He's half "black", half "white" - does he identify himself as one or the other? Nope.

What of the white/Asian/Hispanic/Pacific Islander/other people who voted for him? Were they supporting him because he was black?

I think he is charismatic and people are supporting him because he engages with his audience and is talking the talk. The fact that he is such an enigmatic figure and a man with colored skin makes him VERY atractive to minorities - they identify with him regardless of the the truth of his background.

People have automatic assumptions based on appearance referenced against thier preestablished schemata. So the Hispanics that have grown up along side African American battlers will identify them in Obama - regardless of the very different life experiences he has had.

You could see this in effect in the reverse in the ignorant white McCain supporters (not saying all McCain supporters were ignorant OR white, but just pointing out a sub group here)...one woman I recall at a rally telling McCain that she believed Obama 'was an Ay-Rab and a Muslim'. She did not KNOW the truth, or chose to not hear/read/accept the truth about his background - instead she placed him into a pre-establish schemata where people with names that sound like that are Arabic, Muslim and probably terrorists.

Whatever REASON they voted for him, they did. He is President. I hope he is effective in the role. And I hope he is kept safe - he is a man with young daughters to raise, as well as a country to run.

'Palin didn't know Africa was a continent': McCain aides begin Republican mud-slinging in wake of defeat

For some, the answer is probably yes. there is going to be a huge about written about why people voted for Obama and lots of digging into what it means. Some people I'm sure did vote for him because of his color - I mean, jeezus, people decide who they vote for based on all sorts of crazy and irrational reasons so this isn't different, just a bit hypocritcial. I reckon there were even people who voted for Obama out of a sense of history - here was a genuine contender to be the first black president. That naturally is going to draw support from some people.


I think I even saw some press commentary about how the media tended to favor Obama for largely the same reason - his story, the story of the first black president, made good copy and the notion became selffulling.


Interesting that Obama still only got 52% of the vote. There are some serious cultural divides in the US, it seems.

Particularly first time voters I would imagine. Those who have never before been motivated to bother to vote might have been inspired by these things to be a part of history and a new chapter...

It reminds me a bit of when Diana died and everyone went to Buckingham Palace to lay flowers.

I asked my mum: 'Why are you going there? you have no interest in the royals and you didnt like Diana.'

Her response: 'Well, you know, everyone is going aren't they? its a big moment in history'

This is when I started to realise that importance of the snowball effect. Superficially it seemed like everyone was there to pay respects to Diana, when in fact most people are there to say they were there, or to gawp at what is going on. I can totally believe that this is what happened with Obama too. (Having said that, I do think he was genuinely a strong candidate.)

True, but by that 52%, some of those divides are falling down. If everyone voted purely along racial lines (all black people voted for Barry, and all white people voted for McC), then he would have lost just based on population. It is good to see that at least a fair percentage of people voted for whom they believed in, and not for a candidate of their race.

It would have been nicer to have seen a larger margin!

Most definitely. This is true amongst the media, bloggers, people interviewed at rallys, etc. They all want to be seen and say their "I told you so's". It's the YouTube reaction video phenomenon - people want to somehow grasp at their moment in the spotlight by grabbing ahold of something in the popular spotlight.

Same thing happened on 11 Sept, Shuttle disaster #1 and #2.

...And yes, he won on his own merits!

You know if Palin did make a run for it, she would surely be doomed. There are too many reasonable and intelligent people to let that particular nightmare come true. (Yes, I know we have had Bush, but we can't make the mistake again and again...)

Agree muchly with what you post up there Mamabear.
I do think if Obama would have been 'white', he would have trounced McCain even more.
Doesn't matter now though

Dunno. It's all too un-charted. I can see the whole world sufferring even more. But that's only my doom view.

Go go Africa, let's see what you've got.... what?...saving it up?.....what?......civil wars?....

What was it the popular vote 53% - 46% of something?

Something like that.

What, thursday, if she won?

beauty pageants will take your mind off things.