Obama accepts Reid apology for racial remark

[Niels Bohr 72]

Is it racist to acknowledge that voters tend to favor those they feel reflect their own values and culture?

Sounds just like this guy.

JP Who Refused To Wed Interracial Couple Resigns

A Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry a couple because the bride was white and groom was black resigned Tuesday.

Keith Bardwell, who is white, quit the post with a one-sentence statement to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and no explanation of his decision: “I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009.”

Bardwell refused to perform the ceremony for Beth Humphrey and Terence McKay because they are of different races.

When questioned about his refusal, Bardwell acknowledged he routinely recuses himself from marrying interracial couples because he believes such marriages cause harm to the couples’ children. In interviews, he said he refers such couples to other justices of the peace, who then perform the ceremony, which happened in this case.

Humphrey has said she and McKay received their marriage license from the parish clerk of court, where they also received a list of people qualified to perform the ceremony. When she called Bardwell’s office to ask about the ceremony on Oct. 6, Humphrey said Bardwell’s wife told her that the justice wouldn’t sign their marriage license because they were a “mixed couple.”

Bardwell didn’t immediately return a call for comment Tuesday about his resignation, which followed calls for his ouster from several public officials, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Humphrey and McKay have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bardwell. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press

[alienlovechild 75]

How was Reid racist? "Negro" is not a politically correct therm at all these days, but his was a very accurate analysis of Obama's electability.

He's light-skinned and doesn't use traditionally "black" speech patterns or vocabulary.

In other words, he has mainstream appeal. Most everyone can relate to the image he projects. He's an everyman.

Is it racist to acknowledge that voters tend to favor those they feel reflect their own values and culture?

Speaking of clowns, remember Biden's comment how Obama was "clean and articulate"? He forgot to add how Obama was a credit to his race.

[Ricardo_C 4]

Sounds just like this guy.

I think that's a very different issue. A public official cannot discriminate against individuals based on gender, race, or religion.

How does that compare with Reid making a very accurate point, however clumsily?

If anything, his words highlight the latent, passive prejudice most people hold, whether they want to admit it or not.

[Niels Bohr 72]

I doubt it. Passive prejudices are amongst the non-educated living. They worry about their wage to feed their kids more than they know about human rights.

Working with a diverse of people in academia prove otherwise that there is no passive prejudices. If the people are morons, they will succumb to prejudices.

I think that's a very different issue. A public official cannot discriminate against individuals based on gender, race, or religion.

How does that compare with Reid making a very accurate point, however clumsily?

If anything, his words highlight the latent, passive prejudice most people hold, whether they want to admit it or not.

[Ricardo_C 4]

I didn't mean "prejudice" in a negative sense. Simply put, people tend to lean towards those they feel represent them, on any number of criteria.

Reid's observations reflect the fact that someone perceived by the electorate as "too black" (and therefore, too far removed from the white-dominated mainstream) would not be electable. I think he's right, for better or worse. His craptastic choice of words doesn't change the accuracy of the analysis.

PS-- Morons are prevalent in academia, as well (in my experience, anyway). Prejudice comes in many delicious flavors.

Edited January 10, 2010 by Ricardo_C

[Sofiyya 1,687]

How was Reid racist? "Negro" is not a politically correct therm at all these days, but his was a very accurate analysis of Obama's electability.

He's light-skinned and doesn't use traditionally "black" speech patterns or vocabulary.

In other words, he has mainstream appeal. Most everyone can relate to the image he projects. He's an everyman.

Is it racist to acknowledge that voters tend to favor those they feel reflect their own values and culture?

I have to agree. I don't see Reid's remarks as racist, but then, I'm not an adherent to the notion of politically correctness. Not only is it not racist, it's politically accurate. Obama is a light brown man whose manner of speech is within the political mid-range, making him more acceptable to the mainstream norm. I would say that being a light skinned Black not only made him more acceptable, but it insulated him from the kind of criticism that a novice White candidate would get. It actually was an advantage for him, in that he became and remains the sweetheart of the liberal media who protects him to no end.

The only reason why Reid's positive comments are seen as racist is because Reid is White, and disallowed from commenting on race. Last November, Jesse Jackson criticized Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) for voting against the Dim's healthcare bill, saying “We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill. You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man.” This comes from a man who preaches that Blacks should not be defined or limited by their color, but whom obviously talks out of both sides of his mouth, but that's a liberal norm. It is what it is.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Somebody's desperate to sell a book but not outraged to release this info during the campaign when it would generated some more heat.

More interesting was Bill Clinton's comment about how Obama would have been the guy getting coffee years ago or Hillary Clinton's campaign dropping hints about Obama's use of illegal drugs.

Reid figures he is going to be coming into some ill gotten gains from his support of health care and needs to hide and launder the money. He also knows he is dead meat in this fall's elections. So how is he going to explain all the loot and the new private jet and such? Books are such a good way to do that. Ol Jim Wright (Democrat, did I forget to mention that) was expert at it. He never took a bribe but many of his "supporters" bought thousands of his book.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Morons and stubbornness are two different things. I never met a moron. I met people who made mistakes accidentally and corrected themselves.

I didn't mean "prejudice" in a negative sense. Simply put, people tend to lean towards those they feel represent them, on any number of criteria.

Reid's observations reflect the fact that someone perceived by the electorate as "too black" (and therefore, too far removed from the white-dominated mainstream) would not be electable. I think he's right, for better or worse. His craptastic choice of words doesn't change the accuracy of the analysis.

PS-- Morons are prevalent in academia, as well (in my experience, anyway). Prejudice comes in many delicious flavors.

Edited January 10, 2010 by Niels Bohr

[nowhereman 1]

I think that's a very different issue. A public official cannot discriminate against individuals based on gender, race, or religion.

How does that compare with Reid making a very accurate point, however clumsily?

If anything, his words highlight the latent, passive prejudice most people hold, whether they want to admit it or not.

Reid's comments weren't racist IMO but they were just plain stupid. Do people generally vote along racial lines? From what I've heard yes. Does that mean that Obama was elected due to being black? I would say that's like saying all the other white Presidents were elected because they were white.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Reid's comments weren't racist IMO but they were just plain stupid. Do people generally vote along racial lines? From what I've heard yes. Does that mean that Obama was elected due to being black? I would say that's like saying all the other white Presidents were elected because they were white.

There is some truth in that statement, especially if you study the writings and speeches that accompany their campaigns. Even the abolitionists of the pre-civil war era, were not about to admit equality among the races. America would have to wait until the second half of the last century, for Martin Luther King to even offer that premise as a postulate.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Reid's comments weren't racist IMO but they were just plain stupid. Do people generally vote along racial lines? From what I've heard yes. Does that mean that Obama was elected due to being black? I would say that's like saying all the other white Presidents were elected because they were white.

Democrats that make stupid statements should be praised by Republicans and kept in place as long as possible in the hopes they will continue to run their mouths. Thank you Harry Reid. Give that man a microphone...please!

[alienlovechild 75]

Do people generally vote along racial lines? From what I've heard yes. Does that mean that Obama was elected due to being black? I would say that's like saying all the other white Presidents were elected because they were white.

Yes, some groups can be expected to vote a certain way depending on their race.

Obama wasn't elected due to being black? Ok, then what made him that much more qualifed than the other candidates to be president? He wasn't part of good ole network of Democrats that backpedaled on their Iraq War votes so they voted for a fresh face vs. some old guy. That was level of voting in 2008 so now we are stuck with a training wheels president who never voted on a war no one cares about anymore.

The bulk of elected officials in America historically were white so its no mystery they made up all the presidents prior to Obama. No president was elected based on being white as their were no white no major non-white to elect as an alternative. It's unlikely the bulk of voters will base their votes in 2012 on race as the Obama novelty factor will have worn wafer thin by then and he'll have to defend his record. He's screwed.

[Niels Bohr 72]

And, Republicans who are act like monkeys needs to be caged.

Democrats that make stupid statements should be praised by Republicans and kept in place as long as possible in the hopes they will continue to run their mouths. Thank you Harry Reid. Give that man a microphone...please!

Does this also mean that most of the nation population is Black!?

Yes, some groups can be expected to vote a certain way depending on their race.

Obama wasn't elected due to being black? Ok, then what made him that much more qualifed than the other candidates to be president? He wasn't part of good ole network of Democrats that backpedaled on their Iraq War votes so they voted for a fresh face vs. some old guy. That was level of voting in 2008 so now we are stuck with a training wheels president who never voted on a war no one cares about anymore.

The bulk of elected officials in America historically were white so its no mystery they made up all the presidents prior to Obama. No president was elected based on being white as their were no white no major non-white to elect as an alternative. It's unlikely the bulk of voters will base their votes in 2012 on race as the Obama novelty factor will have worn wafer thin by then and he'll have to defend his record. He's screwed.

[scandal 951]

Yes, some groups can be expected to vote a certain way depending on their race.

Obama wasn't elected due to being black? Ok, then what made him that much more qualifed than the other candidates to be president? He wasn't part of good ole network of Democrats that backpedaled on their Iraq War votes so they voted for a fresh face vs. some old guy. That was level of voting in 2008 so now we are stuck with a training wheels president who never voted on a war no one cares about anymore.

The bulk of elected officials in America historically were white so its no mystery they made up all the presidents prior to Obama. No president was elected based on being white as their were no white no major non-white to elect as an alternative. It's unlikely the bulk of voters will base their votes in 2012 on race as the Obama novelty factor will have worn wafer thin by then and he'll have to defend his record. He's screwed.

I can't and won't explain why other Americans voted for and elected Obama in 2008.

But I can tell you my own calculus, and it really wasn't based on race.

During the primaries, I supported Hillary and voted for her in the state I was registered in at the time (California).

I thought she was the strongest Democratic candidate at the time.

By approximately March-April 2008, it was pretty clear that the race would be unwinnable for her yet she continue to fight through primaries in Ohio, Texas, etc. During that time Obama became the clear front runner, and I was paying more and more attention to his platform and positions. By the time Hillary conceded, and we had the summer conventions, and McCain chose Sarah Palin as running mate while Obama chose Biden (whose foreign policy credentials I've always respected), I had absolutely no doubt how I would vote in November.

I didn't vote because he was black, or because he wasn't. I voted because he was saying the right things domestically and about foreign policy and was building consensus for change, a change America desperately needed.

One and a half years later - am I satisfied?

Well, sure I'd like more. I'm sure he'd like more as well. We live in challenging times with a rough economy, two wars, a dysfunctional Congress, and bitter personal attack politics. He's keeping his eye focused on the mission, and I applaud him for that. It's all we can ask from the guy in charge.

I'd give him and his Administration about a B to a B+ - probably about the grade he'd assign to himself.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Looks like the Republican party think only whitey exists. Asians elect people too, so do people from all over the world who became citizens.