stopped being a racist nation quite some time ago, although there are still racists among us.
There is, however, a problem with the racism in the African American community, and at some point, the African American community must address it.

perhaps at least we can get past this slander born of the sins of past generations of people, none of whom is still alive today.

While I agree with most of your post, I have to take issue with this line. There are plenty of people alive today that consciously lived through the 50′s and 60′s and thought differently than they do today. There are 60, 70 and 80 year olds that were part of the klan or thought separate but equal was the right way to go. What has happened is that these people have changed their minds and evolved passed color tainted political decisions.

Heck, Robert Byrd, a current democratic senator, used to be a klansman.

What I have to also admit, is that there are black people that are 60, 70 and 80 years old that lived through that time on the other side. If I was that age and of that generation, I imagine this would be a historic election for me. So I’ll let them have their “moment.” But on January 20th, Obama will be like every other president we’ve ever had and subject to criticism.

The people who elected obama believe America is a bad place.

The people who voted against obama believe that America is an exceptional place that is losing it’s way.

It’s really that simple. Race was only an issue to one side.

It’s getting tiresome that the only meme that is ever offered for discussion is from the perspective of leftists (e.g. race, the poor, feminism, abortion etc.) and how the right somehow is looking to ‘force’ it’s will on them.

He is a hardcore left politician and the majority of the 57 million that voted for McCain did not do so out of racism…and to suggest otherwise is disgusting…..I will treat Obama just like the left has treated President Bush….and that is not good at all.

No respect from this Conservative voter!

“It is good for a young man of twenty to be a Liberal, because it proves he has a heart.
It is equally bad for that same young man at fourty to not be a Conservative, because it proves he has no brain.”
Winston Churchill

…there will be cries of racism. The left hangs on any shread of divisive behavior and when the going gets tough it will be because the other side did not help and we are racist. They cannot admit to any failure on their side. They never give the right credit for anything. I am not racist. My Dad is. And in his behavior I see what I don’t want to be. When the left gets up and beats it’s Tom Tom of racism, I see my father behavior being emulated.

… people in America at a whole are good people who will help you if you’re in trouble or are in dire needs. Thats what makes this Country amazing. What people often don’t see is that there is still racism in this country from all races. Whitey is not the only people who still have a small group of racists.

I’ve had people tell me on other forums that people who are not white can not be racist, just bitter. I say thats malarkey because when you hate someone based on color thats racism. So is VOTING for someone based on color.

This issue makes it hard for me to post on other forums because as soon as I post a fact about something I disagree with Obama on, I get 20 people calling me a bigot and a racist. It makes it hard to have a conversation.

A lot of people will suffer. A lot of people will conclude he failed because he is black, not because he is inept and wrong on policy. I think, as such, we will see a new wave of racism sweep the Country.

either for Obama’s victory or for McCain’s defeat. Fine, I say, let Obama’s supporters have their moment of triumph and glory.

I would have loved to vote for a conservative black candidate for the office of the presidency. I would have loved to see the black community have an honest debate with itself about that candidate’s policies and positions rather than just having it rubber stamp another black liberal politician. But the absence of that debate in 2008 means that, far from this election being a vanquishing of racism, the race issue has just been kicked further down the road. Whites have shown that they will vote for a black candidate over a white one, but blacks have shown only that they will unite behind one of their own race.

So after the tears of joy have been shed, it’s back to the real world, and it’s not a pretty world right now. Obama will not have an easy time; nor would McCain have had. But when the inevitable severe and bitter criticsm of Obama’s policies and decisions arises, one-note observers like Bob Herbert will have but one response to the criticism: it’s just racism. And so the beat goes on. So much for the defining moment of American politics.

I will not allow the left-guilt-racists their moment. We elected a small-time crook who will do considerable damage in his 4 years.

I was never a racist, and never will be. And it taxes my patience to its very end to have to endure 2-bit racist hacks like Bob Herbert, who make their living falsely accusing me of racism.

during the economic crisis and while we are in two wars, was a national dialogue on race relations. It is evidence of Obama’s sociopathic obliviousness to everything but his own ambitions. He had and still has no plans for helping Americans; he just wanted to be the First Black President like poor W wanted his father’s approval.

Those who voted for Obama were similarly irresponsible, selfish and cynical when they cast their ballots. John McCain ran a gutless campaign and bungled the financial crisis. The majority of people who voted for Obama saw the Republican party as standing for corporate welfare, and they wanted their handout, too. They voted to punish our government, but they are instead punishing the country itself.

The sacrifice of national security for proving racial equality seems a steep price tag, even when you throw in every tragedy from before the Civi War through to the Civil Rights Movement. It seemed petty and insulting to even ask it.

Great diary, and many thoughtful comments. My own take was that for all the babble about “turning the page” on racism, Obama’s election is really just the opposite….we’re actually regressing.

Someone with a thin resume, no significant accomplishments, troubling associations (that would probably prevent him from getting a security clearance)…..that person is promoted from one job he’s not qualified for, into yet another job that he’s unqualifed for. And if you challenge his promotion, you’re branded as a racist, and someone who just doesn’t get it.

Yeah, it’s just affirmative action all over again, and there’s nothing “new” or “transcending” about it. If Krugman believes we should all be shedding tears, maybe he should know that many will shed tears because in reality, the country hasn’t gotten very far at all in this area. The highest office in the land is being used in some misguided “act of contrition” for those who believe it will put an unfortunate racial history behind us. Affirmative action never worked in practice and is actually counter-productive…..just a preview of the Obama presidency.

That you voted for Obama because he is black and not because of the positions he advocates is already clear to me, and will steadily become clearer on the national scene as he progressively seizes the machinery of power. To me, that is as racist as any member of the Klan who will not pull the lever for a black man.

Moreover, you pulled the lever for a black man even though history is already replete with the failures of ideology he espouses: almost any country in old Europe will do these days, but the best example is the Soviet Union which most fully embraced and executed the ideology he espouses. You didn’t want to recognize his retort to Joe the Plumber as Socialism, and you denied the validity ot the radio tapes when he openly talked about redistributive policies from government not coming to fruition because activist focused too much on the courts and not enough on the elected offices from which they could enact those policies. You didn’t want to hear that before the election, now you will learn it to the detriment of all of us now that it is over.

Obama cannot heal the racial divide, because he himself depends on it. He reaches for the “racist” epithet whenever he is challenged on facts. He depended on racial animosity every time he reminded blacks that he “didn’t look like any of the people on dollar bills.”

Obama cannot even reach across the aisle within his own party to say “Leave Joe Lieberman alone! He disagrees with us on only one issue and supports us on all others. He cannot even carry that issue with the numbers we now have. There must be some room for civil discourse within our party and country.”

Obama has chosen as his chief of staff someone so vile as an enemy lister that even Richard Nixon would be embarrassed to have him on his staff. I can’t even quote him after the election on this site without Moe reaching for the blam stick.

You who have voted for Obama have sown to the wind, and now we ALL will reap the whirlwind.

Colin Powell.

The ascension of Obama is not about voting for a “black man”, but to be wrapped in the nurturing blanket of “care”, discarding personal responsibility for the opportunity to be a young child again.

I’ve said all along, just not this black man.

I will say this without reservation and as the absolute truth and I believe the VAST majority of the 57 million McCain voters thought the same way.

“I saw Obama as a far left, tax raising politician that would be bad for national security and did not respect the Constitution….PERIOD”

Conservatives DO NOT CARE if you are a women, man, black, brown or mauve with orange spots. IT IS THE POLICY STUPID.

I would not support a far left politician if he was a wheelchair bound half black/half hispanic transgendered “person”

Mark Levin said it best “where was the white liberal support of Michael Steele or Lynn Swann….in fact the left tried to destroy them. Remember Clarence Thomas?? Did the left weep at his appointment.

When a conservative black runs they say “only policy counts” When a liberal black runs and conservatives say the same thing we are really closet racists!!

I WILL SAY THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN TO ANY AND ALL CONSERVATIVES WHO READ THIS/MY POSTS.

THE LEFT HATES US AND WANTS US DEFEATED, ACT ACCORDINGLY

To reitrate Rudy Guilian’s speech at the RNC, President-elect Obama is the most inexperienced politican/statesman to hold the Presidency since Warren Harding in 1920.

1. Herbert Hoover–U.S. Commerce Secretary for seven years. Administrative experience.

2. Franklin Roosevelt–Assistant Secretary of Navy in 1913, Vice Presidential candidate in 1920, and Governor of New York. Executive and administrative experience.

3. Harry Truman–U.S. Senator for six years and a Vice President. Executive experience.

4. Dwight Eisenhower–Leadership and diplomacy skills with his numerous military appointments in WWII and Supreme Commander of NATO in 1950. He mastered administrative skills during those years as a military commander.

5. John Kennedy–3-term U.S. House Representative and a 2-term U.S. Senator.

6. Lyndon Johnson–6-term U.S. House Representative; 2-term U.S. Senator and Vice President for 3 years. Possessed limited executive experience.

7. Richard Nixon–1-term U.S. House Representative, U.S. Senator for 2 years and Vice President for 8 years. Possessed executive experience and limited adminstrative experience.

8. Gerald Fold–not an elected President.

9. Jimmy Carter–Governor for 4 years. Had executive experience.

10. Ronald Reagan–2-term governor. Possessed executive experience.

11. George H. Bush–2-term U.S. House representative; Administrative experience as RNC chairman, head of CIA; ambassador to United Nations and executive experience as Vice President for eight years.

12. Bill Clinton–Governor of Arkanas for 12 years. Executive experience.

13. George W. Bush–2-term governor. Executive experience.

My Point:

Executive experience, expecially as a Governor, is crucial in delegating authority and mastering the art of compromise.

Overall, GOVERNORS are better suited to deal with executive decisions than legislators.

At least John Kennedy, the most inexperienced president in terms of executive experience in the last 80 years, had more years (14 years) in the U.S. Congress than Obama (about 18 MONTHS).

Executive experience and administrative skill are crucial in executing the laws.

From this point forward, Obama cannot hide behind campaign slogans and bashing George W. Bush.

Executive decisions occur daily and the consequences are real.

Republican governors can still have an impact in the future for the party:

Jindal in Louisana;
Palin in Alaska; and
Crist in Florida

Obama may turn out to be a extraordinary executive–OR he may succumb to the same indecisive traits of a weak executive.

Time will tell.