If Michelle Obama thinks Blacks should vote for Barack because he "understands them better" does that mean?

Question

That White voters shouldn't vote for him because he doesn't "understand them" well enough? She can't actually be serious with the Obvious race baiting,can she?

Is race really a criteria by which to choose a President? To rational people obviously not.

Answer 1

If she did say this, it's just as bigoted as racism or sexism.

It's statements like this that FOSTER factionalizing us into groups of race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, etc.

Hillary said all women should vote for her just because she is a woman, and now Obama's wife is saying this?

Looks like the "party of diversity" is trying to keep us factionalized just as much as the far right.

Answer 2

I am white, and you would have to ask Michelle Obama herself to elaborate on what she means, but what I believe she means is that he has experienced many of the same life issues that other blacks (or African-Americans, depending on what you preferred to be called as some blacks are not of African descent) have encountered.

I do not believe she meant that white voters shouldn't vote for him because he doesn't understand them. On the contrary, as a united country, just as we having common uniting interests (such as not paying more in taxes than we are getting in services, what those services should be -- most importantly, that the free market should be providing most things as it does approximately 99.9% of all things better than governerment which is why the Constitution limits government to certain functions).

So U.S. citizen voters of all races (white, black, or other) will vote for Obama or anyone else based on this criteria. Even if you are black and say that Obama understands you better (which may be true), you have to measure what his ANALYSIS and PROPOSED RESPONSES would be to those experiences he wants to "fix" to one degree or another. Ignorant voters should stay home. Smart voters, while taking experiences into account, should match each candidate's "analysis and proposed responses" to the Constitution since, despite campaign rhetoric, protecting and defending the Constitution is the oath of office the winning candidate will take.

Answer 3

All political statements at primary time are about getting votes.

Clinton, the front runner, is polling better than Obama among likely African American voters. There are not significant numbers of African Americans in the early primary states except for South Carolina. Her statement was aimed at African Americans, I think, in South Carolina.

There are two reasons Clinton is polling better than Obama among African Americans: 1. They liked Bill Clinton and will vote for her because of it. 2. There is a belief among them that Obama isn't electable because he is African American -- or, to put it another way, they don't believe whites will vote for him and don't want to waste their vote.

What you are grossly misperceiving as "obvious race baiting" is an appeal to specific constituents that Obama is electable and they shouldn't hand their support to Clinton so easily. And Michelle Obama is no elitist --- she grew up on the South Side of Chicago, still, probably the most segregated city in the country and where the bulk of all classes of African Americans in that city live - from poor to well-off.

Your last question is a joke as what you really mean is African Americans should not vote on race---and you, and people like you, can vote on whatever criteria you want. Well, it is a simple fact that blacks vote for far more non African Americans candidates than whites have ever voted for African American candidates. Period.

How many times have you, with your rational wisdom and earnest devotion to the issues, traversed the racial electorate and voted for an African American candidate? My guess is never.

People, vote for whomever you want. I've found that whenever someone is introducing criteria for how someone else should vote they are introducing a rule that they have absolutely no intention of following themselves.

Answer 4

Well I would like to see a source for those comments because I have been following his campaign and have seen no mention of what you claim she said.

JBMH (above) has a good question worth evaluating. Why isnt Obama considered white? His mother was white and he was mostly raised by whites. The answer of course is obvious. In some peoples' minds, "white" blood is considered pure. An introduction of another race makes this blood impure and therefore unworthy of being called white.

Of course thankfully in 2007 this is now the thinking of only a minority. But we the majority, can still have our opinions tainted when we give carte blanche acceptance to the rumors spread by others. When we stop making an issue of a candidate's race or repeating stories that we hear but can't verify such as this one that are not true, and start judging the candidates solely on the virtue of their posiitions on the issues, then we as a nation will have taken a giant leap forward.

Answer 5

Sharpton understood the "blacks" better... so did Alan Keyes... how did that work out for them? Exactly... the longer "blacks" insist on using the race card as a means to get ahead there will always be people willing to use it to keep them down...

If you want to be viewed as just a "person" you should probably stop pointing out to everyone that you are a "black person"... I'll never understand why they would be ignorant enough to try to play this game...

Answer 6

That would be only one of many reasons not to vote for Obama. Looks like he can't win anyway so his campaign is playing the race card to shame us into voting for him.

I am not voting for him because he is inexperienced. At this point, his only experience in federal power is almost 1/2 a term in the Senate, and he has no record of leadership there that I am aware of. And that lack of experience is showing up in the debates and whenever he speaks in public. The man wants to pick a fight with our ally who is also a nuclear power.

I do not need the race card as an excuse to stay away from a candidate named Barack Hussein.

Answer 7

No it means all Black Americans share his plight.

You know born in a foreign culture with a silver spoon. Educated at Harvard, Prepped for politics by the CFR to be a Manchurian Candidate style puppet Politician.

Answer 8

She is trying to sew up the black vote for the primary.

Can you think of a better reason to vote for Obama? I can't either. When will black people realize they will always be just a slave to the Democrats until they start thinking for themselves?

Answer 9

It's unimportant. The president can do nothing for blacks by himself. If they want people who can change their lives they need to look at their local politicians and congressmen.

Answer 10

If Hillary can play the gender card, I don't know why he can't play the race card.