Juan Williams, the champion of the most predictable demographic

Posted May 12th, 2008 by Prometheus 6

If an Obama victory does nothing but shut this fool up, I will be satisfied.

Face it, Democrats: Barack Obama's got a growing problem with whites
BY JUAN WILLIAMS
Sunday, May 11th 2008, 4:00 AM

Hillary Clinton, down to her last straw, is making the case that she is the better candidate to run against the Republicans because, unlike Barack Obama, she can win white Democrats.

She is right. But because she is daring to touch the hot button of racial politics, she is being told to shut up or risk being charged with exploiting racial tensions for political advantage.

The facts are stubborn, however. Since his phenomenal win with 33% of the white vote in nearly all-white Iowa, Obama has been unable to get a firm grip on white Democrats. He has won a majority of these voters in only six states, the biggest of which is his home state of Illinois. Clinton has defeated Obama among white voters in key states such as California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Exit polls show Clinton winning an overwhelming average of 57% of white Democrats since the February Super Tuesday elections.

If you think none of this is a real issue for Democrats as they try to win the White House, then listen to Republican guru Karl Rove. Citing Obama's inability to get more than 30% of Catholics or working-class white voters in a big state such as Pennsylvania, Rove recently wrote: "Defections like this elect Republicans."

And now we are heading into a general election with an even larger group of white voters in play, key independents and suburbanites in "toss-up" districts that swing between Republicans and Democrats.

So it is critical for the Democrats to focus on what it means to nominate this particular black candidate. It is critical for them to honestly assess his strengths and weaknesses, even when those are uncomfortably intertwined with his race.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

What Br. Williams somehow

On May 12th, 2008 ptcruiser says:

What Br. Williams somehow manages to absent from his so-called analysis is that no Democratic candidate for president has won a majority of white male Democratic voters since 1964. The generally agreed upon cause of their defection was the Democratic Party's support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

I would like Williams to

On May 12th, 2008 ubstu34 says:

I would like Williams to compile a list of black leaders throughout history who haven't had a white problem. How long would that list be?

Does anyone know offhand

On May 12th, 2008 ubstu34 says:

Does anyone know offhand what percentage of white male voters Bill Clinton got in his presidential contests?

Clinton Did Not Depend On White Male Voters

On May 12th, 2008 ptcruiser says:

According to Thomas Schaller in his piece titled "So Long, White Boy" that was published by Salon.com:

"In 2004, according to New York Times exit polls, Democrat Kerry won 38 percent of the total white male vote, confirming a familiar pattern. Kerry's share was basically the same that every Democratic presidential candidate has received since Michael Dukakis. In the four elections between 1988 and 2000, in fact, using New York Times exit poll results, the Democratic nominee won 36 percent, 37 percent, 38 percent and 36 percent, respectively, of votes cast by white men. Because white men cast between 33 and 36 percent of all votes in 2004, that means a mere 12 to 13 percentage points of Kerry's 48 percent nationally came from white men -- about one vote in four. Nevertheless, and despite running against an incumbent in the first post-Sept. 11 presidential election, Kerry still came within one state of winning the Electoral College. Four years earlier, Al Gore also came within one state of reaching the magical 270 electors, and actually won the popular vote nationally -- while, like Kerry, receiving only about one-fourth of his support from white men.

"What about Super-Bubba himself, Bill Clinton? By siphoning off 22 percent of the white male vote in 1992, Ross Perot would appear to have prevented Clinton from breaking the Democrats' pattern. But more revealing is the fact that when in 1996 Perot's support among white men fell by half, to 11 percent, Clinton's support improved by a meager 1 percent. The truth is that Clinton was no more dependent on white male votes for his two wins than Gore and Kerry were penalized for garnering the same level of support from these voters in their two defeats."

Only the black candidate needs white male votes. White candidates do not need white male votes because they can get votes from black female and male voters. And we all know that black voters will not vote for black candidates.

More Liberals Defend The Clintons Playing The Race Card

On May 12th, 2008 ptcruiser says:

I don't want to start any mess between P6 and his colleagues in the blogosphere but I could not resist pasting this excerpt from a piece that Digby posted at her website today. What I find amazing is that if Hillary Clinton's remarks were the first and only time she or any senior member of her campaign team or major supporter played the race card, then there would be some grounds to give the junior senator from New York the benefit of the doubt. This, however, is far from the case. The Clinton campaign has played the race card and made insinuations about Obama's race for months now and it continues to do so.

White liberals and alleged progressives like Digby may think that we are all on the same side but her defense of Clinton on the specious grounds that Clinton mispoke because she was tired etc. is simply not credible. What Digby and folks like her can't get to is that at bottom it doesn't matter whether Clinton is a racist or not. What matters is that Clinton is making an appeal to voters based on the color of Clinton's and these voters skin. It is a call and an appeal to racial solidarity. Liberals and progressives who argue otherwise bear watching especially when they get tired - of us.

"Question: Do I agree that Hillary Clinton is a racist and why haven't I disavowed, renounced and rebuked her?

"Answer: No I do not think she is a racist and I haven't disavowed, renounced and rebuked her for the same reason I didn't disavow, deplore and rebuke Barack Obama for saying that white working class voters cling to God and guns because they are bitter.

"Why? Because they are ridiculous, MSM-style trumped up controversies.

"Candidates speak imprecisely from time to time, particularly during presidential campaigns which are superhuman, exhausting efforts. They are human beings and they get tired."

Full article here.

I don't want to start any

On May 12th, 2008 Prometheus 6 says:

I don't want to start any mess between P6 and his colleagues in the blogosphere

I'll be okay. I haven't met a blogger that could kick my ass yet.

Prometheus 6