Month: September 2008

CNN Poll: Race Could Be a Factor — You Think?

Buck Banks

cnn.jpgFrom the Bleedin’ Obvious File comes this nugget of hard-won truth from CNN: a recent poll “suggests” that race could be a “factor” in the presidential election. Well, duh. It wouldn’t, of course, be a factor if one of the candidates wasn’t BLACK.

Here’s the blather:

A new study that surveyed racial attitudes suggests that racial prejudices could tip the balance in the upcoming presidential election.

If there were no racial prejudice among voters, Sen. Barack Obama would receive about 6 percentage points more support, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll, designed in partnership with Stanford University.

The results suggest that 40 percent of white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, including more than a third of white Democrats and independents. A small percentage of voters — 2.5 percent of those surveyed — said they may turn away from Obama because of his race.

I don’t know what the bright lights at CNN are thinking. Oh, I know, they’re racists! Check out this next bit:

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey also indicates that race could play a big role in November. Asked if race would be a factor in their vote, 37 percent of respondents said yes. But of that group, many are Republicans who are not likely to vote for any Democrat, and some are Democrats who may vote for Obama because of his race.

OK, now the respondents are asked if race “would be a factor” in their vote. But some of the 37 percent — we don’t know how many — who said yes are actually racist Republicans who wouldn’t vote for Obama if he were Alan Keyes, right? And what about the racist Democrats who, CNN suggests, would vote for Obama because he’s black, even if he were a Nazi? Decoding, decoding, decoding ….

Of the 8 percent of Democrats who told CNN they plan to vote for Obama’s GOP rival, Sen. John McCain, half said race was a factor.

I suppose the other 4 percent are Hillaryites who would vote for Obama if he were a black woman. CNN carries on:

Experts point out that it’s hard to quantify racial prejudice because many people who hold prejudices are not going to admit to it.

“The hardest thing in the world for pollsters to poll for, with the exception of sexual behavior, is racial attitudes and how it affects behavior,” said Walter Shapiro, Washington bureau chief for Salon.com. Shapiro said while people might say things differently off the record, racial issues cannot easily be quantified.

Easy: That’s because racists are liars. They know that being a racist is wrong, and they have a deep-rooted shame over their feelings of racial hatred toward blacks, so, in order to protect their reputation, they lie on an anonymous survey to cover up their racism. Makes sense to me.

The pollsters for the AP/Yahoo survey used techniques that they thought would be more likely to lead to honest results — such as conducting the poll online and using subtle methods and formulas to calculate racial attitudes.

I think this is how a subtle question from the survey — formulated to get at those deep-seated racial hatreds — might have read:

I will not vote for Barack Obama for president because:
a) He’s black
b) He’s a Muslim
c) He’s a Democrat
d) He’s a liberal
e) All of the above

If you answered E, it means that “race is a factor.”

That study also suggests that the number of people who may turn away from Obama because of his race could be larger than what the margin of victory was in the 2004 election.

What are we supposed to do with that chestnut? The bigots at CNN just want to sew the seeds of discord, obviously. I mean, they don’t even tell us what that margin of victory was, so it implies that it was HUGE. It was 2.4 percent.

Poll: Bush Approval at 19% – Can We Impeach Him Now?

Jon Ponder

Among other things, this new poll shows that 19 percent of Americans are functionally brain-dead:

A new poll from American Research Group shows that zero percent of Americans believe the economy is improving (h/t Think Progress). The poll also measured President Bush’s approval rating at 19 percent.

Bush’s 11-point drop from the previous poll can be attributed to the recent Wall Street bailouts that have clarified the economic situation for the voters. With Bush’s last major act as President likely to be the negotiation of a massive buyout of which taxpayers will bear the brunt, even Bush’s most ardent supporters have written off the remainder of his presidency.

Early on we were told that Dems in Congress would not impeach Bush over his war lies, CIA agent betrayals, illegal torturing and spying or anything else short of tossing babies into wood chippers in the Rose Garden because it might cause a backlash. Now that he’s at 19 percent, which is statistically zero in our society, there’s little or no chance he could rebound, but, of course, the excuse is, it’s too late.

The Constitution does not require impeachments to be long drawn out affairs, but, at this point, Bush’s lawyers probably could stall the process out until January. Of course, the Constitution also does not specifically say the impeached pol must still be in office.

But this ignores the question of justice and accountability. Growing old in disgrace, as Richard Nixon did, is not punishment enough to stop some future unscrupulous president from taking Bush’s lawlessness even further.

A case could be made that if Nixon had spent a few months in prison in the 1970s, Dick Cheney, George Bush and their crew would not have felt emboldened to shred the Constitution today.

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

I believe that with the nomination of Sarah Palin for the vice presidency, the silliness of our politics has finally put our nation at risk. The world is growing more complex — and dangerous — with each passing hour, and our position within it growing more precarious. Should she become president, Palin seems capable of enacting policies so detached from the common interests of humanity, and from empirical reality, as to unite the entire world against us. When asked why she is qualified to shoulder more responsibility than any person has held in human history, Palin cites her refusal to hesitate. “You can’t blink,” she told [reporter Charles] Gibson repeatedly, as though this were a primordial truth of wise governance. Let us hope that a President Palin would blink, again and again, while more thoughtful people decide the fate of civilization.

— Sam Harris in Newsweek; read the entire column here

Cars: McCains, 13; Obamas, 1

Trish

Sometimes the differences between political candidates are nuanced. Sometimes they are stark. The number of cars owned by John and Cindy McCain versus the number owned by Barack and Michelle Obama fits the latter category.

Only the Cadillac is registered in the candidate’s name. Cindy McCain’s name is on 11 vehicles

…based on public vehicle-registration records, here’s the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.

One vehicle in the McCain fleet has caused a small flap. United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger, an Obama backer, accused McCain this month of “flip-flopping” on who bought daughter Meghan’s foreign-made Toyota Prius. McCain said last year that he bought it, but then told a Detroit TV station on Sept. 7 that Meghan “bought it, I believe, herself.”

McCain’s personal ride, a 2004 Cadillac CTS, is no gas sipper…

Only the Cadillac is registered in the candidate’s name. Cindy McCain’s name is on 11 vehicles, though not the one she actually drives. That car, a Lexus, is registered to her family’s beer-distributor business and is outfitted with personalized plates that read MS BUD.

Note her tag doesn’t say, “MRS BUD.” Interesting.

So what do Barack and Michelle drive? A 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. With no vanity plates.

Quote(s) du Jour

Trish

“Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.”

“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.”

“If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.”

— John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 — 2006), Canadian-born economist

Photos from the Obama Rally in Jacksonville

Trish

Obama’s rally in Jacksonville on Sept. 20, courtesy of eyewitness Jeanmarie

A big THANK YOU to Jeanmarie, who supplied these pix from the Obama rally in Jacksonville. The gray skies are evident, but so is the spirit. Here’s what Jean said:

The crowd booed the two planes that were flying McCain banners that kept circling the area. One said, “Florida is McCain-Palin Country”

My photos weren’t fabulous, but here’s the best of what I have. The crowd was incredibly excited by Obama’s appearance, and there were roars of approval during his opening comments about McCain’s recent efforts to paint Obama as the source of our recent dire financial troubles. Prior to Obama’s appearance (about an hour late), the crowd booed the two planes that were flying McCain banners that kept circling the area. One said, “Florida is McCain-Palin Country” and the other said, “Taxes are Not Patriotic.” I read some blog that suggested some “LONE PATRIOT” was responsible for sending up the planes; I suspect not.

Anyway, the crowd was quite inspiring. There was one very old black woman, whose daughter was intent on getting her through the crowd up to front. Most of us were pretty tired about the latecomers who kept trying to get closer to the stage, but no one begrudged this one women, quietly proceeding through the crowd with her cane, a place of prominence in the crowd. Pretty cool.

The whole event sounds pretty cool indeed. Thanks, Jean!

News Reports: Thousands Turned Away From Jacksonville Obama Rally

Trish

Obama speaks in Jacksonville on Sept. 20

It was only a week ago that John McCain was preparing to roll into Jacksonville, with the radio and TV stations announcing that due to the anticipated large crowds, the venue had been changed. Instead, when McCain, Gov. Charile Crist, Sen. Mel Martinez, Jeb Bush, and other Republican luminaries took the stage at Veterans’ Memorial Arena, the place was embarrassingly empty.

Today Barack Obama came to town.
PHOTOS

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has just announced that no more people will be allowed into the Barack Obama Rally at Metropolitan Park.

Officers say the park is at it’s (sic) 10,000 person capacity.

Thousands of people are being turned away.

I was unable to attend because I must earn a living (and you thought we were getting rich off Pensito Review) but my heart was there. Obama was due to speak at 2:30 EST but reportedly did not begin until 3:40. It is now 4:30. I’ll post an update as soon as possible.

Jon mentioned that Florida is, again, a battleground state. Demographically speaking, many of McCain’s old fuddy-duddy rich supporters might not turn out to hear him pontificate (especially since he only brought Cindy as eye candy, and not Palin), but they will still vote for him. And Obama’s more ambulatory, younger, less chauffeur-driven backers would be more likely to leave their domiciles to see him.

But still…It’s been raining since this morning. The Gators are playing in Tennessee as we speak. These folks could be dry and comfy in a sports bar somewhere doing 12-ounce curls and watching the game. Instead, they’re standing in the rain listening to Obama. That’s gotta count.

Update: Jacksonville’s First Coast News (the joint NBC and FOX affiliate) is reporting even bigger numbers.

Twenty thousand people came out to attend the rally Saturday afternoon, but a reported 8,000 were turned away at the gates after the park was at over capacity.

Wow. I am thrilled. Sounds like Obama was too.

The Democratic presidential nominee took the stage just over an hour later, saying, “What an unbelievable crowd.”

“Are there any [University of Florida] Gator fans in the house? It sounds like there might be some [University of Georgia] Bulldogs out here. I guess there’s one [Florida State] Seminole out here,” Obama said. “I’m amazed we got such a big crowd — I don’t know if ya’ll are aware there’s football today.”

Once the crowd settled, Obama turned serious, acknowledging the bombing in Pakistan that took many lives Saturday morning.

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