Hi Roland,

I have a concern about the tone this McCain/Palin campaign is taking, yesterday in Florida an person shouted “Kill Him” in response to Palin’s discription of Obama paling around with terrorist. I have not heard this addressed on the National news and I am afraid of where this rhetoric is headed.

Here is the report from the Washington Monthy:

“Also yesterday, Sarah Palin repeated one of her unusually stupid attacks, rehashing the nonsense that Obama “pals around” with terrorists. One man in the audience, responding to Palin’s smear, shouted, “Kill him!” Palin also did not comment on the remark.”

Roland,
I wish it were possible in my lifetime to “loose” all the damn labels, but I really believe it’s all part of human nature. As much as I deplore racism from all sides, no matter what the heck you do, somebody is gonna see the other guy or gal as “different.” If we hear comments or an ideology expressed, we may momentarily consider what was said, but then we also “evaluate” the messenger. It is a myth to believe it will EVER be different simply because we’ve all been taught throughout our lives that we are “individuals” and that makes us “different” no matter what. And as for your inner city thought, the only thing McCain or Pailin will ever consider is how to drive around it to get from point A to point B. After all, the inner city is not representative of the world they live in…is it?

Inner city? What color would that be? Why does color matter, sex, age, economic status?

Frankly…I find the “lack of” trying to weave their message to: inner city, suburbs, mountains, valley’s, race, age, economic status, personal billiance—a big breath of fresh air.

As a former lifelong Democrat–I’m now I’m and independent?
Because to join a local caucus in my town–I was unable to find one consisting of middle-age white men. The black, hispanic, young democrats, women, asian-pacific Americans, and native Americans all shunned my presence and ignored my contributions to the party–or society.

A hard look at the Democratic Party–especially in this season–shows striations, in-fighting, power/message struggles caused by it’s attempt to segregate different segments of the population–and steer them left. Truly–it’s inability to look at all Americans as equal in the eyes of government and their elected representatives–is their Achille’s heel.

I’ll be voting for McCain. Because he makes no attempt to wed himself to ideals that divide the nation among ethnic, racial, gender lines–instead continuoulsy refering to all Americans–and the blind equality of our constitution and bill of rights as his guiding principle of fairness, equity, freedom, and liberty.

Thank God–he’s failed to divide–but instead prefers to unite.

Senator McCain and Govenor Palin’s insidious slide into Hoover-style politics is more frightening than both the war in Iraq and the finacial crisis. Their campaign seems to be pining the good ol’ days of Jim Crow, perhaps just to win an election, but nonetheless inciting volence. A man in the crowd at a Palin rally shouted, “kill him,” when Palin began her standard association of Senator Obama with Ayers in her stump speech.

Please, journalist of American, citizens, put a stop to this. We do not need an internal race, religion, and class war in the middle of the most challenging time this country has seen in a long while. We have come too far to slip back into this type of discourse and this type of intollerance. TELL THEM TO STOP! Expose the consequences of this type of strategy, if you can possibly call it that. Ask the McCain campaign to make their case for the highest office in the land on the issues, not by turning the clock back fifty years.

To think that Sarah Palin is only reaching out to white voters is political suicide. This article spins it that way to create some level of division that is not real. She did not win the Governorship of Alaska with just the white vote. You sir, are writing a racist article here. It is unfortunate for you to continue such negativitiy. One would think that someone as educated and successful as you would want to continue that success by writing something with more honesty and fairness.

she ain’t speaking to me either, i’m a WHITE AMERICAN and i can assure you, i am not “joe six-pack”

Exactly Roland. I am glad someone finally has the balls to say this in public media. Race is and should be irrelevant when you go to the polls to vote. The fact that this country puts so much emphasis on whether you are white/black/hispanic/ etc. really illustrates how civilized we really are. Couple that with reality television, some of these campaign ads, and NASCAR, you may begin to see and understand why so much of the world views us as a bunch of barbarians.

McCain is so racist. As he answered Oliver Clarks’ question he referred to Alan’s’ American Dream. Why would he not point Oliver’s American dream. Is it that Black people do not have a right to the American dream? He was condescending and racist.

Dear Martin: I totally agree with you. I wish politicians would just talk straight and tell it like it is, but I know it won’t happen. I am a white, middle-age, middle-class female who dislikes all the labels being thrown at us, especially by the repugnant republicans. McCain and Palin care nothing about the inner cities, or the middle class for that matter. It’s always the rich.

Palin has promoted a view that America consists of hockey moms and joe 6-packs. I was under the impression that America was a diverse nation of people from all walks of life, with a far broader scope of interests and ideals not limited to watching hockey and drinking beer. It’s not only offensive, it shows the other side of small town mentality that nobody has discussed – the “we don’t like outsiders” crowd. I have no doubt she connects to hockey moms and six-packers, and that is unfortunate.

I agree, Mr. Martin. Call it like it is. The media will say “the black vote” or “the hispanic vote” all the time but there are so many labels for “the white vote” that I can’t keep up.

McCain spews talk of reaching across the aisle and him being a maverick to his own party; however, I have not heard once how he will reach across the street to help “the middle class.” Or, maybe they don’t have middle class in the neighborhoods where he has his many residences? Maybe McCain’s idea of “the middle class” is someone who has four homes instead of nine?

Roland,
Whether you know it or not there are soccer moms who are black! There are Joe six packs who are black! For someone who wants to keep race out of this election you sure do bring it up all of the time! Get over it! Most Americans have why don’t you!?

Cindy…Ga.

Watching the news and bits of these rallies it really looks like kkk meetings. I am a white 32 year women and I can NOT believe what I hear “treason” “terrorist” and “kill em”! Why did Palin and McCain just keep talking? You can see that they heard the comments. And isn’t the media talking about this more? This is serious! I hate to say the race thing is an issue but Palin and McCain are coming off very racist. I have a couple friends who are black and republican, but after the past week they are voting for Obama. People are offended{we can read between the lines}. So Roland can you push this issue and make cnn talk about the hate rallies that are going on. My own granfather told me that these rallies look like the 60’s all over again. I cannot tell you how angry voters are about this. I live in Pittsburgh and we don’t like this at all! Please Roland keep this in the news. PENNSYLVANIA FOR OBAMA or should I say THAT ONE

All I can say to this article is “THANK YOU”. My sentiments exactly. I am an African American, though biracial (white/black) haven’t felt that the McCain camp is reaching groups of people other than White Americans. The media expresses that Obama is in the lead partly because of the economic situation and that people tend to sway Democrat during hard times. This is totally not the case. I am also not voting Obama because he is black.

Palin came to California….Orange County which is considered to have many “wealthy” families…I was really hoping to hear or see inner city or something. It only confirmed more what the McCain camp stands for….the wealthy and the middle class and lower income can wait.

I’m glad someone addressed Joe Six Pack cause honestly as an African American amd just as a person, I’d never heard this term before so I knew it had nothing to do with or at least very little to do with and address African Americans. And hockey moms….I have never seen a Black Hockey Mom son who plays hockey.

Bottom line McCain camp has made a mistake and a costly one at that.

Good article Roland
Sonia, I can’t believe someone shouted “kill em” and Palin did not say anything, and that story has not picked up any ground in the media. That is outrageous. It is for reasons like that I pray constantly for Barack and his health, and safety. Furthermore, it is also for reasons such as the one stated above that even if Barack is elected president, America still would have a long way to go in terms of racial reconciliation.

WHY is it OK for certain people to vote for Obama BECAUSE HE IS BLACK…….

But it is not OK for certain people NOT to vote for him BECAUSE HE IS BLACK…………

This is a 2 way street ….. like it or not, there are people in this country who just cant stand the thought of a BLACK man in the WHITE house…….

They will only change when they want to, you are not going to change their minds with pissing and moaning about it.

I used to be Joe six-pack, then I quit drinking. I agree with your story all the way. But Joe six-pack cares more about being able to pay his mortgage these days. I think he will choose to be helped by Obama over hating Obama. The labels definitely are used to disguise and not have to say out loud “white vote”. But, if the “minority vote” could come together and strong for Obama it really wouldn’t matter. Obama would win. Latinos need to understand that voting Obama in to the White House does so much for all the minority groups. Not to mention that Obama is the only candidate who cares about the minority vote. The hockey moms will vote for Obama even if their Joe six-packs don’t. My mom rarely votes the same as my dad. She is voting for Obama. Many NASCAR dads may not even vote this year. McCain is looking very bad.

Roland,

I think you hit the nail in the head. It is the elephant standing in the corner in this campaign. I found it fascinating last night that hands down, the CNN focus group of undecided Ohio voters thought Obama won the debate. They thought he was more presidential, etc. etc.. They had nothing bad to say about Obama at all. The green and orange lines during the debate were highest when Obama was speaking. The twist came at the end when Solidad O’Brien asked the group who they would vote for for President and the majority said McCain! I think Solidad and the other commentators were taken aback by this. The question in this campaign is how many white voters (especially in Ohio, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina) will agree that Obama is the better candidate, more qualified, etc. but they are not ready to cast their vote for him because of his race. David Gergen touched on this last night and he is exactly right. I’m not sure that this factor can be accurately measured in the polls. There is a possibility that if McCain can pull within 3 or 4 percentage points come election day, the race will actually be a dead heat.

Thanks for your great work.

Hi, what happened to the guy ,who sugessted that instead of the bail out of the stock market, that the gov. give $250, thousand to every American who is 18 and over? The more I think about it, the more it feels good to me. I think the housing market would reverse. Bills would be paid. And I for one would be happy and so would you. I would pay my morgage off for one thing.

Leave it up to you to pull the race card ONCE AGAIN Roland. Over half of your posts on this site are about whites being racist towards all other races, when your own web page is nothing more than an African American activist site that does nothing other than try to spread the word of a rise in black power across the nation. You are such a closed minded individual, anything that you don’t feel is about “including black people” or furthering african american strides in our country is racist. Do some homework. There are multiple black hockey players. Black people play and watch soccer. They shop at Wal-Mart (more black people shop there than whites here). Small town America is not just white people, contrary to your “almighty” belief. Wake up and see that it is people like YOU who create racism in our world by writing this GARBAGE to try to turn some heads and put your new best friend Obama in the white house. Not everyone is as ignorant or closed minded as you, and I hope they do their own homework and don’t take your bait. Get a clue people.

Well Roland, hats off to you, it is about time that someone calls it like it is.

I am a white American and if I am offended by the narrow-mindedness of comments such as you have pointed out above, I can well imagine how the rest of my brothers and sisters of ethnicity feel.

And we thought that we had come so far? Not so much!

I was horrified last evening when McCain called Senator Obama “that one over there”. HORRIFIED! There is NO TIME for this under any circumstances, let alone in a political debate. My God, what was he thinking? I have not been that disgusted since LBJ lifted his poor dog by the ears. Sure tells once and for all what we are dealing with. That mess in the White House is unconscionalble. Word!

First of all I would like to start by saying I watch CNN because of their somewhat objective view on politics, but what I saw tonight was quite alarming. The post-debate analyzing is the best on all TV, however the comment Senior Analyst David Gergen spoke tonight was quite frankly “sickening”. For Mr. Gergen to state on national television that the polls may suggest that Sen.Obama’s “blackness” may indeed effect the accuracy margin of actual polls conducted was quite disgusting to me. Now, I understand today’s society especially in the media when everyone must scale across that fine high wire line like great exhibitionist of old and try to appear objective when actually they are anything but. This statement deeply disturbed me as an American that the very thing we find so despicable in the back of our minds in today’s society we continue to keep bringing it up….the “race” card. To follow up that statement with a Stanford University poll made it even worse. I may be a bit forgiving than other Americans in the case that I will continue to watch CNN with hopes that this type of blatant behavior does not repeat itself. The fact is that its just too sensitive of an area to interject into an election of this magnitude at this time. No, I’m not blind to the issue of racism in this country, nor do I allow that racism to dictate or influence my beliefs and values that I have been raised on. I am sure that Mr. Gergen understands the weight he carries as a respected analyst, but he must also carry that same weight evenly into that medium of television so many tune into everyday.

THANK YOU ROLAND! It’s about time someone called it like it is. the veiled racism of this wacky right wing woman is appalling. In selecting her, McCain shot himself in the foot.

Why does Sara Palin think that people want to be referred to as “joe six pack”? And,… “say it aint so joe”, Is this the kind of language we need comming from a united states representative? At one time, I might have considered voting for mccain. When I first saw her, I thought I was looking at a lady…, until she opened her mouth.
John, John. You used poor judjment in your selection for V.P.

You go Roland! Please keep this issue in the media because I don’t see anyone else discussing it. It’s subtle and that makes it dangerous. I’m Asian American and I live and grew up in the inner city. I had never heard of “joe six pack” before Palin said it. I find it interesting that Palin was selected because she could rally the Republican base with her ultra conservative views, but she’s also suppose to represent the common everyday person. How is that possible? The Republican base and the common person are not very similar. Am I the only one who sees this discrepancy?

Thank you Roland for finally bringing this subject up. I think that Carol and Christina said everything that I would have said. I do think that you should make sure that CNN gives this subject more coverage. Palin and McCain are desparate to win by any means necessary and their hidden racial remarks do nothing to move this country forward. By the way, where are the people of color at the McCain and Palin rallies? Their rallies do not look like the America that I live in.

Wow! Thanks for the insight on this. As a 65 year old white woman, I didn’t think “Joe Sixpack” included me–nor does “hockey mom.” And, I don’t see it as any group I’d want to be a part of. It’s rather insulting even to the small group of people who might relate to those terms. I’ve thought of several songs that could be an introduction to Palin. “I’m a Red Neck Woman;” “Harper Valley PTA;” and probably “Pretty Woman.” Thanks for helping me read between the lines on this as related to race.

Let’s face it folks. Race matters. Always has. Always will.

The thing is, it doesn’t just matter to Americans. Most of the world is “racist,” in the sense that they put their own kind first. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m an African-American woman of 45 years of age. I never ran into a joe sixpack or a hockey mom who were African-Americans. McCain replaced “You People” with “That One”. McCain is out of touch and he is a racist on man,

Rahni, Connecticut

I have realized from Day One that Sarah Palin’s selection as John McCain’s running mate was just a “desperate” PLOY to get Women’s votes! If Sarah is as intelligent as they want us to believe (because–afterall, she was mayor of Wasilla and is governor of Alaska) then, in her “quiet time”–perhaps just before she falls asleep at night–she KNOWS that she is BEING EXPLOITED! And the truly SAD thing is that these “Wal-mart moms, Soccer moms, and all of the other women she refers to and who talk about how much they “admire her” are CONDONING McCain’s EXPLOITATION OF PALIN! Come on women–get your head out of the sand! Are you–like McCain, so desperate for a Republican victory that you will allow one of us to be EXPLOITED like this? I guess so! We (women) HAVE come a long way, but we are taking a GIANT step backwards when you support exploitation of a woman by a man as McCain is exploiting Sarah Palin!

I look at Sarah as she makes these speeches, slinging mud, making accusations, saying what she has been told to say. McCain is having her do the “dirty work.” Isn’t that suppose to be the “man’s job?” I see her as a “puppet” whose strings are being pulled by McCain and his camp! At this rate, Sarah Palin will not have one iota of self respect left by the end of this campaign! How sad!

I just pray that the Wal-mart moms, Soccer moms, NASCAR dads, Small town America, and Joe Six Pack that Sarah Palin refers to repeatedly (and let’s not forget Jackie and Dunlap), will join me and put “Country First” by voting for the CHANGE that Barack Obama will bring!

Wow. I had never thought of that! But its true, isn’t it?!! Joe six-pack and hockey moms. White voters. I had heard one other peice on TV talk about ‘code words’ and just passed it off (apparently because I don’t know what code words to look for) but it is true! What an eye opener. And Thank you Roland for exposing this for what it is.

PS. The entire staff was HOT last night after the the debates! John King Rocks! And David Gergen as always – the best.

I’m White, a woman over 50 and don’t give a HOOT about what color this one is or isn’t. I’m voting for Barack Obama because he’s a breath of fresh air, with his thoughts and beliefs. I don’t care what happened to who or who they associated with, in the past. The Bible tells us to always LOOK FORWARD to keep Walking Ahead, not back.
So the candidates all need to stop this mudslinging BS (it’s getting real old and btw, McCain was the one who started it) and discuss why they are the BEST for the job.

Have a GREAT DAY ALL and God Bless America

Lastly, can someone tell me the last time you heard McCain or Palin say inner city? Maybe those aren’t the voters they care about.
—
I don’t think for one second any candidate would not care about a voter or a vote. Not in an election this close. Maybe Sen. McCain & Gov. Palin just realize no matter what they say or no matter what plan they put on the table, they will not get the inner city (excuse me- black- call it what it is) vote. 90% plus of the black vote is going to Obama. That is about the most racist statistic out there this election season. Call it what it is. Voting for Obama because he is black, is not loyal, it is racist. Call it what it is.

If it hasn’t been made pretty clear before that “McBush” is a racist, then last night’s debate should have made it crystal clear. In addition to the “THAT ONE” comment he made about Obama, an equally racist comment he made was when he answered a question by Oliver Clark who queried on how the bailout package was going to help the people having a difficult time. A portion of his answer was, “…But you know, one of the real catalysts, really the match that lit this fire was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I’ll bet you, you may never even have heard of them before this crisis…” How insulting is that? I guess in his limited line of thinking (SARCASM ALERT) there’s NO WAY that a black man can know anything about Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac because black people don’t actual buy homes and properties that require them to obtain loans and know about credit histories and FICO scores, etc. It’s exactly that kind of condescending and backwards thinking and ideology that “McBush” will bring to and perpetuate into the White House.

Roland – you are dead on – I am in the South and when I walk out of my door every day I see all the colors of the rainbow – it doesn’t matter where I go – the supermarket, the drug store, the bank, etc. – I hear many languages being spoken – since this is the South we don’t have hockey but the fields of softball, baseball and football are also a rainbow of beautiful children’s smiling faces

I personally don’t know any Joe six-packs since many here would rather have six pack abs

McCain is pitiful because he is allowing Palin to go out on the trail and spew hatred and lies – the beauty of America is its diversity – it should be celebrated -

Palin is just a Joke ! I think the only reason we listen to her speak is the shock she leaves behind when she is through. Send her Home , She needs some lessons in telling the truth and the fact that she is a mother is starting to scare me. Leaving for Italy – can not wait to her some international views on this Election.

I was at my son’s football game last night and it occurred to me that I was indeed a “football mom”. I am also a “basketball mom”. From those statements you might infer that I am Black. I am. But there were a lot of white people at that game also supporting their kids. I wonder how many Black kids are involved in hockey. Clearly Palin chose to describe mothers by a a sport that would allow us not to make a mistake on who she was reffering to when she says hockey moms. Why not just say White moms of America, otherwise why not just say sports moms if she didn’t mean it that way. I think it is very naive for many white people to say that race does not matter, and it only exist when we talk about it. In a perfect world it should not matter, but despite white america’s effort to sweep it under the rug, Black America knows that it is still an issue. I think that white people don’t want you to know just how racist a lot of them are so when asked by pollsters who they will vote for I think they lie about it. Especially if they are Democrats. How else could they explain not voting for Obama. I am afraid that when they get behind closed curtains they will vote their true selfs, and Obama will lose, despite having a double digit lead going into the vote. I guess then we will know that we really have not come that far from the racist 60’s as white americans have fooled themselves into believing.

McCain and Palin are down in the polls and desperate. I am disgusted but not surprised that Palin did not contest the “kill him” rant from one ignorant admirerer of hers. This is very revealing of Palin’s values.

The McCain and Palin campaign illustrates exactly why I have not trusted politicians in the past. They disgust me and continue to disgust me more and more daily. They are preying on the ignorant, narrowminded, uninformed Americans that will believe anything that is said without researching the facts on their own. They will get votes but they will not win the election. There are too many intelligent, informed, ethical voters to elect scums like McCain/Palin. Go Obama!

I am sickened by the fear and hatred drummed up by the Republican party. Where are the Christ-like members of members of the Religious Right in this campaign? It seems they are getting poised and ready to (falsely) push this into a religious Christian/Muslim battle as well. You know, Bill Maher was totally correct in his new movie RELIGULOUS. You should go see it. Its disturbing.

Intelligent people, whether black or white, don’t refer to themselves as Joe Six Pack, they feel that’s derogatory. Joe Six Pack is described by the educated as someone who drinks beer all day and not too intelligent. I wouldn’t put this label on anyone but Palin has done it.

Rolland,
As you can see this is an issue that no one wants to deal with, but now the fact still remains this campaign is really starting to show its true colors. I thought Mr. McCain was an honorable man I never doubted Sarah Palin (she is just plain Ignorant so you expect that from her) I knew she could resort to this kind of tactic.
It’s embarrassing because the world is watching and just last night while watching the debate Sen. McCain was asked about democracy in other countries and how he would deal with it.
You can’t expect other countries to respect us if we continue down this road of domestic issues in our own country. We are always trying to police up other countries with humanitarian efforts and we have this dirty little secret that is going to only get bigger if we are all unwilling to address it. I was hoping that race would not be an issue but, I am surprised we have not heard the N word yet!!!
However, we still have time and I’m sure it will slip out sooner or later. I am a veteran and right now I’m not proud that I defended this country. The attitudes those folks are displaying is one of the main reasons the world has ostracized us, and want to Bomb and destroy us.

Terrence @ 10:07 – what the…?

Gergen wasn’t being racist, he was reporting that many people still are (and it’s true) and that a university study showed that Obama is losing possibly as much as six percent of the vote he would otherwise get because of his race. He mistated the premise a bit – he said ‘if he were white’ and the study actually said ‘if race were not a factor’. I took this to mean that the six percent is the difference between the number of people who will NOT vote for him because he is not white and the number of people who WILL vote for him because he is black.

I further took this to mean the six percent did not include people who would never vote for the democratic candidate in any event.

What is wrong with David Gergen pointing out that Obama is ahead in spite of an endemic six point handicap?

I totally agree. I hate the references to Joe six-pack, soccer moms, NASCAR dads, etc.etc. I am an Asian female in her early twenties. What about me?

Cindy..
Do you know a black “Joe Six-Pack” or Do you know a “black hockey mom?”

thought so…..

Roland, I appreciate your unbiased views. As for McCain, he has direspected Obama in both debates, first one was when he would not even look at him, he stated that “HE COULD HEAR HIM”, and last night when he referenced him as “THAT ONE”. These are all racial undertones, just like on the job when you are passing one of your co-workers , and they either put their heads down, or look up in the ceiling , anything not to acknowledge you.

Are you equally offended when Obama uses the phrases “bamboozled”, “hoodwinked”, or “okie dokey”? For such a well educated man, why would Obama reduce himself to using such dated street slang? Maybe because he’s trying to appeal to one particulared audience, and it’s not the white middle-class.

hi Roland.
I totally agree with what you said but the problem is I am not White,black, Hispanic or Asian. I am an Arab-American and 100% Obama supporter. i don’t see neither parties talking to me, instead they try to avoid talking about us as much as they can. And i just want to make it clear to all Americans that not all Arabs are Muslims. there are also Arab Christians , and Arab Jews.

It is quite disturbing that race is even a consideration with the shape of the economy. It’s 2008 and not 1958…it’s time to get past this nonsense. Mr. Martin, unfortunately, you are correct in your opening statement and the race card is out in the open.

How sad for Brian writing that “there are people in this country who just cant stand the thought of a BLACK man in the WHITE house and that you should stop pissing and moaning about it”….well, guess what Brian…..we aren’t, we are just asking that people be accepted for who they are and not what color their skin happens to be. It’s the people with the same mindset as you that have the problem. It seems that those of you should stop “pissing and moaning” and get over the fact that we, as a race of people, are just as educated, just as smart and just as qualified.

Barack Obama has not once identified himself with any ‘group of people’ like Joe six pack or soccer moms…his only identification has been with the people of America. We are Americans…..not Black American or White American or Hispanic American….just American!

Race is not at the forefront of my decision for President. Thank GOD that I see the man and do not decide not to vote for him because of the color of his skin. This race is landsliding to the left and there isn’t much that can stop this force right now. The only thing that could help McCain would be another attack on US soil. People don’t want to hear that but it is true. If the wars we have created would escalate by the Republican President’s hand that could shift support to McCain also. Short of a catastrophe this election is over…………….

Obama/Biden 08

Dear Roland…
Amen! Great article. I am an…American…who happens to have white skin… I am sick of labels….and it has reached the point where I am beginning to feel more like the article of clothing I wear … than a person, a human being. I just wanted to let you know that you aren’t alone in your thinking…it is so sad to me. I have thought before that we might be better off as a country….if we were all blind…God forbid…but…
Thank you for all you do…you are greatly appreciated!

With all respect Roland, I don’t know that they really are referring to “white people”… they certainly aren’t including me. Maybe they are referring to “some white people” or “uneducated white people” or “white people who live in small towns” or “rednecks” but whatever they really mean doesn’t matter to me. It’s not inclusive of me (although I have been a republican for many many years) and despite the color of my skin (which is white) I’m voting for the person who is more like me… Barack Obama. Like me Obama believes in inclusion not exclusion. Like me he believes in the word “we” not “me”. Like me he believes to help another is to help all. So let Sarah rant about sixpacks, hockey moms, small town america, I’ll tune her out because she’s not talking to me.

I just find the “joe six-pack” a racial remark that is geared to suggest the blue-collar, uneducated, skin-head, KKK, red-neck and I am sick of hearing about it from her. She is insulting to the hard working, middle to low income Americans like me.

Is there not enough alcohol and drug abuse in our society to go around due to stress and economic pressures? It is a social issue that needs funding for programs to help alleviate the epidemic. Not a club at the hockey rink!

Cindy in Ga.

When was the last time you been in the “inner city” because there ain’t no black soccer moms where I stay. Now I am sure there are a sprinkle of black folks that live in the surburbs that are at a soccer game but lets be real. When Palin talks about “6 pack Joe” & “hockey moms” she ain’t talking about us colored folks. That is why 99% of black folks vote Democrat no matter if the person is black or white because they are the only Party that actually acknowledge we exist.

Roland I hear but we all know that race will always matter in this great country!

“THAT ONE 08″!

Roland , How unfortunate that for once, I have to agree with you. As much as we would like to think that we have a grip on racisim, it is still and always will be here in this great country. The difference is that we have just changed the terminology a bit. I live in Miami, Florida and as a White female who was born in this country, I am in the minority. (I have to correct you on one thing…it is not White American but it is simply Caucasian! How may times have I had to state my race and not once was there a box for White!)

Roland you are certainly right, glad your not afraid to talk about the race issues.

I know you are an educated guy, that’s why I’m always so disappointed when you are so divisive. Every ninth time you speak you bring up something interesting or smart, but those other eight times I just wonder if you realize how much you hurt your cause.

All the hockey moms and Joe six packs couldnt put McCains campaign back together again. They are preaching to the choir each and everytime McCain/Palin open their mouths. There should be no shock that they are behind.

If they made a hard decision to never say hockey mom, Joe 6 pack and maverick on the stump for the next month, they might see that by speaking to the people as fellow Americans, it might just go a long way to solving some of the campaigns problems with people on the fence.

I dont put much faith in the CNN voter reaction graph that was at the bottom of the screen during the debates. However, there were times when McCain’s dialogue didnt register a thing from anyone, a flatline. Thats amazing. Obama always drew a reaction from the group. That says alot. Regardless of what he was saying, he got people thinking and reacting to him.

David Gergen said there was no electircity in the debate, and he is mostly correct. But there is no denying Obama creates his own electricity whether you like his message or not while McCain just simply creates nothing in people who are on the fence toward him.

It’s completely unacceptable to insert race into every discussion about the various campaigns.

Most Americans, regardless of race, want our country turned around and may question whether either candidate is capable to accomplishing said change.

When people mention Joe Six-Pack, most think of a white male; when people mention rap music, blacks come to mind; Olympic sprinters? most likely Jamaicans come to mid.

To use race for political purposes is unacceptable; to frame a political issue in racial overtones is trite; please move on and try to become more than a one trick poney.

If you go to a McCain /Palin rally, it is overwhelmingly white…just go to one and take a look.

Sorry folks, there is just a racism issue at play here. There are 3 types of Republicans: folks who like to pretend that they have more than they really do, folks who are blatantly racist, and the very wealthy.

I think what you mean is “misguided white voters”…or just “stupid people”

Terrence- I understand your concern, but Roland is right to bring this issue up. Go back and read Greg’s comments posted at 9:49. I was glad to see I wasn’t the only person last night that was shocked when I realized, the “undecided” voters in Ohio said Barack won the debate, said every thing postive, but then, most of them said they won’t vote for him! The reporters were taken aback.

Roland, i am an independent and have voted for George Bush Sr, John Kerry, Gore in the past. i was leaning towards McCain before 1.5 weeks ago but am now for Obama especially after McCain’s comment that he viewed health care as a “responsibility.” It is very easy for him to say that with his health insurance and rich wife since this present health care system is broken and i see it every day on the frontlines in texas as an internal medicine MD, primary care physician. health insurance coverage these days is becoming more restrictive and more about denial and shifting costs to the average american and the health insurance bobbleheads and their cronies call this americans becoming more “responsible” and accountable for their health care choices. Most unhealthy americans did not choose to be unhealthy or riddled with chronic and daily pain or diabetes and we need a system like OBama’s proposal that will take care of Americans and prevent such hardship on the average american.

Roland, thanks for the common sense. Lets not forget the motto of the Commonwealth of Kentucky “UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”
Attempts to categorize and compartmentalize is one of the long time tactics of the republican party.
When someone asks me, I say “I’m a PERSON for Obama.”
Keep up the truth-speaking.

Roland,

While I agree with some of your comments I do also agree with some posts here that you do pull the race card quite often. If you don’t think about race all the time and rather competence or the person’s value and personality we ACTUALLY may move past this issue.

I’m a minority Indian woman and I refuse..absolutely refuse to acknowledge racism. I will not consider it for myself or any other. I portray myself as a person who is fair and competent and I judge others likeways. For those who aren’t like that and WANT to look at my race and judge me, then I have no time for a person like them in my life. Trust me I will succeed without them!

Every time Sarah Palin said “Joe six-pack” I felt like saying, “I’m sorry can we modify your statement a bit and include the Juan six-packs, Lee six-packs, Patel six packs etc…or lets just make it easier and say American six pack…or wait wait let me make it EVEN easier and just say AMERICAN”

So called “leaders” like her scare the heck out of me, because instead of elevating us and leading us forward, she is determined to pull us down back in the mud and erase all the progress that we have made and can make in the future. With her in any leadership power scares me of the intolerant views she will be promoting, and what kind of place would that be for anybody that doesn’t fit her conventional image?

I am a white female that lives in a town of 1,014 people. I thought “Joe six pack” was refuring to the beer drinking, white men of America. If you drink beer, Sarah is your girl. Should Joe Biden come out and say he is speaking to Joe micro brew? I need to e-mail SNL.

Roland, you are right on this one. Look at the stark difference between the 2 conventions. The DNC had a mixture of all colors, races, creeds. The RNC had 99% white people, many of them old. I don’t know any Black hockey moms or Asian Joe 6-packs.

Hats off to you Roland and David Gergen (my fave) for taking on this issue, it is the big white elephant in the room; and thank you Greg for noticing what I also noticed with the focus group last night. I actually sent an email to AC360 asking them for some follow through. Why didn’t Soledad O’Brian ask the focus group to explain the huge discrepancy between their reaction to Obama as being a positive on most talking points when compared to McCain, but the majority would still vote for McCain if the election were held today.
For those of you who don’t think race is an issue, this experiment with the focus group plays it out on live television with the dial testing.

While I agree with some of your comments I do also agree with some posts here that you do pull the race card quite often. If you don’t think about race all the time and rather competence or the person’s value and personality we ACTUALLY may move past this issue.

I’m a minority Indian woman and I refuse..absolutely refuse to acknowledge racism. I will not consider it for myself or any other. I portray myself as a person who is fair and competent and I judge others likeways. For those who aren’t like that and WANT to look at my race and judge me, then I have no time for a person like them in my life. Trust me I will succeed without them!

Every time Sarah Palin said “Joe six-pack” I felt like saying, “I’m sorry can we modify your statement a bit and include the Juan six-packs, Lee six-packs, Patel six packs etc…or lets just make it easier and say American six pack…or wait wait let me make it EVEN easier and just say AMERICAN”

So called “leaders” like her scare the heck out of me, because instead of elevating us and leading us forward, she is determined to pull us down back in the mud and erase all the progress that we have made and can make in the future. With her in any leadership power scares me of the intolerant views she will be promoting, and what kind of place would that be for anybody that doesn’t fit her conventional image?

Just an add on to my last post. First that I am a white male, so you can see I have no racial bias in my first comments. Second, to Cindy in GA, he said HOCKEY moms, not SOCCER moms, big difference.

Cindy,

You are absolutely right. Race only matters to those blacks, like Martin, who are always playing the victim and want to continue to use it as a weapon against the white community in order to get what they want.

The republicans have reached an all time low and are turning this nation against each other: middle class vs upper class; patriots vs terriorists; military vs non-military. Have we forgotten so quickly about 911 that put all these differences aside and we all Americans? I strongly support Obama. However, I’m really afraid that with all the economic turmoil, this Presidential race could drag this country back into segregation mindsets if the McCain/Plain ticket makes it to office. If that happens, I’m moving to Canada or England where I m more willing to take my chances to start anew.

Roland has no problem admitting Sarah Paling is targeting white voters, yet he refuses to acknowledge that blacks are voting for Obama simply because he’s black.
Why would she be trying to target black voters anyway. There’s no way in hell McCain will win over black voters because he’s a white man. Blacks I’ve spoken to don’t know anything about Obama other than the fact that he is black, yet they are still voting for him. If that’s not racist, I don’t know what is. But Roland won’t admit that his fellow black voters are casting the “racist vote”.
And before you just excuse me as a Republican…I’m not. I’m an Independent. I’m not sure if I’ll even vote because I don’t feel either candidate is right for the job, but I surely won’t base my decision on race like so many blacks are doing. It would be refreshing if Roland could “Man up” and admit blacks are casting the “Racist vote”

Roland, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who saw the KKK rallys that McCain and Palin hold. You should not be surprised when Palin’s husband Todd was a member of a group called The Alasken Independance Party. He was a member until 2002 and she recorded a speech for their convention last march. And Sarah got the blessing of her pastor Pastor Thomas Muthee who would be a Domestic Terrorist in his homeland of Kenya, where in 1999 he said a woman in the villiage was a witch and tried to run her out of town, really nice people they hang around with, huh?….But they can talk about Obama and something that happened 20 yrs ago.

If the six percent is the difference between a win and a loss then its important to get to those voters that think this way.
This is exactly the kind of change that we need to resolve this type of thinking that is embedded in the hearts of the American people.
If something isn’t done to change it then history will surely repeat itself.
Any decision that is based on hate and racism should be ignored completely or insured that the votes are strictly done in a way that it goes to the best candidate for the job.
If nothing is done to change this now then later on nothing will be done to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

Roland,
I’m one of those fifty-something Hillary supporters who will without question vote for Obama, and proudly. I’m also white. And I think you can add another layer to the issue of race; in my opinion, with less than a month to go, after nearly 2 years of campaigning, anyone who is still “undecided” is struggling with whether they can vote for an African American. I listened to David Gergen’s analysis last night after the debate, and agree with him. I also listened to your “undecided” voters and found much of what they said to be nonsense. Excuses. The candidates aren’t specific enough? Go to their websites and READ. Listen. Learn. And who with any intelligence thinks that the specifics for the economy, healthcare, or any other major issue facing us can be laid out in 90 minutes? Most of the people in that room wouldn’t understand the specifics anyway. Neither would I, for that matter. It’s the issue of race, whether it’s conscious or unconscious. It’s all about race.

My husband and I love hearing Barack speak because we feel a sense of direction, mindfulness, thoughtfulness and even a calming aspect to his message. We are not ‘joe six packs’ or ‘hockey moms’! In fact, this is a very narrow group of people to appeal too, but McCain and Palin don’t understand that. In fact, it is a complete insult to us. We have real issues paying our mortgage and sending our kids to college and now healthcare issues. We are both 50 years old and we wonder if this is how people felt when they heard FDR speak his ‘fire-side’ chats during the depression and the years to come. We have a great deal of confidence in Barack and we can’t wait to see him win on November 4! I am sad to see that McCain and especially Palin can only come up with slinging lies against Barack. Is this the best they can do? Neither of them have any room to talk since their closets are hardy clean. Palin with the bridge to ‘no where’ and 3 miles of road costing taxpayers 24 million dollars, the lawsuits in Wasilla for a recreation center that has a ‘lean’ on it, her association with a questionable church and her husbands activities with questionable groups. McCain with the Keating Five. Who are they fooling? They need to stop the craziness and get to the real issues. Unfortunately they are only tactical thinkers without a strategy or plan. Shame on them!

If it comes down to race against Obama then I would protest against such nonsense.
Who has the right to even say anything like that and why?
Having such a close mind and being so ignorant why? If the same thing was said about white, hispanic, brown or asian people that they are close minded, ignorant and selfish people then everything starts at square one. Having such thinking shows the character of ppl who think this way. In all fairness I think this is absurd and should not be taken lightly in any sense. I think it should be looked into and there should be some sort of consequence for it.

I agree with you Rolland. If Obama were not black he would be at least 20 points ahead in the race. In spite of the secret racists, McCain is such a joke and Palin an idot, the american people want a change. I’m voting for the man. I grew up in the deep south, am a 62 year old white male and I care about my country. I’ll admit I would never vote for someone like Jesse Jackson, but Obama is different and people need to see that difference. He has a very compelling story and will lead this county instead of the current Texas cowboy (I now live in Texas) and his sidekick McCain.

I found Palin very offensive even before she went off the deep end with all the negatives and untruths. As most of you remember the Republician convention, several comments were make about you were hard pressed to find a delegate with anything other than white skin, but what bother me the most, the majority of the delagates had incomes over $250,000, the group McCain wants to give a tax cut to.

Roland, I suppose creating code words for other ethnic groups wouldn’t solve the problem for you. The media wouldn’t touch Old English Tyrell, Sake-san or the Tequila Bandito with a ten foot pole.

Joe Six Pack is not just about hiding the obvious albedo implicit in that term. It highlights a serious division in the White population that this campaign has exacerbated. It shows that the McCain campaign has already written off the Cabernet and Chardonnay Caucasians.

The Ayers smear is proof of the pudding. Is Obama accused of “palling around” with contemporary problem children like Mummia. No, it’s a lily-white “terrorist”, “shamefully” rehabilitated by a pack of urban liberal elitists. This time around Willie Horton is white.

Race is a huge issue in this election. The latest polls show that over 97% of all black voters support Barack Obama. Voting for a candidate based on race is no different than voting against one. I am still undecided and basing my decision on the issues and facts as well as my personal beliefs. I will weigh these factors against those of each candidate and choose the one that represents me. I can only hope everyone else does the same. But, I do not believe that everyone voting for McCain is a bigot the way it has been implied.

I watched the debate last night. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. I am one of those darn Independents. I was absolutely floored by the blatant condescension displayed by McCain, not only to his opponent, but also to the audience. I do not know how many times he said “my friends”. My thought was ” You do not even know me, we are not friends”. How can a Washington that is so out of touch with the average American, one who does NOT have 12 homes and millions, call me his friend?
I was also shocked by the analysis after the debate when Gergen brought up the obvious problem with Obama is that he is black. Does the color of one’s skin negate all other aspects of a candidate? I am so appalled by how that comment was taken and validated. However, let Obama use the race card and he would have been lambasted.
America when we see that we can not get to where we should be unless we get there together. Getting to know people different other than ourselves, so that we can become real friends.

Roland,
After hearing david Gergen say last evening bringing up the race issue about Barack, he has got to go!! I’m a white 69 yr old white woman from the south and it is time the pundits realize this is a New World we live in. 10 yrs. ago race woud have been an issue but not today. Barack is ahead in all the polls and will be our first black president which we should all be proud of.

Rahni in Conn. calls McCain a racist for using the term “That one”? I use that term all the time talking about other whites, so it’s not the racist term you are trying to make it out to be. Remember just a few short months ago, Obama refered to his own grandmother as a “Typical white woman”! I wonder if Rahni was just as offended by that comment or if her accusations of racism are selective. Personaly I would consider “typical white woman” more of a racist comment than “That one”
I wasn’t able to get online during that time, but I also wonder if Roland wrote on his blog negative comments of Obama’s “Typical white woman” comment, or if he had a list of excuses as to why he said it.
You see, it’s frustrating that you try to make everything McCain and Palin say out to be racist, but it’s even more frustrating that you don’t have the character to admit when Obama does the same. But it’s something we’ve all gotten use.

Carole and Christina
Yes…you nailed it. I agree. Finally, someone has the nerve to confront the elephant in the room.

Roland:

Living in Mississippi for 6 months this past year, I realized that the mentality of the white versus the black debate didn’t end after the Civil War or the Civil Rights Movement. There are still unofficial black and white gas stations, unofficial black and white neighborhoods and unofficial black and white schools. To say otherwise, it is just naive.

Anyway, the Joe six-pack is an unofficial way to reach the stupor of hot-headed, un-motivated angry white men and women.

When angry, blame someone else; when cornered, start swinging; when facing job loss, blame the unions; when taxes are high, blame the minorities. Just pull up your boot straps!

Joe Six-Pack doesn’t have a clue.

Hi Roland,
I never thought of it that way but you are EXACTLY right!
The cheesy things Palin says make me sick as a white woman.
She does NOT represent my views!
Obama/Biden ‘08
Thanks Roland!,
Betty Ann, Texas
P.S. You are the coolest aggie I know except for my deceased brother in law who played 4 years football @ TX A&M then got his doctoral form A&M and taught there. Gig ‘em Roland!

I was a Dem,but not now after the way the DNC has been so corrupt,I believe McCAin is the best for our president because at least we can trust him with our country and know we will at least be safe,if Obama gets in I’m not sure any of us will be very safe because he wants us to be a socialized country,listen to his health plan,the way he wants to do taxes,and for gods sake he knows nothing about the militay or the war,if we listen to him we will all get killed,I have several members in the military and my husband was in the secret service and they all say we can not let Obama in because he would be very bad for the military and this country-Thank god most all of the military is for McCain.
What do you think of someone that wants to change our flag,our national anthem,our pledge allegiance,our presidential seal,heeven had the American Flag taken off his plane.

P.S. Rowland, I also think that all news stations need to stand up and not support such dangerous coverage of Palin. They also need to address McCain’s racist behavior along with his poor VP pick.

On the debate last night, Obama attempted to shake his hand and McCain walked away and failed to extend his hand. Now, is that the type of behavior that you would want your children to display.

McCain is so childish and old but immature. SAD!!! Can you imagine him in the White House with these behavioral issues? His behavior would keep us at war. I mean it.

We would STAY AT WAR!! I am also sick of his POW story, you know i am a veteran but I don’t go around begging for recognition. You serve and do it with honor and when it is over it is OVER!! MOVE ON!

Yeah..that sounds just about right. The campaigns could go with more ambiguity and call everyone “Americans”. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – ENOUGH with the cute stuff. Particularly on the McCain/Palin side. I know, it’s supposed to be refreshing and “energize” the base, but we already have a president who fumbles during his speeches/interviews; coincidentally, he also winks too! I actually like Palin and I think she makes a great local politician, but I can’t take her seriously anymore. Americans need reassurance that we will have competent leaders this January 20, 2009 interested in restoring credibility to Americas reputation. I don’t think overusing the terms “maverick”, “joe six-pack”, and “soccer-mom” are doing American’s any justice. The whole McCain campaign has become somewhat irresponsible and chose the wrong timing to do so. Moreover, the cute, folksy, white-talk demonstrates Palin’s lack of experience when it comes to relating to every type of voter. Thanks for pointing it out Roland.

I feel the race card started, not with the McCain camp, but Obama’s.
It started when every supporter of Obama’s said that if you did not vote for Obama you where raciest. I am a white voter and I am not voting for Obama not because he is biracial but because he is not qualified to be president of this country. He lacks experience and judgment and I feel he is not the man to pull us out of the crud we are neck deep in now. He might be a fine speaker, but his spell has not worked on me or many that I know.
And to all of you who think he knows where you are coming from because he grow up poor, you might think twice, he might have been poor at on time but no longer. and if you think he will help you now you are mistaken, do you really think he will raise his own taxes and not yours, and if you do might I ask what color is the sky in the world you live in?

Roland, I am white and 56. I am voting for a pathway to healthcare and energy policy, a step towards education and sensible tax policy. I am worried about the economy and the future. The Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Arab people that I know are all concerned about the exact same things. Race does not really divide us in this election unless we choose to let it. The Republican campaign and the press do use code words, including “risky” and questions ike “do we really know Obama?” Trying to turn Obama into a scary guy is a direct appeal to ignorance and fear. It seems like a pretty narrow demographic . Is there anyone running that campaign?

I would love to see the day that we are all just Americans, no labels about ethnicity or about what part of the country we live in. Just as it doesn’t matter what color our eyes are, how wonderful it would be if we all thought of each other as Americans and not by any other standard.

Pretty sure it won’t happen in my lifetime, but maybe if everyone put forth an effort to stop using all the labels that divide us and just called us all Americans, it could happen someday.

Maybe it could start with you. You have exposure to so many people that if you called other people for doing it and stopped doing it yourself, maybe we could speed up this much needed change.

As much as I disapprove of Sarah Palin as a VP choice and McCain as a president, and am so turned off by their sleazy smear tactics, I don’t think Joe Six Pack symbolizes white voters to them, and if it does then they do many of us white voters an insult for I am not one of them (Palin/McCain, nor a Joe 6 pack nor a hockey mom, nor a Republican, and I am a strong Obama supporter).

I think the whole Joe 6 pack comment, which if you noticed came after she was made to look uneducated and uninformed, if not a bit stupid by her interviews, so I think she was more trying to get the vote of people who know they wouldn’t get into to Harvard like Obama, or be lawyer like him and Biden, but that might be a housewife or a military man, or a joe 6 pack working a 40 hour a week blue collar job. I think she understimates those people for they still want smart educated people running the country, even if they don’t understand the economy or know much about Sunni vs Shia, they sure want our President to know that stuff so he/she runs our country properly.

To me, she was saying okay so I am uneducationed, uninformed and a little bit like the Tina Fey impersonation, but that makes me like the majority of Americans that don’t go to Harvard, that don’t stay up reading magazines but kick back with a 6 pack and watch TV… and yes they want a drink with that person but after Bush lets hope that demographic doesn’t want them to run our country!

Race only matters when Obama is trailing in the polls. When he’s ahead, no one…not even Roland questions the black voters who are simply voting for Obama because he’s black…and there are more out there than Roland wants to admit. But when he trails in a poll, all of a sudden people like Roland question’ How big of a factor is race”
If Obama wins this election, there will be no mention of the millions a black ‘Racial votes”, but if he loses, the “White racist” vote will be in the headlines for weeks.

why is it that some people out there are mad because blacks are voting for oboma ho happens to be a dem 90 percent. and calling it raciest. blacks have been voting for white people 90 percent of the time that happen to be dems. well all ways vote dem. what have the GOP dun for me. by the way I am a 25 year old black man that did my part in the united states marine corp. and fought as a grunt in afganistan. I have put country first. and I am going to do it again my voting for oboma. not because he is black. but because of what he stands for.

If you dont want to be the race guy, then stop being racist. I read articles stating that people who dont plan to vote for him are racist And I hear that if he doesn’t win its bc whites are racist and wont pull the lever for a black man once they’re in the privacy of the voting booth. For someone who is supposed to transcend race, Obama certainly seems content to allow people like you to use it to your full advantage. I hate to break it to you, Roland, but white people don’t care if Obama is black, they care that hes completely unqualified to run this great country of ours. None of the white people I know care if someone is white, black or purple; but it sure seems like you care about skin color, especially if you can use the race card to make people feel bad for not supporting your cause. If anything, the media won’t call black voters black for fear of being LABELED racist. And I’m quite certain that McCain/Palin aren’t mentioning the inner city voters b/c they’re not even bothering to target them; they’re smart enough to know that most inner city people are voting for Obama. Why? Because hes black; it sure isnt because hes qualified.

On the post debate show last night one of the commentators said that racial issues would probably reduce Obama’s votes by 6% – how was that number arrived at? That really disturbs this white voter. That would mean that Obama to have a real lead in the race will have to maintain a percentage lead of over 6% plus the margin of error. So with this in mind is this still the close race it was? Does Obama really have a commanding lead now? And if he does, why?

Annie Kate
Birmingham AL

Please Stop and think for a minute ready here goes repeat after me
There is only one RACE and that is HUMAN. Now repeat this every time you hear anyone saying anything negitave about there fellow man. We Are all one Race Human

OK, first of all, I am a white woman who lives in a small town in Indiana and yes, we sometimes have a six pack around our house. Supposedly I am exactly who Palin/McCain stand for. Let me tell you right now I am NOT who they represent. I am voting for Obama because he has a plan for this country to get us out of this mess that electing the last “Joe six pack” got us into. Personally, the fact that Sarah Palin likes to point out that Barack “isn’t like us” , like that’s a BAD thing is scary. I want someone who’s not like us…I want someone smarter than the “average Joe” running the country. Maybe I’m crazy but my biggest fear is that people will ignore what Obama stands for because they can’t get past what he looks like. If this happens, it will be a tragedy and I can’t imagine what will happen to this country if McCain/Palin are in the white house.

Rich from Delaware,

Obama is white and black, so how can blacks play the race card or cast a racist vote. You obvious hav’nt been around black people before. Blacks are not ignorant. They helped build this country. It’s people like you, Sarah Paling and John MCcain who will finish tearing this country down, and when that happens, there will be no place to run or hide.