SEINFELD BLOG

Personally, I just resent the whole Reagan thing. There's no way he can talk himself out of what he said. He wants us to believe that he didn't necessarily say that Reagan's transformation was positive? "Fine, then you said that Nixon's presidency was positive! Take your pick, and quit embarrassing yourself"

The other problem I have with Barama is all of his "bringing both sides together" nonsense. Why the hell would I want Democrats and Republicans to be brought together? Why not also compromise with Al-Qaida, and the KKK, and every other corrupt group who wants to have their way? Republicans don't compromise. All this "crossing over party lines" BS that Democrats spew only means that they'll cave in. I want someone who's going to do everything possible to work toward defeating Republicans and everything they stand for, and everything they try to accomplish... whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, wherever it takes, as long as it takes them away from me.

Not every vote for one guy is a vote against the other, except mathmatically. I can vote for John Edwards, for example, without considering Obama for more than five seconds, one way or the other, because (a) in November I'm going to vote for the party's nominee whoever he/she/it is, so if Obama's the nominee I can vote for him then; and (b) Edwards is saying what I want to hear and Obama isn't.

If a black person would've voted for Edwards or Clinton if Obama hadn't run but decided to vote for Obama because he's black, I don't see that as a vote against Edwards and Clinton because they're white. It's a different case for people who only vote when there's a black candidate to vote for.

I don't know, man...if you truly want equality, minorities shouldn't be able to get a free pass when they do something that would surely get a white guy fired or shunned from the community...

oh yeah, and the hypocrisy of the media is at a peak when the subject is race. I often cringe when I hear the words "Statistics show..." (especially on Dateline shows)

Jimmy, in case you haven't heard, Republicans own your country. There's no way they'll be defeated. Think of them as Darth Vader....you have to "save" them....of course Darth Vader dies like 10 seconds after being saved, but still.

As we've never had a woman president, I don't see anything wrong with a voter deciding to give a woman a chance, simply because we've never done it. Hillary's the woman running, and she has a real shot at winning. If a voter thinks Clinton's and Obama's good and bad policy positions are a wash, I don't see anything wrong with that voter preferring Clinton over Obama because he thinks it's time for a woman to be prez. Same thing about Obama and race.

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to in your first statement, cj. I'm not aware that Obama has gotten any free pass.

Bookman: I have no problem with anyone voting for someone who's the same race or gender as themselves if they believe that alone might benefit their lives. I just don't want to hear those same people demand that "race (gender) shouldn't be an issue" with the rest of us because they're special and feel warranted as part of either demographic. Expecting the rest of us to only vote, or hire based on competency is a double standard that's annoying as hell to me. If one wants to vote based on what someone is, rather than who someone is, than they shouldn't insist that it's racist for a rich white guy to vote for another rich white guy rather than a black guy. I've heard countless people (black and white) furious about race being a factor in this election, while in the same breath praising the possibility of a "black man" being president! Do these people even hear themselves? Do they not realize how f*king ignorant they sound? If the media was really sheepish about discussing race they wouldn't be broadcasting black and white voter polls every fifteen minutes, while at the same time, criticizing Clinton's remarks. The same black people who are mad at Clinton for saying Jackson won because he was black, admit to voting for Obama because he's black... and the media's too stupid to even notice!

And I don't accept that most people are going to vote based on race or gender only if they feel the policies of both are a wash. Too many people aren't even interested or aware of policies from the very start because it's far more important to them to "make history." I'll be proud to vote for a "qualified" person of another race or gender someday. But I'm not going to vote for any Republican-pandering, bipartisan pussy... regardless of race or gender.

CJ: My point was that it doesn't have to be that way. There are Democrats who refuse to budge to Republicans but there are way too few of us. That's why Republicans rule the country... because they have no interest in "compromising," or "working together," or "finding common ground," and all that head-up-the-ass shit that Democrats dream of.

I guess if it's presented like that: if there is ABSOLUTELY no other reason to pick one over the other, then it's ok to vote based on race/sex.

But, c'mon if someone can't find any other reason to pick one candidate over the other, maybe they aren't trying hard enough.

Well, the reason it doesn't hold water is because I haven't heard one person yet (on TV anyway) say that they'd vote based on race or gender because they had no other reasons to prefer one over another... just that they simply want an African or a woman elected... period. "Fine, just quit whining about racism then, ya f*cking hypocrites."

Unfortunately, all things aren't equal. We've had plenty of male presidents. We've had plenty of white presidents. Borrrrrrring. In a male-female contest, someone who votes for the man because he's the man--because that voter would never vote for a woman to be president--makes no sense to me. Passing over a woman who best represents your views simply because she isn't a man--i.e., holding her gender against her--makes no sense.

Voting for the woman because there's never been a female president, so why not now, is different, assuming she's a viable candidate and is presidential material. (Hillary is both.) Seeing Hillary's gender as a plus among many plusses is different than people voting for her because she isn't a man, because they never vote for men.

Some people will vote for Obama because they only vote for black candidates. I put them in the same category as white people who discriminate against black candidates. They're racists. Some people will vote for Hillary because they would never vote for a man. They're sexists.

And some people will vote for Romney because they would never vote for any of the others. They're baldists.

Jimmy, I forgot to address your main point, which was the hypocrisy. I agree with you 100%. Hypocrisy is indefensible. We might differ, however, on who is a hypocrite.

At the risk of prolonging this interminably...

I plan to vote for Edwards in the California primary. But if I voted for Obama, either I wouldn't take his blackness into account or I would view it as one plus-factor among many. If I saw his race as one plus-factor among many, I wouldn't consider myself to be a hypocrite if I blasted someone for refusing to take anything but Obama's race into account.

There are black voters who might've voted for Obama, but voted for Clinton or Edwards instead because they didn't think Obama could win. They didn't want to throw their votes away. Any of them would be a hypocrite if he/she criticized a white person for voting against Obama simply because of his race.

I think Maxine Waters said it best today, after being asked about the Clinton's "alleged" race card, when she replied to Norah Odonnell that she wouldn't answer, or discuss it with her or anyone else, and that she and the rest of the media shouldn't be discussing race either. Bravo, it's about time someone told them.

Not surprising, however, that they don't replay her interview. I guess there's no time available what with all of the Clinton-bashing time needed. Chris Matthews and Co. are probably already preparing their Obama-bashing material in the event he gets the nomination. That way they can f*ck him over too, the way they did Hillary, and Kerry... then piss and moan when a Republican gets into the White House again. Losers.

Well I don't disagree with anything in Reply 21 or 24 unless I unintentionally implied otherwise. I'm merely saying that if one wants to admit voting for their race or gender only to oppose having another white male, then fine... they're free to do so. But they shouldn't then blame someone for pointing out that Jesse Jackson could have won that way after they've just advertised the fact that they do in fact vote that way. It's unbelievable. And I'm talking about specific individuals I've seen and heard... not all or most blacks and women. I never meant to suggest that I knew how the black or female population votes, or why... because I don't. And I don't think it should even be polled or measured because it causes candidates to pander, change their stances depending on where they are, and unfairly sways voters.

Sing it, sister.

How am I gonna fill two hours?

Well, Edwards dropped out today, the bastard. So here we go again with the quadrennial shifting of allegiances. Reluctantly, I was a Kucinich man for about two nanoseconds before the midget dropped out. So, I switched to Edwards. He flaked, so now I'm switching to Obama. I can't vote for Hillary quite yet, because no matter what else, I can't get past her war votes.

I don't like either, but I do like Bill. Does he come included or is he sold separately?

I think HE prefers being sold separately...

I like Bill, too, but I don't think he's going to be much help if she becomes president. Hillary has her own ideas, and she's a ball-buster. She won't listen to Bill on policy. If she wins the nomination, I'll hold my nose and choose her over McCain. Despite how much hardcore conservatives have disowned McCain, he's more conservative than Hillary. Not by a lot, but enough for me.

Agreed. But if John McCain did become president, at least I wouldn't feel like leaving the country and turning down the sound every time he speaks, like I've been doing for the past 7 years with this asshole. Whatever happens, that stupid prick will be gone once and for all.