Exit Poll: 90% of NC Blacks voted for Obama...but is Hillary the racist?

Recently I had come across a thread regarding the 90% black vote that went to Obama in NC and the question was raised that if this was indicative of blacks being racist. If they didn't vote for Mrs. Clinton because she is white. Ironically though having been long time Clinton supports their racial judgment now comes into play. Rather than participate in that thread which seemed to degenerate into personal opinions of blacks and not the original question raised I thought I'd add my own belief as to why the black voters practically abandoned the Clintons.

Did blacks in North Carolina not vote for Hillary simply because they are racist? Although that would be an overly simplistic answer if true I personally believe it is not the case. I think the answer is a bit more complicated, and yes, race still remains a factor in it. There are a few things that need to be kept in mind that I think many claiming racial foul are either ignorant of, or simply have selectively forgotten, and that it this:

Months earlier HILLARY CLINTON LED OBAMA NATIONALLY AMONG BLACK VOTERS.

Poll: Black support helps Clinton extend lead

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead over Sen. Barack Obama, her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, is growing among African-American voters who are registered Democrats, and particularly among black women, a poll said Wednesday. Among black registered Democrats overall, Clinton had a 57 percent to 33 percent lead over Obama. That's up from 53 percent for Clinton and 36 percent for Obama in a poll carried out in April.
CNN.com

There were many blacks that supported Hillary over Obama. So strong was that support that for a while Obama was 20-30% behind her. She now seems to be losing ground.

Clinton loses support among black Democrats
Clinton now trails Barack Obama 59 percent to 31 percent among African-Americans, according to the CNN/Opinion Research Poll. In October, Clinton led 57 percent to 31 percent.Boston.com

Why the turn-around?

It's simple: The Clinton's and their supporters went dirty and strongly played the race card. So much so she alienated her own black support. In fact she eventually rejected it outright, instead focusing on White voters only. She did this by race baiting (which the neo-cons happily trumpeted) and making racially unsubstantiated claims. At one point even insulting the very voters she said were her new found base. Aside from the numerous claims by her staffers that Latinos won't vote for a black candidate she and her supporters also added:

Hillary Claims White people support her not Obama: USAToday.com

Clinton supporter claims only eggheads and blacks will support Obama: Clinton Touts White Support-NYTimes.com

Here Hillary is quoted as stating not only does she have the white vote...but that those voters are uneducated or drop-outs:

“found how Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.”

Taken from above article.

As long-time Clinton support Charles Rangel stated in denunciation of the above comment it was: “the dumbest thing she could ever have said.”

Indeed, it seemed that the Clinton's had begun to wade into the muddy waters of gutter politics. The same tactics they repudiated when used against them. Even worse the race card was not only thrown down, but wagged in the face of all Black Democrats that had respect for the Clinton's for some time. It was a stinging backstab that did not go unnoticed and I believe was acted upon come vote time.

Articles (overlooked) have also mentioned this as being partially the reason for her failure in NC:

How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote
Yet, through a series of intended or unintended developments -- from Bill's "fairy tale" and "false premise" comments concerning Obama's stance on the Iraq war, to hints of black-brown animosities between African-American and Hispanic Democrats, to Hillary's incessant "not qualified to lead" insinuations about Obama -- the Clinton campaign signaled that if they were going to lose the black vote, they might as well turn it into an advantage with other elements in the Democratic coalition, notably white working-class voters.

Consequently, in a short span Hillary transformed from a celebrity into an object of scorn among numerous black Democrats.

Salon.com

Hillary lost the day she courted 'redneck vote'
By playing the race card, the 'morally white trash' Clintons have hit a new low in US politics. The new narrative is plain nasty: Obama can't win because he's black.

Of course she didn't put it exactly that way, but how else do you interpret her triumphant citation last week to the nationwide downmarket tabloid USA Today of an article "that found how Senator Obama's support among working, hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me. There's a pattern emerging here".

Independent-Ireland

As well as:
Hillary's best hope: racism: 'Working class' means 'white'- LVRJ.com
Clinton Continues Playing Race Card - Blackstarnews.com

I myself was a supporter of the Clinton's and in fact my very first vote was for Bill Clinton. I was also a Hillary supporter early on as was my wife over any other candidate. This however has changed in light of the shameless and divisive racial games she and her husband have played with the American public. The same insidious tactics they lambasted people like Rush Limbaugh for using in the past. Although I can't say I will vote for Obama, I KNOW I will never vote for Hillary.

Obama cannot win on the black vote alone and even if some voters did vote for simply because he was black I know that there were more that voted against Hillary simply because the Clinton's let them down. Some have even said no Republican would be so bold as to claim to be the only candidate for White America.

Obama has yet to use the same tactics and has respectfully responded to these claims and attacks. If anything this alone has shown how he (and even to a lesser extent John McCain) would not stoop to such political lows. In my opinion Obama has lead his campaign with grace and dignity whereas the Clinton's seemed to not only lose their minds...but sadly their Black support as well. It was/is a shameful spectacle to behold and if continues will damage the party.

Democrats have always had the support of the majority of black voters. When 90% of the blacks in any state vote for the Democratic challenger for the Presidency in times past...challengers that were always white males...what exactly did that make them?

Is it still an issue then?

- Lee

All those views and not one response?

This only furthers my belief in the fact that most people aren't interested in the facts, just the divisive political fiction and race baiting that lead to an even more divided America.

Well...I suppose once Obama gets the nomination I can expect to see more of that sort of thing coming.

Cya!

- Lee

No mudslinging in this thread.

Here's a good thread title:

90% of ATS Members Only Discuss Dirty Politics

*Edit:

If you wanted responses it needs to say something like:

1) Obama is not black enough
2) Hillary is too white
3) McCain is too old
4) Obama is too black
5) McCain is really Korean
6) Obama eats kittens

etc

[edit on 11-5-2008 by Sublime620]

It is my opinion that people usually vote for the candidate they think will best represent their interests. If most African Americans vote for Obama it's not because of racism (although maybe some are racist) so much as it's because they see him as best able to represent them and the changes they want to see in government.

That said, I don't think Hillary is a race-baiter. The comments about Obama's statements on Iraq being a "fairy tale" are critical but I fail to see any racism in them. While I think her statements about appealing to white voters could be construed as racist (though I don't agree that the term "middle class" refers only to whites) I think her intention was to solidify her base. There are undoubtedly some white voters who would choose her simply because she is white, but I think it's extreme to assume that all her supporters are racist. Many people admire her, were happy with the Clinton administration and believe she is the most qualified candidate.

Interestingly, sexism has been seldom if ever mentioned during this primary campaign, but yet it is an important component in the way Clinton is perceived and represented. There have been literally hundreds of misogynistic remarks made about her but she apparently refuses to engage them on that level. In fairness to Obama, I haven't noticed any such remarks coming from him.

To sum up, I think Obama is leading because he is running an effective and persuasive campaign. It's impossible to have such a campaign without its bringing up racist issues that haven't been resolved in this country, but those issues are endemic to the U.S. at this point in time and not due to anything Hillary Clinton says or doesn't say.



[edit on 13-5-2008 by Sestias]

I do understand where your coming from