Remember Armstrong Williams? Well guess what? He just might vote for Obama....

[Dharmacrat]

in case you forgot - he was the guy fired a few years back for getting paid by Bushco to file fake legit news story's supporting bad Bush Education policy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Williams

before you read the article, I have a question... even though any vote for Obama is a vote for the better; if Armstrong, knowing who he is and what he believes in... if he only votes for Obama because he is African American, what would you call that? I know that if I voted against my values for someone mainly because of his race, I would have to question my motives...

this is definitely a tough call for me.

based on this ABC article: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=5122115 , even though he does not support Obama's policies completely, he may be voting for him:

from the article:

Black conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president. That could change this year with Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee.

"I don't necessarily like his policies; I don't like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts me to really seriously think about it," Williams said. "I can honestly say I have no idea who I'm going to pull that lever for in November. And to me, that's incredible."

Just as Obama has touched black Democratic voters, he has engendered conflicting emotions among black Republicans. They revel over the possibility of a black president but wrestle with the thought that the Illinois senator doesn't sit beside them ideologically.

"Among black conservatives," Williams said, "they tell me privately, it would be very hard to vote against him in November."

[fishwax]

1. out of curiosity, why'd you include the photo of JC Watts?

[Dharmacrat]

5. I posted it from the article - the article is about Conservative's - I can see the confusion though

I removed it - Thanks

[blogslut]

7. So ABC added this unrelated photo?

Well, that explains it.

[fishwax]

10. no, actually the photo makes sense in the ABC link

because the ABC article is about black conservatives, not just Armstrong Williams.

[blogslut]

12. True

Not completely unrelated. You are correct. Wow, even J.C. Watts might vote for Obama. We're going to find out that millions of unlikely people will be voting for Obama.

I still find the concern of the OP suspect.

[fishwax]

13. I agree completely

on both counts ...

[Dharmacrat]

14. I actually was posting the article just for the news content...

...I thought the Armstrong thing was interesting. I remember when the story was in the news and he was such a detested figure and joke. When I saw this story, I was happy that we are getting these votes. But the little voice in me said, wait a minute... what if I were doing the same thing? what would you call it (I am a white male, in case you where wondering - typically, it would not be any body's business, but in the context of this discussion, I think it matters). Even though you find my op suspect, I think that this is a healthy topic of discussion and a subject that i am truly curious about.

[Dharmacrat]

15. dupe

[blogslut]

16. Then why did you preface the article with this question?

before you read the article, I have a question... even though any vote for Obama is a vote for the better; if Armstrong, knowing who he is and what he believes in... if he only votes for Obama because he is African American, what would you call that? I know that if I voted against my values for someone mainly because of his race, I would have to question my motives...

Believe it or not, millions of people vote for president for emotional reasons. My sister, for example, could not bring herself to vote for John Kerry, despite her admittance that GWB was a spend-crazy, economy-killing fool. Her reason she couldn't vote for Kerry? She didn't like his face.

Look at the women that claim they voted for Hillary Clinton simply because she is female. Look at some of those same women turning their backs on Democratic causes because their candidate did not win the nomination.

Call it what you want. I call it human.

[Dharmacrat]

21. I know that one of the reasons I am proud to be supporting Obama...

...is the fact that I would be part of the 'progressive' country that would have an African American as a leader. I think this is way overdue and we are one of the last countries who seem to have a problem with this sort of thing anyhow. All I was being honest about in my op was... putting myself in the opposite of Armstrong's or Watts' shoes... if I was voting for a pro-war/anti-choice/anti-equality/pro-torture/anti-habeas corpus individual, because he was this race or that... i would have to question my motives. Now if Armstrong and Watts are changing there values and beliefs, that would be different... and I wouldn't be bringing this up at all.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. I believe that is a photo of JC Watts. And who cares who Armstrong votes for.

[Dan]

3. Well, don't know much about Armstrong

but the picture belongs to a person that I knew as a child, went fishing with his grandmother, was in the same classes as his older sister, put a dart in his older brother shoe as a kid (and was glad that he didn't beat hell out of me)... my friend the picture is J.C. Watts.

[Dharmacrat]

9. Watts is also considering voting for BO - here is the phot o caption:

In this April 26, 2002, file photo Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla. delivers the 125th Landon Lecture of Public Affairsat Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. Watts, now a former congressman who was once part of the GOP House leadership, says he's also thinking of voting for Obama. Watts says he's still a Republican, but criticizes his party for neglecting the black community, and expects Obama to take on issues such as poverty and urban policy. "Republicans often seem indifferent to those things," he said. (AP Photo/Mike Shepherd, File)
(AP)

[blogslut]

4. LOL! Did you get that image from Larry Johnson?

He has trouble telling brown people apart, I hear.

[Dharmacrat]

6. it was from the article ------ sorry - I changed it - pretty funny though

considering the subject matter

[blogslut]

11. I don't care who Armstrong Williams votes for.

I care more about the fact that there are people so afraid of the idea of an African American as president of the United States, they go inventing excuses to vote for John McCain.

[Dharmacrat]

19. I do see that quite a bit.... I think the more people get to see of Obama...

...regardless of race, they will see how much he is like them in belief, hopes, etc. I think the Sammy Davis Jr. theory might apply to Obama. The more a racist person sees of him, the more accepted he will be. Sammy Davis Jr. was placed along side white actors and placed in non-stereotypical situations on film and TV. This helped people raised in Racism see past the stereotypes they thought always accompanied Black folks. Sad thing is, maybe, Bill Cosby, Sidney Pottier and Sammy Davis Jr. were the few that I can remember that were not stereotyped all the time. The GOP and others are trying very hard to associate Obama with situations and images of a more 'urban' type... for example all of the play in the MSM about the DAP is in my opinion trying to make Obama foreign to those that are more prone to racism. I truly believe that there are racist people in this country raised racist and would not be otherwise. Some of these people can be 'un-learned' to a certain degree - others may never return. I do think all of the media coverage of Obama helps enlighten the racist individual to a certain degree.

i know that I am treading in dangerous territory here, but as a white male who really does care about equality... I observe this sort of thing and it makes me wonder how we can all start to get past this old way of being. We can not truly move into the next phase of society without overcoming these old and ugly ways.

[Elspeth]

8. So he's voting based on race, not on values, beliefs or qualifications.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

[Tarheel_Dem]

17. FWIW, I think Colin Powell's leaning that way too.

Let's no poo poo this idea. If I remember correctly, Bush won like 12% of the black vote in '04. Perhaps stories like these will bring them home again.

[sandnsea]

18. NO. Do not let them turn this into an election about race

That's all people like Williams are trying to do.

[Dharmacrat]

22. never thought about it that way.... wow....

.... I just got the o-fuck chill. I wonder if you are correct. This could be their way of making this about race? I wouldn't put it past the GOP.

[dkf]

20. If they really really liked McCain they wouldn't be contemplating this.

But they don't so they figure, what the heck...Obama isn't THAT bad.