America will never embrace a black person

[Stop Cornyn]

[seabeyond]

1. thank you

[Indenturedebtor]

2. Seriously though

This racist nonsense needs to stop. Even the GOP wouldn't have been this blatant about it.

[yardwork]

3. Oh we haven't seen the depths to which the GOP will sink.

But I believe that we the people will prevail. Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America.

[habitual]

10. agreed, the GOP will do much worse. n/t

[Cha]

73. Yes, indeedy, yardwork..

thank you! :)

[Chulanowa]

4. "McCain has an illegitimate black baby!" - "Call me!"

...Yes, they absolutely WILL sink to those depths.

[JVS]

24. That "Call me" indicates that they want to discuss in private. Somehow I think that in our party...

the conversation would get broadcast on national TV. We need some sensitivity training or something.

If we have to have racists about, could they at least be discreet and not embarrass us all.

[yardwork]

33. I've lived in the south and midwest all my life. The Republicans are incredibly racist.

It's open and out there and right in everyone's face and it's really really ugly. Just wait.

[a la izquierda]

98. My best friend had a student that recently wrote on an exam:

"it is a good thing that the United States did not seriously take part in the colonization projects of the 19th century, by sending slaves back to Africa. Because if we did, we would certainly not have good athletes today." This student is in college and these two sentences were written this past semester. She almost died. The student body at our school is composed predominantly of southerners and southern Plains folks.
I've had similar, blatantly racist comments.

[NCDem60]

139. I've been thinking about this comment

and have come to the conclusion it was made out of ignorance and not intended to be racial. Of course I could be wrong.

[bjobotts]

143. McCain did apologize for voting against a Martin Luther King day

Because he had to or it would be used against him. He didn't make a "mistake" as some black people so willing like to tell him ("It's alright, we all make mistakes John") He truly does not give a shit about black people but realized it would haunt him because it was politically incorrect so apologized. His "rich" wife who controls the money wanted the black baby to nourish and it makes McCain look good. He's just now grown to the point of not wearing a hood over his sheet.(You can be president John if you tell all black people to FO or you'll make 'em slaves. If it were really possible guess what his answer would be....No more MLK day)

[WildClarySage]

157. Much racism is ignorance

perpetuated by hatred and willful ignorance from family and the community.

I never knew I was a racist until I left my hometown for other parts and saw myself and my attitudes through other eyes.

Ed to add... and I couldn't grow out of it until I learned about racism and lost that ignorance.

[gilpo]

169. ALL racism is ignorance n/t

[RedCappedBandit]

183. What i was going to say. nt

[NCDem60]

195. Don't be like Bush.

Even racism isn't a totally black/white issue.

[gilpo]

198. Ironic.

[WildClarySage]

200. While all racism is ignorant, I think some of it is deliberatly hateful

not born from ignorance or not knowing better but from pure malevolence. I just replied to a thread in the online edition of our local paper where someone was spouting bigotry and the author of the offensive post wasn't merely ignorant, he was really just a mean asshole.

[ExPatLeftist]

201. I agree

and have seen a good example of this difference since I moved to Iceland several years ago.

Here there is some stereotyping of blacks, but it is pure ignorance and based on things people see in (Hollywood) movies, etc. (Many people here that are my age literally never saw a black person in real life until they were teenagers or adults!)

I have run into a few people with very naive ideas on race relations here, but have not seen the sort of racial hatred that exists in the States.

To me, this difference is even more pronounced between pure ignorance and pure evil, although there is probably less of the pure ignorance in the US, as there are many more black people there than here. There it seems to be about scapegoating and just plain stupid meanness.

[a la izquierda]

199. Could be.

But I agree with the replies you got. Ignorance and racism frequently go hand in hand. Blatant racism and racism because of ignorance are two different things, though. I think this particular case was ignorant racism, not blatant.

However, many, many of my students are incredibly bright and articulate, so I don't want to give the impression that this is what I think of all of them (or even a small majority of them).

[Stump]

166. I do live in the south...

It's alive and well my friends...

[EffieBlack]

46. Of course they're going to do it . . . what else is new? But there are more of us than there are of

them, so we just need to overwhelm them with our votes.

[Chulanowa]

79. And fight them where they cheat us

I swear, if ANOTHER candidate backs down from republican box-rigging... I don't know what I'll do.

[tnlefty]

95. If it makes you feel even the slightest bit better, the

repukes can't use the "call me" crap against Obama as he and Michelle have been married for a while, are established and have two young daughters. I'm not trying to say that the assholes won't find another way to get down under neath the gutter, but that one isn't available.

[Chulanowa]

132. They'll focus on his name and the Wright connections...

While at the same time pointing to his upbringing and his biracial heritage to claim he's not "black enough."

Scare the whites, insult the blacks, and openly call the Hispanics racists (Remember the "Hispanics will never vote for a black man" meme?)

[butterfly77]

171. They have already started with...

he is black and unqualified because of affirmative action. I heard a repug this morning. I said they will pull out anything they can to divide us because they are heartless, so be ready to FIGHT!

[JVS]

17. It's an "Only Nixon Can Go to China" thing.

I

[KSinTX]

29. I'm betting you're a good man/woman

whose heart is in the right place. I also agree that the GOP wouldn't have done this nor will they ever. But make no mistake, it is already being done. Our household listens to a radio station EVERY DAY that plays Rush and Hannity. Race-baiting is a ritual on it. So why do I listen? For the same reason I used to keep a copy of the Communist Manifesto on my desk during the majority of my military career. Keep your enemies closer.


Edit: Want to add I do NOT believe Sen. Clinton has said any such thing. Emphatically.

[nadinbrzezinski]

76. Oh the GOP will go there.... and wallow in it

if you think the campaign has been dirty, you haven't seen anything yet

[SoonerPride]

5. K & R

good post

[liberaldem4ever]

6. Great post-K&R

You should add Shirley Chisholm to the pictures. She was the first AA woman to serve in Congress and the first woman to run for President. I don't think she gets enough recognition for her accomplishments.

[Bread and Circus]

7. My all time personal (non-political) hero:

Walter Payton

I'd never be who I am today without him being an amazing public role model.

[gmudem]

135. In the same vain

Curtis Martin





I am a huge Jets fan and Curtis Martin is easily my favorite Jet ever. He is probably one of the classiest men to ever play in the NFL and he does tons of charity work, in addition to being a sure fire Hall of Fame running back.

Also this guy is half-black.


He's pretty popular so I hear.

[paparush]

170. Sweetness, baby..... sweetness.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. I would love this post if the OP title was changed to "America will never embrace a black person"

That is all.

[KSinTX]

32. Roger, that! nt

[DevonRex]

9. Beautiful. Thank you. nt

[Enrique]

11. she never said that

nor would she

[SoonerPride]

22. According to the super delegates that is EXACTLY what she tells them

That's not made up, that's a fact. The supers say that is her argument. Plain and simple. She fears that secretly america is too racist to elect a black man.

[Enrique]

27. no she didn't

[lumpy]

39. For Christ's sake don't spread lies. That's a very repub thing.

x

[SoonerPride]

50. link

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/hillary_chief_strategist_north.php

[lumpy]

60. Sorry, your link doesn't cut it. Garin is not a super delegate,

instead Clinton's chief strategist. No relevence to your post. No reference to delegates in the article, let alone that Obama will not make it because of race. No proof there.

[KSinTX]

34. Agreed.

Obama Texan here - point of reference.

[mhoran]

96. For what it's worth

Obama supporter here, and I don't believe she would say it either.

Let's move on to taking on McCain, shall we?

[Maureen1322]

164. Absolutely!!

[LVjinx]

12. Hillary has never said that. We need to start uniting, not making up fake, divisive issues

This type of race-baiting will not help Obama. We will need every Democratic vote we can to beat John McCain.

[SoonerPride]

25. The super delegates say that is her argument.

Sad, I know.

[lumpy]

42. At least give us some proof. Even if you have to fabricate it.

x

[Stop Cornyn]

48. "On the Hillary conference call, Hillary chief strategist Geoff Garin made the case for her ...

electability in some of the most explicitly race-based terms I've heard yet.

Garin argued that the North Carolina contest, which Obama won by 14 points, represented "progress" for Hillary because she did better among white voters there than she did in Virginia.

"When we began in North Carolina," Garin said, "our internal polling and much of the public polling we were running exactly even with white voters."

Garin said that the Virginia electorate was the "closest white electorate in the country" to North Carolina, and added that Hillary "started even" among whites in North Carolina, and "ended up earning a significant win of 24 points."

"We obviously did not do as well as we would want or needed to among African American voters," Garin concluded.

Put in the context of the Hillary campaign's chief argument that she's the more electable Dem, Garin's overall implication here is that her success among white voters in North Carolina yesterday is "progress" in the sense that it strengthens her case for electability.

In other words, it's an explicit, and unabashed, linking of her claim of electability to her success among whites.

Late Update: Atrios, commenting on the above, writes:

There's nothing wrong with acknowledging the reality of race and politics, and there's nothing wrong with politicians targeting their campaigns and messaging towards various subgroups.

What the Clinton campaign is doing is saying that Obama has electability problems, and using their support from white voters as evidence of that. That's a wee bit problematic, and not just because it doesn't follow logically any more than the other electability arguments such as Obama can't win the election because he can't win the primary in big states."

SOURCE: http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/hillary_chief_strategist_north.php

[lumpy]

63. Where does this article say anything about super delegates?

This article is only about the fact that Clinton's success in No. Carolina strengthens her electability. No one can deny that she did poorly in No. Carolina.

[NashVegas]

13. Your search - "America will never embrace a black person" "clinton" - did not match any documents.

??

[IronLionZion]

31. the search "Hillary" or "Clinton" or "HRC" is not found anywhere in the OP.

:rofl:

[LVjinx]

40. Aren't edits amazing?

[IronLionZion]

43. Indeed, almost magical. Did you see it before the edit? nt

[NashVegas]

58. OOPS! Another Obama Supporter Caught Lying About the Clintons & Racism

Imagine that.

[invictus]

14. Hillary should be ashamed of herself. It is no wonder she was such an ineffective candidate. n/t

[Enrique]

16. you are being fooled

or else participating in the deception. :shrug:

[lumpy]

44. People who believe lies haven't taken the time to weigh the facts

x

[emilyg]

142. You are falling for lies.

[quantass]

152. .

[FlaGranny]

15. Denzel for VP!!!

Only kidding. Denzel is one good looking fella, though.

[grantcart]

18. Bill Russell and Muhammed Ali the two smartest sportsmen anywhere

[ExPatLeftist]

36. Thank you for adding one of my all-time heroes.

I'll let you guess who (hint: my avatar... ;))

One of the strongest advocates of equal rights who took the fight in his own fashion.

I will never forget the draft issue, the "First round, first minute" moment, and the "What's my name" beating in which his inner anger came fully to light. And then there was the torch lighting so many years later that still chokes me up...

A truly great American, and one we should continue to learn from.

[FlaGranny]

55. Deleted. Double post.

[FlaGranny]

56. I can still remember

his pre-fight "poems." It's so sad that such an articulate man lost his ability to clearly communicate his quick wit. He does a good job with just his eyes, though.

[BlooInBloo]

19. Maybe, just possibly, we should fucking TRY. And not let bigots decide for us.

Sheesh.

[EffieBlack]

47. THANK you!

They get away with this crap because we roll over and LET them get away with it! It's pretty easy to always win if your opponent never puts up a fight.

[BlooInBloo]

53. Keep in mind that white folks who "let" them are actually SUPPORTING the bigots...

They get the perfect cover - just like good-parent-bad-parent conspiracies: "I'd let you go, honey, but your mom just won't have any of it".

[Tom Rinaldo]

20. Thank you for that edit Stop Cornyn

Now this is a thread that I will proudly R&K.

[hfojvt]

21. What? No Hallie Berry?

And doesn't everybody hate Chris Rock?

[Forrest Greene]

188. And What! No Jazz Artists?

It's just about the only original art form (ok, a case can be made for the detective story) that America has given the world, & it couldn't have been given without African-Americans.

[sweetrage1913]

23. You forgot the last pic...

Of President Barck Obama (hehe)!

[TragedyandHope]

26. You forgot one

[dysfunctional press]

28. you forgot one...

[IronLionZion]

30. Just because an asshole tells you it can't be done,

doesn't mean it hasn't already been done. It's a damn good thing that the theme this year is "Yes We Can!" and "Yes We Did!". Hell Yeah!!!


"The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say 'no' - they may not be smart enough to say 'yes.'" - Keith Olbermann

[meow mix]

35. K&R

great post ty

[Terran]

37. Thank you, and well-stated (K/R)

And dayum Denzell is still *so* good lookin!

[myrna minx]

38. A big K&R. n/t

[Leftist Agitator]

41. You forgot a few...

[tridim]

87. For the nerds.. Neil deGrasse Tyson

He'd make a great Science Adviser for President Obama.


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

He's just as cool as Obama.

[Bette Noir]

136. I love him!

[butterfly77]

172. Yes. I love to listen to him..

[jmondine]

146. Hey, wasn't that last one a president?

I seem to remember something about a comet coming to Earth. ;-)

[jmondine]

148. No, wait. He's one of the people who taught me to read

Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby were both cast members on CTW's Electric Company. They are two of the reasons I am able to write these very words today.

[Bensthename]

45. Where is Fat Albert ?

He is my fave.

[file83]

92. His voice is Bill Cosby, so...

Represent!

[cascadiance]

49. Some more...

[butterfly77]

173. Yes..

[OhioChick]

51. MJ, Will Smith and Denzel....

3 of my favorites.

:kick:

On Edit to Add: You forgot Morgan Freeman! :)

[Enrique]

52. it's customary to acknowledge your edits

especially when they come after you've been challenged.

Your post originally claimed that Hillary said America will never support a black man.

[janet118]

54. They said Massachusetts wouldn't vote for a black man, but . . .

Gov. Deval Patrick won handily.

The said it over and over, but we supporters just kept on truckin', working the precincts, and, in the end, Patrick overcame his Republican opponent by a landslide. Like the current presidential race, the hardest part of his campaign was getting past the old Democrats who were worried about Patrick's "electability" because, although they themselves were not racist, their relatives were, or something to that effect.

And before you start talking about how liberal Massachusetts is, think again. In most of the state, it is old school Democratic party politics where "progressive" is a dirty word. Massachusetts went very heavily for Hillary Clinton in the primary and had Republican governors for sixteen straight years before Patrick won the office in 2006. Also, in Massachusetts, there hasn't been an African American statewide office holder since Republican Ed Brooke (yes, that Ed Brooke http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/05/barbara_walters_and_sen_edward.html) who last won an election in 1972.

Persistence works. Hope is contagious. Keep your eyes on the prize.

[redqueen]

57. Thanks...

appreciate hearing the back story on that election. :)

[lumpy]

65. Ed Brooke happened to be a Republican not a Democrat.

What this has to do with Clintons campaign eludes me.

[AspenRose]

72. Might be referring to this?

:shrug:

"The true start of Hillary Clinton's political career can be traced back to a mild, early summer day in 1969.

A 22-year-old Hillary Rodham was set to take the dais as the first student in the history of Wellesley College to speak on graduation day, and she had written a progressive speech hitting on the topics of the day: Vietnam, race relations, poverty, women's rights.

But something happened on that little patch of green grass just off the main quad. Sen. Ed Brooke, a Massachusetts Republican, spoke first. It was a tired speech that seemed more aimed at high school grads, said Alan Schechter, one of Clinton's professors.

"Very pedestrian," Schechter recalled almost 40 years later.

Rows of parents and grandparents applauded Brooke, and awaited the student chosen by her classmates to make this historic speech. They soon got a five-minute, blistering attack on Brooke's speech before Clinton transitioned seamlessly into her prepared remarks.

Schechter, who had read Clinton's speech beforehand, said she came up with the new intro in a few minutes while listening to Brooke speak. But no one else knew that.

"These parents and grandparents were horrified that she had challenged Brooke," Schechter said.

The speech took on a life of its own. Life Magazine, which had been there to cover Brooke, hailed the future First Lady's words as the college speech of the year in its next issue."

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2519/is_7_28/ai_n19377807

[amandabeech]

59. I can't find one of my favorites, Charles Rangel, in that group photo.

Maybe he was chairing a committee hearing!

I see John Conyers, Sheila Jackson Lee and Stephanie Tubbs Jones, though. All great people.

[janet118]

61. There you go . . .

Charles Rangel, D-NY

[amandabeech]

77. Thanks. A great American.

Frankly, I think this guy from New York would play better than Obama in small cities and rural areas. I wish he were interested in running for the top job.

[chieftain]

62. Thanks. Black is beautiful. (eom)

[Eric Condon]

64. You forgot one guy whom I REALLY wish could've lived to see all this

[sandnsea]

86. Aw, yeah, Richard

:cry:

[YOY]

121. He's laughing his ass off with Red Fox now

Lenny Bruce is lighting cigars and laughing with...

[Forrest Greene]

190. Jazz Fan Dies & Goes To Heaven

He's met by the Archangel Gabriel (a trumpet player, himself) who shows him around. They walk down a city street where all the cinemas show Jazz movies & all the record stores sell Jazz albums. They stop into a small, dark, narrow cellar club. The Jazz fan is amazed to see all his favorite artists there. Bud Powell tickles the ivories. Lester Young plays as Billie Holiday prepares to sing. Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane sip Carlsburg Elephant Lager at a table off to the side.

Our Jazz fan is just amazed. "Wow, they're all here," he says to Gabriel. "This really _is_ Heaven!" He notices, over in the corner, a smallish man, very well-dressed, wearing enormous shades & quietly playing a muted trumpet, with his back to the room.

"Gabriel," the Jazz fan asks. "Is... is that...?"

Gabriel rolls his eye a little. He says, "No, that's just God. Sometimes he likes to pretend he's Miles Davis."

[knixphan]

66. Kick for EVOLUTION.

[txaslftist]

68. Exactly. "Jim Crow" isn't dead, but we're killing him.

One feather at a time.

[knixphan]

71. keep stompin!!!

[DCofVA]

67. Governor Wilder won here in VA and, VA is only 20% Black and,

Virginia is in the South. It was the capital of the Confederacy for gosh sakes! For anyone to say that Obama is unelectable because he is black is full of crap!
Oh, and by the way, Obama won the primary here too.

[FlyingSquirrel]

69. Just got off the phone with Derek Jeter, he's mildly offended.

As are a few of his buddies.

;)

[jesus_of_suburbia]

70. Excellent post. We've come a long way, baby.

I really hope Obama wins in November.


It will be a milestone for my half AA niece (who is about to be born, my sister-in-law is AA). How wonderful would it be for her to be born the same year a half AA becomes President? Pretty damn cool.

[maxpower]

74. Bravo

I would add Harry Belafonte to that list as well

[Proud Liberal Dem]

75. I have heard a similar sentiment

expressed recently by an African-American foster parent who I work with. Her major concern is that there are parts of American society that will not tolerate having an African-American as POTUS and, more importantly, that he would face an increased risk assassination. While I agree that there are certainly some unreconstructed segments of the population who simply can't/won't tolerate any kind of racial or ethnic diversity in our society, I do not believe that it should, in any way, discourage anybody from voting for Barack Obama. After all, how are things going to ever change in our society in terms of dealing with race if we remaining closed to different possibilities out of fear of what might happen? I'm pretty sure (or at least hope) that Barack realizes the nature of the situation and protects himself accordingly but I think that he has a lot of courage simply to put himself out there like he has. Frankly, given the extreme (and very public) antipathy towards Bill & Hilliary Clinton during Bill's presidency, I would imagine that there are some parts of American society that would be equally loathe to having a woman, particularly HER, as POTUS as well. However, hopefully, this will be a historic election in that we elect our first African-American or woman as POTUS.

[Yanez Houston Jordan]

78. Excellent point. Team Hillary's conference call today was shameless!

[Yanez Houston Jordan]

82. I assume that this was a response to Team Hillary's conference call today

[Eurobabe]

80. And...

Halle!

[Forrest Greene]

193. Lena Horne... n/t

[Bucky]

81. You left off Colin Powell, even if it turns out he's a lousy baby sitter.

[sonias]

83. I would embrace any of those people

The Black Caucus in the House does a hell of a job representing my issues, even though I'm not African-American.

Yes we can!

:loveya:

Sonia

[Zomby Woof]

84. Wilder does not belong

What a shyster crook he was. It's a wonder the Dems ever got back the VA statehouse after his debacle-laden term as governor. Absolutely the nadir.

Barbara Jordan, on the other hand, was a titan. We sure could stand 100 or more of her these days.

[TexasObserver]

85. Black Pride is something we should all have.

All of my life, blacks have struggled to gain the one thing every white person I know expects as a matter of normalcy: simple respect for being a human being of equal dignity.

Blacks have been the wind beneath the wings of this old party for the past 40 plus years. I am proud Americans are choosing a president who is black. Not because he is black, but because he is so damn good.

[Kaleko]

100. Agreed.

One extra embrace for a transformational force in the world, the simply awesome Nelson Mandela

[Jamastiene]

88. Good post.

[4waterfalls]

89. great message

and there are more of these great people than can fit in a DU post.

[mcollier]

91. Don't forget about .....

The twisted programming of the media is working the shit out of Americans.... Look.... If blacks make up 20% of the population and Barack Obama wins 60% of the total vote in the state then 40% of non-blacks (white, asian, hispanic, ect) also voted for Barack Obama... Obama is getting the majority of the votes across America and it is scaring the shit out of the few powerfully connected who want nothing more than the tactics of division and distraction to keep us all occupied while they rob and rape us senselessly...

But Im likely preaching to the choir here in DU...

Best Wishes.


Turn your speakers up and ==>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgz_mu2FBBg"> Listen To The Crowd Get Louder! OBAMA!!! We are The United States!

[bjobotts]

140. Certainly not "because" they're black. Because they are people.

[IndyOp]

90. If we are talking about embracing....

I GET DENZEL!

That is all. :hi:

[graycem]

93. Excellent point!

I'd just add Joe Lewis and Morgan Freeman (best actor in the world) :loveya:

[Forrest Greene]

191. Bill Cobbs

An excellent character actor.

[needledriver]

94. Hey! I embraced this guy

this morning!

[Marnieworld]

102. Mekhi? Wow really?

He's a hottie! :D

[needledriver]

103. I work on ER.

Mekhi is a great a guy as he seems.

[needledriver]

97. Duplicate - self delete

[tpsbmam]

99. K&R!!!

So very true. Time for the pundits & the media to stop dragging us back to the bad old days.

[byronius]

101. Uh, that last photo is just amazing.

You've brought me to tears. What a brave American Crew that is. Tireless. Always trying. Steady and True. Without them, we'd all have been toast so long ago. And John Conyers -- that man is American History.

That brutal moment Michael Moore showed, as they alone, one by one, tried to stop the Overthrow, and were overruled by Gore, who had no power to stop Scalia and Thomas from unleashing Havoc upon the world.

It's going to happen. He's going to help. This is going to work.

[Irishonly]

104. K&R

Let the repukes sink and show the world the pigs they are.

[Name removed]

105. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

110. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Number23]

106. I understand what you're trying to say...

but alot of those people are athletes or entertainers. America has always been happy to have blacks entertain them, but when it comes to having someone with brown skin be your boss or represent you in a governing body, that's where the problems have often come.

And even still, I bet the vast majority of the people you have pictured would still have some harrowing tales of crap that they've been through because of their race. It's still a nice list (and gesture) though...

[StClone]

107. My Hero

[LucyParsons]

108. I am so proud of all these people.

They make me proud to be American.

Thank you!

:kick:

[Lady-Damai]

109. Tiger Woods is not black. He is Cablinasian.

[democracy1st]

154. Black like Obama

[Lady-Damai]

175. Um...no

Obama identifies as a black man not a biracial man. Tiger Woods because of his multiracial background, he identifies with being multiracial. I believe his father and mother had a lot to do with shaping his view on that issue. Multiracial ppl and biracial ppl can label themselves however they want.

Bob Marley was biracial. He identified with the black race. I don't think he ever talked about his white father.

Slash is biracial. He never labels himself. I know a lot of ppl were shocked to find out he had black mother and white father.




Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was multiracial. He could have passed for white. He considered himself a black man.

[jsabrown]

111. Wait wait... Obama's BLACK?

Oh, sweet Jesus, why didn't someone tell me?

And why didn't they tell me this is important?

I had no idea.

I mean, I was just impressed that the man is self-made, that he graduated from Harvard Law School Magna Cum Laude, that he taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago, that he seems generally honest and straightforward, humane and respectful of folks with differing views, that he learns from his errors....

It's just that I don't get the idea that he'll do anything he has to in order to win the primary... or that he's overly-beholden to the failed ideology of a tired and selfish political party. That's still good, right?

Geez, when I've tolerated an idiot chimp-weasel in the White House for 8 years, I was grateful to God for somebody who appears really bright.

But I should instead be concerned with melanin content? Golly. Thanks for cluing me in. :-)

JB

[Name removed]

112. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SoxFan]

113. ...

[GetTheRightVote]

114. Glad to see you were joking, I was worried for one moment, don't scare me so

LOL, Go Obama Go !!!

[leftistdestroyer]

116. And him

[Olney Blue]

117. Go destroy somewhere else. Buh bye.

[YOY]

123. Oh Leftistdestroyer... are you here to destroy us?

In case you didn't notice the neocon movement has failed as predicted (by leftists)...all on its own. It didn't even need any "leftist" opposition to fail...it was just designed idiotically by fool and would never work in the first place for any extended period.

Sorry to tell you.

[cornermouse]

115. Lack of demostrable qualifications on the other hand...

[McCamy Taylor]

118. Nice one!

[onehandle]

119. Ugh. Remove Oprah. She doesn't deserve to be in the company of the rest.

I know people. She makes Tom Cruise look like a well adjusted non-egomaniac.

She almost hides it well.

Ugh.

[Alcibiades]

127. But she is hugely popular

Freaky-ass weirdo or not, she's certainly been "embraced" by America.

[democracy1st]

153. I don't know what neck of the woods you come from but Oprah is a true positive for AA community

[electron_blue]

174. doesn't matter if you like her - she is hugely loved by many and a good example

of what the OP was trying to show.

[MissMarple]

120. Brilliant. What a great group of photos. I guess we are all black....

...since Africa seems to have been the first home of humans. Many of us have obviously adapted to our several environments, but we all still bleed red. My mom taught me that when I was in high school. She was a nurse. She expected us to respect everyone. Until the day she died, last month. Thanks, mom.

She was for Hillary. I didn't tell her I was for the other guy.

The phrase for you'd better do it, in our house (of eight kids) was "Mama said".

[Fire and Brimstone]

122. Add Ben Carson

Ben Carson

[Mme. Defarge]

124. Mais oui, nous pouvons!

YES WE CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

K&R.

[aging like wine]

125. Straw man

The argument is that America will not embrace a black PRESIDENT. Where are the pictures of those?

[Forrest Greene]

194. Coming Up

Just a few more months.

[barack the house]

126. Exactly the media are playing people just Clinton had good name recognition.

[TommyO]

128. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

What more can I say?

[dpbrown]

129. How many of them are President?

Right.

[TommyO]

130. Another one, Mildred Loving

Dammit if I can't keep from welling up just looking at that picture. The color of our skin shouldn't matter, but for too many people it does.

[Lethe]

131. um, he's not black, he's half black

and half white.

just like bob marley.

he's just as much white as he is black.

[defendandprotect]

133. Isn't it amazing how the most oppressed people have to free themselves . . .

and while doing that they deliver freedom to all of us?

Some say the the strongest spirits take on the most difficult lives . . . !!!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

134. Too bad Barbara Jordan is dead.

She would have made a damn good Supreme Court Justice.

That said, I think the sexism against Hillary is blatant and accepted and open;
the racism against Obama is somewhat hidden but it's still there.

[grantcart]

137. I come from Spokane Washington which has more Japanese-Americans than

African-Americans (1.6%) and they have had an African American Mayor.

Here listed as the FIRST African American Mayor. If you don't think that America can't be more progressive than Spokane then we are FUBAR First Class.

James Everett Chase, the first African American mayor of Spokane, Washington, was born in East Texas in 1914 and attended high school in Ballinger, Texas. Chase arrived in Spokane in 1934 by “boxcar and oil tanker and even on the back of a tender,” as he later recalled. While shining shoes at the old Spokane Hotel, he and Clarence Freeman began the Negro Active Club which later included successful businessmen and civic leaders. In 1942 Chase married Eleanor Barrow, three years after he and fellow former Texan Elmo Dalbert started a body and fender shop they operated until its sale to Spokane School District 81 in 1981. In 1970 James and Eleanor Chase opened a 36-unit apartment complex, Riviera Place, which they owned and operated on Upriver Drive.

James Chase was also president of the Spokane Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for 18 years, serving from 1952 until his resignation in 1970. From 1971 to 1974, Chase was grand master of Prince Hall Masonic Lodge for the state of Washington. After serving six years as a city councilmember, Chase was elected mayor in 1981 in a city with a black population of 1.6 per cent. During the sometimes bitter campaign he defeated former Councilman Wayne E. Guthrie with 82 percent of the vote to become the first black mayor of Spokane or any large Washington city. “I’ve been working long and hard for this,” he said then. “I feel this is Spokane in action.”

Chase was featured in U.S. News and World Report and Ebony magazines, and was included in a television documentary on black mayors across the United States. He was instrumental in Spokane’s “1% for Art” ordinance which funded an ongoing collection and display of art in public buildings. Due to illness, Chase did not seek reelection in 1985.The main art gallery in Spokane’s City Hall is named after him. James Chase died in Spokane in 1987 at the age of 73. His city has also honored him by naming a school after him.

[awoke_in_2003]

138. The thing about racism

is that it hasn't disappeared, it has just gone underground. I remember when I lived in a small town in Alabama around 1976. I still remember water fountains labeled "coloreds". Yes, it was illegal at the time, but yes, it did exist. So we advanced, and putting up signs like that just would not do. So people buried their racism, kept it hidden. But as a white man I know it is still there, because there is always an idiot that will let you know about their racism because they think you will agree. Hell, just look at our police forces. Who's word will usually hold up- my word or the word of a black man? What about the offense of Driving While Black. I am not sure which is more harmful- blatant or hidden racism. I suppose, judging by the results, that they are equally harmful. And as a human being, it disgusts me.

[Lady-Damai]

141. Here is some more.....

Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate. Since he preceded any African American in the House, he was the first African American in the U.S. Congress as well. He represented Mississippi in 1870 and 1871 during Reconstruction. As of 2008, Revels is one of only five African Americans ever to have served in the United States Senate.









Blanche K. Bruce was the first African-American to serve a full term in the United State Senate (1874–1880). Born a slave in 1841, Bruce became a local Mississippi sheriff, developed a political power base, amassed a real-estate fortune, and became the first black to serve a full Senate term.





Joseph Hayne Rainey was the first African American person to serve in the United States House of Representatives and the second black person to serve in the United States Congress (U.S. Senator Hiram Revels was the first).

Rainey was born in Georgetown, South Carolina. His parents were both slaves, but his father, Edward, had a successful business as a barber, enabling him to purchase his family's freedom shortly after Joseph Rainey's birth.

[democracy1st]

151. you need to start your own post with this info

:toast:

[emilyg]

144. Hank Aaaron.

[Jemmons]

145. My favorite black person (at present)

Also I like the analysis of Paul Krugman that the GOP tries to win elections by distracting voters with racism. Their vice is greed for power and money, racism is more of an acquired taste to them.

[Nostradammit]

147. 100th Recommend!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[jmondine]

149. Here's one many of you may not even know about...

Kevin Clash, the puppeteer and , yes, the voice of Elmo. As head Muppeteer on Sesame Street, he has done a wonderful job carrying on Jim Henson's legacy.

[Yukari Yakumo]

150. Can you dig it, SUCKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?

[Sunnyshine]

155. K&R This is a Beeuuutiful thread!

Thank you for this. We all make a difference and we all truly matter. Humanity is reflecting back at me in the eyes of all these great people. :loveya:

*edited out extra word

[katerinasmommy]

156. I can't wait

"And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

[nradisic]

158. Black is part of America...

That is the beauty of this country....most of us will accept any color....The one's who don't are slowly dying off...

[aquart]

167. Hmmm.

"most of us will accept any color"

As I understand it, any color that isn't darker than a brown paper bag. The level of self-congratulation here is nauseating. The pretense that black is Obama's negative when it's the only reason he's still in the race...oh, please.

Let me know when a non-white woman is up for president (we have some congresswomen among the black and hispanic caucuses who are magnificent) and you are equally running around to support HER.

Let me know when you seek out a charismatic Asian from among the last decade's ivy leaguers, and start donating your cash for his run at the presidency.

But you all ain't racist, nuh uh. I mean, you adore Will Smith! (like you could shine his shoes)

[natrat]

159. snoop

[natrat]

160. george clinton

[natrat]

161. some people don't relate to sports stars and tv personalities but give them some funk and omg

[Burma Jones]

162. You forgot Colin Powell...........

He was so well embraced he could lie to the UN and get erstwhile reasonable people to support a very stupid and evil thing.......

[natrat]

163. yea good thing we know condi is a complete piece of shit---louis armstrong

[aquart]

165. Langston Hughes. You got him in there.

Now there's a hand I was blessed to shake. Thing is, I didn't have a clue who he was, because his poetry wasn't taught in my NYC public school.

That's improved, has it?

[DemsUnited]

168. Unfortunately, there are some who will not embrace a black president

but I believe this "demographic" will be overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of their own children, who are growing up ever more color blind, and who see their future in Barack Obama.

Thank you for such a thought provoking post!

[Vote4Change]

176. Maybe not . . .

. . . at least for as long as you feel the need to promote Senator Obama solely because he's black. Why on earth do you even feel the need to make such a statement?

I strongly support Senator Barack Obama for President.
I don't give a rat's ass that you consider him black.
His father was BLACK (to you).
His mother was WHITE (to you).
I guess that makes Senator Obama BLACK (to you).

Senator Barack Obama, his father and his mother (as well as you and I) are all HUMAN (to me).

I strongly support Senator Barack Obama for President...

...because he hopes to lead this nation to the point where stupid, racist labels like BLACK or WHITE have no purpose in our lives.

...because he is the most qualified candidate in 2008 (or in my lifetime, for that matter) to lead this once-great nation out of the depths that 8 straight years of authoritarian, neocon rule has created and back into the position of world leadership and respect that we once enjoyed.

...because he represents a true change in perspective and cooperation in this nation in the vital area of us ALL living together as a united people with common goals, needs and aspirations.

...because he crafted his candidacy to run not as the candidate of the BLACKS, but as the candidate of the PEOPLE.

...because I believe has had the best judgment and insight of the candidates to deal with the varied problems that face America and the world.

...because I truly don't believe that Senator Obama sees the task ahead of him as one of dealing with BLACK and WHITE issues but, rather, as a task of dealing with AMERICAN issues.

OK ... I'll admit that there is still a lot of racism in this country and it's about damned time to deal with it. And I believe that Senator Obama has already dealt with it ... unfortunately far too often, and as a direct result of the racist element in our society ... and dealt with it quite well, presidentially if I might call it that.

But enough with the taunting accusation that America (WHITE America, I presume) will never embrace a black person. It is, of itself, a divisive claim. And I firmly believe that the election this coming November will prove your assertion false.

And I say all of this, not as a WHITE man offended by yet another insertion of race into this campaign, but as a HUMAN (with freckles ... who sunburns easily) offended by yet another insertion of race into this campaign! Enough already! Let's elect the man and get on with improving our world.

[LilRed]

187. AMEN

[DrFunkenstein]

177. Especially Someone Who Will Give Them Affordable Health Care

I think people have more problems with someone who seems as old as McCain.

[satireV]

178. Millions of Americans

Please note: Americans didn't embrace a Hispanic for president.

[YOY]

179. One more...my fave...

Loveable ol' Louis!

[bdamomma]

180. I think we should just move on and focus on getting McCain.

[Deep13]

181. That is not an argument I have ever made, speaking for myself.

The argument I have made is that America would not embrace someone with such a thin resume. Well, time will prove or disprove that assertion. In some way, this thread is a pre-emptive playing of the "race card."

Have you noticed how white some of those folks look in pictures? I know for a fact that Thurogood Marshall is darker than that portrait. On the other hand, when I was small and watched Sanford and Son on TV, it took me awhile to realize that Redd Foxx was Black.

[coriolis]

182. The problem is that none of those people are running for president.

Anybody who doesn't realize how much that matters is politically ignorant.

[Christa]

184. I wish

I could give you a 100 recs for posting this.

[JDwho]

185. Don't forget Miles Davis.

Man, could he blow.

While I'm here, I have to say, I'm looking forward to the day when we are all color blind. Obama is impressive. Period. And while non of the pics here show a black president (as someone commented), I fail to see a female president, either. African Americans and Women have been oppressed. I know some of you dislike Hillary, but she's the first female to get this close to POTUS, as well. No, I'm not a Hillary supporter, but I am a female. Women have put up with more than I can imagine throughout history and still today. Take a look at the stats:

*At least one out of every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, according to a study based on 50 surveys from around the world
*More than 60 million women are "missing" from the world today as a result of sex-selective abortions and female infanticide, according to an estimate by Amartya Sen, the Nobel Laureate
*In the USA, women accounted for 85% of the victims of domestic violence in 1999 (671,110 compared to 120,100 men), according to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women
*The Russian Government estimates that 14,000 women were killed by their partners or relatives in 1999, yet the country still has no law specifically addressing domestic violence
*The World Health Organization has reported that up to 70% of female murder victims are killed by their male partners.

I know I'm a newbie as a member, but have been visiting and reading here for years. I know this may need a separate post. I'm thrilled that we are going to be calling Obama, "Mr. President". I just thought I'd remind some of the people here that this is a huge achievement for Hillary and women, to be this close. This is historical either way, I'm just sayin'....

[postulater]

186. What???? All those people are Black? OMG!

[Aviation Pro]

189. Ok, I see a lot of celebrities, actresses and sports figures....

...and others in the entertainment business here. With the exception of Tyson, whom I've exchanged e-mail with, I see a dearth of scientists, accountants, lawyers, civil servants, doctors and other professionals who although anonymous are the real key to the successful election of Senator Obama.

Let's stop promoting entertainers (who frankly have very limited value) and start promoting people who are just like us. (Notice that I didn't use the word 'black' or 'African-American.' Just like us refers to everyone, which I think transcends skin pigments).

[Stop Cornyn]

192. Maybe you didn't recognize the congressional representatrives, Supreme Court judge, governors,

among the civil servants.

Since the point was about the American public's willingness or alleged unwillingness to embrace black people, that list would naturally not include those excellent professionals who labor "anonymously."

While it is true that the list includes actors and athletes alongside poets, journalists, authors, judges, preachers, and elected officials, the point was that American does not appear unwilling to embrace these people, who -- no matter their field -- have been widely embraced by America as a whole.

[Forrest Greene]

197. Is There A Line

...between entertainment & art? Is it clear, definite, & impermeable?

Entertainment is of high value indeed to the person who has spent the day surviving bullies & blowhards & who just wants to regroup & have a laugh, enjoy a tune, identify temporarily with some silly hero, step out of grim, bleak Life for just some little while. Who knows, maybe even a little art, about which most people are a bit more forgiving than entertainment as regards value, will sneak in there.

Probably those of us whose lives are more perfected will be unfamiliar with such feelings.

I'm an artist, so people who are just like me are artists. As for people who are just like "us," remember Tonto's advice to the Lone Ranger.

Re the heavy-duty dearth (pace Tower of Power) of scientists, accountants, lawyers, civil servants, doctors and other professionals, they _are_ generally more difficult to bring to mind & to find photos of than celebrities, but that, I think, is what being a "celebrity" means, after all.

[cascadiance]

196. A few still missed...

The great Nat King Cole...




Ranking Roger of the English Beat and General Public... One of the greatest and most fun nights I had seeing a concert was watching a Pato Banton concert one night with some friends and finding out that Ranking Roger was standing right next to us in the crowd watching it and we were talking with him all night long during the show and almost went out for drinks after the show later. He got up and jammed for a song or two with Pato as well during the show. A real great guy...



And I think unfortunately scientists of any skin color or gender have a harder time being popular and getting elected to office, which might be one reason they aren't in this thread... But perhaps George Washington Carver, who brought us all peanut butter, might fit that bill...



Also a great leader for the green energy movement today is Apollo Alliance leader Jerome Ringo, here next to Robert Redford!

[Stop Cornyn]

202. "Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how

whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me... There's a pattern emerging here."