Obama Throwing Down The Race Card

[True blue (and gold)]

I'm really tired of hearing him called the Black candidate. Why not call him the Bi-Racial candidate? Or the I Was Raised BY My White Grandparents candidate? Or The Candidate With The Chinese-Canadian Stepsister? The only race card I see being played is the one he is playing to represent himself as the first Black nominee for President.

 

 

I understand your point.

 

I have some personal insight into this. I have some common ground with Obama. Pardon the long story here. As I have mentioned before, my father is hispanic and my mother is white. My parents met while my father was between tours of duty during Vietnam, when he was sent to the Jefferson Proving Grounds in Madison, IN, to do some munitions testing before going back to Vietnam. After the war was over, my mom moved to New Mexico (where dad was from), they married, had me, then divorced (when I was four) and my mother moved back to Kentucky to be near her family.

 

Until I was in high school, there was only one other student (besides me) that was anything besides "white". I did stand out somewhat as different and did find myself the target of some racial slurs.

 

Here's the best story that I can relate. When I was a junior in high school, my high school guidance counselor called me in his office to fill out some paperwork for some college summer programs that I was interested in. I handed a paper to him, he looked at it and kind of whispered, "You know, you don't have to check hispanic. You could just about pass for white and people wouldn't even have to know you are hispanic."

 

It was one of those defining moments in my life. This man wanted me to disregard my father's heritage. If you've read many of my posts, you know how much I love and respect my father, who was able to be such a huge influence on my life, half a country away. Anyway, I looked at the guidance counselor and told him, in no uncertain terms, that I was hispanic and that is exactly what box I would check on that and all applications for the rest of my life.

 

Only those from a bi-racial background can truly understand what it is like to be pulled in two different directions, and sometimes feel as though you don't quite "fit in" anywhere. Because I refer to myself as hispanic does not mean that I don't also consider myself white. I am both. However, when you fill out applications, there is no box for "bi-racial" or anything similar. To me, checking "other" is not accurate, either.

 

Two points to make. First of all, if Obama has always referred to himself as black, then to me, I will most certainly respect that. Secondly, just because I share this personal connection with Obama, it does not mean that I will vote for him because of it. I do admit that it is a bias. However, I am also biased toward McCain because of his military service during Vietnam. I can look at him (ignoring skin color) and see my father.

 

(Rockmom, I figured that if you were brave enough to share your personal story, I would be brave enough to do the same!)

[pigman]

While I get what you are saying I would suggest that there is a slight difference if you look into the WHY of the situation.

If you are voting for someone because they are like you, it is not necessarily a racist vote.

If you are voting against someone because they are not like you it is a racist vote.

Now I'll agree that it is nearly impossible to determine the state of mind people have when they make that vote, but it does make difference to the nature of the vote.

 

This the most correct post in this thread. To comment on TBG's post I have coached several bi-racial kids, being of white and black parents and most of them gravitate towards their black friends.

[HHSDad]

Two points to make. First of all, if Obama has always referred to himself as black, then to me, I will most certainly respect that. Secondly, just because I share this personal connection with Obama, it does not mean that I will vote for him because of it. I do admit that it is a bias. However, I am also biased toward McCain because of his military service during Vietnam. I can look at him (ignoring skin color) and see my father.

 

(Rockmom, I figured that if you were brave enough to share your personal story, I would be brave enough to do the same!)

Thanks for sharing. I understand that growing up bi-racial not too many years ago could be a worse experience than being a "person of color". Gray babies (a term introduced to me by a black co-worker) were often rejected by both of the parents races. Barack's experience, I'm sure was not always easy. Being bi-racial had its pitfalls, not to mention sharing his father's Muslim name.

 

I stated that Obama has been calling himself the first black candidate, but I don't know that it is true. It may just be that so many others refer to Barack that way that I assume that it comes from him.

[75center]

Republicans have been using race in elections since the Nixon years. Nothing has changed.

 

Longer than that but so have the Democrats, or haven't you noticed.

[Run To State]

How can Obama play the race card? He's white and so is McCain.

Only when it's convenient for him.

[Run To State]

Isn't he probably just going off of recent history about how SOME Republicans use race in elections? You do remember the phone calls Rove orchestrated on behalf of then-candidate Bush when running again now-candidate McCain, right? "Did you know McCain has a black daughter?"

 

Surely we don't think everything has changed in 8 years. Race will come up either directly or indirectly.

No, he's just flat out playing the race card, IMO.

[Run To State]

Republicans have been using race in elections since the Nixon years. Nothing has changed.

The Dems have been doing eveything in their power to make people believe they're for the little guy when that's the farthest thing from the truth. Nothing has changed.

[woodsrider]

I'm really tired of hearing him called the Black candidate. Why not call him the Bi-Racial candidate? Or the I Was Raised BY My White Grandparents candidate? Or The Candidate With The Chinese-Canadian Stepsister? The only race card I see being played is the one he is playing to represent himself as the first Black nominee for President.

Because an average white guy with little to no qualifications doesn't stand a chance at getting elected.

[pnthr4life]

The Dems have been doing eveything in their power to make people believe they're for the little guy when that's the farthest thing from the truth. Nothing has changed.

 

RTS you crack me up. Your disdain for the Democratic Party is comical and I applaud your loyalty. However, being the loyal Democrat I am just leaves me here at my computer smiling.

[Clyde]

No, he's just flat out playing the race card, IMO.

 

It wasn't really a question. The point is that we should not be shocked if and when the race card gets played by Republicans against a Democrat when they've already used it against one of their OWN.

[the mathemagician]

RTS you crack me up. Your disdain for the Democratic Party is comical and I applaud your loyalty. However, being the loyal Democrat I am just leaves me here at my computer smiling.

 

This Democrat expects to be smiling a lot for at least the next 8-12 years.

[HHSDad]

This Democrat expects to be smiling a lot for at least the next 8-12 years.

Why? Did the Nobel Committee finally decide to give an award for mathematics?

[the mathemagician]

Why? Did the Nobel Committee finally decide to give an award for mathematics?

 

 

:laugh:

[nWo]

I'm really tired of hearing him called the Black candidate. Why not call him the Bi-Racial candidate? Or the I Was Raised BY My White Grandparents candidate? Or The Candidate With The Chinese-Canadian Stepsister? The only race card I see being played is the one he is playing to represent himself as the first Black nominee for President.

Aren't these some of the same things that was said about Tiger Woods?

 

Thanks for sharing. I understand that growing up bi-racial not too many years ago could be a worse experience than being a "person of color". Gray babies (a term introduced to me by a black co-worker) were often rejected by both of the parents races. Barack's experience, I'm sure was not always easy. Being bi-racial had its pitfalls, not to mention sharing his father's Muslim name.

 

I stated that Obama has been calling himself the first black candidate, but I don't know that it is true. It may just be that so many others refer to Barack that way that I assume that it comes from him.

 

It was actually against the law for couples of difference races to marry. That law was struck down in, if memory serves me correctly, 1967.

[Run To State]

RTS you crack me up. Your disdain for the Democratic Party is comical and I applaud your loyalty. However, being the loyal Democrat I am just leaves me here at my computer smiling.

Actually I don't have disdain for the Democratic Party, I have disdain for what it has become. I remember my mom (who was a life long Dem until Carter) saying she could no longer support a party she no longer recognizes. Reagan changed her mind about Republicans and I don't think she's voted Democrat in a presidential election since.

 

Is my disdain for what the Democratic Party has become any different then your disdain for the Republican Party? I would have to guess no. Is it any different then quite a few BGP posters disdain for the Republican Party? Again, I would have to say no.