of our country based on a pin, he became really upset and when I then asked if he had really researched his choices he would no longer talk. The sad thing is this is the level of thought most americans put into their vote,especially those to the right who watch fox news.

[anon]

one more thing regarding the general election: I'm pretty sure that for every racist/sexist voter out there, there is at least one newly-registered voter to cancel out the effect, to a large extent attributable to Obama's voter registration drive (they've just started a drive in 50 states, in addition to their ongoing primary-level efforts)

[Anon Coward]

sadly enough, yes to both.

[Stephen]

Oh you bloggers! There's very little qualifications for someone to be a blogger (mostly "popular through something they did"), and even less qualifications to make replies in comments.

~"Obama has been sayind America is bad for several years". Its hard to run on a platform of "you should elect someone new (me) instead of the same type of person in there already" unless you say something needs to be fixed/changed. Less than 50% approval for current administration = any canidate is going to run on more change than similarities

~"Nice pastor huh?" Sure, I'm sure every other canidate in the history of time has never known anyone who's crazy and using them for their own popularity. The reverend appears to be a cross between Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, and Don King, and is trying to use his TV time to get more TV time. TOTALLY the first time ever anyone has done that, amirite?

~"I'm a 3rd party person". That's nice, you vote for your 3rd party canidate, i'll write in Scooby Doo, we'll see which of our canidates gets elected in our time ;). Sadly, this is a system where you for for the "least offensive canidate so the most offensive one doens't win", no statiticians or history books will care about your canidate getting 1% of the popular vote, sorry :(

I think this whole election is going to come down to vice presidential canidates.... lol. Ok, well I'm still more interested in "Who will be president if McCain dies of old age or Obama/Clinton gets assassinated by a crazy racist/sexist".

[rita mae]

Completely off the point, but.........

I leave town to go to St. Louis Park, MN for a few days for one of my grandson's First Communions and what happens? We get a penis blog. How did Scott know I wouldn't be around to enjoy that when it first was posted? Maybe he is a psychic? Maybe? I was probably sitting in church when the penis blog was posted. Great. Thanks alot.

Demented knows what I like, what I really really like.

Good job while I was gone, Scott. Loved the one about the baseball bats and kids. One of my boys was drafted in his junior year of college to play for the Texas Rangers. I wish I had a dollar for every baseball game I've been to where a little kid should have been handcuffed and thrown in the trunk of the parents' car. Just saying. I would never do that myself. BWAHAHAHAHAHA Just saying.

They are interviewing for my job. Did I tell you I gave my notice? Yeah, I know I did. I just like to bring it up again. Ha ha. I am retiring and some of you are not. Sorry. Hey, I have worked for so long and so hard that sometimes I forget to take deep breaths. I get home, and think, "Oh, yeah! That's what I forgot to do. I need to breathe."

Penis.

Rita Mae

[E]

Scott,

1) Yes - most powerful rumor I've seen in years
2) No

Two other quick observations:

- If C. Rice gets selected as VP, the republicans will landslide the general election

- Reverend Wright has to be getting bags of cash from Hillary and McCain... just keep talking! That guy will scare the hell out of middle class undecideds.

[anon]

to answer your questions: no and no

btw, it's very easy to make that prediction, right? just take any non-mainstream candidate and the odds are she/he will lose... the point is that somehow Senator Obama has managed to beat expectations and perform much better than the typical non-mainstream candidate, against a formidable Clinton machine, no less...

let's stop all this hand-wringing about prejudice and just ask ourselves who would be a more reasonable, sensible, progressive president... and by who, I specifically mean Clinton vs. Obama... the idea that somehow the Republicans will keep the White House this fall is rather laughable...

[lsmsrbls]

1. Yes, my father. *sigh* (why would it matter anyway?)
2. If so, they haven't told me. But at the family reunion coming up, I might find some people who do.

Oh, family...

[niCk(MemBeth)]

The best response to this post would be "Oh SHIT!"

[niCk(MemBeth)]

Here in Alabama, it is hard to find someone who isn't a bigot. And they are proud of their bigotry, waving around Confederate Battle Flags.

[Cait fro NJ]

1) No
2) Nope, though paranoia runs high, and most of my immediate family believe that he has no experience and will send our country into a death spiral. Of course, almost everyone in my school believes that Obama is the one choice, and get offended if you ask them why.

I guess I'm between a rock and a hard place around here. :P

[Schmendrick The Magician]

1. No.

2. No.

'Course, I'm Canadian....

[Nerdie McSweatervest]

>The other inference is something I call math.

And another is that many TV pundits are dumbasses.

[Nerdie McSweatervest]

1 & 2 both: not that know, and I suspect a majority of the people I know (I'm from a very red state) will vote for McCain.

[Dan]

I think a better question would be:

Do you know anyone who would actually vote for a Democrat, yet not vote for Obama because of his race?

I'd bet that most of the people who think Obama is a Muslim or won't vote for him because of his race, wouldn't have voted for a Democrat no matter what.

[Jonathan]

If there are 10 people, and one is a racist, five of those people know that one racist. Not a big deal.

[RPK]

1. No
2. No

It's interesting that you seem to think that if 95% of African-Americans are voting for Obama, that the reaction could be considered racist, but apparently the 95% support is not. Isn't that a double-standard? White people voting for a white candidate are racist, but blacks voting for a black candidate are not?

In reality, anyone voting for or against someone based on their race is being a racist.

Democrats have painted themselves into a pretty tight corner. Most people in and out of the Democratic party agree that Hillary Clinton would have a much better chance of beating John McCain in November. Is some of that due to race? Maybe, but Obama has real issues as well. He is the most liberal Senator out of all of them. That means he favors government intervention to solve any and all problems that might arise. Individual rights go down and taxes go up.

He took an early stand against the Iraq war. That has earned him a great deal of support, but whether he likes it or not, if he is elected President, he will have to deal with Iraq, (not to mention Iran, China, North Korea, et al.) Other than voting against the Iraq war five years ago, what are his views on dealing with unfriendly powers in the world?

So there are good reasons to vote against Obama that are not based on race. But if he loses either the nomination or the general election, all anyone will hear about is that the US is a racist nation.

Democrats are stuck with choosing a candidate who is more appealing to hard core Democrats or one that might actually win the White House, but would leave the party looking like it ignored the will of it's own members.

That is why John McCain will win in November.

1. No (at least not as far as I know), but what difference does it make?
2. No, and I suspect that only a few people would take them seriously.

The one problem that I DO have with Obama -- and I'd still be willing to vote for him in the general -- is that his fiscal policy is a bit screwed.

There's apparently something on his website that says that college students, under his policies, will be required to perform 100hrs. of community service. In exchange the students will be given s