I am glad that the issue of race was finally brought into the discussion. Below are some statistics giving us a snapshot of the preferences of each race in the 2008 election. What role do you think race plays in the election?
Total USA population by race 2007:
66% White
15.5% Latinos
13.5% Blacks
5% Asians
Support for Candidates:
Obama
Whites: 41%
Latinos:62%
Blacks: 83%
Asian: 41%
McCain
Whites: 47%
Latinos:28%
Blacks: 7%
Asian: 24%
Source: US Census Bureau/NBC/NAAS
4 comments:
I think that it has less to do with race than with economic status. Ide be interested to see these polls compared to economic status divided by race in the US. I also think its good to see the latin American vote be so strong for Obama. Ive heard that a good portion of the latin american vote would go to mccain because of old racist mentalities. Its good to see that that was just a bunch of bull.
I do think that for some, race influences the decision that they make when voting in the election. This election is obviously brings the idea of race into a heightened light. Many have presented the argument that Black Americans are simply voting for Obama simply because he is also a Black American. I think that yes for some this is true however it would be impossible to make that generalization for all of America. I agree with the post that Laura had posted on the other topic that race can often overshadow the good points in one candidate and the low points in others. If at all possible, we need to try to look past skin deep and see the facts and qualities that the candidates present.
I think race will always be an issue just as with gender. Many people wouldn't vote for Hilary b/c she is a woman and on the other side many would because she is. Same goes for Obama and this election. However- right now I think race only matters to people who are more radical in this situation. People who are afraid that Blacks will "take over the world" if a black is in office, or the extreme on the other end.
I agree with Grey. I think if the times were more calm and people weren't scared of the economic situation, war, etc, race would be more of an issue. But there are more important issues for people to be focusing on at the time and I believe that the majority will be voting according to those issues.
Unfortunately, I think that race actually will play a decent size role in this year's election for many people; like Cora said, I think that people had a huge issue with Hillary for other reasons than her policy, and talks about race with Barack aren't too far from that. There is definitely still a sentiment of racism in the US, whether or not we want to admit it. Though, if we can figure out a way to see past the skin, like Germany has done with a female premier, I think that we can do a lot more for our country. Moreover, I don't think it is just race that matters, how about the fact that because of his name, people automatically assume he's a Muslim. Again, I think it comes down to the fact that some people are ignorant, but that isn't what is going to be the biggest issue; like Grey said, whoever can convince the public that their fiscal policy will most benefit the citizens will win.
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