A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
I won’t say who I voted for in this election, but I didn’t vote for Obama. I also happen to be stationed and live in Alabama. Oh yeah! If you didn’t know, some would consider me “white”, though I NEVER check that box on any forms. Because of these three elements, the New York Times has labeled me a racist:
Southern counties that voted more heavily Republican this year than in 2004 tended to be poorer, less educated and whiter, a statistical analysis by The New York Times shows.
I would absolutely LOVE to vote for a black man and make history WITHOUT having to worry about raising taxes and losing freedom of speech in the process. I’m a HUGE fan of Colin Powell and would have voted for him. When I was stationed in Maryland, I voted for Michael Steele (he lost). I think Secretary Rice would get my vote as well. I’d vote for THIS GUY before I would vote for Joe the Plumber.
According to the Slimes article, “Less than a third of Southern whites voted for Mr. Obama, compared with 43 percent of whites nationally.” So, about 30% of whites DID vote for Obama here in the South. One may be led to believe that there is a racist motive for this. If that’s true, what do we make of this?
There are 61 precincts in Alabama where 85 percent or more of registered voters are black. That means that more than 85% of the populace in those areas is considered black.
The 61 predominantly black precincts showed intense loyalty to Obama. They delivered a landslide – 66,193 votes for Obama vs. 1,295 for Republican Sen. John McCain. That gave Obama 98 percent of votes in those precincts.
Dayum!! 98%!! If you read the entire New York Slimes article, you’ll probably notice that the above paragraph is nowhere to be found. That’s because it isn’t in there. I lifted that from the Birmingham News. The nation’s first black president won 96 percent of the black vote in the United States this election. President-elect Barack Obama received 43 percent of the white vote nationwide.
So, let’s compare notes here. 43% of whites and only 4% of blacks aren’t “racist” by this definition? I mean, if voting for a candidate that doesn’t have the same skin color is considered racist, how else could the margin of difference be explained according to the mainstream media? 96%!! That’s almost as good as the 100% of the votes Saddam Hussein got when he was “elected”. Who’s the bigger racist? And why do we have to keep classifying people into these little, tight square boxes of color (apologies to the circle lovers out there for leaving you out)? Back to the Slimes article…
“Race continues to play a major role in the state,†said Glenn Feldman, a historian at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. “Alabama, unfortunately, continues to remain shackled to the bonds of yesterday.â€
David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, pointed out that the 18 percent share of whites that voted for Senator John Kerry in 2004 was almost cut in half for Mr. Obama.
“There’s no other explanation than race,†he said.
Oh, sure. Of course. I mean it’s ALL about race that only 43% of whites voted for Obama. Where do rednecks, mulattos, and native Americans fit in? Seems fitting that I share this comic that was in today’s paper:
While trolling small towns with populations barely over 2,000 residents strong, Adam Nossiter was able to conjure up all sorts of nastiness to highlight what we ALL must be thinking since we didn’t vote for McCain. A sampling:
One white woman said she feared that blacks would now become more “aggressive,†while another volunteered that she was bothered by the idea of a black man “over me†in the White House. [oh yeah, white women are racist too!]
Joey Franks, a construction worker…who voted for Mr. McCain, said he believed that “over 50 percent voted against Obama for racial reasons,†adding that in his own case race mattered “a little bit. That’s in my mind.†[construction workers are racist]
“I think any time you have someone elected president of the United States with a Muslim name, whether they are white or black, there are some very unsettling things,†George W. Newman, a director at a local bank and the former owner of a trucking business, said over lunch at Yellow Creek Fish and Steak. [bankers and truckers are racist, too]
Customers of Bill Pennington, a barber whose downtown shop is decorated with hunting and fishing trophies, were “scared because they heard he had a Muslim background,†Mr. Pennington said over the country music on the radio. “Over and over again I heard that.†[Yeah, country music listeners are also racist - DAMN YOU TAYLOR SWIFT!!]
Today, I spoke with a Soldier that Mr. Nossiter would probably classify as black about how he voted. He admitted that he and his family voted for Obama “because he was black”, making sure he clarified that he doesn’t agree with him on taxes and other policies. I’d share a quote with you from the article about why blacks voted for Obama…but, there weren’t any. Black can’t be racist you know?
So, as long as I’m white, live in the south, and vote for white people that are more qualified to be president than the black candidate happens to be, I’ll have to wear my racist label with some sort of ghoulish pride. Oh wait, I can’t say “white” and “pride” in the same sentence, can I? I’m so going to hell. But, at least people like New York Slimes columnist Adam Nossiter will be there waiting for me! It can’t be possible that I didn’t vote for Obama because I don’t support socialism (Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy) or marxism (The political and economic philosophy…in which the concept of class struggle plays a central role in understanding society’s allegedly inevitable development from bourgeois oppression under capitalism to a socialist and ultimately classless society).
h/t to Pamela Furr from WVNN for informing me about the New York Slime article. And, yes, she’s a white racist woman too!!
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Anatomy of a Military Dating Scam
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Anatomy of a Military Dating Scam
For Rachel Green: I do believe that was a scam. Military men do not n
Hilary aka Misplaced Texan
A doctor I work for told me I was racist because I didn’t want to vote for Obama. I said, “No I don’t agree with his politics…it has nothing to do with race.” I then asked him if it meant I was racist everytime I disagreed with anyone who was a minority. Then I asked him if it meant HE was a racist because he didn’t agree with me (he’s not white obviously…nor black). Then I said, “Or does the racism only count if the person disagreeing happen to be white?” He just smiled and walked into the room of his next patient!
I surely hope that the next 4 years doesn’t mean I am going to be racist when I don’t agree with something Obama does or doesn’t do. I only hope and pray that he does well for our country. I pray for all our leaders regardless of their party affiliation. I only hope that the Lord hears our prayers!
Miss Ladybug
Didn’t you know that ANY disagreement with The One is because you’re a racist???
MissBirdlegs in AL
I knew it all the time, CJ – about you and about me, ’cause we live in AL, we listen to country music, we’re poorer, less educated, and – oh yeah – whiter. The people at the NY Slimes just don’t understand the South, never have, never will and really don’t want to. They’d rather generalize to make their point. We’ve always been judged as racist, and probably always will be.
brat
Well I must be racist too, but I am a “northerner”.
CJ
Brat, I think it’s okay for northerners to be racist. I think they call people like you, partisan, but not racist!
Donna
Yeah, if you disagree with Obama you are a racist! Where is this country going?! No, don’t answer that, I’m afraid to find out!
Amy
What do they call us in Utah? Outstanding article CJ. This should be reposted everywhere!
Critical Facts
cj:
No, you are not a racist. What you are, however, is a realist who recognizes that the south has lost its once former strength in national politics. That is, after all, what the article is about. The NYT hit the nail on the head!
Mickey
CF, which field did you crawl out from? Oh yeah, I see the large black seeds on you chin.
I guess I a racist, i too listen to country music, our home is graced with deer heads on our living room walls.
Mickey
oh I forgot our front yard is graced with the many stars and stripes too
Isaac
CF,
You are saying the NYT “hit the nail on the head” while saying the opposite of CJ not being a racist?
Like I challenge all you liberal chimps, call ME a racist. I am a Chinese who hates BHO.
Mickey
I thought I’s share this on in my county and three other surrounding counties the population has more Black people than white people, On Nov 5 when all the results were tallied OHB didn’t win these counties the totals were very heavy on the McCain so that make all those black people racist too on the other side.
Fearless
When I lived in several yearsago I voted several times for a black person for local and state offices ( one a State Supreme Court Justice ). I voted for them because of their qualifications, not party or color.
This time I did not vote for the chosen one because of his policies and the fact that it has been determined that in many instances he has not exectaly told the truth. His past known associates speakes loud and clear as to his character!
Fearless
I klived in Southeast Alabama!
Critical Facts
Issac:
That is 100% correct. I do not believe CJ is a racist. Are you disagreeing with me?
CJ
The article may have started out that way, but it claims that the reason are due to racism. And while addressing the racism issue, not one word was uttered about “black” racism. Just “white” racism. The south has a large population of “blacks”. The article is not about political power in south, but an essay on the state of racism in the south and how that possibly played in to the elections. It’s serrupticious, I know, but it’s reality.
Art
I am a former “black or dark-green” Marine. During my tour I have made friends with many folks from many different backgrounds. Some who I agreed with and others who I agreed to disagree with. Two friends that stand out the most were one ex-skinhead and one ex-klansman. It%u2019s interesting what you find out when you converse on an intellectual level with someone. These two guys would kill for me and I for them, that%u2019s what brothers and sisters in arms do when the crap hits the fan. This is one thing I can say about the NYT article, it worked at getting those who would provide it the attention it was whining for. The old saying goes “if the shoe fits wear it”, if not keep on walking barefooted. Being it that I am a vet (like McCain) and black (half like Obama), those were the first things I throw out of the comparison when deciding on who I was voting for because both of those miniscule aspects meant nothing, but more of my agreement with their policies and politics. I applaud any American (race and gender excluded) for voting from an educated stand point and not based on the BS things said during the election process as I have yet to meet a truly honest politician or reporter. None of them are perfect. We take a chance with whomever we put in office and the media will spin the story to get a rise out of folks, ignore them and be proud of the person you are and the choices you make. Divided we fall! Without conflict there is nothing to report about. They are trying to keep their jobs relevant. Seek truth and fight the good fight!
Tim
I’m not racist. I have a color TV.
Rich
CJ! You know your not supposed to act smart in public!
Isaac
CF,
CJ “hit the nail on the head” in his comment, I think that explains it well.
CJ
No one noticed my comic photoshop there. Maybe I’m the only one that laughs at me.
Sharon
You have to take a look at this map. It shows the election results of the country with coloring of counties as red and blue. You’ll get an entirely different picture of the country than the NYT.
http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg
Ky Woman
Well… I saw it, laughed my a$$ silly. But then it’s rare I ever disagree with anything you write. So you can’t call me anti-ASP…
Ya know, I’m from the south (imagine that). I must be one of those NYT racist,too.
Myself, I prefer to be called “American”.
Dice
O’bama??!!!
Black??!!
I thought he was Irish,……damn.
jordan
Funny the NYT should use the counties as a reference for blue/red demographics and voting. Check out the graphic map breakdown of how all counties voted. It’s almost a solid phalanx of red, with blue strips on either side. Obviously, population concentrations were an issue, but geographically, the NYT assertion pinpointing southern counties is specious. Don’t worry, though. Conservatives tend to have babies. Lots of babies.
Critical Facts
Sharon:
We don%u2019t elect people to represent acres of empty rural land; we elect them to represent people – so a population adjusted map is far more instructive of who won than is a county by county map that doesn%u2019t adjust for population. IOW, McCain may have won the swath of the US from the Texas coast to the Canadian border, but most of those states are empty compared to the industrial north won by Obama. The NYT map is by far more informative than the map you refer.
sue
UM, I guess you’ve never seen the “industrial” north and all the “empty rural land”. And as far as the “swath of the US from the Texas coast to the Canadian border” I’ll give you Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota cause they all come in just above Vermont but below the rest of the Northern States in Population, but the rest of the states, you lose. With the exception of NY, NJ and MA which rank #3, #11 and #14 respectively, the rest are well below the states that fall between your boundaries. Ohio, #5, Illinois, #7, Missouri, #18, Oklahoma #29 Iowa, #30, Kansas, #33 and Nebraska, #39. And given your theory, how do you explain the vast expanse of red in Florida, which is #4, almost all of Texas, #2 and Pennsylvania, #6. Even Alabama #23, Kentucky #26, Mississippi, #31, and Arkansas #32 rank above most of the “Industrial North”. And you don’t get more “rural” than that.
sue
Oh, and I would also like to add that NY, NJ, MA and CA are all, and have long been bastions of liberal political corruption so, I guess you can have them any way!!
Critical Facts
Uhmm, errr, hmmm. Ok, sue, what ever you say. Maybe we should have a recount ….
sue
Spoken like a true liberal.
Sharon
Well CF, if you are considering the population, 66,882,230 (Obama); 58,343,671 (McCain) .87% less than Obama. The Hispanic vote strongly impacted the West. The referendum was on Bush. The industrial north went blue the last time around also. “We don’t elect people to represent acres of empty rural land;..” You know that is an absurd statement when you look at the county by county map as a whole. I believe that people living in the less densely populated states have a voice that counts. Maybe you don’t.
I used to believe that voter fraud on each side canceled each other out. Now I believe that voter ignorance is the biggest factor in this election. Obama was never vetted with the same intensity that a presidential candidate should be. I don’t think it was necessary to spend much time on VP Biden. He is a known quantity. Same with McCain. Obama is not. I don’t care about your grades, dude, just let me see what you wrote and who funded your education.
Critical Facts
sue and sharon:
news flash! the state of alaska just got a little bit bluer (Stevens the felon is out).
ps. sharon, thank you for making my point. yes, there are less densely areas of the US – very, very less densely areas – and it is precisely because of those “less densely” populated areas that your map looks so red when, in fact, per capita, it will look much more blue. but nice try!
Sharon
No one disputes that the west is less densely populated. Point 87 percent more…
58,000,000, not such a landslide…
Maybe William Jefferson could take Stevens’ place. Alaska has a pretty cold climate. He wouldn’t need a freezer to keep that money cold.
Critical Facts
The electoral college elects the president, and the result is 365 to 162 – a landslide!
CJ
Boy, CF, your people sure weren’t singing that tune when Bush won the electoral college. Interesting the irony in that statement. But, it was a landslide and the Republicans deserved to win that one as well. There wasn’t much difference between Obama and McCain except that I’ve heard some people say that Obama is black or something and knows how to speak. It was a choice between dumb and dumber. That’s why I voted third party – I wanted REAL CHANGE!!
As for Stevens, Alaska and the nation deserves that loss. Stevens is a disgrace to himself, the state of Alaska, the Republican Party, and politics. I was glad he lost and didn’t think he should have been able to run to begin with. Felons should have no representation in our government.
Critical Facts
CJ:
Are you referring to the bush/Kerry election, where the result was 286-251 and decided by a single state, Ohio? Hmmm. That’s what I thought. Not much of a landslide after all. No irony there!
Well, we can certainly agree on “Uncle Ted.” Thank God the Begich win forecloses the need for the country to endure the pain of listening to Sarah Palin deliver her red-meat talking points for another election cycle, at least as concerns the 2008 Senate election.
Critical Facts
Or, maybe you were talking about bush/Gore, where the result was 271-266, and decided by a single state, Florida? Nope, not much of a landslide there, either.
Sharon
.87% difference between the two vote totals.
Critical Facts
I’ll take your word on that, Sharon. But what’s your point?
CJ
CF, are you saying the electoral college votes should only counted in the event of a landslide when the Democrats win? Because that’s exactly what it sounds like. The Democrats have cried for the past eight years about how Bush “stole” the election. One state, or 50, it doesn’t matter. The electoral college picks presidents but you only care about that when your side wins. Yes, it’s ironic. Has nothing to do with landslides.
Critical Facts
cj:
No, that is not what I am saying; of course, the electoral vote is the only vote that counts. And judging by recent election results, Obama won the electoral vote by a landslide.
Julie
If I disagree with someone I am a racist??? Think YOU are the racist!!!