Some racism is not so subtle. My stepfather-in-law is 86 and has been a loyal democrat his entire life. He remarked recently that he was not going to vote for Obama. Horrified, my husband asked him "Surely you are not going to vote for McCain are you?"
"No" was the reply. "I'm not going to vote. I'd rather not vote at all than vote for a black man."
One cannot help wondering how many more like him are hidden in the woodwork, even if they are not all as blatant in their disgusting bigotry as he is.

I've heard a surprising number of people say variations of "I just won't vote for Obama." They leave the racism part unspoken. I guess this is what Clinton was warning about when he said that Obama can't win (back when Hillary was still in contention). It's very discouraging.

On the bailout, Paulson may be right. It's clear that the managers of these company care only about their own compensation. So they could be greedy enough to let their companies fail rather than reduce their pay out of the stratosphere. Sickening.

That last thing about them not cooperating if they couldn't get big payoffs is so what this is all about. I hope Congress holds firm on this.

On the racism, I think a lot use other excuses and those examples say it very well. It's hard to believe this election is even close but it's obvious that is a factor. For too many people, it is about bigotry. Frustrating as that is based on ignorance which a certain part of our population wants to keep exactly that way by gutting public schools that gave everyone a chance. Vote on issues that matter to you and character of the candidate, and you will be voting your own best interests.

I can't believe the racism card is being played so vigorously on this site! It's as if you expect Obama to lose and you already have your excuse in the wings.

I know that racism exists in America, but I refuse to believe that it is a dominant factor in this election. Now, I do believe that Obama will get over 95% of the black vote, and I do believe that that is racist, too, just the same as those misguided people who would vote against him because of his color. Thinking about it, I do believe that if I were black, I would vote for him, simply because I would be so damn' proud that my compatriot had made it all the way to being the candidate of a major party. I can forgive that type of racism, much much more than I can forgive the negative vote.

But for people to say that if Obama loses, it proves that the country is deplorably racist, is a slander! This infers that of all the non-blacks in the country, only those who vote for Obama are free of the taint of bigotry. What an outrage to say such a thing! Our country is better than that! Our people are better than that! There are people who will not vote for Obama because they differ with the agendas of his supporters, particularly of the more extreme fringes of his party. Or who are loyal to the politics of their own party. Or who deplore the fact that a person who was unknown only 4 years and 2 months ago, and who has no executive experience, and only 143 days' experience in a national office, could come so far so quickly.

You know that myriad factors come into play when deciding who to vote for. But to reduce it to the simplicity of racism shows a desire for self-delusion or a phenomenal simplicity of mind.

My wife notes that attributing a potential Obama loss to racism is also dangerous. The more that people promote this idea, the more it fans a dangerous flame. Don't they see it could foment riots in case he loses? Don't go there! A final thought -- this is a wonderful country; it deserves to be thought better of than that.

Here is the most recent poll to discuss this issue of bigotry-- http://my.earthlink.net/article/pol?guid=20080921/48d5c6c0_3ca6_15526200809211001840904

Anyone who suggests it's the same thing about blacks, who would vote for Obama because he's black, is looking for an excuse. Since blacks have had the vote, they have had to vote for whites. We know they can overlook race or they'd not have been voting at all for a lot of those years. The question is what about whites and in this poll it really was democrats who are the ones we think of as more open.

Reality is some people are bigots and they will come up with some other excuse, but hearing the guy on Fox talk about why this economic crises came and it was loans to minorities. What was that if not open bigotry? The bankers, the loan manipulators, the frauds, none of them have any responsibility.

The bad part is that poll was for democrats; so you know the problem is bigger. Everyone needs to decide why they are voting and face the truth. If it's bigotry, at least be honest instead of some feeble excuses.

And before someone jumps me, I am not saying everyone favoring McCain is a bigot, but I am saying some will have it be a factor. You see McCain using it in some of his ads- bad black men taking advantage of innocent white women.

This was talked about in the interviews with voters during the primary. Ronni is dealing with a subject many want to ignore but it's there for some voters. The question only is how many.

It really saddened me a few days ago to hear a black man on NPR avow that he was not biased, just seconds after he said how proud he felt in his heart that Sen. Obama had come so far and how good it would feel if Obama won. Tell me, people, how this can be interpreted as anything but hypocritical. I don't understand, either, why the black man on NPR considered Sen. Obama to be black while few whom I've heard consider Sen. Obama to be white. He is half and half, I hear.

I doubt that everyone who voted against Sen. Clinton was sexist, although some undoubtedly were, and I doubt that everyone who will vote against Sen. Obama is a racist.

It has been suggested that the attacks on Obama as a 'community organiser' are also coded racism. To be honest it looks that way to me too.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/4/02739/39108