Does racial bias fuel Obama foes? How to tell?

Santa Cruz Sentinel ^ | Sep 9,2012 | JESSE WASHINGTON AP National Writer

[mdittmar]

Is it because he's black?

The question of whether race fuels opposition to President Barack Obama has become one of the most divisive topics of the election. It is sowing anger and frustration among conservatives who are labeled racist simply for opposing Obama's policies and liberals who see no other explanation for such deep dislike of the president.

It is an accusation almost impossible to prove, yet it remains inseparable from the African-American experience. The idea, which seemed to die in 2008 when Obama became the first black president, is now rearing its head from college campuses to cable TV as the Democratic incumbent faces Mitt Romney, the white Republican challenger.

Four years after an election that inspired hopes of a post-racial future, there are signs that political passions are dragging us backward.

"We're at a tipping point," said Susan Glisson, director of the Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi. "But I don't know which way we're going to tip."

Glisson knows that many conservatives disagree with Obama solely because of his policies. "But I am also quite certain that there are others who object to the president because of his race, because they have a fear of blacks that is embedded in our culture," she said.

Her conclusion is based on something called "implicit bias"- prejudices that people don't realize they have.

[libertylover]

After all these years, my Tagline still says it best.

[Carriage Hill]

“...doesn’t have the common sense to pour warm piss out of a boot!”

LMAO! I’ve known several people who’ve been highly-educated, but whose practical, commonsense level ranks alongside of a meatloaf.

[Juan Medén]

God, I hate this question . . . but, ok, here’s a real simple test: If you despise Bill Clinton as much as you despise Barack Obama, you are not a racist. If you love Bill Clinton but despise Barack Obama, you are a racist. Which means that the vast majority of racists are not in the Republican party, but rather in the democrat party.

[Ancesthntr]

“You could just as easily ask: Does racial bias fuel Obama supporters? How to tell?”

Certainly it is true of his black supporters - but my position is that Obama’s clear and obvious hatred of this country fuels his “poor” job (it isn’t poor, he knows what he’s doing and does it quite well). The real question here is this: Is Obama’s hatred of this country based on racial hatred for whites?

[fella]

The problem with “implicit bias” is that those who point out the implied bias are the true racist.

[SES1066]

When you think and listen to the Obama Campaign, their two hammers are class warfare, Romney is white and rich, Obama, who is half African, needs 4 more years of blame Bush. As the old saying goes, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail! Obama cannot stand on his record so it becomes obvious that antagonism to him is racist while support of him is tolerance and justice.

From Dr Glisson's bio on this institution's web page; "[Dr Susan M.] Glisson is a native of Evans, Georgia. She earned bachelor’s degrees in religion and in history from Mercer University, a master’s degree in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the College of William and Mary. Glisson specializes in the history of race and religion in the United States, especially in the black struggle for freedom."

Obviously a totally unbiased academic (is this an oxymoron?) /sarc

[2nd Amendment]

I absolutely despise Barack Obama. I must be a racist! Most of my ideas come from Allen West, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams!

[JustSayNoToNannies]

I absolutely despise Barack Obama. I must be a racist! Most of my ideas come from Allen West, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams!

They're not "real" blacks - they're "Oreos" donchaknow.

[hecht]

He’s more white. Tie gors to the mother