Will closet racism derail Obama?

BBC ^ | October 20, 2008 | Laura Smith-Spark

[Zakeet]

Two decades ago, Douglas Wilder watched as a 9% lead in the polls going into Virginia's gubernatorial election slipped to just one-tenth of 1% when the ballots were counted.

He still won the election - becoming the first African-American to be elected a US state governor - but the narrowness of his victory led analysts to speculate that he had been a victim of a white hesitancy to vote for a black man.

The theory goes that some white voters tell opinion pollsters they will vote for a black candidate - but then, in the privacy of the polling booth, put their cross against a white candidate's name.

And the fear among some supporters is that this could happen to Barack Obama on 4 November, when the country votes for its next president.

The phenomenon is known as the Bradley, or Wilder effect.

Tom Bradley was an African-American mayor of Los Angeles who, running for California's governorship in 1982, saw a sizeable eve-of-polling lead evaporate on election day, giving victory to his white rival, Republican George Deukmejian.

In 1989, the year Wilder became governor of Virginia, David Dinkins was elected the first African-American mayor of New York - but he also saw an 18-point lead in the polls shrink to a winning margin of just two points on the day.

Charles Henry, a California professor who was among the first to research the Bradley effect, says Mr Obama would need a double-digit lead to feel confident of victory.

Other pundits have suggested a six- to nine-point cushion may be sufficient. Mr Obama currently has a lead of about this size, according to most polls.

[Zakeet]

Douglas Wilder: I do think there is going to be a so-called "reverse Bradley effect" because I think there are some Republicans who won't openly say they are going to vote for Barack Obama, but will.

Other highlights from the article:

• Research by a psychologist and a political scientist of the University of Washington, suggests Barry benefited from a reverse Bradley effect in 12 states during the primary elections, while the Bradley effect itself was noticeable in only three.

• A study by a Harvard researcher of 133 gubernatorial and senatorial elections from 1989 to 2006 showed no recent significant Bradley-Wilder effect.

• A recent Gallup poll suggested that 9% of Americans would be more likely to vote for Barry because of his race, compared with only 6% who said they would be less likely to vote for him.

[TommyDale]

Racism from which side?

[BenLurkin]

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

How about an aversion to leftist radical thought and their political frontmen, no matter what their race, color, creed or national origin?

[pgyanke]

Will closet racism derail Obama?

Why? Blatant racism got him this far!

[Mark was here]

I certainly hope so. I do not care what liberals call it. As long as the job gets done.

[Stentor]

White people are really ignorant for discriminating against a black nationalist with anti-American alliances and a foggy background. They might even be engaging in rational discrimination.

[Anti-Bubba182]

What is the difference? In the unlikely event, “THE ONE” loses White racism will be blamed.

[RetiredArmy]

The best way for me, as a retired military person, as a veteran of a war, is too say that I will vote for McCain because I trust him with my life more than I would trust Obama, who has the support of terrorists, both foreign and domestic. Simple as that. It is a known fact that Marxist Dimocrats in politics in the USA are COWARDS when it comes to defense of this Republic and military matters. Thus, they are unfit to service in defense of the Republic. As COMMANDER AND CHIEF OF THE US MILITARY, McCain would be qualified to defend. Obama is simply a punk. A nothing, loud mouthed punk.

[manc]

no racism by blacks along with white liberal guilt has helped obama

Geraldine F said it right obama would not be where he is if he was a white man.
what person who decides to run gets over 95% of a group straight away

the only racism I see here is by most blacks

[surfer]

Come on it’s racial pride to vote for Obama!

It’s racial pride to vote for McCain...so let’s show some serious racial pride on election day!

[TexasRepublic]

I certainly hope so, because too many people have no idea what a Communist is. Under Communism, we would all be slaves.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

Funny how we don’t hear any MSM opinions about how sexism could have cost Clinton the nomination, or could cost Palin the election. It’s only prejudice when their candidate loses.

[ladyvet]

Why can't people believe that some of us have a problem with a lying, crooked, empty suited, Soros backed Manchurian candidate, Middle American hating, Socialist, cut and run, share the wealth(you ready to do that?), can't question his background, can't question his association with some domestic terrorist, can't question his working for Acorn, can't question anything about him or it's considered racist, sat in a church that spewed hate for twenty years and says he wasn't there when it happened, Shady property deals in Chicago, won't turn over his birth certificate, won't release his two hundred and under bundle donations, when he is finally pinned down he says “that's not the _____ ( fill in the blank) that I used to know”, propped up by the adoring media that Goebbels would be proud of, gun grabbin’ , egotistical, narcissistic, go ahead and stick scissors in babies heads at late term, oh and if late term babies happen to be born alive, stick them in a dirty linen closet until they die.... piece of feces’ that will ruin this country.

[normy]

2 great things are going to happen in this election.

1. The media is exposed for the biased frauds they are.

2. The charge of racism will finally lose any power it once had.

[Tanniker Smith]

Racism? No, just socialism.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

If there really was racism with 0bama, then all the blacks would vote for his black half and all of the whites would vote for his white half and, of course, he’d be Messiah.

[JerseyDvl]

I will take anything at this point, including a President Hillary Clinton. *ducking*

This enigma know as B.Hussein is so dangerous that I no longer fear the Clintons.

[Peter Horry]

That and his big ears, don’t forget the ears.

[Anti-Bubba182]

The Race hustle is an effective hustle and that is why it is used. No other reason...