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Poll: 40 Percent of Americans Hold Negative Racial Views

CitizenSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:00:08 -0700

"Race" hasn't been without its partner "card" much this election and the reason the subject has been taboo and arguable could be this: according to a new poll conducted by Stanford University, the percentage of voters who may reject Obama because of his race could easily outnumber the final difference between the candidates during the last election.

And the negative responders aren't all McCain Republicans, either. More than a third of white Democrats have negative views towards blacks calling them “lazy," “violent," and responsible for their own problems. The negative views could mean Obama's trouble with race is hurting his chances within his own party. Only 7 in 10 people who identify themselves as Democrats support an Obama presidency compared to the 85 percent of Republicans who support McCain.

The poll also found a trove of stark statistics in regard to opinions about race - to see what they are, read more.

Given a choice between several adjectives, 20 percent of all whites thought the word “violent” strongly applied.
Among other words, 22 percent agreed with “boastful"; 29 percent, “complaining”; 13 percent “lazy”; 11 percent “irresponsible."
Among Democrats, one-third used a negative adjective and of those, 58 percent planned to back Obama.
Among Independents, more than one-third used “complaining” and 24 percent used “violent”.
Nearly 40 percent white independents said that blacks should “try harder."
And the most upsetting news for Democrats: Just 59 percent of Hillary Clinton’s white Democratic followers said they wanted Obama to be president.

If you’re an Obama supporter, this information is rather bleak - but if you’re someone who is more interested in racial harmony there is a silver lining – sort of. One Stanford political scientist said of the survey: “There are a lot fewer bigots than there were 50 years ago, but that doesn’t mean there’s only a few bigots.” Is the presidential race motivating issues of race - or merely bringing those that already exist to the forefront?

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Barack Obama Speaks on Black and Wright Issues

CitizenSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:38:30 -0700

Barack Obama has just delivered a speech addressing the spiraling recurrence of questions and debate surrounding remarks made by Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright. The inflammatory statement made by Obama's spiritual adviser led to poll results released yesterday showing that 56 percent of voters would be less likely to vote for Obama given the remarks. Acknowledging that the subject of race has also become unavoidably prominent, Obama boldly and powerfully addressed the effect of both on his candidacy saying,

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

He then unflinchingly tackled the issue of race, acknowledging that "anger" and "resentment" have built over time on all sides of racial divides. He said by addressing the issue honestly, therein lies the only path to growth.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day, and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

Did these words move you? Is this the path to change? Do you think that a bold and inclusive statement like this speech will satisfy those who disagree with Obama's relationship to Wright, or who may be considering the issue of race? Did he succeed in both silencing the Wright controversy, and addressing the broader issue of race in this country? Is this the appropriate time to make this statement?

Did he sound presidential to you?

To read the most personal explanation of both his relationship to Wright and his race, read more.

I can no more disown him [Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Yes We Can?

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Have Hate Groups Been Quieter Than Expected This Election?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:59:49 -0700

Despite news of a dead bear cub shot through the head and draped with Obama signs and a car vandalized allegedly for sporting a McCain sticker, apparently hate group activity has been less intense than expected this campaign. Groups who monitor hate activity with an eye toward preventing violence are reporting an eerie silence from traditional sources of open racism - much less than they expected this late in the race.

The director of a law center that tracks hate group says, “What we really haven’t seen is white supremacists really rallying over an Obama presidency. Hate groups are in a more or less stunned position right now; they haven’t been able to figure out how to proceed just yet.”

Politician Douglas Wilder, 20 years ago had a campaign almost fail because of the Bradley (or Wilder) effect - where polling indicates voters will do one thing before succumbing to suspected race-related cold feet in the booth. He now says, "America has grown, people have grown."

Is this the case? To find out, read more.

Perhaps. Though even children are acutely aware of the issue of race in the campaign, it seems to be having an unexpected affect - nine percent of voters say they're more likely to vote for Obama because of his race, more than those who wouldn't for the same reason.

But has hate been quiet? We've seen presidential mailers looking like food stamps emblazoned with fried chicken, an effigy of Obama hung from a tree at a college in Oregon, and the KKK saying they hope if Obama is elected it will inspire a white backlash.

I suppose listening is in the ear of the beholder as to gauge the volume level on that. But will hate groups' vociferousness become more prevalent in the next two weeks - or on election night? Are they really too stunned by the becoming more real possibility of an Obama presidency to gather their organizations to rally? Or has America, like Wilder says, "grown?"

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Judge Natalie Is In Session At Cannes: Day 1

PopSugarUK — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:00:00 -0700

Natalie Portman clocked in for her first day of judiciary duty yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival, where she's one of nine judges. At the opening press conference her fellow judge Sean Penn spoke about the US Presidential Race, revealing he's not backing a particular candidate, but Natalie wouldn't be drawn on who she'd be voting for – unlike in our interview where she voiced her support for Hillary Clinton.

But back to the festival – the opening premiere was for Blindness, starring Julianne Moore and Gael Garcia Bernal, and the stars walked the red carpet alongside guests Cate Blanchett, Eva Longoria, Mischa Barton, Faye Dunaway and Dennis Hopper. One thing I adore about Cannes is the requirement that the photographers dress up, it just adds that extra bit of class to the events (and the resulting red carpet photos). Gorgeous! Stay tuned for more news from the festival as it continues.

To see lots more photos from the first day of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, just read more

View 25 Photos ›

Images include: Julianne Moore, Eva Longoria, Aishwarya Rai, Natalie Portman, Sam Riley, Cate Blanchett, Faye Dunaway, Gillian Anderson, Devon Aoki, Gael Garcia Bernal, Sean Penn, Danny Glover.

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Headline: Romney to Drop Out, Says Three GOP Sources

CitizenSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:19:21 -0800

This story is still developing, but according to CNN, Mitt Romney is said to be dropping out of the presidential race. Romney is set to give a speech in DC later this morning, and an announcement of some kind is expected.

We'll watch this story as it unfolds throughout the morning. Stay tuned!

Did The Cosby Show Help Obama Win?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:30:07 -0800

If you grew up in the '80s in a less-than-diverse town, the Huxtables may have the been the only African-American family you knew. At some point - probably rather later than was right - you made the connection: Theirs was not the typical American black experience.

Shifts in pop culture precede political and social change - or so I hear. The Cosby Show was about a family that happened to be black and not about a family being black, which sounds an awful lot like what was said about a certain campaign. Gone was the dysfunction and bickering of previous shows, and here was a fun (they put on shows at home!), loving family.

Is it possible that the Huxtables opened the doors to the White House? That’s what people are saying. To see why, read more.

The reactions that came in after the election sounded a lot like research results on why The Cosby Show was so popular among blacks and whites. The author of Enlightened Racism: The Cosby Show, Audiences, and the Myth of the American Dream said, “Black families we interviewed were incredibly proud and incredibly grateful that finally there were images that were dignified, and they were represented as human. White Americans would say, ‘Here is an intact black family.’"

Bill Cosby isn't taking credit for Obama's win, though. Yet he does not deny the effect his show had on racial views. Its legacy, he said, might have played a role in the country’s embrace of Mr. Obama and his family.

I have to agree with Bill Cosby - there are way too many variables in an election to claim correlation. But considering the generation that the The Cosby Show raised is now all voting, it certainly couldn't have hurt.

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Briefing Book! Are You a Bradley Voter or a Bandwagon Voter?

LibertySugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Election Day: Bradley or Bandwagon? Election effects to look out for. - 23/6
Ads: The morning after? Advertising world critiques Obama's 30-minute infomercial. - Adweek
RNC: Newt for RNC Chair? Could Gingrich lead the party out of the wilderness? - Townhall
Gore: Better luck this time? Al Gore will return to Florida to campaign for Obama. - Politico
Money: About time? Americans adopting prudent money habits. - SavvySugar

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NAACP: Work Would Continue Even Under Black President

LibertySugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:30:57 -0700

If an African-American succeeds in winning the most powerful position in the country, if not the world, the NAACP says its mission is still not complete. The new president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Benjamin Jealous, has highlighted the prevalence of violence, home foreclosures, and discrimination as evidence that more work must be done.

This past weekend, during the NAACP's California conference, Jealous spoke at a dinner also attended by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new NAACP head said:

These are big times we are in. But we are not the National Association for the Advancement of a Colored Person. There is more work to be done. . . . The No. 1 obstacle we face is the lack of outrage at the way everyday people are treated in this country.

Pointing to the symbolically transformative court case, Brown v. Board of Education, Jealous explained that often a case can be won, but the fight continues. The NAACP turns 100 next year - hopefully Barack Obama's candidacy will inspire many to continue working to end discrimination and improve communities.

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Obama Brand Goes Global Perhaps Lifting American Brand

LibertySugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:45:00 -0700

From Europe to South America to Asia to his father's birthplace in Kenya, Barack Obama's candidacy has made an impact. Black Europeans are pinning their hopes for more representation in their government on a persuasive example set by the election of Barack. Citing his charisma and ideas, black community leaders say his race is not the only reason for the transatlantic support.

Meanwhile, Colombia has adopted a more spirited way to show support - making Obama the mascot of their lottery. Colombia's Metal region placed Obama's face on its Oct. 22 ticket. In a country whose president strongly supports President Bush, the lottery officials explained the mood of the people: "We picked Obama's portrait for our lottery because we're always looking for somebody people are raving about. He's ahead in opinion polls and right now he's the most popular guy around here."

In his NYT's column today, Nicholas Kristof recounts the disbelief a friend in Beijing shared when he told her there's a good chance America will elect a black man president. To see how he explained the potential of an Obama presidency, read more.

Kristof wrote:

We’re beginning to get a sense of how Barack Obama’s political success could change global perceptions of the United States, redefining the American “brand” to be less about Guantanamo and more about equality. This change in perceptions would help rebuild American political capital in the way that the Marshall Plan did in the 1950s or that John Kennedy’s presidency did in the early 1960s.

Are you excited by the possibility of global Bush hatred being replaced by Obama mania?

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Presidential Election Mailers Can Get Ugly

LibertySugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:15:00 -0700

Messages based on fear have been getting out via mailers lately. The Republican Party of Virginia has sent out an ad that says "American must look evil in the eye and never flinch." It features an almost unrecognizable picture of Osama bin Laden, in which the skin is darker, the beard lighter, and the nose covered by words. Obama supporters worry that the Virginia GOP, whose chair compared Obama to Osama bin Laden recently, manipulated the picture to resemble Barack.

Over in North Carolina, the Republican National Committee sent residents a controversial mailer. On a page next to a prominent white hand with its hand over its heart, are the words "It used to be easy to recognize patriotism."

And perhaps the most blatantly inappropriate, and most obscure, anti-Obama pamphlet comes from the Chaffey Community Republican Women Federated in Southern California. The group sent a newsletter to 200 members, which contained an image of Barack Obama surrounded by a bucket of KFC chicken, watermelon, ribs, and Kool Aid, with the words: "Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on????? Food Stamps, what else!"

Are critics of these ads being overly sensitive, or is there reason for concern? Can these attitudes impact the election, or will there always be extreme, yet inconsequential, fringe groups.