Blacks’, whites’ views of Obama differ starkly

[agentS]

Source: The New York Times

Heading into the first election in which an African-American will be a major-party presidential nominee, Americans are sharply divided by race, with blacks and whites holding vastly different views of Sen. Barack Obama, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The results of the poll, conducted during a campaign in which race has been a constant if not always overt issue, suggest that black voters are highly enthusiastic about Obama’s groundbreaking candidacy but do not see it as evidence of significant improvement in race relations.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/869/story/762423.html

---

The article fails to mention the Black and White opinion on John McCain, but the photo of the poll does.

Whites: Favorable 35% Undecided/not heard enough 35% Not favorable 28%
Blacks: Favorable 5% Undecided/not heard enough 39% Not favorable 57%

The White opinion is pretty much split between the 3 choices. I bet the bulk of White Dems view McCain as unfavorable
The Black opinion is pretty much like this; Either they don't know him or they absolutely hate him!

McCain was trying to court the African American vote, but as you can see, it got nowhere. In fact, I think it went backwards.
All those surrogates his using race-baiting attacks against Obama, his wife, and the black community in general have galvanized opinion against McCain.
Now imagine that those 39% of undecided/not heard enough voters find out about McCain and his policies. How in the hell is McCain going to win an election when 95% of a voting block hates his guts?

[JackInGreen]

1. Night Owl me.....

I flipped to MSNBC, to catch a small touch of Morning Joe (nominally, I can't STAND Joe Scarborough, but every now and then Mika ZINGS him, which I enjoy) and he seemed to have NO objections to some of the other poll results but took OUTRIGHT UMBRAGE at the poll information showing a Black favorable response of %5. "So really, this means 95% of the black population can't give him anything? A man that was held prisoner for 5 years? a man who was beaten so badly he couldn't raise his arms above his head, who was offered a chance to go home, and stayed anyway? (spreading that superpatriot meme) nothing?"
It was ridiculous, seeing this talking head trying to preach to the black populace about how sad their opinion was.
Mika DID respond that this is the culmination of SEVERAL different factors, but Joe (in his everpresent hubris) indicated that "This makes the election nothing but a little race war."
A pathetic judgement from a pathetic man that wants to make the world a far simpler place than it actually is.


They then announced that Joe Lie-berman would be on, and I gave up on morning MSNBC.

[THale2]

2. Yeah McCain has been a champion for blacks

so much so that he has voted against the MLK birthday and other civil rights legislation, so don't play coy Scarborough on why he doesn't have many fans in the black community...the only reason why he ultimately changed his vote was to be P.C....not that he genuinely feels MLK deserved to have a day of his own..

[mwb970]

3. I can't take both Scarborough *and* Lieberman, good God.

Separately maybe, but not together. Why should I subject my beautiful mind to such crap?

[JackInGreen]

19. When

I saw that Lie-berman was going to be on I fled like Rove from a Subpoena, the two at once would likely push me into a homicidal rage of cognitive dissonance and teeth grinding.

[agentS]

5. We should pass that on to Media Matters

A) for saying that the election is nothing but a race war
B) for saying that his favorable polling should be higher among blacks because he is a war veteran.

I mean, you can't sink much lower than that. I thought Morning Joe was better than that. Guess he's no different than Bill O' and the FAUX news crowd.

[THale2]

4. In addition African-Americans are majority Dem's

As an African-American myself, it is disingenuous to believe that we are strictly voting on race..If Alan Keys or Codi Rice were to run, believe me they would only receive that five percent that McCain is receiving

[agentS]

6. There is a chunk of Black voters who don't know/undecided

about McCain. When they find out about his policies, then we'll see if the 5% favorable rating remains the same. But like you said, Black people are generally Dem or lean/vote Dem. They're not going to see their needs or wishes met by a McCain administration. Given McCain's treatment of women's issues and minority rights (a la the Katrina commissions) is it any wonder why his approval ratings are so low?

[pampango]

20. Makes me wonder why there's not headline about whites/blacks view of McCain

differing sharply since a majority of whites tend to vote republican. Whites must have a more favorable view of McCain (excluding Du'ers of course) than Blacks do. I would like to see those statistics.

[bemildred]

7. More polling bullshit.

It's almost like they WANT us to be "deeply divided".

[Bette Noir]

9. It raises ratings.

Who would bother to watch the news, if all news stations reported that Obama had an unbeatable lead in all demographics?

[stillcool]

17. Absolutely...

slice and dice, divide and conquer. It seems like there are more than enough Americans that run in packs like wild dogs, and when the media says 'sic em' they are only to willing to comply.

[Phred42]

8. Corporate Media "Catapulting the Propaganda"

[gratuitous]

10. Subtext: Please, please, please believe this is a contest!

The Today Show did the same truncated report, about how "unpopular" Obama is among white voters. Not a peep about how McThuselah is doing with black voters. And he's not doing so well with white voters, either. The story being sold is that this race is somehow a contest, and that McThuselah has a chance.

Now Today has economic "expert" Steve Forbes telling us all about how doing more of the same failed economic policies will somehow turn the economy around.

[Crowman1979]

11. It also depends on which age group of white people you are talking about.

Younger white voters are the polar opposite of the older white voters. Obama has the full support from the youth of america. Because we have a lot more at stake in this election. Especially with rising student loan rates; rising unemployment; and with friends and family having to do multiple deployments in Iraq, worrying about if they will ever come home.

[Blaq Dem]

14. Yep, McCain is almost dead.

He's less likely to be around 10 to 20 years from now, compared to Obama. He'll never be around to see the damage he'll do to this country. McCain simply has that OLD way of thinking that's different from the white youths of today. He doesn't even know how to surf the Internet. He's already out of touch.

[wellst0nev0ter]

12. A Picture Says A Thousand Words

[agentS]

18. Yeah, I remember that.

It was so bad even Jack Kemp spoke out against the candidates. Jack friggen Kemp!

This week McCain did attend the NAACP conference after Obama did. I am pretty sure he had a gaff there as well since it wasn't a town hall.

[Blaq Dem]

13. McCain's wife seems too "condes-CINDY-ing"

[CANDO]

15. Just what we needed, an election based upon race.

You just knew this is how they were going to frame it for McCain to have a chance.

[AndyTiedye]

16. Eating Cake With Bush** While New Orleans Drowned

Could that have anything to do with McLame's lame poll numbers among blacks?