How much of the Obama hate do you think is really about race?

[Rocknrule]

Personally, I think less than most of us assume. I think the major reason people on the right hate him is because he's a Democrat. However, I do think the people who claim that he's a Muslim and/or a Kenyan can be assumed to be racists, because no one would think either of those things if not for his name and skin color.

[OneGrassRoot]

1. I think essentially all birthers are racists.

Not all Republicans, but definitely all birthers and the vast majority of Tea Partiers, imho.

;)

[treestar]

79. What makes it tough is that they would indeed hate any Democratic President

Racists can hide behind that.

But there is a quality to their hate that you can pick up - the more ridiculous allegations - such as birtherism - so irrational they must be a shield for racism.

[leftstreet]

2. How much of it is really "hate?"

:shrug:

[bermudat]

3. How much of the hate is about race?

99.999%

[Balbus]

4. less than 1 percent.

[butterfly77]

7. Wrong...

[pipi_k]

44. Statistics, please? n/t

[Zorra]

5. I'd guess about 25% of all conservatives. nt

[dkf]

6. I can barely see his race so I don't get it.

[jezebel]

8. I'm here in Georgia and unfortunately I find a lot of the hate is about race. Maybe it's different

elsewhere.

Yesterday my husband's boss actually said to him "I guess we are going to have to have 8 more years of this nigger now after the capture of OBL". (Proving that not only is he a neanderthal racist but also that he can't count how many years are in a term.)

By the way I loved my husbands response. He said "what a hardship, how much competence can we take?"

[akbacchus_BC]

9. I unrecommend! What are you trying to trump up? This BS on DU

needs to stop!

He is the President and that is important!

[Stinky The Clown]

51. How is this "trumping up" something?

The question is reasonable and stated in a reasonable way.

Do you doubt that race is an issue when broadly discussing Obama? Racial bias (as opposed to out and out racism a la the KKK) is very common. I dare say everyone walking has some propensity to feel it; the difference is in how we each deal with it.

Why not have the discussion? Does not talking about a topic make the topic go away?

:shrug:

[cliffordu]

10. 97.5%

why do you ask??

[handmade34]

11. the irrational

behavior by teabag types and others is based in fear (can manifest as hate/mistrust). People don't hate the President because he is a Democrat. In tough times people cling to guns and religion (and familiar things) and that is what is happening.

Lack of critical thinking and refusal to open themselves up to new ideas is dangerous and is hurting this country.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ehrnst]

48. I hated what they did. Not the fact that they were white.

Much of the hatred of Obama would not be there if he was white. He's so centrist, and so many cannot see past the black to see that.

[bettyellen]

13. 1/3

[FarLeftFist]

14. 98% of republicans HATE him

of that 98%, I'm willing to bet that 96% hate him because he's a Democrat and a good 75% of that 96% also can't stand that he's black. The 2% hate him ONLY because fox news told them to, but 100% of them all also watch fox news and hate him for those other reasons besides just fox news telling them. Out of 100% of those republicans only 4% will understand this post and the reason for this is that out of that 4% only 2% have a sense of humor while the other 2% are totally into math. But 100% of them also have problems with reading comprehension while 99.999% suffer from confirmation bias. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

Surprisingly though 2% actually like the guy!

[LiberalFighter]

15. 99.99999999%

[Historic NY]

16. 98.99 %........did anyone read the drivil t Ulstermans site

"I must confess I didn’t think it was a good idea to have a Negro Commander in Chief, but we should give Obama credit for carrying out a successful mission (even though he probably had lots of white men guiding him). To be perfectly fair, I have been slow to appreciate how far the darkies have come since I was growing up in Alabama. Nevertheless, in spite of acknowledging Obama’s little triumph, I remain a staunch Ultra-Conservative member of the Tea Party and deplore his Negroid policies." WTF

http://newsflavor.com/politics/us-politics/did-senior-militaryintelligence-officials-overrule-president-obama-regarding-mission-to-kill-osama-bin-laden/#ixzz1LMNGddcP

[EstimatedProphet]

40. Ulsterman is clearly faking his stories

As to whether he is faking them for satire, or troll-baiting, or to try and slander Obama, it isn't really clear.

[Withywindle]

17. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots.

I'm not gonna pull a percentage out of my ass, but I think a metric fuckton of it is racism.

But hello, ever heard of "intersectionality"? That's where lots of different kinds of ism's come together.

So Trump demanding his college transcripts because, supposedly, a lot of his (rich, white) friends kids with good scores didn't get into Harvard, whereas this (not rich, not white) person (WHO OBVIOUSLY MUST HAVE STOLEN A SPOT FROM A MORE OBVIOUSLY NATURALLY DESERVING RICH WHITE KID) got in (BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT POOR BLACK KIDS DO, RIGHT, THEY STEAL?)

So much of the whole anti-Obama "movement" seems to be based on a huge handful of racist notions. The idea that he's some kind of foreign "plant" because he was born to two college kids, one of whom happened to be from Kenya. That because of one severely out-of-context clip from the preacher from his old church (who was expressing American anger at American racism), that he must be some kind of America-hater. That because he once served on a charity board with a (white) dude who was a radical in the 60s (when Barack would have been about 8 years old) so Obama must totally believe in the same agenda Ayers had in his early 20s--because it totally feeds into white rural/suburban America's OMG NEGRO UPRISING AIIIEEE!! anxieties.

I mean, for fuck's sake, some yahoo once spread a rumor that there was a tape of Michelle Obama giving some kind of rant where she kept saying "whitey." For real. Because apparently lots of people think this is totally the kind of thing a Black Gen-X lawyer would actually say. For some reason. What could that reason possibly be, I wonder?

Oh...I think I got it. It starts with an "r"....

[Raine]

18. 98% the other 2% is because he's a Democrat nt

[nc4bo]

75. Yea, my thinking too.

My test is to just ask them some questions. Usually the answers are insignificant or completely nonfactual.

EVERYONE who runs into a suspected 98%er should just ask them a few questions on a handful of issues and see if their answers make any sense or are realistic and when they don't, you know EXACTLY what you're working with.

[DFLforever]

19. Most of it.

[Warpy]

20. I think it's a combination, 70% party and 30% race.

Remember, these loons would reject any Democrat, even a white male like Clinton. It's not really the policies they hate, they hate Democrats, period. Make that Democrat a brown guy with a non WASP name and they just go a little loonier, but not that much.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Quite a bit and NOT limited to the RIGHT either

[FrenchieCat]

22. As much as it takes for these folks to feel better about themselves.....

The ones I despise the most, and hold most accountable, are the politicians
and media personalities who use race as their bait. Now, that's some messed up unamerican shit.

They said he didn't put his hand over his heart when reciting the pledge, which was a lie.
They said he wasn't patriotic because he wasn't wearing a Flag pin, when no one else had to.
They said his wife hated White People, which was a lie.
They said he hated White people, which was a lie.
They said he played the race card when he never did.
They said he was not born here, which was a lie.
They said he was a Muslim, which was a lie.
They said he probably shouldn't have gotten into the schools he got into (although his father did), and asked for proof.

In otherwords, they lie because they hate who and what he is.

[nolabels]

66. They hate him because he is..........

successful. I don't see anything he is doing as unexpected but i do love it when it makes the republicons all constipated and stuff ;-)

[conflictgirl]

23. Look at the witch hunt when Clinton was in office

Part of the Obama hate is racially-based, I'm sure, but more than that it seems to be standard operating procedure whenever a Democrat is in office.

[Mojeoux]

24. Racist! Racist!!!! Racist!!!!

I have abolitionist ancestors. I can detect it in my DNA. It's been simmering since November 2008. It is shameful and repellent. Public opinion will show that modern America has no room for racism.

[Behind the Aegis]

25. Not as much as some think (or would like to make it out to be).

Of course, there are those who are racists, on both sides of the aisle; it would be foolish to pretend some don't hate Obama because he is black.

[Paradoxical]

26. The overwhelming majority. Especially if we break it down to party affiliation.

[Codeine]

27. The hate? Almost all of it.

Some of the criticism is warranted but that weird teeth-gnashing hate is entirely connected to his race.

[pettypace]

28. Jeremiah Wright

Was his pastor for 20 years.

Convenient how race-baiters forget about that fact.

Leave that race shit at the door.

[EstimatedProphet]

42. And?

So what?

[Lucinda]

29. Very very little.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

30. ALL of it.

They can't stand the idea that a half-black man (which is an affront to them in itself, a white mother and a black father) is intelligent, well-spoken, patient, educated, never loses his temper, and never calls his opponents bad names.

They use the word "professorial" like it's an insult, because they are anti-intellectual. How DARE we have a president that was a law professor (Bill Clinton taught law in Arkansas.) How DARE we have a Black president who went to Columbia and Harvard, who must have gotten there on affirmative action. Since the racists don't believe that a black man can get to an Ivy League school on merit alone.

It's disgusting how much racism has come out of the woodwork and been exposed as being very much alive.

And Mitt Romney said he wanted to hang Obama. :wtf:

They don't think Hawaii was a state in 1961, either.

[TheWraith]

31. Measure from the level of hatred for Bill Clinton.

Add say 10% on top of that to account for the increased polarization. Then whatever's left between that level and the level of Obama hate is racism.

[Very_Boring_Name]

32. Very little. Remember how much they hated Clinton? Was that about race?

If Obama looked like Clinton, but was still Obama, do you think conservatives would love him?

[IndyPragmatist]

39. Stop it, you are being far too rational...

This thread is about bashing the right with no basis on fact or reality. These people are what we say they are. If we say they are racist, well then they are racist. If we say they hate America, they hate America. If we say they want to destroy the middle class and give all the money to the rich, well then they want to do exactly that.

You must be new to DU. If you don't agree with the majority, you will be attacked and criticized relentlessly.

[guruoo]

33. I'd guess appx 5% consciously, 30% subconsciously

[BlueCollar]

34. 75% or better...n/t

[Mimosa]

35. 90%. The rest just hate 'big government.' n/t

[mmonk]

36. Exploitation of racial differences and prejudice has been the Republican mo

since the Civil Rights Act.

[seabeyond]

37. i think a lot. and i dont think it is just teabaggers. nt

[IndyPragmatist]

38. A lot of hate in this thread...

I would say about 1/3 of those that dislike Obama are motivated by race. The rest disagree with his politics.

Someone dislikes Clinton, Gore, Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, etc because of their party and beliefs. That same person dislikes Obama, but this time it's because of race. :eyes:

I'm sure many people don't like the fact that he is half black. But the people who care about that would never vote for him if he was 100% white. In many cases, I think his race makes some of the disagreement much more vicious, but by no means would most of these people have a favorable opinion of Obama if he were white.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”-MLK

[pipi_k]

46. thank you...

People tend to forget minor details like that.

What if we turn that around and accuse people here who disliked (or hated) Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice of being racists?

OH NO!! They would say...we don't hate them because they're black!!! We hate them because they're Republicans!!!

Yeah, right. Good enough reason for them, but when it comes to Obama haters, they are are ALL racists. Every last one of them. Or upwards of 90%. "Nyah, nyah...I'm not a racist, but you ARE!!!"

bleh.

[seabeyond]

58. i am getting the feel there is something more subtle going on. not an outloud racism

but an inward racism hard to recognize. the expectation/bar so much higher than for a white man. i can see the same thing with female. the littlest of thing is such an HUGE deal instead of keeping it in perspective.

that is the feel i am getting.

no mistakes allowed. none. lack of reasonableness

[IndyPragmatist]

59. I agree with that quite a bit...

I think there are a few people out there that think Obama is very racist. Jeremiah Wright convinced a lot of people that Obama was a racist. Then the situation with the cop and Harvard professor convinced some that Obama was racist. Then not going after the Black Panther group that was attempting to intimidate voters at a polling place convinced some he was racist.


I think a lot of people on both sides of the spectrum are trying to find racism. Calling somebody racist means they are a bad person, whereas disagreeing with policy is just a difference of opinion. By trying to cast some as racist, it makes it easier to look at them as terrible people and not just someone with an opposing viewpoint. By some calling Obama racist, they are convincing themselves that he is a terrible person and not worthy of being president, when in fact, he is not racist, just has a different viewpoint. Similarly, calling everyone on the right racist makes it easier to pretend that all Republicans are just terrible people. Thus, they aren't worthy of being treated as equals to civilized, educated, non-racist Americans.

Hate does not cure hate.

[pipi_k]

63. But if it were really about racism...

wouldn't the bar be lower?

That's the idea of racism, isn't it? That another race is inherently inferior? I'm just wondering why someone who believes in the inferiority of another race would hold an individual of that race to a higher standard...I would think that person would be held to a lower standard...

?

[seabeyond]

69. you have it half correct. if a person you think is inferior is successful, especially

more successful than your fellow white people, dont you have to make that bar so damn high to ensure he fails, ergo reinforce a belief?

if a man thinks a woman is incapable yet is successful, he is going to find any little thing to bitch about. she has to do 10x's what a man does in order to gain respect and scknowledgment for accomplishments because it is counter to a core belief

this mentality is on the subconscious level

[pipi_k]

72. Well I have to admit you have a point there...

But then there are people who are just naturally perfectionists, and who expect higher things from others because they feel so imperfect themselves, and it has little or nothing to do with a person's race or sex.

[seabeyond]

73. but the outrage of the outrages are so far beyond in this situation

i think there needs to be some reflection

[CBGLuthier]

41. 98.6%

[pipi_k]

43. I also agree...less than we think...

I would bet that fewer people hate Obama than hated Bill Clinton. Or, at the very least, the same number.

The major reason, IMO, is that he's a Democrat.


One thing I wanted to mention, though. I don't think claiming someone is a Kenyan or a Muslim is "racist", any more than calling a Jew a Catholic, or calling a Kenyan a Swede, is racist.

It is terribly ignorant, though.



PS...just thought of something...how many of "them" hated Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice? They're black too, in case nobody noticed.

[The Straight Story]

45. How many black people hated bush because he was white?

How many here hated him because he was a male?

[BumRushDaShow]

47. 99.99999 % RACE

And the other 0.00001 % would be party.

[mountainlion55]

49. Obama is

just another bait and switch con-man like the rest of our presidents have been since Ronny Rayguns. Imo not all about race! :smoke:

[n2doc]

50. I think nearly all the birthers are racists

So probably 25-30%. The rest is generic hatred of democrats fueled by RW hate radio. IMHO.

[LiberalAndProud]

52. More than we would like to admit.

I agree that there are Republicans who hate him simply because he carries a (D) after his name. There are many of those folks around here. However, the color of his skin matters. There are still folks who have no qualms saying the n-word because it is in the fabric of their psyche. I believe that component of our society measures greater than 30 percent. Denying that aspect of our national makeup seems like an excercize in futility.

No white president has ever had to produce his birth certificate. And I recall a contingent who wanted to change the natural born citizen requirement so that Arnold Schwarzenegger might have the opportunity to run for POTUS. I suspect that some who would have supported Arnold in a run are now Birthers.

[spanone]

53. 90% ten percent because he's a democrat

[SkyDaddy7]

54. IT IS ALL ABOUT RACE...At least from my perspective

I live in Georgia & have my entire life except for my time in the military...And the things I hear people say down here is beyond DISGUSTING!!

[Generic Other]

55. Racists always deny their racism

so find the number doing this and you will have your percentage.

[pipi_k]

56. Whoa...interesting perspective...

That's the same reasoning used against "witches".


If someone accuses you of being a witch you can admit being a witch, and you're guilty.

If you deny being a witch, you're STILL a witch. Because you denied being one.

Yeah...that makes sense.

[Generic Other]

60. Most people are accused of being racists for real actions, words and deeds

not for spectral evidence. That is a silly analogy. Teabaggers consistently tell you they are not racists while carrying signs that proclaim they are. It is the deeds that define the man.

Hannity: ‘I can’t find any’ racist Tea Party signs:















?v=0





http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kC5MT2r5U8s/S3Czp45t6MI/AAAAAAAANs0/IDyKEudRATU/s320/racist+tea+party+sign.jpg

And one honest one?

[pipi_k]

70. And are all those signs

implying that Obama is less intelligent, or less valuable as a human being, BECAUSE of his racial background?

Most of them are nasty, yes.

But show me where they're saying that Obama is subhuman because of his race.

And that last "honest" one?

Photoshopped.

Look closely at the left side of the man's sign. It looks like there's a reverse side to it with a very light backwards "S". And the woman's sign...right hand side, there's a very light "R". People who have signs with two sides usually write the same thing on both sides. There is no way in hell that what's written on the front side is the same as what's written on the back. Oh, and no "Teabagger" would call himself a "Teabagger". Just like no Republican would call himself a "Repug". Nor a Democrat call himself a "DemocRAT".

Granted, there are racist "Teabaggers" out there...but apparently there aren't quite enough to make some people happy. It must really suck to have to alter signs to make the case for near 100% racism within the Tea Party.

:eyes:

[Generic Other]

81. I think it is safe to call those signs racist

The last one looks photoshopped, but the others are all being held by people who would argue until they are blue in the face that they haven't a racist bone in their bodies. Card carrying klansmen and neo-nazis often argue they are not racists. They just think whites are superior, race-mixing is wrong, and African Americans are all affirmative action hires.

I have rarely heard a racist admit to being one however. Instead they claim their own victim status at the hands of people of color. They use coded words that signal their underlying attitudes.

They make ugly comments, tell racist jokes, share a common -- wink wink -- nudge nudge -- philosophy. Heaven forbid anyone ever call them on their behavior.

[BlueIris]

57. A lot.

I can't lie, I think it's a lot. This is a profoundly racist society.

But then again, I don't know every single last Obama-hater, and I've never pinned down the extreme critics and demanded to know their reasons.

[laruemtt]

61. more and more i think some of it is because of his

intelligence and cool, calm demeanor. they can't get to him. there is an element in this country that is threatened by his level of intelligence - they were comfortable with dumbya's, which didn't threaten or challenge them.

[ecstatic]

62. Let's see... GWB getting credit for capturing Osama,

people demanding to see Obama's birth certificate and grades... Hmmm... :dilemma:

[Yo_Mama]

64. I think very little

There are some bigots who would resent him passionately no matter what happened or no matter what he did.

But I think most of the impassioned opposition is inspired by pure economic anxiety. People are hurting; people are desperate. People are losing ground.

This administration hasn't been good for people just scraping by or who have lost jobs. It's almost the antithesis of what a Democratic administration is supposed to deliver. And people don't understand why the wealthy, the prosperous and the big companies are getting their taxes cut while the poorer people get to pay even more for their rice, beans, flour, eggs, bread, eggs and gas, so they explain it to themselves as Obama being a "plant" somehow.

You're fooling yourself if you believe that the opposition is just coming from the right. A lot of people want to seem him primaried. A lot of people think he's a secret Republican.

When you poll the American people, they are supporting more traditional Democratic policies for the most part (even many of those who describe themselves as being moderate or conservative). When you look at the measures passed over the last few years, it's obvious that the policy is to favor college professors, big companies, and wealthy investors. The angst out there is incredible.

My personal assessment of Obama is still mixed, but I am wondering what's left of the old Democratic party?

[Patiod]

65. I was going to say 100% until I remembered the Clenis

I remember my Republican relatives sputtering and turning red because they hated Clinton so much. They were absolutely obsessed with how awful he was.

So I'd parse it out a little:
100% of the "he's a Muslim" and "he wasn't born here" is racism. 100%

But the hate? I'd say 80% of that is just pure Fox-fueled conservative rage that was equally as pure and nasty 10 years ago when it was a white guy that got them all fired up.

[Azathoth]

67. Racism is hopelessly intertwined into the far-right mindset

One of the reasons they hate Democrats so violently is because of the civil rights laws, parts of which they are still trying to overturn. These people have had "race issues" forever, and they form the backbone of a movement that was built almost entirely on the foundations of Southern white resentment. It's just that overt expressions of racism are no longer publicly acceptable (thanks to liberals), so their racism has become repressed and rationalized to the point of pathology, and it colors most aspects of their thinking and ideology even though many of them have reached a point where they vehemently deny, even to themselves, that it exists.

Bottom line is that racism undoubtedly plays a huge part in the Obama hatred from the right, even if many of the haters don't realize or won't acknowledge it.

[Avant Guardian]

68. I think most of the hate is because he has a D next to his name

Clinton put up with the same loony shit for the same reason

[dawg]

71. Most of it is race.

Most of the hatred of Clinton was about race, too. Most of the hatred for all Dems is about race.

All of us are either the *wrong* race, or we are race-traitors, which is even worse in their eyes. This is especially true here in the South, where if you advocate for any type of help for the poor, they accuse you of wanting to take all of *their* money and give it to a bunch of .... . Well, you know the word they use. And I hear it all the time.

Yes, they probably hated Clinton more than Obama. Obama is just a n*; Clinton was a n*-lover.

But they were still willing to show Clinton far more respect than Obama. No one had the balls to shout "You Lie" when Clinton addressed Congress. No one went so far to question Clinton's legitimacy as President.

This is a messed-up country. No doubt about that.

And I live in one of the more messed-up parts of it. If he actually believes what he says, my representative needs to be under psychiatric care. To think someone could actually win elections - that a majority of adults in a district would vote for someone with such delusional beliefs - is a prime indicator that we are far, far adrift as a country, despite the good guys occasionally winning one or two.

[pot]

74. What do you mean by hate?

And are you only referring to his right wing critics? Or those on the left who have their criticisms?

[slackmaster]

76. About 11.635%

The rest is just politics.

[JonLP24]

77. I won't say 90%

Quite a bit I think.

[Chris_Texas]

78. For many, very very little.

[Angry Dragon]

80. That is like asking how much of congress are haters of women