Be honest, do you think some people prefer a white man for president

[quinnox]

just because this is what we have grown accustomed to?

I think so, the feelings of tradition seem to have a great hold on many Americans. Since 99% of Presidents have been white males, this is what many people expect. (Note: this is not how I personally feel about who should be president)

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Yep

I sure do believe there are people like this. I also think there are people who will also give said white male a free pass - that they wouldn't give someone else on things.

[kentuck]

2. Not necessarily.

But I think the majority of Americans are looking for someone not connected at the hip to the status quo.

[hlthe2b]

10. if only we could get BIG $$ out of elections....

But, I'm still reeling from a thread a few days back where several DUers were defending Citizens United and Corporate Personhood. (so much for keeping "cool" today)

[notadmblnd]

3. I'm certain that every white bigot in the country prefers a white man for president

But they're in the minority, so they need to get over themselves.

[bravenak]

4. YES.

I read a thread a few minutes ago and was like whoa.
They're just not that into change.

[hlthe2b]

5. Yes but among the more "tolerant" in general, I think gender may end up a bigger obstacle than race

[jberryhill]

6. "99% of Presidents have been white males"

Think about that for a second. Less than 98% of presidents have been white males, which should be obvious by simply eyeballing the number 45.

[quinnox]

9. I acknowledge my math may have been a little off

[ProdigalJunkMail]

20. well, actually it works since Obama is of mixed race...

i think the math works... (i kid i kid)

sP

[Cal33]

48. Ha! Ha! Ha! But what you wrote is true, though.

[Ohio Joe]

7. "just because this is what we have grown accustomed to?"

Non-sense. They want a white man in the White House because they are racist.

[Just Saying]

26. And sexist. N/T

[Ohio Joe]

29. Agreed

It does not matter which woman is suggested, it rears it's ugly head.

[demwing]

35. some people are statists

They just don't like change, regardless of what color of change we're offered

[Ohio Joe]

38. It could be for a few but the overwhelming majority are racist - nt

[demwing]

42. without a doubt /nt

[CBGLuthier]

8. No, I think some people prefer white men for president because some people are

fucking bigots. Plain and simple, fucking bigots.

No excuses.

[NightWatcher]

11. I think it would be easier for a white man to get elected than a woman or member of an ethnic group

How many people voted against Obama strictly because he's (half) black? A white male candidate with the same qualifications (Harvard Law, Constitutional Scholar, Senator...) would have sailed into office.

A black man has to work twice as hard to get half the credit and I'd bet that it's about the same for a woman.

That said, I'd vote for a broken doorknob over any repuke candidate as long as the doorknob won the party nomination.

[quinnox]

17. yes, thanks for pointing out Obama is half-black

and let's be honest, if Obama had been not so light-skinned, but instead a much darker skin tone, he would have maybe not even been elected. I think this is sad but true.

[RZM]

24. What the hell?

This post makes no sense given the last two presidential elections.

McCain is a vet with a compelling story and a Senator. Romney has a Harvard degree and Hillary has one from Yale. All of them lost to Obama, whom nobody had even heard of before 2004.

After the primaries, Obama DID sail into office. He beat McCain by over 9 million votes and got 71.5 percent of the electoral votes. He beat Romney by 5 million and got about 62 percent of the electoral votes.

Is this sarcasm? If so I apologize.

[Brigid]

46. Said broken doorknob would be smarter.

No matter who the repug candidate might be.

[Zorra]

12. I would say that is true for about 80% of all US conservatives.

But that estimate may be low.

[Bay Boy]

13. Yes, I believe they are called...

...Republicans.

[leftstreet]

14. Yes, but probably not the people who voted for Obama n/t

[DevonRex]

34. Oh come on. nt

[leftstreet]

41. What? n/t

[Jenoch]

15. I thought that before the 2008 election.

If the economy is good, I am guessing the old prejudices will return however.

By the way, the figure is closer to 98% of presidents have been white males. (97.67%)

[PowerToThePeople]

16. Be honest, do you think some people are Republican?

[OneGrassRoot]

43. lolol n/t

[Demo_Chris]

18. Yes, some, but I believe very few care... nt

[JaneyVee]

19. ...And then the Tea Party was formed.

[quinnox]

22. heh heh

you hit that one, bulls-eye!

[VanillaRhapsody]

21. You even have to ask this question?

[mstinamotorcity2]

23. Yep

Its a sense of entitlement. Some don't even know they feel like that. I will admit that I have said to my friends and others if the President were White they would love everything that came out of his mouth. Especially since most of the ideas are repug.

[ecstatic]

25. I'd say no more than 25%

That number includes both repubs and racist dems.

Many repubs are already trying to figure out how to find their own Obama. So far they've flirted with the idea of Jindal, Cain, West, and now Rubio.

Believe me, if they had a viable option, they would take it, much to the dismay of about 50% of their party.

[Just Saying]

31. I think your estimate is way low.

Way way low for both parties.

[ecstatic]

39. Keep in mind, we've been exposed to the concept for at least 15

years on various TV shows and movies, and now it's actually happened in real life. So while I think far more than 25% of Americans hold racist views, the idea of a non white president is something most Americans (racist or not) have accepted into their world schemas.

[RC]

27. I don't care what color or gender the President is.

What is important to me is that they are honest and govern as they campaigned. Is that really too much to ask? Apparently so. The last two president campaigned from the Center/Center Left and immediately shifted to the Right, once in office.

[Bunnahabhain]

28. I'm 100% sure some people would prefer a white male for POTUS

Me? I'd rather have a pretty female be POTUS, as if one follows politics, one is bound to spend a lot of time seeing pictures or videos of the president.

[Just Saying]

33. How about an ugly female?

You're kinda proving the point here.

[leftstreet]

47. 'a pretty female?'

ugh

[spanone]

30. not the majority of voters in the last two elections.

[DevonRex]

32. Yes to both white and man. I think it's so ingrained in some that

they might not even know it, or just refuse to admit it.

[Just Saying]

37. +1

Runs deep.

[AndyA]

36. I would say yes, but more in the past

Today the country is more diversified and I don't think most people have that difficult of a time accepting change like this.

I think it would be good to have a woman President, a gay President, a lesbian President, etc., and that will really break everyone out of the mold. Plus, the older people who lived so much of their lives under white male Presidents are dying off.

Of course, we now know that Nancy Reagan was really the first female President, as I think she did a lot of the work during Ronnie's last years, as he seemed to be slipping pretty badly.

[Jefferson23]

40. Do I think some people prefer a white man for POTUS? Yes. Not most, Obama won more than

9 million more votes than McCain...or some such figure.

[dkf]

44. And others prefer black men for President or women, or Hispanics or Asians...and on and on.

[badtoworse]

45. I think the great majority of Americans don't look at it that way.