Democrats versus Republicans

[sailaway21]

I've already started another little visited thread on why we should all vote for Obama and the basic point is to once and for all shut up those obsessed with race and voting. What the racially obsessed will not tolerate the mention of is that, were Obama not black, he wouldn't be where he's at today. He probably wouldn't be in the Senate either but, for sure, he wouldn't be the Democratic candidate for president. I'll leave it to others to dream up the magic potion that says he's remotely qualified based upon experience.

[PBzeer]

One wonders, at the apparent hubris that seems to affect Senators, that somehow, a career of following, lends itself to being a leader. Especially, it seems, those whom have known little, if any, of life outside of politics.

We have Senator Obama who's only stint as a leader of anything, ended with a final report on the effort that said it accomplished, to paraphrase, nothing (see the Chicago Annenberg Challenge). From there, he went to the Illinois Senate, where he had a career of voting present, rather than yea or nay. Then, on to the US Senate, where he has continued his career path of doing little to nothing. So one, it seems, can, with some justification, ask what has prepared him to lead. Where has he shown anything resembling leadership?

Senator Biden carries even less of a resume, having gone from graduation in '69, to the US Senate in '72.

Senator McCain likewise doesn't have all that thick of a resume. At least in the sense of leadership skills. Military to Senate, he at least has the dubious experience of being an officer in the Navy. Again though, not really anything that points to any real claim to leadership experience.

Election after election though, it is Senators that fill the ranks during the primary season. And until now, they get beat by governors, time after time. Makes you wonder if they'll ever figure it out.

[erps]

sck5 wrote:

Unfortunately there ARE a lot of people in some places who wont vote for a black man. Do you doubt it?

I was reading another similar quote in the paper this morning from a speech at the Democratic convention by the labor leader Hoffa lamenting about some people not willing to vote for a black man. Sounds to me that the democratic party has a real problem with racism over there, since I think it's safe to infer that the voters they're concerned about are democrats.

[sck5]

nice try erps. try googling "Southern Strategy" - also see Ken Mehlman's (RNC Chair) apology for it.

RNC Chief to Say It Was 'Wrong' to Exploit Racial Conflict for Votes

[sck5]

PB is right. The last time a Senator won was in the 1960's. But hope springs eternal dont you think? And a Senator will certainly win this time.

[erps]

Not trying anything here sck5. I suspect that the only voters sitting on the fence about whether to vote for a black democrat or not, are democrats. The republicans will vote against any candidate you guys put up, no matter the race or sex. This is a democratic voter issue.

[PBzeer]

Good point erps, and then there is this quote from USA Today of December, 2004, that points out, Republicans don't make a big deal out diversity, they just do it.

Some political analysts argue that Bush's appointments and his matter-of-fact approach to them signal a new stage in the racial history of the nation, one in which diversity in the top ranks is taken as a matter of course. Bush and Clinton, who don't agree on much, together may have set a new standard that future presidents in both parties will be expected to meet.
"Bush did not go out and say, 'I'm going to create an administration that looks like America,' which is how Clinton led off," says Paul Light, a political scientist at New York University who has studied presidential appointments. "He has just gone about recruiting a diverse Cabinet as an ordinary act. That's remarkable in the sense it sends to future administrations: 'This is just the way we're going to do business.' "

[Sailormon6]

Originally Posted by sck5

nice try erps. try googling "Southern Strategy" - also see Ken Mehlman's (RNC Chair) apology for it.

RNC Chief to Say It Was 'Wrong' to Exploit Racial Conflict for Votes

Allow me to quote from the article that you so frequently throw in our faces:

"It was called 'the southern strategy,' started under Richard M. Nixon in 1968, and described Republican efforts to use race as a wedge issue -- on matters such as desegregation and busing -- to appeal to white southern voters."

Thus, the Republicans made an effort to appeal to "white (racist) southern voters," who, at that time, were overwhelmingly Democrat racists. Republicans were trying to attract white southern Democrats to vote Republican for the first time since the Civil War, and that's what you seem to be complaining about. Now tell us, sck5, what is it that upsets you? Are you upset because the Republicans were trying to appeal to the many racists in the Democrat party, or the fact the Republicans were trying to appeal to a large bloc of voters in the Democrat party? I suspect the answer is that the southern Democrats might have been racists, but they were your racists, and you didn't want the Republicans trying to wrest them away from your party.

In light of the shamefully racist history of the Democrat party, it's efforts to protect it's racist voting bloc from Republican incursion certainly doesn't reflect well on your party. At least Ken Mehlman had the decency to acknowledge the impropriety of the Republican strategy and to apologize for it. You Democrats refuse to acknowledge the extent of your guilt in preserving southern racism for the last century. Tell me, how was it any more disgraceful for the Republicans to try to attract racist Democrat voters than it was for the Democrat Party to try to retain their racist Democrat voters?

[SailorMitch]

THe best thing to come out of the Democratic convention so far is this new sobriquet for McSame: McSidekick!!!! And it certainly fits, too.

[PBzeer]

Astute observation Mitch. Too bad it may well be the most substantive thing to come out of the convention. Not though, unexpected for the party of hate and vitriol for the past 8 years.