Reason a friend of mine won't support Obama: "He'll get shot!"

[Pushed To The Left]

My friend is actually a registered Republican, but says he will vote for Gore if he runs or even a Gore/Obama ticket. One of my fellow Obama volunteers out here in Orange County says that he runs into the same problem with young people: They are afraid he will get shot if he wins the Presidency.

My response is that the types of people who would be that upset with a black President are dying off. It's an old, outdated way of thinking. At the same time, young people are turning 18 and voting, and they don't appear to share the bigotry of the much older generations. Plus, both Bush and Clinton were much more polarizing figures and they managed to serve their terms without being harmed.

That being said, if there are any hate groups that are talking about killing a black President, maybe they are the ones that need to be on a terrorist watch list!

[Solo_in_MD]

1. IMO any president could be shot so I am not sure why he would be any different

[dsc]

2. Numerous press accounts link the fear he would be shot

as the major reason Alma Powell didn't want Colin Powell to run for President. I don't think it is an unreasonable fear and frankly if someone wants to kill a President badly enough and is willing to sacrifice his or her life to do so, then they can.

On edit, and to clarify, I think that risk is up to the candidate to acess. If Obama is comfortable running then I think anyone who refuses to vote for him for this reason is both foolish and patronizing. I just could understand a person saying I would rather not run given this risk.

[LibraLiz1973]

3. My god is that is an awful thing to say

That is an old BS racist mantra.

I am not an Obama supporter but it has nothing to do with the color of his skin.
If he is the nominee I will support him- I would even support a Gore/Obama ticket-
but I do not think he has the experience to be President just yet.

Whenever someone says that if he is elected someone will shoot him, it makes me sick.

[Withywindle]

7. Is it really racist to acknowledge that the risk is out there?

Seems to me it's just acknowledging how much racial hatred there still is in our society. It's no insult to him. Sadly, it just seems like an obvious thing to worry about to me.

I don't agree with it as a reason not to support him or vote for him, though. That won't make the situation any better!

[Bolo Boffin]

8. It infantilizes Obama to say that you won't vote for him because he might get shot.

Acknowledging the risk is one thing, but the final decision on the risk should be something Obama and family should decide.

Just like John Edwards and Elizabeth's cancer. If they decide that they are running, and he's your candidate, back him all the way. And if he grabs the nomination, I'll be right behind you.

[Withywindle]

14. Yeah, I think it's wrong to use it as a reason for not voting for him.

Obviously he's already decided the risk is worth it to him. And it is a risk any candidate takes--I just think he's got an extra level of virulent haters with a history of violence to worry about that a white candidate might not, that seems obvious to me. I'm glad he got the Secret Service protection early on.

Not voting for him on that basis, that's waaayyy too fatalistic for me.

[LibraLiz1973]

10. But the risk was something for he and his family to come to terms with

I don't think people talking about it all the time is the best way to handle it.

I don't know... to me, when you put something out there in the universe so many times, things happen.

I refuse to pour any negativity into that aspect of his political run.

[Withywindle]

13. Oh, I agree that the decision is completely up to him and his family

and I might even agree with you a little bit on the negativity idea.

But there's a very good reason he got Secret Service protection so early on, I'm pretty sure. And I'm glad he did.

[Bolo Boffin]

4. That really is Barack Obama's concern.

In the primaries, you vote with your heart. That's what Molly Ivins said, and it sounds good to me.

Barack Obama has my heart, of all the candidates out there. He's an inspiration. He's not perfect, no one is, but I really like everything I see about this man -- and his fantastic wife.

You cannot let the haters get you down or make your decisions for you. Barack's got the best protection the United States can give him right now, and he's standing up and taking the risk. If you like him, if you love him, stand up for him.

[Pushed To The Left]

5. I'm behind Obama 100%! I'm working on the Obama campaign out here.

If we don't vote for somebody because of what racists might do, then the racists win.

[Bolo Boffin]

6. I wasn't questioning that, Pushed!

:)

I was providing some rhetorical ammunition you might want to use.

But it looks like you've got it under control.

[HamdenRice]

16. huh? That's superficial

You "like" him? And his "fanstastic wife"?

That's almost as the explanation of all those superficial people who voted for Bush in 2000 because they would rather have a beer with him than Al Gore.

Obama may or may not be a good candidate, but intelligent progressives will decide on the basis of his proposed policies, not on whether he or his wife is likeable.

That is the biggest problem with Obama right now. To many white Americans, he's a blank slate that they are projecting their rather peculiar desires about black people upon, rather than a politician with a specific set of proposals, and that's dangerous.

I would suggest you dig a little deeper about policies and proposals than that.

[MiaCulpa]

9. My reply to that would be

As the idiot in office has lasted all this time, Obama would be fine. I can understand their concern, however, as racism is alive and kicking it's ugly head on a daily basis in the usa.

[mitchum]

11. Yes, but if Obama had a black running mate, that fear would be baseless...

wouldn't it?

[Bitwit1234]

12. With all the crazies out there

I just hope the secret service is vigilant and keep Ob ama AND Hillary safe.

[jwirr]

15. It is a possibility. We are insane if we think racism is at an end.