Could you imagine what would be said about Obama if, during debates, he said,

[jenmito]

"You know, a 95 year old Black man came up to me and said, 'I remember the days when I couldn't vote and if I even LOOKED at a White woman I'd have been hanged. Now I have the chance to see a Black man become president in my lifetime'" or "You know, I saw a Black woman talking to her son during one of my speeches, and later she came up to me and said, 'I told my son that HE can be president one day, too, watching you speak.' I'm hoping to show that old man and that young boy that I can break that glass ceiling"?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. A lot of people would have applauded, including me

I agree that some people would have a problem with Barack alluding to his race, but it wouldn't be universally condemned. (At least not in a Democratic primary)

[jenmito]

9. Then maybe he should say it.

:)

[emilyg]

19. Yes.

[maddiejoan]

2. I imagine he would have gotten applause.

I can't stand Obama --and I'd have applauded him for that.

[jgraz]

3. Would he simultaneously be advocating policies that actually hurt most black people?

Just trying to complete the analogy. ;)

[maddiejoan]

7. I don't understand your point.

Can you elaborate?

[jenmito]

10. He's been working for rights of minorities for over 20 years.

:eyes:

[jgraz]

12. Sheesh. Aren't analogies on the SATs any longer?

You were making a point about Hillary. The worst part of her cynical abuse of the gender card is that her pro-war, pro-NAFTA, pro-corporate policies will actually end up hurting most women in this country. But they'll have the satisfaction of knowing that for the first time in history they're being fucked over by a female president.

[aquart]

20. Did Obama say he would abandon NAFTA?

Because it's a nice selling point and I'd certainly like to hear it.

[jgraz]

36. Funny how the topic always changes to other candidates whenever Hillary's deficiencies are mentioned

I couldn't care less about Obama right now, except for the fact that he's taking anti-Hillary votes away from more deserving candidates. If Edwards, Kucinich, Dodd and Biden drop out, I'll take a another look at him.


Now why don't you try addressing the actual criticism I raised against your pro-war, pro-NAFTA, pro-corporate candidate?

[aquart]

57. She's not my candidate.

But since a contrast was implied, I asked a question about it. Where's the answer?

I'm voting for Edwards in the primary and the choice of the Democratic majority in the general.

But I admire Hillary Clinton and not consider her to be Satan.

[ellisonz]

52. Here you go:

Q: Would you scrap NAFTA or fix it?
A: I would immediately call the president of Mexico, the president of Canada to try to amend NAFTA because I think that we can get labor agreements in that agreement right now. And it should reflect the basic principle that our trade agreements should not just be good for Wall Street, it should also be good for Main Street.
Source: 2007 AFL-CIO Democratic primary forum Aug 7, 2007

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Free_Trade.htm

[aquart]

58. Thanks!

So he has no intention of scrapping NAFTA. And Hillary has said it should be amended. Seems the same.

[ellisonz]

61. Sincerity counts for something...

[Texas_Kat]

4. Maybe you should be briefing him

It would have made the audience stand up and cheer.

[jenmito]

13. I'd love to...but I'm afraid if he said it he'd be pummeled in the media

for "playing the race card" or "now running as a Black candidate rather than just a 'change' candidate."

[Texas_Kat]

15. Naw, if Michelle's comments the other day didn't cause the media

to say he was "playing the race card".... nothing will.

[jenmito]

18. She's not him. n/t

[calteacherguy]

5. He should have. He needs to say it.

I saw a wonderful video on his website of an boy in Africa recovering from cancer who read about Obama and was inspired by him. He says he wants to "be like him" someday.

[jenmito]

17. I wonder why the media hasn't picked up that video and played it like they do

with so many others!

[Frustratedlady]

6. Well, apparently only ONE 95-year-old woman came up and said that,

as she repeats it over and over. I'd believe it more if she'd show the woman saying it. Not that I don't believe Hillary, but after hearing it over and over again, I wonder if there were any other women who really said that or she is making it up.

I love that quote you came up with.

[jenmito]

21. Thanks...and I feel the same way

about Hillary's story. :hi: How convenient that a 95 year old woman wants to see a female president in HER lifetime (which honestly doesn't have much time left).

[Reciprocity]

8. What's your point?

[jenmito]

11. He could take advantage of his race like Hillary takes advantage of her gender.

[maddiejoan]

14. If you wanna frame it like it that. Sure.

But it's a non-issue.

Do you think the voters are unaware that Obama is a black man? Or that Hillary is a woman?

[jenmito]

22. No...

Of course they're aware. Yet Hillary keeps telling that story and gets applause every time.

[maddiejoan]

24. jealous?

[jenmito]

25. No. Angry about the double standard I think would occur.

[maddiejoan]

29. I don't think it would occur.

But I guess we'll have to just disagree.

[jenmito]

30. I can see it now...

Chris Matthews saying, "He shouldn't have done this. He brought himself down to the level of Jesse Jackson's candidacy-running as a "Black" candidate rather than the uniting candidate he was before this." And others agreeing.

[maddiejoan]

33. Tweety says a lot of ridiculous things.

so what?

[jenmito]

37. I think lots of people would say it.

[pinkpops]

16. I think that would have to be a black woman -

If I am not mistaken, black males got the vote just after the civil war, women in 1920?

[jenmito]

48. Then he could just say it wasn't that long ago when Black people couldn't vote.

Or something similar. I just sent a suggestion about this to his campaign, along with the suggestion that he smile once in a while during the debates.

[hisownpetard]

23. With all the active, politically-involved nonagenarians hooting and hollering at Hillary's

campaign stops, is 95 the new 25?

[jenmito]

26. I don't think so.

[hisownpetard]

28. So is anyone, other than me, surprised to hear about all these 95 years olds

who manage to get around to campaign speeches?

[jenmito]

31. I think it's just one that she keeps talking about all the time.

[hisownpetard]

38. I think the first time she mentioned it, she mentioned one woman in particular. But I'm

pretty sure that, in the last debate, she talked about "all the 95-year old women"
who keep coming up to her and telling her the same thing...

[jenmito]

40. Then that's just more BS from her.

I'd like to see a list of those women, too.

[hisownpetard]

42. Yeah - one, I could believe. More than one? Hmm, the BSometer starts to rise.

[jenmito]

44. Yeah, but she won't get questioned on it...

just like she wasn't questioned at all last debate about why the 180 on licenses...Wolf just accepted her one word answer, not asking anything about plant-gate or the release of her papers, and all the THs were saying Wolf let her off easy.

[hisownpetard]

46. Blitzer stinks. He was blatantly unfair in everything he did at that poor-excuse-for-a-debate fiasco

I'm still fuming over it, in fact.

[jenmito]

47. I agree...

and so do many other people as well as THs. They'va all commented on the Hillary-friendly audience and softball question they gave her. It actually kept me up at night thinking about it!

[hisownpetard]

49. Me, too - didn't sleep the entire night. My stomach was in knots from aggravation at

the disrespect that was shown to Kucinich and, to a lesser degree, Biden.
Imagine, standing on the stage in a nationally televised, 2-hr. long debate and
getting 5 minutes, in toto, to interact and respond? Who is Wolf Blitzer to decide
for the entire country which candidates are worth more time than others?

I know I need to get over it, but this one just sticks in my throat like a chicken bone.

[jenmito]

50. Yup, me, too...

and I read your "hobbies" and can relate. :hi:

[hisownpetard]

51. Sometimes I get so caught up in things here that I keep going over my list of things to do

and, one by one, saying, "Ah, I can do that tomorrow..." right down the line.
It's fascinating and I'm learning a lot, but I wonder what the total tally is
of inches added to the hip area, per 1000 posts!!

[jenmito]

54. I understand...

"luckily," though, (not really) I'm disabled and don't have much to do besides dishes and laundry and bills and stuff. But I've learned so much about politics in these past years. Can you believe before I got interested in politics due to the Lewinsky scandal, I didn't even know Faux was a RW channel?! :D

[hisownpetard]

56. I was pretty clueless when I was DU-less!!!!!!

[jenmito]

59. :-)

Clever. :)

[hisownpetard]

60. Hehehe...

:hi:

[polichick]

27. I'd be thrilled if he said things like that...

Instead of acting as if he's ignorant of the debt he owes those who came before him.

[jenmito]

32. Calteacherguy said he has an ad like this on his website...

I'll check.

[polichick]

34. Hope he does...

The truth is the truth ~ and the fact that women and blacks and Hispanics are now serious contenders in a U.S. presidential race is big positive news that we should all embrace imo, not run from.

[jenmito]

45. I couldn't find it.

:(

[tomreedtoon]

35. It's cute, but it's kind of pandering, don't you think?

I mean, when Jesse Jackson brought Rosa Parks in front of the Democratic convention, it was a great moment for self-back-slapping. "Here it is, the civil rights pioneer honored by the Democratic Party, gee, how tolerant and liberal we are!" And then the Party went on to ignore Jackson.

The proposed statement is in the same line. It would tell people that Obama is not really interested in being President, he just wants to make a point about how wonderful it would be for a black man to run for President. A President has to be President for all the people, and that's the basis upon which a Democratic candidate has to run. This statement would undercut it.

NOW...if he were to say something like this briefly at the convention AFTER he wins the nomination (if he does) as a prelude to explaining his specifics for returning democracy to America...fine. I would have no problem with that. But it is NOT the way he should try to get the nomination.

[jenmito]

39. That's why I asked, "Could you imagine if he said..."

Hillary does the same thing substituting "woman" for "Black person." That's why I think if he DID point out his race, as Hilary points out her gender (while saying she doesn't), it WOULD be seen negatively by some...especially in the media.

[Louis J Sheehan]

41. Um

Um. Why can't he say it? I doubt very many people would be offended. Even more, it is true. -- louis J Sheehan

[jenmito]

43. I think he'd be accused of playing the race card.

[ClarkUSA]

53. Yup, he'd be crucified in 5 seconds flat by Hillary supporters for playing the race card.

He's too cool to do that, though. The only card playing he does is a hand of poker.

[jenmito]

55. I agree...

So sad but true that he WOULD be crucified by "some"...