He's toast..we're talking a 60-40 wipeout.

This isn't a question per se, but more of a comment regarding Obama's "typical white person" statement when discussing his grandmother.

I have had the same reaction to blacks who look like thugs. And I am a black person. Am I racist?

I have also had that same reaction, despite having attended an Ivy League school and making a great living, to Police I see on the street.

The internal visceral reaction is, "Do I look like I've committed a crime? How can I make myself look 'not guilty'?"

And obviously the answer is no, but for so long society has bred that kind of visceral reaction for both Police and Black youth alike that even a black person has these reactions.

It's a rather scary thing to contemplate, and yet it's there.

Just a thought. FYI, I also post over at DKos as Yalin.

His brilliance appears when reading a speech from a teleprompter.  His unprepared remarks always seem to require clarification.

everyone including Obama has said he is where he is because he is black.  EVERYONE said that he was going to win SC because of the black vote. Everyone said it for months.  But Obama needed a race card after his loss in NH and he pulled a couple of doozies.

your side gets the benefit of nuance while we Clinton supporters are hammered over the head by your unforgivingly negative interpretations?

While I didn't think his statement was especially well considered, I do agree with his point; that BHO would be the most effective person to represent the US around the world.  From his own personal experience he has a good understanding of different communities.  Beyond knowing the differences between communities, he has a well developed comprehension of base similarities.  He's spoken about the motivations that are common to Americans, and others in the world.  It is his wisdom, more than his color, that is a foriegn policy asset.  Of course, he wouldn't be so wise if he hadn't lived his life in so many communities, including, but clearly not limited to, the black community.

You're retelling of Kerry's statement is dishonest.  He never said that BHO can turn radicals into moderates.

your you're

whatever

"is making progress" about race, Obama sticks his foot in his mouth again.

What are we to make of a Democrat presidential nominee who might not carry M-A-S-S-A-C-H-U-S-E-T-T-S?

Why must you tell me what Obama is saying?  I heard what he said.  It was in English.  Why does he need a thousand interperters?  

Susan, that's not nice.

This isn't a question per se, but more of a comment regarding Obama's "typical white person" statement when discussing his grandmother.

I have had the same reaction to blacks who look like thugs when walking down the street at night. And I am a black person.

I have also had that same reaction, despite having attended an Ivy League school and making a great living, to Police I see on the street.

The internal visceral reaction is, "Do I look like I've committed a crime? How can I make myself look 'not guilty'?"

Am I a racist?

And obviously the answer is no, but for so long society has bred that kind of visceral reaction for both Police and Black youth alike that even a black person has these reactions.

It's a rather scary thing to contemplate, and yet it's there.

I think Obama's statement was poorly worded, but when I sat back and thought about it, it made sense.

No, I'm sure he keeps her locked in a closet, letting her out only for a daily beating.

Are you mental?

I wonder if Hillary likes to club baby seals?

Extremely poor taste.

That's a very reasonable position, to be sure. I guess when it comes down to it, I'm for Obama for similar reasons. I know the standard line from Clinton supporters is that he's NOT prepared; I disagree. But more importantly, the way he expresses his preparation, the way he thinks about issues as being interconnected, in my view transcends what's generally on offer from US politicians.

That's only been reinforced over the last three days with these three speeches. I have a hard time seeing either of the other candidates being able to formulate in such clear and explicit fashion the ideas--a mix of practical and theoretical--about the current state of affairs in the US in the way Obama has just done.

By the way, while I agree with this part of your post to a certain extent:

If for the first time in our nation's history it's finally something of an advantage to be not totally white, it's a cause for celebration, not a reason to discount his success.  It's an 'it's about time' moment.

I think it still gives some credence not to the notion that he's here because he's black, but the flip (which many of his opponents in both parties claim) that were he the exact same candidate but white, he wouldn't be here.

This I disagree with. Gary Younge puts it well over at The Nation:

Given his looks, oratorical skills and intelligence, it is difficult to imagine what Obama couldn't do if he were a white man; but it's pretty obvious that he wouldn't have had to make that speech. In the end, though, it may be less useful to speculate about what his candidacy would look like if he were a different race than to wonder how he would fare if there were no racism.

They are ignoring it. Just google it. Almost no hits at all.

They would say, it is typical.

what would have happened if Hillary had said her grandfather was a typical black person who distrusted whites?

Hmmm, I wonder what would have happened?

I imagine they would have had a field day with the fact that Clinton is part black, first of all.

Then they would have lauded her for her interracial marriage, for her historical precident as the first black First Lady and her bravery in bringing a biracial daughter into the world.  Well, maybe that wouldn't be the case, as Bill was the first black president, according to Toni Morrison.

I suppose, after that, they would have lauded her for understanding Barack Obama's message of not freaking overreacting to every single instance of racial insensitivity or sensitivity, and speaking honestly about the facts.

If we can talk about "typical people," then we can also talk about "typical black people" and "typical white people."  People have more similarities than differences, in a lot of cases.

"Gotcha" journalism doesn't help anyone except "gotcha" journalists, and I hope they rot in hell.

Wow.  I could imagine someone as idiotic as Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh missing Obama's point this badly, but I expect better from Democrats.  

Maybe I shouldn't.

HE WASN'T CALLING HIS GRANDMOTHER A RACIST.  

For fuck's sake.

He was making an important cultural point about how race is pounded into our consciousness such that we make snap judgments (usually negative) based on race. In that way his grandmother is typical of white people...including me. You've just taken this comment out of context to say that he's generalizing about white people when he's really generalizing about the culture of racism in our society. If you reject this logic about the sub-surface racism inherent in "typical white people" - often proved in job interview searches with stereotypically black-named applicants, for example - then you completely reject the basis of support for Affirmative Action. After all, if people are truly colorblind and racism does not exist, why have Affirmative Action?

Obama also said that Geraldine Ferraro was not a racist.  He just said that she was a woman of her generation who looked at things differently than the current generation.  Which is true.

I agree with much of what you say, but there is a contextual difference between a member of an oppressed group talking about the basis for the oppression -- in this instance, race -- versus a member of a privileged group discussing the same topic.  We've made an awful lot of progress over the last 40+ years, but race still matters, and it more often matters to the detrement of black folks.  Trying to say otherwise strikes me as denying important historical background.  

The Obama campaign has skillfully used racisim to divide and conquer since N.H.  Now they are using it openly and bluntly and methinks it will come back to bite them.

I don't think you need to be lumped in with Obama's grandmother to prove who you are.  It is self evident.

That was an amazingly responsive comment.  Good job!  

There is actually a difference between calling someone racist and recognizing that we ALL (white, black, everyone) harbor different stereotypes and biases and that race does, in fact, matter in 2008.  That doesn't make someone a bad person or racist, it makes them human.  

With respect to racial stereotypes specifically, I personally find it uncontroversial to acknowledge that such bias still privileges white folks in 2008.  I'll concede that argument is not a political winner, but it's nonetheless true and -- in my view -- the equivalent of acknowledging that the sky is blue.  I sort of thought that other self-proclaimed progressives would understand that.  I guess not, which is unfortunate.  

At all events, resume playing gottcha.  I won't disturb you anymore.  

Look, I think talking about race is difficult for anyone.  It's very easy to get defensive when the issue comes up, or at least that's been my experience.  I won't speak for anyone else.  But I thought Obama did a commendable job the other day in recognizing that (1) race still matters in this country; (2) that it generally operates to the disadvantage of african americans; and (3) that, at the same time, there are legitimate basis for white folks to feel resentment as well regarding how we've handled the issue of race over the last 40+ years.  

Using that as the backdrop for thinking about Obama's comments here, I don't think what he was saying was really that controversial.  As he said in the lead-in to the quote that was posted, he doesn't think his grandmother is racist or a bad person.  He simply thinks that, like all of us(black, white, or otherwise, his grandmother possessed certain stereotypes.  As do many many white folks AND as do many many black folks.  

The point of his speech, however, was that we can and should move beyond such things.  

For purposes of clarification: the "controversial" remarks to which he referred were sermons on the raising of a family.  

I could not agree more. This is quite clearly not an overtly racial remark, but see my comment below. When Obama decided to start calling Bill Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro out for their supposed racism, he changed the standard as to what constitutes racism in this election. By reading racist intent into their words he invited such scrutiny of his own and his associates and supporters.

I agree that this has gotten ridiculous, but he's the one who let the genie out of the bottle.

I am comforted to know that the width and breadth of American racism rests upon my shoulders.  I am feeling especially robust today, so I can handle the burden.

If you read some of my posts, you will see that I am extremely disturbed by the legacy of racism in the United States.  I find it offensive when MSM announcers somehow equate instances of African American racism with the entire horrific canvas of structural racism which African American have faced and continue to face.  

I am reminded that Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney said that black people were "so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect."  The fullest interpretation of the U.S. Constitution in the years prior to the Civil War.

But Obama, in his capacity as presidential candidate, simply cannot make totalizing statements about white people.  I tried finding the quote from "Audacity of Hope" where he talks about white people growing up in the South with racist fathers.  Again, a stereotype about a relationship with which he is totally unfamiliar.  He didn't grow up in a Cracker family - and he has never lived in the South.  But, he makes broad pronouncements.

Yes, Obama is brilliant.  Yes, the speech was truly amazing.  But, sometimes methinks Obama likes himself just a wee bit too much - a trait not confined to Obama, but one which will, most certainly, derail his campaign if unchecked.

I wanted this garbage to stop after New Hampshire,  when Obama promised to do so:

MR. RUSSERT: In terms of accountability, Senator Obama, Senator Clinton on Sunday told me that the Obama campaign had been pushing this storyline. And true enough, your press secretary in South Carolina -- four pages of alleged comments made by the Clinton people about the issue of race. In hindsight, do you regret pushing this story?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, not only in hindsight but going forward.

I think that as Hillary said, our supporters, our staff get overzealous. They start saying things that I would not say, and it is my responsibility to make sure that we're setting a clear tone in our campaign. And I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why I spoke yesterday and sent a message, in case people were not clear, that what we want to do is make sure that we focus on the issues.

But he couldn't help himself, after each loss it was the Bradley effect and more faux outrage.

I wish it would not continue. I find it frustrating that we are not talking about real issues (For instance, I think that disenfranchising 2 million people in a "democracy" is criminal). I'm just saying that you should not be blaming the Clinton camp for introducing this level of "racist" scrutiny and finger pointing into the campaign. If you are going to go around calling people rascist for their innocuous comments don't be surprised when people start scrutinizing your innocuous comments.

Hey, Obama's the one who has no problem with it.  Talk to HIM about it.

it is becoming clear to me that nuance, context, and source mean nothing to people who want to slam Obama...