Are we ready for a minority president?

[wisedude]

I'm struggling to decide who to vote for... IN a recent poll hillary was shown as losing to EVERY republican candidate.... I like Barrack, but I'm just not sure that he has enough experience or that the US is ready for a black president yet... What do you guys think? Who will YOU be voting for... (I'm undecided... possibly Kucinich)

[jpd1975]

No matter who we elect we can be sure that they're bought sold and paid for. can we handle it as a people, sure as heck we can - there's no reason a man or woman's race should be considered in regards as criteria for elect ability - I'd vote for a purple guy if he was going to do the right thing for our nation.

[Locke]

Kucinich! please! Even if he doesn't follow through on his current ideals, at least it gives me a shred, no, a fiber of hope for the future of American politics.

[Cattraknoff]

What does it matter?

A black man gets elected and more than a century of corruption will miraculously end?

Are black men immune to the corruption? women?

No. Nothing will change, not in the scheme of things. The current system is broken, and has been for a long time, little can be fixed whilst using it.

[Horus]

Correct. (To post above)

It's just a novelty, a small detail that (for example) Barack Obama comes into power. Once we all get over the little 'feel-good' rubbish that sorrounds a nice little front-pager like this every once in a while, we realise that the chair in the White House is still warm from George Bush. That said, so is the country he has inherited to run.

Therefore, it's irrelevant if we have a minority president. I think that whatever president the people of America choose, the country will still descend into the spiralling chaos it's gravitating towards right now.

[Mitch]

I agree with you both, a minority president won't change much, within the corruption and all, but it might decrease the populations views on minorities. Especially in the southernmost states, where racism is quite prominent.

[Horus]

I agree with you both, a minority president won't change much, within the corruption and all, but it might decrease the populations views on minorities. Especially in the southernmost states, where racism is quite prominent.

Good point. But you can't help but feel with (for example) a minority leader being slightly biased towards helping solve problems in those minorities he represents (such as racism), it could be counter-productive against the rest of society. Again, just employing hypothetics here, but you need to avoid a leader who is one-dimensional in his contingency plans.

[Gwendl]

I certainly could see America having a black president and before the war fiasco, I would have voted for Colin Powell. I thought he had the strength and the leadership to be a good president. Black or white, I think the next president is going to have to be someone who can basically rebuild a nation torn in conflict. I don't see Barack having the political capital to do that. Unfortunately all the ones that could be in that position are at the bottom of the polling.

[Syngenetic]

I'm with Democrats. Having a republican President was bad enough. I'm going for Obama or Edwards.

[ShadyPolitics]

I'm struggling to decide who to vote for... IN a recent poll hillary was shown as losing to EVERY republican candidate.... I like Barrack, but I'm just not sure that he has enough experience or that the US is ready for a black president yet... What do you guys think? Who will YOU be voting for... (I'm undecided... possibly Kucinich)

I hate when stupid questions are asked, like what is the world ready for. The world is never ready for anything. If our actions were based on what the world was "ready" for, we would still be in caves carving pictures of animals. The majority of the world would still be undiscovered and we would still have slave masters "not ready" to put down the chains and whips.

Also, the idea of "America" having to be prepared for a minority in the White House presents itself as discrimination. What cant a person from a minority do, that a white man with gray hair cant? Explain to me what exactly do people mean by "not ready for a minority". Is that the way of sugarcoating, "keep minorities out of the Washington"?

[NICKHILL80]

Yes we are and it's pretty sad when we have to debate whether or not were ready. How are we suppose to move forward and make change happen in this country when were worried about the gender, race or color of the person that might lead this country.

[PaitChow]

I don't think race or sex matters......that said, Barack Obama is only half-black, but there's no debating Hilary Clinton has a 100% whole vagina.

Clinton '08 JK

[Mitch]

Well, Obama said those same word (more or less) himself. But the fact is, it does matter. Most men and africans are voting for Obama, and most women are voting for Clinton. We can't deny that sex and race will probably affect the election, it always does.

[bizwiz]

I think America is now ready for either a woman or minority president but I don't think there will still be any much changes to the status quo.

[brookes]

I'm struggling to decide who to vote for... IN a recent poll hillary was shown as losing to EVERY republican candidate.... I like Barrack, but I'm just not sure that he has enough experience or that the US is ready for a black president yet... What do you guys think? Who will YOU be voting for... (I'm undecided... possibly Kucinich)

I think we are more than ready for an minority president, but we are still a male dominated society not ready for Madam president. I always expected hillary to win in the last year. But recent primaries proved me wrong and that americans are ready to vote for a minority but not for a women.

--brookes

[hideip]

I think our country can handle a minority president. There still are people out there that are prejudice and racist however it is no longer as rapant as it once was. I feel if Obama wins then more power to him.

[Cattraknoff]

I think our country can handle a minority president. There still are people out there that are prejudice and racist however it is no longer as rapant as it once was. I feel if Obama wins then more power to him.

While I think it would be fine if a black man, white man, yellow man, even a pink man one, I do not like Obama. Nor do I like Clinton, or any of the other candidates.

I don't care the colour of their skin, or what lay between their legs, they're all the same in my book. Equally corrupt, equally selfish.

[bigdoglj52]

I think we are but the voting will realy decide :)

[oboehart]

While I think it would be fine if a black man, white man, yellow man, even a pink man one, I do not like Obama. Nor do I like Clinton, or any of the other candidates.

I don't care the colour of their skin, or what lay between their legs, they're all the same in my book. Equally corrupt, equally selfish.

I don't think that all politicians are equally corrupt and equally selfish. That's very pessimistic, and though there is definitely corruption and selfishness in the whitehouse (or any other government for that matter) I do see more potential in some candidates than in others.

[Cattraknoff]

I don't think that all politicians are equally corrupt and equally selfish. That's very pessimistic, and though there is definitely corruption and selfishness in the whitehouse (or any other government for that matter) I do see more potential in some candidates than in others.

Perhaps if the president actually had more power than he does in reality.

Granted, thanks to new (within 2 years) laws, Bush (or perhaps a future president) has been declared dictator, but I highly doubt he's the one behind it.

[Locke]

I don't think that all politicians are equally corrupt and equally selfish. That's very pessimistic, and though there is definitely corruption and selfishness in the whitehouse (or any other government for that matter) I do see more potential in some candidates than in others.

Oh, perhaps, but those who do not share those personal defects are not in a position to do much. It may be overly pessimistic, and there are many perfectly respectable politicians, but considering the output of the North American governments one can surmise that the majority aren't exactly candid with their doings.

[Ed Jones]

Oh, perhaps, but those who do not share those personal defects are not in a position to do much. It may be overly pessimistic, and there are many perfectly respectable politicians, but considering the output of the North American governments one can surmise that the majority aren't exactly candid with their doings.

I concur completely Locke.

I believe its time for the crab-people to return to the surface, so they may purge us of our sinful ways.

[Coll]

Judging from the existence of the LOGO channel, I believe the rise of the crab-people has begun.

[Ed Jones]

Well I'm not sure about you, but i for one welcome our new crustacean overlords.

[oboehart]

Ok, back to the question on this thread. Are we ready for a minority president? I believe to some degree that having a black president would breed racism, because if the black president "failed," people (having a tendency toward racism, and feeling self-important) would project it on all black people. However, if they "succeeded" then people may see black people as elitist. (Using the example of the Jewish people gaining power, and simultaneously losing popularity.) What do you guys think?

[Cattraknoff]

Ok, back to the question on this thread. Are we ready for a minority president? I believe to some degree that having a black president would breed racism, because if the black president "failed," people (having a tendency toward racism, and feeling self-important) would project it on all black people. However, if they "succeeded" then people may see black people as elitist. (Using the example of the Jewish people gaining power, and simultaneously losing popularity.) What do you guys think?

While some ignorant might blame the fact that he's black for his failure, those that do would have done so regardless. Black people are not likely to gain a proportional amount of power even coming close to resembling that of Jews. The main obstacle to that is the general lack of wealth of black people (proportionally far more black people live in poverty, and substantially less are rich). What I'd be more afraid of is future Presidential races being all about a desire for novelty candidates; seeing who can get the most formerly-oppressed person to run (a gay black Jewish woman) so we can all see a substantial amount of "progress" in political fairness, and feel better about ourselves because of it.

[Coll]

Who would call black people elitist? One rich senator from the midwest, maybe. The whole race? Stupidity.

[Locke]

Stupidity.

That is the epithet easily applied to the majority of America. Ye can't misunderestimate 'em.

[Locke]

While some ignorant might blame the fact that he's black for his failure, those that do would have done so regardless. Black people are not likely to gain a proportional amount of power even coming close to resembling that of Jews. The main obstacle to that is the general lack of wealth of black people (proportionally far more black people live in poverty, and substantially less are rich). What I'd be more afraid of is future Presidential races being all about a desire for novelty candidates; seeing who can get the most formerly-oppressed person to run (a gay black Jewish woman) so we can all see a substantial amount of "progress" in political fairness, and feel better about ourselves because of it.

I'd nominate a transexual hydrocephalic black Muslim geriatric.

[Cattraknoff]

I'd nominate a transexual hydrocephalic black Muslim geriatric.

I omitted a Muslim intentionally because no one would vote for a terrorist.

Yes, that was intentionally ignorant; sue me (not really, I can't afford it).

[Coll]

Surely you aren't suggesting there are non-terrorists that are Muslims.

[Cattraknoff]

Surely you aren't suggesting there are non-terrorists that are Muslims.

Not at all, I was only implying that Muslims aren't the only ones who might be terrorists.

Stereotyping doesn't cover all the possibilities, is all.

[Coll]

Ah, clever thinking there. People often forget about the Buddhistofascist groups springing up all over the world now.

[washington]

I think that to define any candidate by their race, gender, sexual leaning or anything similar characteristics misses the point. The first Black President is going to be so constrained by not appearing to be "too black" that he will likely ignore issues such as racial profiling and affirmative action wherever possible. After all, Obama winning the Presidency is going to be heavily reliant on the support of getting younger voters to turn out and winning the support of independent voters (ie middle-class white men). He would be unlikely, therefore to claim a mandate for sweeping reforms on "black issues".