I'm a pretty ticked off white person.

First, I'm pretty convinced that the media gains something by not letting go of racism. What will you talk about if it’s actually gone?

I've studied sociology and was once told that the only true racism in our society is institutional racism. Well - it's the only racism that really costs any race a pretty penny. It's something for your neighbor to not like you. And it's something else when you can't get a job and raise your family, or jails you because of color or because you happened to be driving at two a.m. and are male. Or... you’re constantly reminded of your race or class by the media. I'm really tired of having division forced down our throats.

Second, I like the article I however got offended when I landed on "white Americans..." honestly; I'm a 40 year old photographer in the middle of the country in a town with a population of 1550. Can you honestly say that you know who I am? So boldly you know me, so much as to actually say that I like Obama because he "forgives" me? Spare me the trite simplistic washed out summary of my character. I think (once again) you've misunderstood America.

I think it's simple. I really do. I've been tired for too long about everyone telling me how I "should" feel. Telling me that I'm a racist. I'm burnt out on "subconscious" racism and theorized racism …blah, blah, blah.

I don't think this race is about race and America is about to prove it to everyone. (Idaho and Washington did ….but everyone just glossed over that didn’t they?) You’ve got the stats – look at them. It isn’t about race.

Let's be honest, if it was about race he would not be there. Obama does two primary things; he taps into symbolic concepts that mean more than the actual word itself. Like the word hope, change etc... America needs these comforting words right now because admit it the Bush Administration, the media, the status quo in office has told us consistently over and over "we can't."

This brings me to the second thing he does. Hope. We can't bring the soldiers home. We can't leave Iraq. We can't do anything about the spending. We can't keep our civil rights and remain secure. We can’t.... and on and on this has went since 9-11. Does it surprise you when we react to "We can?" It shouldn't.

I'm tired of living in fear and being spoon fed fear by the current administration, the media and everyone else in between. Be suddenly afraid of the Hispanic next door? Oh please! I've been swapping berry bushes with them for years why suddenly now do we need to send them back? Why suddenly now are they a threat? Dodd won't shut up about the people we have trusted for as long as I can remember. I can go on and on about the list of fears we're supposed to have – but they have bored me.

But hey, what if I am white and I'm not afraid? I'm not afraid that my kids are going to be kidnapped. I am not afraid that I might be wearing the wrong color in the summer season. I’m not afraid of old age.

Again please spare me your trite assumptions about my character. Do you realize the fix you put us in? If we vote for him we’re racist because we need some form of forgiveness and if we don’t were racist. I love those double negatives you hand the public and expect us to swallow. I think we are smart enough to know a double negative is simply a lie.

I think fundamentally we've been spoon fed garbage for too long and finally someone is talking. He is talking and we are listening because it is exactly what we need to hear. And (oh please get this) it’s what we believe. I’m proud of our mutt nation and all the mutts in it. Be them me (half-German, one quarter Irish and one quarter English) be it everyone else, Asian, African American, Hispanics etc.. We’re mutts and for that I am very grateful. We proved the exact opposite of Hitler’s theories didn’t we? We are healthier, stronger, faster and better because we are a blended nation.

I think that the media tries to analyze this issue because they are afraid. Maybe the control is slipping from their fingers and what little we can do suddenly we are doing it. We are voting. We're breaking your rules, we are following a deserving leader, and we read your stories to keep up on where he's going and who he's inspiring next. We don't read them because we believe in you anymore. I hope you understand this – we stopped believing in you.

I think our (America’s) cup runneth over and I'm thrilled that someone else believes it too. I don’t believe in media, or the government, or a party I believe in America and us, as a people. And I think in the end those of us who do believe in each other can do something about all of this. You can’t. You tried and you failed – and our men and women are hurting and dying because of that failure. So we have to step up and try it on ourselves and since it was American’s that made this country great it will most likely be American’s that can fix this mess

p.s. in contrast I don't like Hilary for the very same reason I don't like Bush. I'm tired of excuses (like the excuse as to why she voted for the war) I want solutions. So far she has not offered any - she couldn't; the Clinton Administration was a farce and hardly represented a democratic leadership. Billy boy made promises he never even intended to keep and took our jobs away with that brilliant NAFTA bill. She and McCain are pretty much two sides of the same coin. It's a stretch to call him a Republican and it's also a stretch to call Hilary a Democrat – she’ll just act like one until the day she steps into office. Fool me once shame on you – fool me twice shame on me.

what do you call a black man who's white momma slept with a black african,then left her and went back home?? not even that dummy could stand to be around them !

I am delighted to finally find someone that said exactly what I feel. I am 47 female and live mid country also. I am tired of things being about race and believe that somehow we have missed that racism, by and large is losing power daily! The days of fear and hate mongers is over. A new day is dawning for the people of America. Thank you for your beautiful well written post.

Marian

Support your candidate for the right reasons. Not because of gender, race, religion or least of all - party. I don't support Obama because there's no substance, plans or details (realistic) behind his feel-good rhetoric. A good joint will make you feel good, as will a martini or a beer. But once that feel-good is over, there's nothing behind it.

Make sure your candidate has something behind the talk.

Dirtybird;

That actually is my point. If you think I'm going to elect a person who's spouse was actually impeached you've got to be kidding me. What mindless person would do that? I knew families under Bill Clinton's welfare plan that took all kids off of medical insurance of the "working poor" during his first year in office under his welfare reform plan. Knew them met them. I recall her promises that failed in the past. I was there. And don't even get me started on the 96 immigration laws created by Billary. I have also kept a very close on her dealing as a senator and not once has she supported a decent bill put before congress. She had every opportunity in the world to put bills before congress for women and did not even attempt to start one. Where is that bill where she at least tried to get women the same pay as men in Congress? Where? opps... it does not exist. She was too busy I guess putting up bills to honor New York states various citizens.

All of his plans and details can be read right here;

http://www.barackobama.com/

I've read through them so should you. Just as I've read through McCain's website and if she actually wins McCain gets my vote.

Marian, Thank you. I think there are a lot more of us out there. What's neat is I think all of this is causing us to band together. And us - I believe in!

Yes i also will vote for McCain,and i will campaign for him down here! The obama drama will fizzle out as quickly as it came in! Can you believe that after 911 the U.S. citizens would actually have Barrack Hussien Obama running for the office of president! Those beloved souls who died in that act of terror.What has our country came to?? Where is Harry S.Truman ?

reddawg - you have got to be one of the least original, least intelligent people reading this web site. how did you get here? and why are you bringing your ridiculous comments into an otherwise intelligent and civil discussion?

Aullori,

I went back to Obama's site and reread some of the key (for me) issues and still find it singularly lacking in details.

Iraq. His spiel about being against it from the beginning rings hollow when you see him voting to fund the war, again and again. No guts. His record in IL vorting "present" on a lot of tough issues - no guts. His plan of scheduled withdrawal, regardless of the situation on the ground - irresponsible and reckless. We're there and we have a responsibility to do it right. Making the Iraqi government step up is on everyone's list so that doesn't carry any water. McCain bucked everyone in the Bush camp when he insisted that we needed more boots on the ground for the pacification and reconstruction process. Of course Obama had nothing to say about that.

He will allow the tax cuts to expire - in effect raising taxes by over $2 trillion dollars at a time when our economy is weak and fragile. You can not tax yourself to prosperity. The
"wealthy" he wants to tax but is too cowardly to define, are the small busines owners and the economic leaders of the country. Why would you punish them? They create the jobs this country needs.

His heathcare plan is full of feel-good phrases such as making the system more efficient as the means to reducing the costs. What malarkey. Doctors and hospitals are killing themselves in efforts to be leaner and more efficient. What I see is a system being buried in paper work, mostly for bureucratic requirements having nothing to do with the quality of care or efficiency of the process.

Having many medical practice clients I can tell you first hand that doctors are bing killed by Medicare policies and unrealistice reimbursement rates.

Turning our medical professionals into government employees will do nothing to improve the system. government should have a very limited role in the medical system - oversight, drug approval, etc. Running the system and mandating all manner of rules isn't going to help at all.

Making quality health care available to "everyone" is a pipe dream. First off, our system is drowning in illegal aliens who don't pay for their own care but who must be serviced. Just show up in an emergency room and take a census if you don't believe me. I recently had a accident that required emergency room attention and surgery. The hospital people were being overwhelmed by people and their kids - many of whom couldn't speak English. They can't or won't pay for their own care so they can't go to private practices. Which leads me to the next point: Immigration.

He has the same BS as McCain had about "comprehensive" reform. I don't trust any politician to do what needs to be done and the order in which the people want it done without a specific plan that spells that out. He doesn't (neither does McCain).

Education. His lofty ideas lack specifics. His $4K credit for college students alone will cost $136B a year! That doesn't include the other costs of his programs.

I stand on my opinion - no substance, or at least not enough to make a sandwich. I'll stick with McCain and I'm putting my money on the people requiring specifics before they'll vote for fluff and smoke.

We definitely need change but that change is to true conservative principles, not more government.

I don't know, but I do know what to call someone who writes a post like yours.

I don't want to get too vulgar, but how about stupid, racist, illiterate, cracker for a start?

I disagree that the media gains something from racism. The media wants a story and they will stretch a suitable story out for their benefit, but that doesn't mean they benefit or perpetuate it. The media is not some sort of conspiracy, no matter what Limpblob or the other far rightwingers might want you to believe. And I can remember a time when McCain was a solid Republican, but that was before the above-named convicted felon, a druggie, and others started moving the Republican party into the Dark Ages. In my opinion the Republican party is a fascist organization, and needs a good cleaning out before they should EVER be trusted with leading us anywhere again-- the abuses of Tom Delay, Larry "Wide Stance" Craig, Jack Abramoff, Newt(who was cheating on his wife at the same time he was impeaching Clinton for doing the same thing), Alberto Gonzales and Dumbya are just too serious to ignore. I was a Republican until about 1994, which pretty much coincides with their movement to the extreme right and was the beginning of the fascist march. I can assure you that the people I worked with when I worked for Reagan in 1980 are NOT the same people that support this Flat Earth Society now! And I don't like Hilary either, but after Bush I feel she is better than four more years of Bush idiocy....I hope Obama wins that battle...

DirtyBird,

So more fascism and disregard for the Constitution is your definition of "true conservatism"? What a crock! How about a war that costs $3 Trillion with no end in sight, can you explain what exactly is "Conservative" about that? I don't think you know the meaning of the word "Conservative", it doesn't have anything to do with huge military-industrial complex, perpetually at war.

First, show me fascism in my post, please.

Second I have repeatedly stated that Bush, his crew and all the other neocons are not conservatives. I don't defend or agree with 90% of what this Administration has done.But, having said that, I'm afraid I'm more afraid of O&C than McCain.

The war was begun on the basis of faulty intelligence, intelligence held by many countires. It was intelligence that had been accepted by Clinton before, who said that the removal of Sadam was a priority for us, remember? Bush and his crew didn't look at the intel nearly as hard as they should have before commiting blood to a war. That was then. We have to deal with the now.

I believe that cutting and running now because we can't stand the idea of losing more lives is the wrong answer. I think that strategy will cost us dearly in the (near) future. We would be much worse off in many ways than if we stay and leave when the job's done.

Certainly we should press the Iraqi government to step up and take responsibility for their country as soon as possible and if possible, we need to get others invovled in a stablization program to help support them.

A true conservative doesn't go to war unless it's balls to the wall, full bore, all the way; and only then when all other options have been exhausted. Some say that was the case. I disagree. I think if Colin Powell had been in charge we wouldn't have gone until he had the overwhelming force necessary to win quick and pacify properly. Bush, under the infludence of Rumsfeld and others thought they could do it on the cheap - maybe becasue of the first gulf war - but there was no occupation then.

A true conservative likes low taxes, but also likes balanced budgets, dislikes deficits and dislikes even more huge national debts. A true conservative is fiscally frugal.

A true conservative doesn't pass on his bills to his children. And a true conservative believes in leaving the world a better place and his children better off than he had it.

Is there anything else I can help you with?