Poll: 76 percent say U.S. ready for black president

[Roon]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The number of Americans who believe the country is ready for a black president is rising, a poll out Thursday suggested.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/03/poll.black.president/index.html

[TTUBatfan2008]

1. 76%...

Means that 24% are telling the truth of their beliefs, and then you gotta wonder about the 76%. How many of them are telling the truth? My guess is around 85% of them, which puts the final tally at 65-35.

[phrigndumass]

3. What do you believe?

Just askin'

[TTUBatfan2008]

7. What do I believe?

I don't know. I've witnessed a government institution use racism against a friend of mine (Air Force Academy), so I'm pretty cynical about the country as a whole. I for one want Barack as the President but I can't do a damn bit of anything about other people's prejudice or hell, their reaction to Wright's comments, which are giving whites an excuse to let their true feelings about a black candidate come through.

[phrigndumass]

8. Some might even call it group mentality

I feel that *some* folks in rural small towns, where everyone knows everyone else, have been goaded and prodded into fearing the prospect of a black President, and that's why we sometimes hear some of those folks speak the way they do. Most of it is ignorance, maybe not how they really feel, but they might not feel like they can be open with their true feelings, unless it's anonymous.

I'm thinking this poll is right on the money because of it's anonymity, and also because Senator Obama is the prospect they have in mind when they are asked if they would be comfortable with a black President.

Stopping right there, without reading anything else into it, makes me feel good and makes me hope for better.

:hi:

[EffieBlack]

10. And you know this how?

[Yael]

2. And the other 24% represent *'s base

[Muttocracy]

4. If they must do these sorts of polls, why don't they ask whether YOU are ready

for a black, female, or whatever president.

Asking people to guess the opinions of others seems like it's bound to be wrong - otherwise we wouldn't need to conduct polls, we would just already know what everyone thinks!

[Johnny__Motown]

5. Because everyone would say "Yes.. I am ready, I am enlightened. It is the rest of the country...."

[EffieBlack]

12. Exactly!!!

Those who insist, "I'M not racist, but other people are, so America will never accept a black president" are often in the same category as those who say, "I'M not racist, but my customers are, so I'd better not hire this black employee," or "I'M not racist, but my neighbors are, so I'd better not sell my house to this black family."

In other words, such assumptions are the very essence of the purpose and effect of institutional racism - without anyone having to lift a finger, or even holding racist views, racism can perpetuate itself.

Instead of worrying about whether OTHER people are ready to elect a black president, why not focus on OUR views and do what we can to make sure that we can overcome those whose backward views would keep us in the 19th Century if we let them. We're already seeing that maybe America is not as ignorant and racist as some think - that at a significant number of Americans are willing to vote for a black man, more than most people would have predicted a year (or even six months) ago.

If we stop worrying about what other people think, we might actually find that there are many fewer of those "others" than we thought.

[msmcghee]

6. It's a useless question.

I suspect many who would vote for a black president themselves pessimistically believe that America as a whole would not.

And there are probably those who wouldn't vote for a black president who think pessimistically that most of America would.

Who knows if they'd cancel each other out or what their motives are for believing one way or another.

Finally, many who would actually never vote for a black president would lie about that. "Joe is one of us" got it right.

[AGirl]

9. what about half black?

[OzarkDem]

11. About the same ready for a woman president

Good the voters are ready to consider these things.

[Thrill]

13. Funny how he is considered black. When he's 50% White and 50% Black

I don't get it..