Gallup: Race Not An Issue - As Long As You're White

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

http://www.gallup.com/poll/111049/Obamas-Race-May-Much-Plus-Minus.aspx

Quote:

PRINCETON, NJ -- While 6% of voters say they are less likely to vote for Barack Obama because of his race, 9% say they are more likely to vote for him, making the impact of his race a neutral to slightly positive factor when all voters' self-reported attitudes are taken into account.

At the same time, 6% of voters say John McCain's race will make them less likely to vote for him, with 7% saying it makes them more likely to vote for him, leading to the same basic conclusion: McCain's race, like Obama's, is on balance neither a plus nor a minus.
...
The potential impact of Obama's race on the election has been the more scrutinized this year. These data, taken at face value, show that if anything, his race could be a net plus, in the sense that it makes slightly more voters want to vote for him than not want to vote for him.

There is, as expected, a difference by the race of the respondent in answers to this question.
...
Among nonwhites in the sample, there is a net difference of 11 percentage points in Obama's favor in terms of the likelihood to vote for him because of his race. Among non-Hispanic whites in the sample, there is a slight net negative for Obama of -1 point.

The impact of McCain's race among nonwhites, on the other hand, is -8 points. Among whites it is +4.
...
The data analyzed here -- based on voters' self-reports -- show that the impact of Obama's and McCain's races appears to cut both ways. Enough voters, particularly nonwhites, say they are more likely to vote for Obama because of his race to offset the small percentage who say they are less likely to vote for him because of his race. And the same is true in reverse for McCain: the impact of nonwhites' saying his race is a negative is offset by those who say it is a positive.

More specifically, to review perhaps the most important finding in these data, 7% of white voters say Obama's race makes them less likely to vote for him. But 6% of white voters say Obama's race makes them more likely to vote for him. And among nonwhite voters, Obama's race is a significant net plus.
...

Some of the graphs shown:

<<-- click to expand

So much for White Republicans being the racist ones.

ejward · Joined: Jan 06, 2003 Posts: 6521

One of the polls I saw showed that white rural women were most likely to NOT vote for Obama because of race. That wasn't the demographic I was expecting. But all in all, I'm glad to see that race is pretty much a wash .... as it should be.

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

Yep, race is a wash, as long as you're white.

ejward · Joined: Jan 06, 2003 Posts: 6521

And many people were going to vote for Hillery because she was a woman. many are voting for McCain because Palin is a woman. Everybody's got there reasons. Did you honestly think that non-whites weren't going to favor Obama? I know some people that are not voting for Obama because he's a secret Muslim. It's really because he's black, but they're just not saying that.

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

My point with this is really about the hypocrisy. People are quick to claim that white people are racist, but the fact that black people are going to vote for Obama just because he's black somehow isn't racist.

ejward · Joined: Jan 06, 2003 Posts: 6521

I agree, it's racisim to not vote for McCain because he's white. It's a case of the pot calling the kettle African American ....... sorry. Had to throw that one in there. Seriously though. It is racisim but, what can you do? In past elections (200+ years woorth) it wasn't an issue.

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

It looks from the poll that whites have "grown up" but not blacks. And yes, voting for someone based on their race it racism. Supposedly, we vote for the person we think will do the best job. If anyone thinks that Obama's race will help him be a better President, that's racism.

kenmabmcc

Many states have colluded with suppressing the black vote over many years.

It is great that an articulate, part black, person is running for the presidency,
so it is not unexpected that other black voters would wish to vote for him.

As he is part black and part white, anyone in the US could be called racist,
if they voted for or against the part they did, or did not, like.

Wink

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185