Regina,
Here is the real immediate danger in this election for the President...
The major political problem for both President Obama and American society and culture generally as I've been saying consistently both verbally and in print for many years now is that the United States is thoroughly dominated and controlled by the widespread electoral and institutional racism and sexism of white men. As I've pointed out to you and many others over and over again during the past five years in the Panopticon Review the electoral statistics confirming this huge ongoing problem are simply horrific. For example in the past 60 years going back to 1952 there have been 15 national presidential elections. IN EVERY SINGLE ELECTION EXCEPT ONE (1964) white American voters in general have voted for the Republican candidate 14 times! (or a whopping 93% of the time!). During this same period since 1952 over 70% of ALL WHITE MALE VOTERS have consistently voted for the Republican candidate (in 2008 65% of them voted for McCain). Since male and female white Americans together currently make up 74% of the entire U.S. voting population (and in the recent historical past--especially before 1992) constituted anywhere from 80-85% of the American voting population--and white males were nearly one half of that total-- it has always been VERY difficult to get any liberal or progressive politicians elected to the Presidency. For example of the last 15 elections since 1952 NINE of them were won by the Republicans (Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956, Nixon in both 1968 and 1972, Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, George H.W. Bush in 1988 and his son George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004). This means that since 1952 or in the last 60 years ONLY ONE Democratic Party presidential candidate (Bill Clinton who won in 1992 and 1996) has been re-elected while FOUR Republicans have been. The only other Democratic presidents have been John F. Kennedy who was assassinated before he could finish one term, Lyndon Johnson who served only one term from 1964-1968, Jimmy Carter who also served only one term from 1976-1980, and of course Obama who has served one term. During this incredible historical run the Republicans have been elected to the White House an amazing 60% of the time over this 60 year period (36 years to 24 for the Democrats). The overwhelming reason for this is that white male voters across the board (that is from every single economic class group from the very poor to the very rich!) have always and continue to vote for the most backward, reactionary, racist, sexist, and militaristic candidates no matter what. These stubbornly ignorant people NEVER vote in their own political and economic self interest and would rather vote for the super wealthy white Republican male elite who don't give a damn about them EXCEPT at election time. Still, the average percentage of white male voters who voted for Republicans from 1952 to 1992 was well over 70% in every single election and it is only in the last 20 years or since 1992 that this percentage has gone down even a little bit (from 1992-2008 the average percentage of white males who voted for the Republican candidate was 65%--still a HUGE number especially given the fact that of the 96 million white voters--out of a national total of 130 million--who cast their votes in the 2008 election--over 47 million of them were white men!). The ominous significance of this is that this white male voting demographic alone is larger the entire African American population (and also happens to be the same size as the entire Latino/Hispanic population). The average percentage of white male voters who voted for Republicans from 1952 to 1992 was well over 70% in every single election and it is only in the last 20 years or since 1992 that this percentage has gone down even a little bit (from 1992-2008 the average percentage of white males who voted for the Republican candidate was 65%--still a HUGE number especially given the fact that of the 96 million white voters--out of a national total of 130 million--who cast their votes in the 2008 election--over 47 million of them were white men!).
This is the reason why both the Republicans and the Tea Party--another national group dominated by white males--continue to advocate, support, and pass the most virulently racist, sexist, and classist legislation in the country not only in Congress but in state legislatures throughout the country and why Obama has been opposed 100% by the Republicans and the Tea Party ON EVERY SINGLE MAJOR LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL HE HAS EVER TRIED TO PASS SINCE BEING ELECTED IN 2008. This is why male and female African American, Latino American and Asian American voters are absolutely crucial to Obama if he wants to win (81% of these "minority" voters in general voted for Obama in 2008 and as we know 95% of black voters did) What is also equally crucial for Obama's chances at re-election is the electoral support of the white American female vote--a majority of whom have consistently voted for Democratic candidates since 1968 and in 2008 54% of whom voted for Obama). The major demographic political shift in recent national elections has been that of white voters (both male and female) UNDER the age of 40 who always vote for Democrats and have done so since 1988. 70% of these voters voted for Obama in 2008. However white male voters OVER 40 are notoriously anti-Obama and thus pro-Romney. The very big problem here is that 75% of white male voters over 40 who hate Obama make up nearly 40% of the total U.S. electorate. So until at least one of the generations of white voters start dying out (i.e. those over 65 years old) we will continue to have a major problem with this group in American politics. And if Obama loses the election it will largely be because of this traditionally very angry, very racist, very sexist, very reactionary, and very pro-wealthy part of the American voting public. This is still the fundamental social and ideological reality in this country and no amount of wishing or simply insisting it was otherwise is gonna change it...Scary, huh?...
Kofi
On Oct 10, 2012, Regina wrote:
Here is the real immediate danger in this election for the President...
The major political problem for both President Obama and American society and culture generally as I've been saying consistently both verbally and in print for many years now is that the United States is thoroughly dominated and controlled by the widespread electoral and institutional racism and sexism of white men. As I've pointed out to you and many others over and over again during the past five years in the Panopticon Review the electoral statistics confirming this huge ongoing problem are simply horrific. For example in the past 60 years going back to 1952 there have been 15 national presidential elections. IN EVERY SINGLE ELECTION EXCEPT ONE (1964) white American voters in general have voted for the Republican candidate 14 times! (or a whopping 93% of the time!). During this same period since 1952 over 70% of ALL WHITE MALE VOTERS have consistently voted for the Republican candidate (in 2008 65% of them voted for McCain). Since male and female white Americans together currently make up 74% of the entire U.S. voting population (and in the recent historical past--especially before 1992) constituted anywhere from 80-85% of the American voting population--and white males were nearly one half of that total-- it has always been VERY difficult to get any liberal or progressive politicians elected to the Presidency. For example of the last 15 elections since 1952 NINE of them were won by the Republicans (Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956, Nixon in both 1968 and 1972, Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, George H.W. Bush in 1988 and his son George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004). This means that since 1952 or in the last 60 years ONLY ONE Democratic Party presidential candidate (Bill Clinton who won in 1992 and 1996) has been re-elected while FOUR Republicans have been. The only other Democratic presidents have been John F. Kennedy who was assassinated before he could finish one term, Lyndon Johnson who served only one term from 1964-1968, Jimmy Carter who also served only one term from 1976-1980, and of course Obama who has served one term. During this incredible historical run the Republicans have been elected to the White House an amazing 60% of the time over this 60 year period (36 years to 24 for the Democrats). The overwhelming reason for this is that white male voters across the board (that is from every single economic class group from the very poor to the very rich!) have always and continue to vote for the most backward, reactionary, racist, sexist, and militaristic candidates no matter what. These stubbornly ignorant people NEVER vote in their own political and economic self interest and would rather vote for the super wealthy white Republican male elite who don't give a damn about them EXCEPT at election time. Still, the average percentage of white male voters who voted for Republicans from 1952 to 1992 was well over 70% in every single election and it is only in the last 20 years or since 1992 that this percentage has gone down even a little bit (from 1992-2008 the average percentage of white males who voted for the Republican candidate was 65%--still a HUGE number especially given the fact that of the 96 million white voters--out of a national total of 130 million--who cast their votes in the 2008 election--over 47 million of them were white men!). The ominous significance of this is that this white male voting demographic alone is larger the entire African American population (and also happens to be the same size as the entire Latino/Hispanic population). The average percentage of white male voters who voted for Republicans from 1952 to 1992 was well over 70% in every single election and it is only in the last 20 years or since 1992 that this percentage has gone down even a little bit (from 1992-2008 the average percentage of white males who voted for the Republican candidate was 65%--still a HUGE number especially given the fact that of the 96 million white voters--out of a national total of 130 million--who cast their votes in the 2008 election--over 47 million of them were white men!).
This is the reason why both the Republicans and the Tea Party--another national group dominated by white males--continue to advocate, support, and pass the most virulently racist, sexist, and classist legislation in the country not only in Congress but in state legislatures throughout the country and why Obama has been opposed 100% by the Republicans and the Tea Party ON EVERY SINGLE MAJOR LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL HE HAS EVER TRIED TO PASS SINCE BEING ELECTED IN 2008. This is why male and female African American, Latino American and Asian American voters are absolutely crucial to Obama if he wants to win (81% of these "minority" voters in general voted for Obama in 2008 and as we know 95% of black voters did) What is also equally crucial for Obama's chances at re-election is the electoral support of the white American female vote--a majority of whom have consistently voted for Democratic candidates since 1968 and in 2008 54% of whom voted for Obama). The major demographic political shift in recent national elections has been that of white voters (both male and female) UNDER the age of 40 who always vote for Democrats and have done so since 1988. 70% of these voters voted for Obama in 2008. However white male voters OVER 40 are notoriously anti-Obama and thus pro-Romney. The very big problem here is that 75% of white male voters over 40 who hate Obama make up nearly 40% of the total U.S. electorate. So until at least one of the generations of white voters start dying out (i.e. those over 65 years old) we will continue to have a major problem with this group in American politics. And if Obama loses the election it will largely be because of this traditionally very angry, very racist, very sexist, very reactionary, and very pro-wealthy part of the American voting public. This is still the fundamental social and ideological reality in this country and no amount of wishing or simply insisting it was otherwise is gonna change it...Scary, huh?...
Kofi
On Oct 10, 2012, Regina wrote:
I KNOW WHY FOLKS DON'T LIKE OBAMA...WHAT I NEED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT IS "WHY" FOLKS LIKE ROMNEY...AT ALL????
AS YOU POINT OUT, HE'S A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!!!!!! ARE THE MIDDLE-AGE AND OLDER WHITE MEN ENOUGH TO PUT HIM OVER THE TOP OR HAVE WE ALL GONE STUPID --I.E., WOMEN, YOUNG FOLK, OLDER AMERICANS WHO NEED THEIR HEALTHCARE, LATINOS, ASIANS, THE LGBT COMMUNITY ETC......
