Sunday, May 20, 2007

Could Barack Obama win?


Since we're in the realm of political discrimination, my question is if prejudices today will affect the coming election with Barack Obama. Also, if elected, whether Obama would intensify or dilute those feelings towards African Americans.
Chelsea R. - 5th hour

Editor's Note: In the interests of fairness, here are some of his opponent's websites:

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

With Barack Obama being in the upcoming election, it also raises questions about whether prejudice will or will not affect the election. I think that for the most part people can see what a smart intellect Obama is. Of course you are always going to have some people in this country that will never want there to be an African American president. With all the problems going on with the U.S. now, it seems as if people are supportive of Obama.
In my opinion I hope that he does become president. He is very smart and would definitely change a lot of things. My only concern is that if Obama were elected president there would be so many problem and issues he would have to fix. So if he were unable to fix everything, which would be hard because of the circumstances America is in, then some prejudice people would blame that an African American couldn’t successfully solve everything.
~Brandi B.

Anonymous said...

I think that Barak Obama could win the political race to be president. Hopefully, America won't not vote for him because of his race. Barak is a very smart person and that's what the people of America should really see. I feel that people have their stereotypes and they won't change just because Barak is running. Some people don't like change and with a black man running, that would definately bring some controversy if he won. Many people are just used to white men in office. That's why Oprah can't run for president, because that would be too much change for America. Now, lots of issues would be left in his hands and America probably would doubt if he could fix them. I think he could though. I do hope that Barak Obama could be our president in the future.

Anonymous said...

Prejudices will always affect the presidental election weather the person is black or white. Being prejudice isn't just against a race but agianst anything you don't like. Unfortunatly since Barak is Black he will have to work alittle bit harder to gain respect and get votes. Since he's black some people are likely to look down upon him until they see him do something good. I would love for Barak to win because it would be a great accomplishment in the AA society but to be honest I think America will vote for a white female president before we let a black male into office. If he wins then i think that feelings towards AA's will change, good and bad. The good would be that he's giving hope to those who don't believe in a dream. Also who would probably make AA's vote more and come together. But, then agian for those who are prejudice they would begin to plot and get scared because they wouldn't want AA's getting to confortable with doing well. But, if Barak gets into office and messes up then that could be a great down fall.
~Shayla.M~

Anonymous said...

I agree to what Shayla said in the comment earlier. When i heard a black man was running for office i got excited. He is exactly what we need right now- a positive figure shining some light in the community. But a major downful would be that because prejudice and racism is present in this country, many will not be happy to see a black man in office or to see the black race trying to better ourselves. He is making history as the first black man to run for president, the first woman Shirley Chisolm ran but did not win. I really feel that it is important for him to be in office so we can get some diversity in this country. When i say diversity i don't mean just as a race, but as the type of person chose to run. I don't know much about his platform yet, but maybe him being mixed has given him a look into the life of a minority. Someone who has known nothing but luxury, servants, and born into money, will no nothing about how to help the everyday working man. For example, at the begining of his role as president he said he was going to help cities that were bad like Detroit and others. Well, how can you help a city if you've never been there? How can you stop the high levels of crime if you don't know that they are robbing a store to help thier single mom feed the family because the husband is locked up for asulting a corrupt police officer? How can you help a people if you don't know what they want? Obama is a symbol of a new day, not just for blacks but any minority- race,sex, religion anything. He shows a change of the times, and that is exactly why many do not want him in office.
Ashley L.
6th

Anonymous said...

I think that Barak Obama could win the presidential race and be our next president. I believe that americans would not just look at his race but how he could perform as a president. I truly think that race is zero issue when it comes to this matter. Obama is a very smart man and he might be able to do very well as president. I dont know to much about what he has been involved in before but he seems like he is very capable. It could be a great change for America and it could be the one that we need to help our nation.

Anonymous said...

I think that there will be some people that dont vote for Barack Obama just because he is black. Even thiugh he might be the best candidate and the most qualified for the job some people might not get over the fact that he is black. Its unfortunate but that is the way some people are. If he is elected I think it will give more people a better perspective on African Americans and give African Americans ourselves more hope. On the other hand some people will still try to bring him down every way they can. Of course every president gets criticied but I just hope that its actually for something wrong and not other politicians being extra hard on him.

Jasmine W.
5th hour

Anonymous said...

I most definitely think Barack Obama has the potential to win the 2008 presidential election. He offers a lot of characteristics that are promising in a candidate. Even when he makes a statement that is not necessarily agreed on by people, he does it in a way that forces people to be open minded. In my opinion, his #1 strength is his ability to bring together both sides of the political spectrum--liberals and conservatives. He refuses to look at America as a country split by its views and opinions.

One argument that I think is pointless when trying to argue against Obama is that he is a newbie and has little experience. He fought hard to earn his place as Illinois senator and has been successful and extremely popular there. I have no doubt he could inspire all of America as well. So far it is clear he has the ability to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, of every race and culture. And how many presidents have we had with a boatload of experience and stepped up to the plate and made horrible mistakes? Many---so maybe experience isn't everything and a fresh, new face would do the country some good.

Jill M

Anonymous said...

I think that Barak Obama could win the political race to be president. Hopefully, America won't not vote for him because of his race. Barak is a very smart person and that's what the people of America should really see. I feel that people have their stereotypes and they won't change just because Barak is running. Some people don't like change and with a black man running, that would definately bring some controversy if he won. Many people are just used to white men in office. That's why Oprah can't run for president, because that would be too much change for America. Now, lots of issues would be left in his hands and America probably would doubt if he could fix them. I think he could though. I do hope that Barak Obama could be our president in the future.

-Jeff Kohl 5th Hour
I forgot to put my name first time

Anonymous said...

I think that Barack Obama could definitely win the 2008 Presidential Election. He is very smart and well educated, even a racist person can notice this. I watched the democratic debate a while back, and I thought that he was the best candidate there. He knew what he was talking about, and never sounded like a fool. He is also very brave for being the first black person to run for presidency. Sure, there are still many racists that live in this country, but I'm sure that many people will end up voting for him if he gets to the election, and I do not think that his race will affect the upcoming election a great deal.

Trevor Lybeck
5th hour

Anonymous said...

I think that Barack Obama would significantly change the politics of the United States if elected president. By winning the presidential election, this would show that an African American man is capable of doing a white mans job just as well if not better. The pressure will definitely lie on Barack’s shoulders. Not only will Obama have to fight off prejudice but he will also have to exceed most expectations and standards. Three significant things Obama must achieve successfully are: he must deal with the situation in Iraq, be prepared for natural disasters such as Katrina, and help solve the situation in Darfur. First Obama would reduce the number of American troops in Iraq, then make a designated date to withdrawal, work with the Iraqi government to create a political solution, and improve the current reconstruction efforts. He also wants to pass legislation that will require a proper planning on evacuation for people with special needs. Obama would then create a database used to report a individual who has been displaced by a natural disaster, post their phone number and location. This way, any loved ones can go to this site to find missing friends and family members. He reserved twenty million dollars to help end the genocide in Darfur. He has spoken with Senator Harry Reid and Senator Sam Brownback. These three things are feats that Bush has failed to accomplish during his almost finished term as president. In fact, Bush himself, has sparked two of these issues. Barack Obama not only has the plan for success, he lives by it.

Evie C.