I always thought of Barack Obama as the beneficiary of a nation attempting to atone for its racist past. So much so that overlook what would be obvious disqualifiers in a white candidate. Such as his association with known domestic terrorists like Bill Ayers. Or blatant racists/professional race-baiters such as Jeremiah Wright.

How successful to you think a white candidate would be with friends and benefactors like Bill Ayers, or belonging to a racist church for twenty years?

That, and the Democrats were absolutely frantic to put a black man in the White House. Can you imagine how they could continue as the party that forever congratulates themselves for being the party of racial equality (their perspective, not mine) if the Republicans actually forwarded a black Presidential candidate before the Democrats did?

To paraphrase the title of a recent post of yours, Amy, racism is still racism, even when your side wins.

Actually, Amy, I don't agree with you. I don't think it is "amazing" that we have a black president.

Jim Crow was the law in just a handful of states. Most states didn't have such crap. Most folks simply didn't care. (and as you seem to note, it was Jim Crow that was forced onto most folks by a handful of people "running" the governments - so, you are spot on with how government is used by a few to control the many)

What I find amazing is that too many folks voted for Obama because of his race.

Black voters overwhelming voted for him because he is black. If white voters had done this for a white candidate we would ALL be called racists for months/years on end. Yet, not a peep from the media on the racism of blacks. why?

I find it amazing that so many folks are still "swooning over" this black man, because he is black. And (as Patrick noted) still don't see the problems with Obama. That is the "soft bigotry" of low expectations.

And, it is still racism.

Hmm. Democrat vs. Republican?

Elbert Guillory reminds us of a few things.

Can you say with absolute certainty that black voters voted for him overwhelmingly solely because he's black? Would these same voters have voted for Herman Cain over Hillary Clinton?

Black voters are overwhelmingly Democrat, and vote for Democrats.

Black voters are overwhelmingly Democrat, and vote for Democrats.
That's a valid point, but why is it? The KKK was a democrat offspin, so was Bull Connor, George Wallace. President Johnson did a good job of spinning the great society, but it didn't work. So the question is, why are democrats the beneficiary of this?

I think Obama was elected because in the areas where one may cross party lines during a primary, Republicans did so to vote for Obama. They thought that he would be easier to beat than Clinton. This tactic backfired on them when Obama was actually elected.

I do not know how common this was, but I do see several long-term racist Republicans in my town become delegates for Obama.

Stinky, well, at some point the Republicans and the Democrats experienced kind of a role reversal. The Party of Lincoln is not the Party of Lincoln. Southern Democrats, known as the Dixiecrats, who included Strom Thurmond, was a segregationist faction of the Democrats. Strictly speaking, those people you name are an offshoot of the Dixiecrats, not Democrats.

The Dixiecrats, as Strom Thurmond did, generally became Republicans. Although most of the leaders themselves returned to the Democrat party.

It's stupid to compare voters voting for someone that looks like them when they've never had anyone like that in the past is anything at all similar to whites voting for a white candidate just because he is white when we've had nothing but white presidents for the previous 43 presidents.

And it's stupid AND whining to complain that behavior is racist.

Or to complain women might give the first female candidate an extra look.

Or that Jews might do the same for a Jewish candidate.

Or that gays might do the same for a gay candidate.

Or that Indians might do the same for a candidate with an Indian background (Jindal).

Jerry: ...we've had nothing but white presidents for the previous 43 presidents.

Little known fact, but there are only 42 previous presidents, not 43. I realize that Obama is considered the 44th President, but technically, he's not.

Steven Grover Cleveland has the distinction of being a two-term President to two nonconsecutive terms. He was President number 22, then lost his bid for reelection to Benjamin Harrison (who lost the popular vote but won the electoral college vote). But Cleveland ran again, and this time defeated Harrison, becoming President 24.

In short, Presidents 22 and 24 were the same guy, so we've only had 42 previous presidents, not 43.

We've already had a gay president, by the way. Arguably the very worst one, too: James Buchanan.

Thanks Patrick, interesting factoid I should have learned in High School noted!

"Would these same voters have voted for Herman Cain over Hillary Clinton?"

Yeah I'm sick of the whole black people voted for Obama because he's black. White people could never do that! REVERSE RACISM!!!!!!!

Except white people use other ridiculous metrics. It's not a race thing, it's a human thing for the majority of our voters to be idiots and vote on superficial matters.

"Can you say with absolute certainty that black voters voted for him overwhelmingly solely because he's black?"

Ask black people. Where I work, that's exactly what they did. Where do you think the confidence that "Obama money" would be dished out came from?

What do you think a white candidate with Ayers and Wright in his history would be?

Black people were also obsessed with Bill Clinton. A white southern guy. He is super popular, I could argue just about as popular as Obama.

I think the fact that Obama was a viable black candidate got people excited but I'm sick of the black people ONLY voted for him because he's black thing. Why did hispanic people vote for him? Cuz he's black? Cuz he's a minority? (Hispanics and blacks have a bad relationship btw) Because then I could say Sarah Palin was only chosen cuz she is a hot woman.

One factor is not the only explanation.

Anyways if it was just a black thing those black Republicans would have a large black following (they don't).

Obama sold himself well, that is why people voted for him. Obama isn't even "African American black" but the fact he is so popular with African Americans goes to show what a good salesman he is. Colin Powell never did what he did, and even if he was a Democrat I doubt he could.

Colin Powell never
Powell was at least a semi-decent human being who served his country, as opposed to the ass clown in the WH, who just took advantage of it. I don't remember Powell as a race baiter, and I can't decide whether the ass clown is a race baiter like many dems, or an outright racist.

Um, maybe a lot of people were determined to vote for Obama simply because he wasn't John McCain - and they felt that way BEFORE Sarah Palin stepped in?

As someone pointed out long ago: ANYONE who won the Democratic primary was going to win in 2008, if you see what I mean.

"The Dixiecrats, as Strom Thurmond did, generally became Republicans. Although most of the leaders themselves returned to the Democrat party."

George Wallace was a Democrat until the day he died. He won his last term as Alabama governor in 1982, with the full support of black Democrats in the state.

"Anyways if it was just a black thing those black Republicans would have a large black following (they don't). "

Yeah, but that's because they have been widely labeled as "race traitors". The label itself ought to tell you something. There's no doubt that the Democratic Party encourages blacks and other minority groups to vote tribally. Having said that, it's also true that these groups are almost universally Democrat voters anyway. I stil remember going through the Alabama election results after the 2008 election and looking at individual precincts. One precinct in Birmingham had over 2200 votes cast -- and not one single vote for McCain. I doubt that a precinct could be found anywhere in the nation where that many votes were cast without a single vote for Obama.

I want to do a little research and find out the ethinc makeup of majors and other major office holders in majority-black cities like Detroit and Birmingham. Should be an interesting exercise.

I stil remember going through the Alabama election results after the 2008 election and looking at individual precincts. One precinct in Birmingham had over 2200 votes cast -- and not one single vote for McCain. I doubt that a precinct could be found anywhere in the nation where that many votes were cast without a single vote for Obama. -- Cousin Dave at June 24, 2013 8:06 AM

Well in 2012 there were several precincts in the Philadelphia are that had every single vote for President was for Obama. There was also 100% votes for a presidential candidate while there were multiple ballots that no votes were cast for lesser office. I can't see how that is possible. There should, just by statical odds, a 1% where no vote was recorded for the presidents seat, and a 1-1.5% for anybody else just by mistake, at a minimum.

I routinely will not vote for an unopposed candidate in a general election. And if I don't like either candidate I'll skip that vote or choose third party.

I can't see a district, no matter how gerrymandered, that would not have a 5-10% opposition, no matter what they say in public.

"Yeah, but that's because they have been widely labeled as "race traitors". "

To me that's just a marketing term by conservatives for why they dont get the minority vote. Sure it happens once in a blue moon, but not on the level it's made out to be.

Blacks are loyal to Dems, for the same reason , Jews to the Dems, Hispanics to the Dems, Gays to the Dems, Asians to the Dems because Republicans are seen as a bunch of outdated white guys & religious zealots out to keep "the good old days". Certainly what happened to Erika Harold recently doesn't help their case.

"Yeah, but that's because they have been widely labeled as "race traitors". "

To me that's just a marketing term by conservatives for why they dont get the minority vote. Sure it happens once in a blue moon, but not on the level it's made out to be.

I've only ever heard black people refer to other blacks as Uncle Toms and house niggers, never white people