Why is it that when white voters support Clinton, it's because Obama is "failing to connect?"

[EffieBlack]

but when black voters vote for Obama, it's because they're voting in a bloc based on race?

I'm finding it very interesting watching some of the coverage and listening to the pundits (usually white men, of course) discussing why "Obama is having trouble reaching blue collar white voters." Yet they hardly ever discuss why Hillary Clinton is having trouble reaching black voters - and when they do, it's almost always in the context of assuming the black voters are voting for Obama because he's black, not because of any failure or shortcoming on Clinton's part.

Just wondering.

[cbayer]

1. I don't agree with your premise.

I do think there is some identification issues at play. As a white woman, it is easier for me to identify with Clinton than it would be withMc either McCain or Obama and I probably have a more natural empathy with her. I can't speak for anyone else but would not be surprised if others have a similar experience.

I would still vote for either Cinton or Obama and that decision is based on what I know about them. McCain is white, but I would never vote for him and feel much more identification with Obama on the issues.

Do you think that identification plays any role at all?

[EffieBlack]

8. You're missing my point . . .

Commentators regularly claim that the fact that some white men aren't voting for Obama is proof that he is not connecting with them - i.e., it is the candidate's fault, not the fault of the voters, that these people are not voting for him. On the other hand, they claim that the fact that black voters aren't voting for Hillary Clinton is proof that they are engaging in identity politics - i.e., it's the fault of the voters, not the candidate, that these people are not voting for her.

Pat Buchanan is right this very minute as I type saying, "What is the matter with Barack Obama that these white men won't vote for him?" Excuse me?

This is part of what we often see when it comes to the view of blacks in this society. Black candidates who appeal to white voters are "transcending their race." But white candidates are NEVER seen as "transcending their race." Bill Clinton was hugely popular among black voters, but he never was characterized as "transcending his race." Black voters were expected to come where he was, so to speak. But black candidates are expected to come to the voters and if those voters don't vote for him, it's because of something lacking in the black candidate, not any problem with white voters.

[ErinBerin84]

10. "What is the matter with Barack Obama that these white men won't vote for him?"

Oh, fuck off Pat. Obama has been able to made a lot more inroads in Clinton's constituencies in his previous wins, than Clinton has ever been able to make in Obama's demographics.

Ugh, I remember Andrea Mitchell's hideous joke "It proves that WHITE MeN CAN JUMP....TO OBAMA". lol, that was sad, Mrs Greenspan.

[cbayer]

11. I don't think I missed your point, I said I disagreed with your premise.

When we have only had white males to choose from, none of this was an issue. Now that we have a white female and a black male running, the issues of sex and race and identification take on new meaning.

There are lots of white men (and women) voting for Obama. People like Pat Buchanan aren't. Out and out racists aren't. I know what you are hearing from these people, but they are bigots and are playing to bigots.

There have also been many pundits and analysts who have said that men won't vote for Clinton because she reminds them of their ex-wife or high school principal or mother-in-law. There is a continual theme that she is expected to transcend her gender. I also hear over and over that most women are only voting for Clinton because she is a woman. There may be some but certainly not most.

I think it cuts both ways.

[roguevalley]

14. women are supposed to vote for clinton, according to some here

because to do otherwise is sexism. there are doofuses running around here making their claims. Ignore them.

[Cant trust em]

2. That's a really interesting point

I'll be interested to see what the other responses to your OP will reveal.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Because he's black, and this is America. Duh.

[redqueen]

4. Same reason white people "find" but black people "loot".

Effin racist media whores.

[H2O Man]

5. When I was young,

there used to be a feature in our "Weekly Reader," which asked, "Can you find the face in this tree?" In the 2008 democratic primary, there are lots of faces hidden in the trees. Some people don't see them, but they are there.

[FrenchieCat]

13. You've got it.......

And this will have consequenses in the GE.

[crankychatter]

6. good question and you know the answer

corporate media is editorially managed by the same interests that corrupt DC and our own party...

it's the spin

Even in Mississippi where the demographic split actually existed (nevermind Iowa and everywhere else white men voted for Obama)... that vote was skewed because of the well documented Limbaugh crossover at that time....

digression... that's how they railroaded Cynthia McKinney from Congress... so it's not a brand new thing

Since Mississippi the talking heads repeat this fake demographic divide "Obama can't win White male votes" when he has CONSISTENTLY WON WHITE MALE VOTES

Inversely, African American people vote their perceived interests in large
numbers without regard to race...

The "Jews in America support everything Israel does" is an insulting lie. Black people vote in lockstep without using their HEADS....

another insulting lie... and in fact.... a RACIST fucking lie

it makes me crazy

thanks for posting

[BigDDem]

7. Check with Shelia Jackson Lee and see the response

she gets being a black person for Clinton.

[MagickMuffin]

9. I'm a 50 yo white woman, and A PLEDGED DELEGATE FOR OBAMA IN TEXAS

The CorpoMedia will NEVER understand the REAL truth about Obama and Clinton. They are trying to influence the election once again.

Try not to let it bother you. We KNOW the truth and don't rely on CorpoMedia's propaganda. But I do understand the concern.

[spooky3]

12. do >80% of white voters favor Clinton?

If both groups favored candidates of the same race by the same margins, then the question is a fairer one.

There is no question that some voters are racist and refuse to consider candidates who are not their race, no matter how qualified, and some will support candidates of the same race primarily for that reason.

You might also ask why polls show that white men vote more heavily for Obama when he is matched up with McCain than they do for Clinton when she is. Other groups' votes don't change much at all across these two sets of comparisons. What does that say about racism vs. sexism?