Coates: "The Myth of the Black Racist Voter"

What I can't figure out is the Black columnists that are liberal, affluent, and educated that want to make it look like that whole 96% is voting the issues, not the color of the skin.
Useless.
MOST of the Blacks I have talked to are not shy in saying that they are voting because it's a black man.
So why do they need excuses from the "Elitists", black or otherwise for their actions, especially when it's not true?

It's a fact, live with it.

irma, i agree with you. i was undecided at the beginning, and i merely raised a question about obama and was attacked. another black person told me she couldnt be objective in this election. stunning. i have worked on civil rights and liberal causes my entire professional life, but simply questioning obama makes me suspicious. corporate blacks like oprah, however, get a free pass. what a joke.

Well Obama and his surrogates like Jesse Jackson Jr. have pushed his race as a reason for blacks to vote for him because they will be to blame if Obama does not win the nomination. As a black person, believe me the pressure to vote black in this campaign is something I have never experienced in past elections. I blame Obama's tactics for that, not white people. So please....

don't know why my earlier post was deleted, but i'll try again...

"gammaraygus, thats because there was not any creditable black candidates running in elections of the past."

and whom decides whom is credible? the voters do. and last time i checked, voters both black and white and those in between have indicated that obama is not only credible but he could actually win it. and with that i'm out folks. peace be unto all of you!

stunning the way the censors work on here. my post is relevant and not racist! I am black and I can certainly state that blacks become foolishly intolerant of dissent with respect to Obama. There is an article in the Wash. Post today on the subject of blacks "protecting" Obama and the fallout it has caused. So stop censoring honesty, please. When people like Tavis Smiley have to defend their black "credentials," but Obama does not, we have a PROBLEM. This is far more important than what label we place around black bloc votes for Obama.

Don't care how they spin it. Black or white: if your sole reason for voting for someone is because of their race, then you're a racist.

That applies not only to blacks, but to whites or anyone else who votes for Obama primarily because they want to see a black man in power.

Similarly, if you're only voting against Obama because he identifies himself as a black man, then you're equally racist.

The determining factor is not the race of the voter, but the way the voter views the candidate. Race blindness -- not taking race into account whatsoever -- is the only way to "transcend" race, as Obama supposedly wants to do.

Now let's see Obama actually do it. E.g., I don't want to hear another word about his racial heritage come out of his mouth. If he does, he's playing his race(s) for advantage and contradicting his own "transcendent" rhetoric. And that's what he's done to this point, which is why I highly doubt I'll vote for Obama. It's the hypocrisy, stupid.

gammaraygus, thats because there was not any creditable black candidates running in elections of the past.

Americans should all come together and elect a woman, Hillary!

"As I recall a black was not running against Bill Clinton."

wow. okay i'll go here. blacks have voted at those same rates when Shirley Chisolm, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Alan Keyes respectively ran for president. from an historical perspective and fact it doesn't matter, blacks folks have voted at those rates for the white male candidate regardless of whom was in the race with them. whether they be a "black" or not. i like the attempt at a comeback tho'..."a" for effort.

As I recall a black was not running against Bill Clinton.

Obama is the nominee/ millions of scorned women will flock to the polls for revenge/ Hillary's gonna fuss and scream till eyes bleed/ McCain will be the big winner in the end/ Rush is gonna gloat and take credit for manipulating women/ Hannity's gonna keep on telling us we're all good Americans except McCain / Lou Dobbs is gonna keep on saying "what on earth were they thinking"/ Bill Clinton speech money will really start rolling in/ the Iraq war will never end/ more wars will be waged and authorized/ no more tax cuts or tax roll backs/ our poor US education will continue unfunded/ oil company execs will celebrate/ Bush-anomics will continue under McCain/ more conservative supreme court judges will be appointed for decades to come/ no health care reform in our lifetimes/ the economy goes down the tank./ what a country.

Obama is smoke and mirrows. He is friends of many shady characters such as Rezco, Ayers, Rev Wright and his church and the Larry Sinclair story is still pending. He is an eletist who is out of touch with working people and thinks they are bitter and cling to thier religious faith and guns because of it. His health care plan is not as good as John McCain's and it will probably take him years to pull out of Iraq. I have not heard him explain one of his plans in detail. The voters have to keep his middle name quiet so as not to offend him. Is this what the people call the chosen one?

"When has ANY OTHER ethnic group in this country voted 90% for ANY candidate? NEVER...until now. Sorry. I'm not buying what your friend is selling."

Wow Vickie. What an amazing uninformed comment. You do realize that over 85% of blacks voted for Bill Clinton both times right? Blacks have voted at 90% rates for nearly 5 decades for the white male democratic candidate. Please please be a little more informed before you spout off.

I believe there are very few people in the USA who object to a black man for president. Its just Obama is not the right black man for president.
He is arrogant and condescending. He acts as though he is better than everyone. He does look down at everyone. He is also a very scary person in that he has created a cult following who I think would do anything he asks of them. Whether they be white or black is no matter - its what they believe him to represent. Now when he cannot come through on this representations, and those black supporters get angry - what is he going to do then? His also rabid associations with the demented pastor, his association with Wm Ayers, his traveling with Louis Farrakhan, his hedging answers when challenged and then his absolute hatred of Bill and Hillary Clinton. He actually believes he is better than she is, smarter, more intelligent and overall better. He is not better. He does not have the qualifications of leadership. He has never dealt with a foreign dignitary - how can he lead this country? I am so afraid he will get this country into a terrible mess and the terrorists will be back. I don't think he is smart enough to be president. He is to egotistical - so what happens during an important meeting with a foreign nation, he is told no. He is so arrogant, how will he respond to a no? No matter whether the votes are from blacks or whites, we need to really be careful who we vote for. There is just too many unknowns about obama. He is scary as his followers are scary.

If blacks support Obama because of his African American heritage why doesn't whites support Hillary because of her white heritage?

what are some you going to do with all this anger when the election is over/when the lights go out? please get help soon. our prisons are full of nut cases that go on shooting sprees just because they are angry. intelligent debate is healthy for democracy, hysteria is not.

What a joke!

The truth is African-Americans are voting for Rookie U.S. Senator Obama because of his African heritage.

I have asked several African-Americans why they support Obama.

They all told me the same thing; that is, they want to support a "brother".

Blacks vote for Obama. If whites all voted for Hillary the blacks would call it racist. It's that simple.

Obama cannot win if he loses in West Virginia.

Justme, I hear ya. I may not agree, but I hear ya.

"Who's truth is truer: what I mean to say is that Clinton represents private, divisive politics. That is the perception of a lot of people jumping on the Change bandwagon."