Slog - Comments on Is America Ready for a Candidate Named Barack Hussein Obama?

Comment by Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:01:43 -0800

I wish America was ready for Obama. But I am afraid most people with fall for the tactics Rush Limdick is playing with Obama's name. (Have you heard the crap Rush is trying to do with the guys name??) Then America would have to deal with our history of racism. Obama still needs to run in the south and pick up a couple of southern states to get the electoral votes to win. And that means the south will need to deal with it's racial issues. Remember the Senatorial race in Tenn.?? But I have a little hope Obama will win.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:05:28 -0800

As VP, sure. But we all want Dean or Gore for Pres.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:08:01 -0800

Obama might have a little better luck in Tennessee than Harold Ford, Jr. did, because Obama's not a a shithead like Ford.

But that screenshot is sickening.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:09:18 -0800

As VP, sure. But we all want Dean or Gore for Pres.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:11:19 -0800

dang, sorry, don't know how that happened.

Comment by longball

longball — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:20:24 -0800

I think the revulsion much of the country had at the racism in the Tennesee and Virginia campaigns may have helped move a lot of people to the Dems in 06. It made the whole R party look bad. Even though it may have cost Ford a seat in Tennesee, presidential elections are not won and lost in the Mountaineer state (Thank GOD). If Obama is the candidate, the racism of the right will be exposed even more, and it is one thing the media can usually be counted on to go after them for. I am pretty sure there is nothing the R's fear more than an Obama presidential run, so lets give it to them. Of course the Dems are gutless wonders of the first order and will probably just settle for some "safe" candidate (translation: easy to beat).

I support Obama! even though he would totally do my momma.

Comment by Original Andrew

Original Andrew — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:41:03 -0800

Just wait till Faux News proclaims that he was the 20th highjacker...

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:14:08 -0800

No, the 20th hijacker was Saddam Hussein - everyone knows we were attacked by Iraq on 9-11. The Saudis told us that.

;-)

Comment by charles

charles — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:21:29 -0800

well... ted kennedy made this same mistake, so I wouldn't get all hyperbolic just yet. and as for the "but he'll be a victim of racism" hand-wringers, the radical right republicans that have been running this freak show the past six years have been saying crazy shit for so long that nobody listens to them anymore. anyone who tries to pull the racism angle could easily be played off as just another hysterical conservative that is just as wrong about obama as they were about osama. i can see the campaign commercial now: clips of rabid osama-hating republicans followed with a black screen with big white letters that read "Osama Obama?" and then cut to obama saying how it's time that we stop playing games and get serious about protecting this country. stop being afraid of shit and start using it to your own advantage, because you could knock a home run against some of these asinine attacks if someone would just step and stop flinching all the goddamn time.

Comment by Ahem

Ahem — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:35:00 -0800

#2: Will, please speak for yourself and not others. Democrats (surprise!) are undecided as to who they want in 2006.

Comment by Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:11:14 -0800

I agree with Ahem, it is only 2007: we have no clue who the nominees will be at this point for either party. No one even knew who Bill Clinton a year ahead of Iowa and N. H. and a year ahead of Iowa and N.H. no one would have thought it would end up being John Kerry. And to really rain on our parade, the Democrats have not elected a northerner to the White House since 1960, and that was a tight race between Nixon and Kennedy. Before that the last Democrat to win big who was from the northern US was 1944 when FDR won his fourth term.

Think about it, most of the Democrats of late who have gone to the White House were Southerners. Harry Truman (Missouri) (1948) Lyndon Johnson (Texas)(1964) Jimmy Carter (Georgia) (1976) Bill Clinton (Arkasas) (1992 and 1996) and Al Gore (Tennesee) (2000). As much as I would love Obama to win but history is stacked against him.

Comment by SDA in SEA

SDA in SEA — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:32:50 -0800

Racism is still very much a problem, and I'm not sure yet whether or not an African-American can win a presidential race. But Obama is the best realistic shot of it that I can recall in recent history (or ever). And while the blatant racism of the Ford campaign should be viewed as a national disgrace, Senator Allen's (R, Virginia) racism is almost entirely responsible for costing him what had been presumed to be a safe seat. If Virginia can oust a racist Cracker (barely), perhaps we are ready for a black president.

Oh, and I would almost expect this kind of moronic mistake by Faux News, but I'm a bit surprised CNN made such a stupid fumble. Nice going, idiots.

Comment by charles

charles — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:48:03 -0800

they're sorry, he's ok with it, moving on...

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:49:50 -0800

Oh, Ahem, please, let's wake up and smell the end of the Bush and Clinton dynasties.

Over. Unfortunately, not like the Iraq Quagmire. Which just keeps getting worse while we dilly and dally.

Comment by him

him — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:50:44 -0800

Howard Dean? Ugh, no way. Gore, yes.

Obama does have a very, very unfortunate name.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:32:06 -0800

"Obama" isn't that unfortunate. It's unfortunate that some idiots think it sounds too much like "Osama". But it could be worse; there used to be quite a few people in the US with the last name "Hitler". Not so many today.