These numbers are depressing...racism and sexism are alive and well.

[Clarkie1]

Seventy-nine percent (79%) of American voters say they’re willing to vote for an African-American presidential candidate. However, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 55% believe their family, friends, and co-workers are willing to do the same.

Earlier, we asked a similar question about voting for a woman and found similar results. Seventy-eight percent (78%) say they’d vote for a woman but just 51% said their peer group would do the same.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Political%20Tracking/Dailies/January%202007/African-AmericanPresident.htm

[XemaSab]

1. That's what I'm sayin'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x357801

[Colobo]

2. And that's why

we need to nominate a white male in 08 if we want to win. We need to forget about Obama, Hillary and Richarson. :sarcasm:

[Clarkie1]

3. No, I will support Obama.

Unless Clark runs. Or if Richardson gains traction I might be swayed to support him (again, if Clark doesn't run).

I do think perhaps...and I know a lot aren't going to like this...but it make make more political sense to get a woman or minority elected vice-president first. Maybe that's what will need to happen first, I don't know.

[tblue]

5. If I had to choose today, that's what I would do, too

until Clark decides.

I just checked out Obama's record, and it's pretty damn good:

http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=BS030017
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=BS030017

He voted yes on Condi & Negroponte, but most of the rest is okay, as far as I can tell.

I think there is a LOT of racism in the US (C*ndi doesn't count), and that worries me when I think of nominating Obama. I like your idea. A VP slot. That could work.

[Kixel]

9. Obama-Clark?

I like that ticket!!! Or vice versa. Either way.

[5150]

13. 4 wins out of 5 versus 0 for 6

Past results are no indicator of future performance but Dems have ONLY won with white Southern males since 1964.
Even American Idol has been rigged to deliver the win to a Southerner every time.
Thankfully primaries are shifting so Super Tuesday won't be the deal-breaker, but still. You need to offer proof to white males the top of the ticket can get along with Southern tyrannical culture.

[skipos]

4. Not surprising. Any HRC, Obama or Richardson would certainly have challenges

that white males won't.

[Colobo]

6. And would bring a perspective and sensitivity

to Washington that has not been had by any other leader before.

[skipos]

7. Sure but

I like the perspectives and sensitivity of Obama and Richardson a lot more than Hillary.

[Colobo]

8. Me too! :)

[pampango]

10. I've seen a couple of similar polls. One thing that strikes me is

that people seem to express a willingness to elect a woman or black as president, but believe that their friends, family and general population are less willing to do so.

It would seem that most people think that other people are more conservative, racist and sexist than they themselves are. (Are they closet liberals in a perceived conservative society?) Another possibility is that they are telling the pollster something that sounds enlightened, then projecting their real feelings on to all those "other people" in the country.

[Clark2008]

11. Don't fool yourself - those people aren't more willing to

elect a woman or black person as president, either - they just don't want to tell pollsters that.

I think the 55 percent is more accurate than the 79 percent.

P.S. Sorry to be so depressing first thing in the morning. I just really don't have much faith in most Americans any more - not after six years of Bush and his supporters.

[pampango]

12. I suspect you are right, but, like most of us I imagine, I am always

a little leary when someone says that it is not "the right time" for a black or a woman to (fill in the blank). I guess I will see how the primary season plays out and if there is any movement in how Obama and Hillary are accepted by the public.

I do still have a lot of faith in Americans (irrationally so I suppose.) They make mistakes and can be fooled much (most) of the time, but they do learn, if too slowly. If people in any country are gullible fools, democracy cannot succeed. It is not something that can be done for people. It has to be done by people.

If I give up on Americans (or French or Iraqis or Ghanaians), then my opinion must be that they cannot rule themselves and must be treated like children and ruled by a more "enlightened" class.

[Lobster Martini]

14. No one is going to answer honestly

This type of poll is useless. If someone called me while I was cooking dinner and asked whether I'd be willing to support a hamster for President, I'd say "yes, if the hamster is qualified," just to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

[Skittles]

15. I don't need any polls to tell me that

neither does any black person, woman, and certainly not black women