OK...so "paranoia" is a strong word. But I wanted to grab your attention. Perhaps projection is a better way to describe a couple of things that I'm hearing.
First, Obama received support from 43 percent of white voters, while 55 percent of the white electorate voted for McCain. On one hand, this is seen by many people as a remarkable achievement. Imagine that. Some 43 percent of non Hispanic white Americans--remember that white people represent slightly less than 70 percent of the total American populace--case their ballot for a president of color. Take yourself back two years and imagine someone telling you that. How many of us would have believed it?
On the other hand, I have heard some somewhat disgruntled mumbling about how it was "only" 43 percent of white Americans. The underlying sentiment with that word "only" thrown in is that not even half of white America supported his presidency.
Such concerns are befitting a people who have a short attention span for the details of history, but they do not account for one powerful anecdotal fact: that 43 percent is a remarkable achievement when compared with past presidential campaigns. Consider the percentage of non Hispanic whites who voted for the following presidents:
2004 Kerry - 41 percent
2000 Gore - 42 percent
1996 Clinton - 43 percent
1992 Clinton - 39 percent
1988 Dukakis - 40 percent
1984 Mondale - 35 percent
1980 Carter - 36 percent
Obama beat all of them except Clinton's second campaign, a president who by that time was often referred to as our "first black president." The truth is, the majority of white Americans are Republican or Independent while blacks and other racial minorities lean heavily Democratic. This heavily impacts those numbers.
On another note, and this is more in line with paranoia, I've heard many black people voice their concern that Obama is going to be "judged more harshly" than previous (white) presidents simply or primarily because he's black. This reflects old school thinking emerging out of the black community and it's definitely not without merit. Anyone with an honest eye on race relations would conclude that black Americans have undoubted been held to a higher standard than other people, especially white Americans. This is not news to anyone paying attention, especially black people.
But in fairness, if black people go into the Obama years wearing these lenses, then we're in for some serious disagreements because ALL presidents are "judged harshly," even for silly seemingly mundane decisions. Obama has just taken the world's worst job. For every friend he'll make two enemies. For each slap on the back he'll receive another in the face. Remembering the harsh way in which all U.S. presidents are judged will do wonders for averting unnecessary arguments about the kind of job our new president is doing.
So all of the people who have had this concern, get ready for your man to take a harsh smack down for the next four or eight years. Trust me, it goes with the job.
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I would like to start off by saying that before reading this article, I believed that Obama got elected mainly based on what he stood for-not on his skin color. If anything, I think his skin color helped him get elected. If the statistics are true that 43% of the white population voted for Obama, and this is the highest percentage of voters in quite some time, then how could racial discrimination have been a negative for him? I think that most african americans voted for Obama. Not neccesarily because he was black, but that was probably a helpful factor in chosing who to vote for. I get sort of angry when people say, "As president he is going to face racial discrimination." I think this is absolutely false! If almost half the people that voted for him in the United States were white, then they obviously are not racist people. Why would others assume that now that he is in office, there will be racial discrimination? I think people will treat him the same way other presidents were treated-harshly and judgingly. This is part of the job of being president. I really hope people don't blame racial discrimination for why people will get upset with some of his choices as president. Most likely, as Sam said, he will make mistakes, he will make choices that people do not agree with. Part of me thinks that there will be less judgements/statements made about his job as president BECAUSE he is black. People are not going to want to be associated with being racist. Generally, I am very happy he was elected into office-not only because of what he believes in, but because this marks a period of change for America and I am excited to see where it takes us in the future.
I agree with what you have said about for every friend Obama makes he will make two enemies. I do not think that Obama is going to be judged more harshly than any other president, and it is going to take a lot to be judged more harshly than Bush has been being judged for the past 4 years. Obama is going into the Oval office giving hope to every black American, and I agree that they cannot go into the next four years wearing “lenses” that he is going to get judged more harshly. I think that a lot of people are excited to have a black president and when we have 43% of whites voting for a black man for President I think he has overcome a tremendous hurdle. Our society is becoming more equal with race, and the people who said they are disgruntled about only 43% of whites voting for Obama want or think the U.S. is more equal than it is. I have always been the type of person that had my eyes closed when it came to racial inequality, and my eyes have been open from taking race relations classes. I think that if everyone knew the severity of racial inequality they would realize that almost half of white people voting for Obama is amazing. I know that he is going to do some things that Americans are going to hate, and some things that Americans are going to love, just like every other President.
-Kristi
I'm not really sure what a good opening statement is regarding this blog. The point really hit me where Sam mentioned the craziness we would feel if 43% of Hispanics voted for a white president. I never really thought about the Obama election in this context. What worries me about this election was the knowledge about the candidates. As a politics major, I find stances, interest group ratings, and voting records vital to deciding who I want to vote for. This intertwined with my morals and ethics makes me who I am. I am worried that many people looked at his color and the idea of change without really examining their feelings on hot topics. These are highly debated and complicated issues that take a lot of time to educate oneself about. While this blog raises strong arguments that his election was not based on color, I feel like at least a portion of it was. Of course I would like to become more educated and to be proven wrong if need be but that is my opinion. Both sides choose who they vote for for this reason. While I may not support all of Obama's ideas, past voting records, and interest group ratings, I would still like to give him an equal opportunity to try something different. Although I did not vote for Obama, I am interested to see what will happen. While I do hold some reservations, I hope that our country comes together to make decisions that suit everyone to the most extent.
I completely agree that President Elect Obama will be treated harshly. I think that this is not necessarily because of the color of his skin, but because of being in the highest office. Like Sam said, it goes with the job. President Bush is a white man, but receives a lot of criticism. I do understand where people are coming from when they discuss that Obama will have people coming down harder on him. I believe that this will happen because even though United States has come a very long way, there are still many stereotypes that exist. I can just imagine Obama making the smallest mistake and people blaming the mistakes on his race. I think that there are a lot of people in America who will act this way. As double standard as it is, when white presidents make calls we don’t generalize that all white people act or do that; however, I see this happening for Obama. Nonetheless, I think that he could be the key to winning over many Americans who still have those stereotypes. I wonder if he feels that pressure at all? I personally hope that I never have these thoughts. I think that where I am in race relations would keep me from making these stereotypical thought.
Let me go on the record now in saying that I am an Obama supporter and he did get my vote, but I remain skeptical on whether or not he would have been elected without his skin color. Before the day after the election, I felt confident in knowing that America had voted and agreed with me in believing he is the best man for the job. Then we had a class discussion and each and every African American student that spoke about Obama's victory talked about race and not what he stood for. I heard a lot of stories about grandparents tears of joy and I think it is a wonderful thing, but where are the tears for the optimism of his plan for change? Looking at your statistics he did get a lot of votes from the white population so maybe he would have won regardless, but the fact that it sounded like many black voters did it for his skin color than what he stood for seemed like a serious problem in my eyes. Do not think that I am saying this because I am unhappy a black man is president because again I voted for him and I do think it is a wonderful thing for race relations, I just care that he is president because of what he believes in not because he is African American.
I think the fact that Barak Obama is not white played some role in him being elected as President of the United States of America. I know that many people voted for him just because of his race. In fact, there was a significant increase in registered African American voters. While this is true, I was very surprised at the statistics shown by Sam. I could not believe that Obama received the highest percentage of white votes except for Bill Clinton. I think it is also very significant at the number of white voters who voted for Obama. The majority of the media was focusing on the race of Barak Obama and the black race that was voting for him. At this point in time, I hope that people are starting to get over the fact that he is not white and are moving on. I hope that people will decide to support their president even if they did not vote for him initially. I think that Barak Obama will receive some racial discrimination while he holds office as President of the United States. I think that a lot of people thought that he would never get elected and they were not happy with the outcome of the election. People are not always able to accept such a significant change in politics. I hope that citizens of the United States will be able to support their president and get over the fact that he is not white.
There was a lot of initial excitement to many Americans the day that Barrack Obama got elected as the first African American president of the United States. However, after this initial excitement wore off, people start thinking and expressing how hard they believe his job is going to be, in being the first African American president, and how people are going to judge everything he does harshly, etc. I agree that many people are going to judge every move he makes harshly, especially those who did not want to see him win the presidency in the first place. Every little move he makes there are going to be millions of people watching and judging. But just as Sam said in the blog entry, it would be the same for any other president that got elected into office. There is never going to be an election where one person receives 100% of the votes, moreover, there will always be someone upset and someone happy with the outcome of the election. This means that people will always be looking for the president's flaws and watching every little move they make no matter what race or ethnicity.
However, I also agree that a lot of people will judge him more closely because he is black, but on the other hand I do not think so. Like I said above, you will always have some people believing that if something goes wrong it is the fault of who is currently in office because these people believe that the person in office should be able to fix everything because they are THE president of the United States. However, I feel that, nowadays especially, there are very few of these kinds of people, and most people understand that the new president of the US is only human and can only do so much to turn the country around. They understand that change does not happen overnight, and if the president prior to the new president of the US leaves our country a mess, they understand that it will take time for them to make the country better. It does not matter what racial background the president is, a lot of people realize that it will take a lot of time and decisions in order to fix a mess that a country may be in.
In response to the “black paranoia”, the fact that Obama received 43% of the white vote is an accomplishment for any presidential candidate. This presidential race wasn’t run in order to put a black man into office. It was held in order to put the best man into office, regardless of his race. The fact that 43% of whites voted for Obama vs. 55% for McCain is not due to race. It is due to political party and political issues. I did not vote for McCain because he was a white man. I did not, not vote for Obama because he was a black man. I voted based on my own personal ideas, political issues and policies. I do not regret my vote, nor am I bitter about my candidate losing the election. Obama is a very qualified man with an incredible amount of potential. Putting that aside, the fact that he is indeed a black man adds a whole other realm of opportunities for people of color. The presidential election should not be race influenced, but rather which person (regardless of their race) can do the most for this country. Obama, as was the reason this country elected him, captured the votes of enough us who believed in him and the change he would bring. I hope that people placed him into power due to his abilities as a leader and decision maker and the policies he wishes to put into power. I hope that they did not vote for him simply because he was black or because he was not the white, old man. I hope that he is in power because he is the best man for the job. I now believe that to be so. I also now see how much change he has brought, simply by being elected as the first non-white president. That in and of itself is an accomplishment and will help to uplift people of color as time goes on. Obama has the support of the majority of this country and of many countries throughout the world. People need to not focus on the fact that he didn’t get 55% percent of the white vote, but rather that he got the majority of the American vote. Racism obviously was not very apparent, or else he would not be moving into the White House this January. People need to not make things into race issues when they are actually political issues. No matter what the numbers, this needs to be seen as an accomplishment in the world of race relations.
When I got the text message from my cousin saying that Obama won, I seriously got chills throughout my entire body. I honestly did not believe that enough people in America would vote for a man who has African American blood in him as our nation’s president. The fact that so many white Americans did vote for Obama surprised me. I was proud to be wrong, I was proud of the people in our country for not letting something like his ethnicity keep him out of office. At that moment I thought “wow, America is really changing”. I know that this election should not have been about race, but when you take everything into account, it’s really hard not to see race as an issue. It’s just the fact that a multi-racial man has been elected for the first time ever, that’s big in itself. It doesn’t matter who voted for him and who didn’t but the reality of the matter is that we have just elected him as president. I know that Obama is going to be criticized harshly just as every other president has been. You are always going to have someone who is bitter about their candidate not being elected and the people who don’t agree with the opinions of the candidate who is actually elected. To those people I feel like saying get over it. The fact is, Obama is going to be our president for the next four years at least, and you can stand by him and hope that he does change our country for the better, or you can sit there and criticize the man on every move he makes. Regardless of your opinions about him, he wants the same thing the rest of us want, for America to get better, economically, socially, politically, etc. I feel like people should just remember that we are all Americans and that at the end of the day we all strive for the exact same goals, and we are “supposed” to be in this together. The sooner everyone realizes that we are, in fact one nation, the better America will truly be.
I would like to believe that if this country elected a person of color to be our next president, he would be judged on the same level as every other president. I may be naïve in this thinking, but I am hoping for the best outcome possible for his sake and our country’s. I say this even as a McCain supporter. I find it interesting to hear that all the initial excitement experienced after the election has now taken on a slightly more negative tone in terms of how rough the road is ahead. But this is true for all presidents. Why would it be any different because of his color? Having that said, I also agree completely with the statement regarding the presidency as the worst job to have. Honestly, I am just glad someone no matter what color he is wants to be in charge because I would never dream of wanting that kind of responsibility. As for the breakdown of the votes, it is very impressive to see that 43 percent of white voters did in fact cast their ballot for Obama ranking him right up there with a president such as Clinton. However, there will always be those people who have to put a negative spin on everything even such a feat as this. This will always be the case when there is more than one candidate in the race. Someone has to lose.
Upon reading this specific blog I was most surprised about the percentages of non Hispanic whites who voted for those presidents. I obviously knew that white Americans are more likely to be Republicans than Democrats, however I guess I never thought about how much so that was true. I figured that whatever president won the popular vote would have closer to 50% of white voters just because of the white population being the largest. I probably would have said the same thing about the fact that “only” 43% of white Americans are Obama supporters without knowing the facts about other elected Democrats. Now that I read this I realize that my thoughts on that specific issue were a little contradictory. I agree with the blog post that being the president is the “world’s worst job”. No matter what someone in that position does, no matter how many people they are pleasing at a time, there are still others who are displeased with the president. Of course racism still does exist in the United States and some people will judge Obama differently due to his race, yet it is definitely good to keep in mind all of the negative slander always present towards any president when deciding if United States treats Obama differently due to his race over the course of his term.
This is my blog response for Soc 119, but I feel I want someone besides my TAs to realize what is going to happen with judgement of Obama, or more specifically, his presidential approval rating.
The FACT is that Obama will be judged more harshly than past presidents, but the reasons are not solely or even mostly because of his mixed race.
Presidential approval is something that has been extensively studied by political scientists, so there are some things that we know about it that is very typical of most, if not all administrations. There are two that are pertinent to this case. First, approval mostly hovers somewhere around 50% (it sounds as though the students who think 43% of the white vote was not enough will be the same ones who wonder why Obama's approval will be only around 50%). Second, and more importantly, presidential approval is dictated by peoples' conceptions of economic security (even congressional and gubernatorial approval follow this trend). Thus, we can anticipate presidential approval based on the economy (as well as other factors not mentioned, such as high approval during the "honeymoon" period, spiking approval due to crises or temporarily low approval due to scandal).
For example, Reagan's presidential approval declined rapidly down to the mid-30s% during the 1982 Recession, and Bush senior-whose approval rating was impressively higher than even Reagan's for extended periods-declined to about 30% during the "Triple Dip" recession of 1990.
As the state of the economy grows ever more precarious, fear is rising at impressive rates. The concern for most people is no longer going to be Obama's race, but the economy. After months of spreading messages of hope and change, Obama is now stuck with the huge responsibility of turning the U.S.'s government and economy around. The whole world is watching and predicting. One Russian analyst (Igor Panarin) has already predicted the break-up of the U.S. into five different parts and is mulling over the possibility of Russia retaking Alaska (but not if Palin's in town).
My point is that black people need not fear the racism card-at least not as much as they do. Of course there are those who resent and even hate the president-elect for his race, but they will be overshadowed by those who love him for it and those who will judge him based on what all presidents are judged upon. Obama has a rough road ahead of him and many say he is bound to fail. In fact, his supporters are already speaking to U.S. citizens, basically asking them not to anticipate the miracles they were led to expect. Every president makes promises he cannot keep, but Obama spoke too loudly, too eloquently, and too hopefully. He set himself up to achieve greatness, but he will inevitably fail in some places just because it's too damn hard. Yes, Obama will be judged, but it will be predominantly for his triumphs and failures-not for his race.
While Obama’s race did not play a role in my vote for president, I can guess that some people might have voted for him because he is of mixed race and saw that as a positive change, besides his policies and ideas, just like there were probably some people who did not vote for him because he is of mixed race even if they might have agreed with his views. After the ups and downs of the last four to eight years, I think any presidential candidate would face even harsher scrutiny than a president would normally feel. No matter who was elected into office, people were going to be taking note of their every move. I think Obama’s race has unnecessarily magnified that idea.
I think that Obama is obviously going to face some challenges once he is officially in the White House, but that is because of the events of the last several years, not because he is incapable or somehow inferior because of his race. While I think there has been definite progress made in terms of race relations in electing Obama, I think that people will be quick to point out any difficulties that occur. As much as everyone knows that the current problems we face now can not be solved overnight, I can definitely see people dissatisfied if things do not change sooner rather than later and blame that on Obama. I do hope people will take the time to examine Obama’s efforts and progress once in office and evaluate his job as president based on his actions.
Before reading this post I considered whether or not Obama’s position as president would differ from other presidents the United States has had in the past and I came up with this. I think that people have goals for how they want Obama to serve as our president and I feel that if he strays away from the goals our country has placed for him then people will judge him harshly. I believe that we have to take a look at who is judging Obama before we decide whether it is a harsher judgment than one made on a prior president. Yes I feel that some people will take any mistake Obama makes as president and blame it on his skin color, but as we can see from this post, there are a lot of people, white people, who were in favor of Obama as the next president. I think it is important that we give Obama a chance. I don’t want to see people turn away from him with one mistake. I believe he can do a lot for this country, and it is important that those who supported him in the beginning remain his supporters and encourage others to support Obama as well. Having a large majority of a country’s support is when, I feel, progress can be made.
I have to admit, when I heard that Obama won the election I was really happy to see how far we’ve come as a society. I definitely agree with Sam when he said that two years ago, most people probably would not have believed that a black man was elected into the presidency. It is actually deceiving when we see that 43 percent of white voted for Obama because I definitely think a lot of people look at this number and think it could’ve been higher, when in reality, it was one of the highest percentages a president has received from whites. These numbers allow us to see the changes we’ve made as a country as well as individually.
I also agree that Obama will be “judged harshly” just as other presidents were; however, I definitely don’t think Obama will be judged more harshly because of his skin color because a large majority of white people voted for him because they believe in what he stood for. And to say that we would discriminate against him because of his skin really wouldn’t make sense. I think that many people have irrational hopes for Obama. We all hope that he does well as a president and helps our country as best he can, but this is going to take some time. I’ve heard people talk about how they hope Obama will bring our country back “out of the hole”, but what I don’t think many people realize is that it could take years and is not something that will occur overnight. Having Obama in office will hopefully better our country as a whole but also change people as individuals.
It is amazing to see that Obama being elected as the president of the United States and it is a very good to see that he received up to 43 percent supported from white voters. This is a remarkable achievement in term of race relation. The winning of his presidency is positive marker that indicating that we are moving away from the old school thinking which base solely on the issue of race. The people of this nation is responding to his call for changes and I am glad that we are voting for the positive change that concerning the interest for this nation, but not the color of the skins. There are no doubt that his presidency will not bring a significant change for this nation, but at least we give him a chance to carry out his promises and do everything he can to restores and protects this country. I feel very interesting about the statement that you made that for every friend Obama make, he will make two enemies. I agree with this statement in some degree, but I believe that he can turn his enemies into his friends if he has a good strategy in the battle of minds. I also do not think that Obama is going to be judged more harshly than any other presidents due to his skin colors because we were the one that voted and brought him in office, so we should respect and trust the leader that we selected. With this to say that not everyone is going to agree with me and only time can answer the question whether that Obama be able to handle all the problems in this country or not. As the nation, we should put down our personal opinion and political view and work together with our leader to overcome this strenuous period.
In my opinion, I feel that the election of president-elect Obama was significant to the advancement of race relations in the United States. The use of the word paranoia was strong but in retrospect it utters the fear that some people have about rewriting the face of history. I feel that Obama did take the world’s worst job because no one wants to be president of the United States. It’s a daunting task that takes a team of individuals not just one man to fix some of the problems we are currently facing. Obama will face the same criticism that anyone in the public eye faces because it something that comes with the territory. I thought the statistic about 43 percent of white voters voting for Obama and the use of the word only. When you break that number down, it equates to a lot of people when you add in the rest of the ethnic categories. As an African-American, I agree with your statement about Obama making two enemies for every two friends he has. One thing I noticed growing up, if you were trying to be successful, there was always someone out to get you. I feel that president elect Obama will do a good job because he is telling us what we should expect from him.
The 2008 election was my first opportunity to vote in a National election and I took the responsibility very seriously by researching and soul searching. Personally, it was very important not to take the race of either candidate into consideration when making my decision. I feel that I succeeded in my goal, however observing others and listening to discussion in our groups and lecture have alerted me to the very different viewpoints of others and the extreme significance of this election. After reading the perspective in the blog entry on Obama and “Black Paranoia” a few more thoughts on the subject have come to mind.
I understand and join in on the resounding awe resulting from the election of the first president of color. However, within the White House, especially now, it is time to get down to business. The information about viewpoints that is presented in this entry increases my fear that Obama’s entire presidency will be littered with reference to his race. Whether used as an excuse, a scapegoat, or basically as a factor in anything that goes wrong, or right, for that matter, occurrences during and just after the election suggest that Obama’s race will be a frequent player over the next four or eight years.
It is so important to understand the significance of the election, however, for both white people and people of color, it is also important to now focus on what Obama can and needs to do for our country, regardless of his race and the race and reason of those who voted for or against him.
I think it is awesome that Obama received the amount of votes from the white Americans that he did. I think the people who said Obama “only” received 43 percent of white American votes should look at where we have come from in the past 40 years. Or even in the past 5 years. Like Sam said, even two years ago, a lot of us would have a hard time believing what has just happened in this election. Also, it’s even harder to believe when knowing that most of white Americans are Republican or Independent. I think our nation is truly changing into what it should be. It really surprised me that Obama won and it made me very proud. I think it is important to look at our president’s views on certain matters and not just his race or ethnicity. Something like that should not stop a great man from doing great things. I think that now the election is over, everyone should stand by Obama whether you voted for him or not. He will be our president for the next four years and there is nothing that will change that now. So either you can stand by him and the United States or not. I do hope though that he will not be judged any differently than any other president we have had. They are all doing the same job and should be equally judged for their performance.
I do not like hearing someone say that Obama “only” got 43 percent of the white vote. I think that might be the dumbest thing for anyone to say, and I completely agree with Sam. “Only”? Are you serious? We just elected the first black President of the United States in how many years and people are saying that he “only” got 43 percent of the vote. I feel that people who say this are completely ridiculous. The majority of white voters are Republican, and that is a fact! It makes sense that he wouldn’t get the majority of white votes because he is a Democrat not because he is black. Now, I am sure there are many people out there that voted against Obama because he is black, which is not what I am saying. I am saying that people need to realize that Obama did not get the majority of white voters because he is a Democrat. According to Sam’s numbers, Obama received the most white votes out of all the presidential democratic nominees since Carter in 1980. The only person that he tied with was President Clinton’s second term election. Those numbers clearly show that he did not get the majority of white votes because he was Democrat. The past democratic nominees, who were all white, did not receive the majority of white votes, they even had less than Obama. If anything, this shows that a lot more white Americans did vote for Obama as opposed to other past presidential democratic nominees besides Clinton’s second term. When I read Sam’s write up about this topic, it really bothered me to hear that people said that Barack Obama received only 43 percent of the white vote. Obviously, he did not receive the majority because the majority are Republicans and he is a Democrat, not because he is black. I say, just look at what has happened. By electing Obama as our new president, we just made history. The first black President of the United States has been elected. Wow! That is what we should focus on!
Lindsey Trolio
During George Bush’s eight years, many mistakes were made and people are not happy. Not only were mistakes made by the Bush administration, but they were also dealt a bad hand to begin with. Since the economic crisis has gotten significantly worse, the public is expecting change in the future, regardless of who is in office. I think that any person elected would be judged harshly, but I’m not sure how people will react because of Obama’s race. There will still be people that may judge him more harshly because of his race, but overall I think he’ll receive the same criticism as any other president would. The state of our country isn’t very good, so anyone in office would have a lot of pressure on them. People of color have been judged more harshly in the past, but this election shows that were are ready to have a mixed person in office and I hope people can start to see past his skin color and not use it against him.
Overall, I hope Americans keep an open mind during his presidency and give him a chance to show us what he can do. The American people will have to have patience, since change doesn’t happen overnight. He is smart and I think he can do good things for this country.
The “paranoia” that is being discussed as Obama is elected President is not completely ludicrous… it is however, an interesting topic.
Based on the statistics above, being black did not in anyway affect the Obama’s democratic vote. He earned the same percentage as Clinton did in 1996. If you are looking at the statistics alone, then you would never know that Obama is a black man. Although I agree that the 43% he earned is a substantial percentage of American votes, I do believe that Barak Obama is going to face some challenges that those Presidents in the past did not.
Whether or not we want to admit it, Obama is under a different kind of pressure. He is the first “Black” man to be elected President in the history of the United States. It is not necessarily a “black” thing, but if a woman, an Asian, really if anyone new to the job were to be elected, he/she too would be experiencing this kind of scrutiny. As Americans, we are clearly above and beyond basing our decisions on race and ethnicity, but as the first Black president, I do Barak Obama is going to be setting a new tone for America.
While the statistics say one thing, this election could or could not have been based on race. All I can really say about this matter is the majority of the people of the United States of America had the confidence, the respect, and the faith in this man to elect him the next President of the United States. That says something…
I do agree that I think Obama will be treated harshly, similar to every other President of the United States. However, I also think that it will be slightly different than the criticism before him. Before Obama, if a president screwed something up, as all of them did at some point, I think most people who did not vote for him would place a lot of the blame on the party. For example if a Democrat was in office, most of the people who did not vote for him would be Republican, therefore thinking things like, “Well if we would have elected a Republican president…”. Now, however, I feel like with Obama in office, the tables shift slightly, and for those people who did not vote for Obama, I am afraid many will say, “Well if we would have elected a white president…” which scares me. It scares me because I feel like if things go well for a little while, prejudices that arose during the campaigning will die down to some extent, but if something does go poorly, those prejudice thoughts will rise again and create more racism. I could be wrong in my thinking, but it is something that continuously worries me about President Obama. I have faith that he will do a lot to help our country, but I am afraid for the day where something does not go completely as planned.
I agree with you completely on this. I was elated when Barack Obama was elected president. Although I’m not extremely political, I did care a lot about this election. I have been influenced and fed a lot about how Obama is going to change everything. I jumped on the band wagon at Penn State and found a connection not just to his campaign, but to Obama himself: his confidence, his intelligence, his youth, his sharpness, his kind heart, his optimism, etc. I could go on all day about how immediately I was drawn to him and I believed in him. Maybe because again I’m not very political, but I ended up believing in him so much that it never crossed my head that it may take him time and some failing to achieve what he has promised us. The next day following the election, I had a feeling come over me. I realized how dumb I had been getting caught up in really believing that Obama will solve all the nation’s problems. I realized how many other people were thinking just like me too, saying things like “Oh well the economy will be all better soon because Obama’s in office” or “Thank God Obama is here, he will fix the Iraq War situation”. Like that’s delusion people! I can’t believe I didn’t catch myself when I was saying similar things. I think that it is unfortunate because if he messes up, I can honestly believe it will be a pretty long time until a black man, and possibly even a woman as well, is elected again. I just hope people don’t judge him harshly, because we sure let a lot go during Bush’s first term and we happily RELECTED him. No need to judge Obama extra harshly, he has proven himself.
I do have to say that no matter how many people actually voted for Obama, I thought it was amazing and a huge thing that a black man won the democratic nomination in general. However, there was something very strange that happened during this election. Out of nowhere two women and a black man ran for the top two spots in our American government. Where the hell did that come from? The Democratic Party was either going to be a black man or a woman of a previous president that disgraced America. I think this was unfair because the president was either going to be a Republican with an incapable woman as vice president, or on the other hand a black man or a woman as president. This election had a stink to it. However, as an Obama supporter I am thrilled that he is president of our nation now. One thing that crossed my mind, as well as with Sam and many others, is how Obama will be judged, especially if or when he makes a mistake. I think it would be a damn shame if people bring out the racism card when a mistake Obama makes is publicized. Every little mistake made by the government, whether it is by the president or a secretary, gets over publicized by the media. Americans need to understand that yes Obama is black but he is just another ordinary man as president. Giving him special treatment or putting him up on a high pedestal because he is black is ridiculous. He is the leader of our nation and black or not he needs to handle difficult decisions and act in a professional way just like every other president. I think that treating poor decisions in a harsh matter is a positive thing because it will motivate the president to make the correct choices to better our nation and to view the consequences in all situations.
I had heard the statistic that Barack Obama received 43 percent of votes from White Americans and until reading this article I did not realize how high that number truly is with comparison to the past elections. I did support Obama in the election, not because of his skin color but because of the ideas he had and his overall demeanor. As someone below has posted, however, I too am worried that too many African Americans or people of color voted for Barack just because he is a black man and not for what he stands for. I realize that this whole election was revolutionary, but in four years what will we remember him for? I truly hope it is because he did an outstanding job in the worst situation America has found itself in many years. I fear that he will not succeed because of the turmoil he and our country are up against and the ugly side of America will emerge and blame him entirely for it. Maybe one day we will look back and say he was the best president ever because of his actions in the seat instead of his skin color, who knows. However, I really hope that everyone and specifically the minorities that did support him keep up with what he stands for and continue to support him because anything else would be hypocritical in my view, for he still has many things to represent, hopefully for many years.
It is interesting to see the ideas of paranoia being thrown around in conjunction with the election of Obama. I think though that his race had a much smaller part to do with him being elected as it was originally thought it would be. From the beginning people thought he would be elected or not elected because he was part black. I think in the long run it helped him but it’s not what made or broke him. I think a lot of his victory had to do with what he was and what he was seen as and not so much what he stood for or the fact that he was black. People are mostly dissatisfied with the current presidency and wanted to move as far from it as possible and Obama represented a good name. His personality was a golden one and his policies were not ludicrous. All the makings for a good choice by all means for president. Though it could not be expected he could win all, republicans are not going to vote for him by and large. And as it was said that group is traditionally white. Now contrary to what paranoia may imply they aren’t voting against him because he is some “black devil here to ruin America.” No, it’s more because they always vote with their party or do not like his positions on economic recovery, etc. In an over arching way it is easy to see that Obama is popular with white people on such a strong level that it seems clear they are not favoring or disfavoring him due to racial reasons. Paranoia no more, it is a small minority of people who in this day and age would do so. That’s not how this country works anymore.
-Kyle Lutes
I believe as a Black male Obama must watch what he does more than any other president. Not only is he the president of the United States. He is the first mixed president, but everyone categorizes him as black. I think America is just waiting for him to mess up. I think if Obama does anything bad its going to effect any other minority that runs for this office. If Obama messes up drastically I will find it hard to believe that another black president will ever get elected. Also I hate that the majority of the world thinks that Obama just got elected because of the color of his skin. I voted for Obama because what he stood for and believe that this country needs change. I also believe that many other black Americans did the same. I talked to my friends about this and all of them felt the same way. We hate how America is trying to portray that minorities don’t know anything about this man, and the only reason they are voting for him is because he himself is a minority. I just wish that everyone would just realize that he was the best man for the job, and not focus so much on the color of his skin.
First off I am just going to say that this is a huge step for America and to anyone who doesn’t believe that this is a “big deal” they need to get their facts straight and recognize the unbelievable event that Americans just witnessed this election. The statistic that Sam used in his entry about the percentages of white voters for Obama and the percentages of white voters for previous Presidents shows that with the majority of white Americans being republican that they no longer think in terms of color or physical appearance and rather by the best candidate that will get the job done. Granted if Obama does make many mistakes in his first term he will definitely get an earful from unimpressed Americans and late night comedy shows, but that is inevitable no matter who takes office. So I think that Obama will be under a microscope more intensely than if we had a white president but I believe and hope that he does the job that many Americans believe he can do and will pull the American economy out of the trash. If he can do all of these things he will not only be remember as the first African American President but as one of the greatest presidents that the United States has ever had.
I believe Obama was elected because of what he stands for and not because he was our first African-American who ran for the highest office. I believe he does not pay attention to skin color since he is a mixture or both black and white. I honestly do not think color had a major part in the election. Obama had the best campaign that supports all skin colors, not just white or black. That is why 43 percent of whites voted for Barack, because he represents how we want our nation to be run. As to the statement of Barack being commented harshly, I do believe the media will treat him unfairly. I think the media will look closely at him for any mistakes, and if he makes a single mistake, the media will blow it out of proportion. The American people will support him and treat him as any other president was treated. If he does fail at something I hope people do not play the race card. We have to think he is a human being and all humans make mistakes no matter what color you are. I have faith in him that he will succeed and take our country to a great place that we have not been to in many years.
I am grateful when people bring to light the fact that most of the votes that put Obama in to the White House came from white America. I hate when people say that he only won because all of the black people voted for him, whether or not they knew anything about his platform. The majority of the United States population consists of white people, so there is no way that he could have won with just the black vote. I think he should be given some credit on what he stands for, his views on the current government policies, and how he plans to better the current economical crisis, whether he solves the problem or lays the groundwork to start it off for whoever follows in his footsteps. Although every president has been attacked throughout their terms in office, many have only had to battle issues dealing with policies and how they have been running the nation. Obama will encounter these same battles, but the bonus that he will receive is discrimination based on his race. It isn’t fair to say that it won’t be any different for him than it was for other presidents because he is the first black man to run a country whose past holds hate and crime due to differences in skin color. He will face criticism when things go wrong; some will strictly blame it on his experience and leadership skills, but others will be quick to blame it on his race. While it wouldn’t be sensible to think that everyone will judge him by his race, it would be naïve to not think that much of the discrimination he will face will be because of it. During the entire election, it seemed to be portrayed as a race “race” rather than a presidential election. Now that he will be in office, it will truly be a test to what he can accomplish; he will be representing the capabilities of minorities who have more in common with the average American than an older white man who comes from a wealthy background. I don’t see a problem with being “paranoid” or conscious of the fact that if certain things possibly go wrong, he will be viewed as black rather than a politician. He can only do but so much to fix what has already happened in our nation. It will take time. My biggest fear is that if he doesn’t fully fix the current state of the economy and overall situation that the United States is in during his term in office, people will not pay attention to the fact that Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take some time before things are fully back in order, possibly another term or more. I want people to give him a chance before they pre-judge him.
It is amazing to me that Obama was able to gain support from 43 percent of white voters. I think that this is in large part due to the amount of young voters. I know from just being around campus during the election process there were so many young Obama supporters. I think it would be interesting to see of that 43 percent of white voters, how many young college age voters were. I wonder if Obama would have gotten such support if there weren’t so many young supporters. I also think it is interesting that so many people especially blacks are concerned that Obama is going to set the bar for future black presidents and that anything he messes up will be ten times worse than if it was done by a white president. I think that is a little ridiculous because they call themselves Obama supporters but they seem to be scared that he is going to damage the chances for a future black president. I think that many people believe it is easy to judge someone in power so I do think that people will blame his mistakes on the simple fact that he is black. But I think that if he was white, those same mistakes would still be criticized, just using another reason.
In my opinion, the fact that Obama was elected to be president has to do first of all to the fact that he offered something new to people of the US. Because he made a lot of promises, he will probably be criticized. When candidates are in the process of election, they may promise things that they sometimes can’t fulfill, therefore, they will be criticized. I don’t think it has anything to do with race. Every president in the past was criticized, and had a lot of expectations from, and no one said, it’s because of a personal characteristic such as their hair color. Therefore, I don’t think that Obama will be judged because of his race, but based on his performance as a president. I do think that if he will fail, many people who are racist will blame race on his failure, but I don’t think people expect more from him than from previous presidents. The fact that 43% of white Americans voted for a black candidate is encouraging to me, because he received more votes than many candidates who were elected in the past, which to me is great to know that so many white people are willing to vote for a black president. Like Sam mentioned, the reason why more white people didn’t vote for Obama is because a lot of white people belong to the Republican Party, I think it has to do more with political beliefs than race in this case.
This issue about Barack Obama being criticized “more harshly” simply because he is black is very interesting. Personally, I do not believe that just because he is black he is going to be judged harder than any other president in history. In my opinion, the only reason he would get judged harder is if he messes up and the United States falls apart. The republicans have been in office for the past 8 years and everything is being blamed on them, if Obama doesn’t step in and fix the instability he will get criticized for not bringing “change and hope.” Now, by saying this, I do think that he will definitely make a dent in reversing the recent economic trend and put America in a better place, and will receive a lot of credit. By doing this, he will reverse a lot of negative stereotypes of blacks around the nation, putting the country in an even better place. This is probably one of the worst, but best times for a black man to come into office as president. It is the worst because, just look at our economy and country, we are in shambles and its going to be hard to be good enough for the general public. But it is the best because if he does well and starts to fix America, he will be looked at as a hero and reverse the tides for African-Americans all around the nation.
With the statement that only 43 percent of white Americans voted for Obama, it seems like whoever said this based the election on race. The term only seems to me as that the other portion that did not vote for Obama did not want a black president, instead of looking at the other factors such as disagreeing with his political views or something silly like that. I am sure that a small portion based their vote on race, but I believe that the majority of voters based it on who they thought was the better candidate. You can not look at one factor like how many white people voted for a black president and just assume that color contributed to their decisions. I do believe that Obama will be judged more harshly because he is the first black president I do not believe that this is fair, but what can you do that is life. He is a representative of the black race in most people’s eyes I believe. Having the title of the first black president, the job he does as president will determine whether he is the first black president who did a good job or not. But I hope that people look at other factors besides race on the presidents decisions.
I agree with the fact that Obama will be judged more harshly. However, not because of the color of his skin, but because of the situation he is being put in. It is a very difficult situation he has been put in, and it is really has slim chance for success in his first four years. The country will take so much effort to turn around, that it may take the entire first term just to rid the country of the troubles it faces. In order to put many of his ideas into effect, he needs to first get us back to an even playing field. I do not believe people will realize this and will wonder why none of President Obama's ideas are actually occurring. The time to see if he is really going through with the ideas mentioned in his campaign will be the second term if he is elected. His skin color however will play a fact, in part by giving black people the option to say he is being judged to harshly because of his skin color. This certainly is not the case, and it is important for people to give him the time he will need to turn this country around. Therefore, only with proper time and understanding, will Obama be given a fair chance to do what he would like to do.
I think it's ridiculous that some people think it’s a negative thing that 43% of Americans didn’t vote for Obama. As Sam mentioned, many people in the United States are Republican, or Libertarian, or maybe they just don’t agree with Obama’s policies. I think that there was a sentiment at times throughout the election that the most important thing for the country in that moment was to make huge gains in this country’s race relations. I think the most important thing was for people to take a look at the policies of each candidate and make a decision regardless of race. I hope that I was able to do that—I did end up voting for Obama after educating myself on the issues as much as I could. However, I had a few friends who also researched the issues and came up voting for McCain. Unfortunately, they faced a lot of negativity from people at Penn State. They got the impression that people assumed that they were not supportive of electing a black president. While they did vote for McCain, they are fully supportive of Obama as the new president elect, and they will be proud to call him their president. It’s awesome that Obama was elected by the majority of the United States—I just hope that Obama voters can accept the support of McCain voters, and vice versa.
While it is true that there are some people that voted for Obama just because he was “black,” I do not believe it was the only reason he got elected. There definitely are people who voted for his policies, I am one of them. I agreed with what he was saying, not with what he looked like. And yes, he will be judged harshly, and not just by white people, but by the black community. Many of us see Obama as a representation of “our people” so we are counting on him not to screw things up. While this isn’t how we should see things, we can’t help it. It was how we were raised. My mom always told me that I had to do twice as better as “white people” to make my mark, and that is what Obama has to do in some of our eyes. He has to prove himself, and by doing so, in some way it will make us all look better.
As for the percentage of whites that voted for Obama, I think that is a wonderful figure, especially to show to people who think Obama only won because of the black vote. We are only 12 percent of the population, and, “surprisingly” not all of us voted for him. That means that the non Hispanic whites believed in his policies and not his skin color, which is what should really win an election. So, the black “paranoia” is a factor, but it is definitely not the only thing that put our 44th president in office.
Although this country has made great strides by electing our nation’s first black president, I am a bit scared that Obama might be under too much pressure. Not only is he a young, African American man, but he has also inherited an incredibly difficult situation. I believe that many people think he can step right into the White House and change things over night. However, we must give him time—not because he is a black man, but because our country is currently in a crisis. While I commend the United States for looking beyond race and electing Obama, I admit I am fearful that if one minor thing goes wrong, people might begin to panic. Although I am not paranoid, I am concerned. Obama is a great role model for many and a very influential figure in today’s society, but he is still young and inexperienced. We must allow him time to succeed and pull our country out of this financial turmoil.
By electing Barak Obama President of the United States, it is clear that our country is well above and making basing decisions based on race, but as the first black president, Obama is going to be setting a new tone for America. African American parents can now tell their children that they can grow up and be anything they desire and truly mean it. Maybe we shouldn’t be paranoid at all, but Obama is the first black president and any first has additional pressure to succeed. All of this being said, I am ecstatic for a new era to begin and I believe Barak Obama can lead our country to triumph.
I think as a whole black people and white people are both putting way too much into the fact that Obama is a half black male. Sure he is the first president that looks darker and that is important as far as race relations are concerned, but people need to draw the line between his appearance and the fact that he is black and start focusing on what he is going to do as president in these very trying times. People need to stop getting caught up in the fact that his skin color is darker and have to realize that this is something that will affect very little in the grand political scheme. I get quite frustrated when black people act like they are rising up against white people because a half black president with darker skin was elected. The fact of that matter is the percentage of white voters that voted for him was the highest that it has been in decades. This really shows that there is no room for black supremacy or things or the like. Whenever I hear a black person saying these things I really want to say "Hey I voted for him too." or "He is going to be my president too." His presidency is a great accomplishment for America, not black America solely.
In reaction to the blog, “Obama and Black Paranoia” I see that there are many different sides to the paranoia surrounding Obama’s presidency. The first paranoia is that 43% of non-hispanic whites voted for Obama, which is more than or equal to the percent of votes any white president in the last few presidencies has received. There is a paranoia of the up and coming support for a black president and I’m sure that scares some whites. This can be seen through the quote “On the other hand, I have heard some somewhat disgruntled mumbling about how it was "only" 43 percent of white Americans”. Some whites are trying to make it look like it wasn’t that many votes to hide their worries. Another side to this paranoia is that of Obama being judged more harshly because he is black. I feel that both races have some paranoia because this is our first black president, but at the same time it is only going to hurt us. I understand that we need more time to adjust to such an important historical event just like any other therefore I feel such paranoia will soon subside. Both races need to understand that this is a new way for both of them and that thinking such ways will only hurt America as a whole. We need to come together and work with one another to get past the uniqueness of having a black president and in turn support him as much as we can through these times.
After reading the blog on Obama and black paranoia, I feel as though there is no reason for this fear. I agree that no matter who won the election, people would have judged and ridiculed regardless. Everybody in this country is not going to agree on everything. No matter which president won, mistakes are evitable. No one is perfect. McCain would probably be judged just as harshly as Obama. I don’t think because Obama is half black means he will take the heat anymore than anyone else. For example, President Bush, clearly a white man, made unwise decisions and wasn’t favored by many people. It had nothing to do with his race. Being president is a difficult task and you’re not going to be able to please everyone. I am an African American student who has faith and hope in our president. I believe he will make decisions to the best of his ability. I do agree that other black people should get out of this fearful mindset that he is being judged or will be judged just based on his race. I think that blacks who think he will be discriminated against due to his race are slightly being foolish. Based on the facts presented he was elected by 43% of whites. If he so many people that were white voted for him then why would he be “harshly judged” by them. I know a lot of white people who were overwhelmed with joy and joyful about Obama. I even have some friends that were surprisingly more excited then me. When being presented with the comparisons of the different percentages of non-black people who voted for Obama, it was amazing especially compared to other presidents. I really believe we should all not just look at this as far as race goes. I know I didn’t vote for Obama just because of this factor. I voted for him due to what he stands for. If Obama was a all white man I would have still voted for him. I truly believe that if he does get judged harshly so to speak it won’t be because of his race, but because of his morals. When people are ridiculed about something it’s due to what they believe or represent. There are a few exceptions but most cases are like this. I look at all of us as one people. I think us as Americans are fed up. It’s time for a real change. America has come to realize that we are in deep trouble. We are at war, our economy is horrible, and we are heading for destruction. I know many Americans, of all races, have acknowledged this and that is why Obama received the votes he did. Not because he was black or white. I am proud and excited to see where our country is headed and what changes will occur over the next 4 years.
As most of us know, Obama has change the United States history by becoming the first black president. He is a great man and we all know that, he is ready to make a change which he already did, by becoming the first black president. It’s going to be really hard for Obama to just be a president, because the fact that he is different just because his skin completion is not white like every other president, but in my opinion this man its intelligent and he knows what he is doing and if he made it as a president he could do more surprising things for us. It was amazing how after all these years there is finally a president that’s different, but this change it’s also going to have some consequences. Obama became president, when the economy of the United States is not that good. He is going to have to work on the economy that’s a huge problem, that no other president had to do and also be more outstanding then the other presidents, because everyone saw him as a time for change. It didn’t surprise me the 43% of white voters. Because since the beginning of Obama’s election I saw a lot of white people motivated to vote for him. I personally didn’t think that he was going to win at the beginning, but when I saw that the majority of young students were doing anything possible to get other students to vote, especially in Penn State University I was impressed, because having a different leader for this country is big. Even my dad that it’s not a citizen from the United States he was in Obama’s campaign back home, and he got most of every Hispanic person to vote for Obama. I know a lot of people even though they don’t say it are thinking that Obama is going to be killed, and its reasonable because if Kennedy got killed why can Obama, but Obama has all the requirements to be a president the only bad thing and it’s not a bad thing is that he has a different skin completion. He is a strong man, I know he is going to have to work hard but who said that it was going to be easy, let the man do his job because he is capable. Even though he is half white half black we all look at him like he is black, because it just how it goes in the United States, its either you are white or you are black and the color of your skin is the one that’s going to be judge. I love my president and as a Latina I wanted to see something different in the United States, because even though the white people are always going to be the majority, doesn’t mean that minority can do the things that they do, because without all the cultures that we have in the United States this country wouldn’t be as powerful as it is today.
I am extremely excited to see our first African American or black president. I remember my grandparents always talking about growing up in the south and how they were treated. It was great to see the expression on their faces when Obama was announced as our president. It is very amazing that 43 percent of white people voted for our black president. Its crazy to me that when Obama first announced his presidency the whites were in shock that we might have a black president. When it came to surface that he was half white, it still wasn’t a factor because he was still “black”. Then when he was running against McCain, the whites wanted to claim Obama as half white and not fully black. Even though Clinton was referred to as our first black president, he was still white. So, the reaction towards Obama was far more greater than it was towards Clinton. It also shows how bad of a job Bush did as a republican president cause now everyone wants a democratic president.
Although being a president is a hard job, it will be extremely difficult for Obama being African American. For example, if Obama were to do something like Clinton did with Monica, he would get treated worse. His culture and background would become a factor. As a stereotype, most black men cheat or don’t treat their wives right. The media would twist the story in a way to refer back to black men. I know Clinton had it rough also but after a while it was swept under the rug. I’m not saying that for Obama it will get swept under the rug but his heritage would be thrown in his face.
I believe that almost all if not every president has made a mistake either large or small but at times I do get nervous that his mistake will get turned into something much worse than what it really is because he is black. I don’t want to make it seem like everything that happens during his presidency will refer to him being black but that is what everyone has seen since the day he became a candidate. I don’t think that he will ever be seen as just the president. I think he will always be the first black president or just a black president.
I do believe that for every supporter that Obama has there will be two haters. I don’t think that everyone will be absolutely happy with having a black president unless Obama proves himself. To me he has already proved himself because of all his credentials. He is going to be an amazing president because he is already an amazing person.
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