"Race" hasn't been without its partner "card" much this election and the reason the subject has been taboo and arguable [1] could be this: according to a new poll [2] conducted by Stanford University, the percentage of voters who may reject Obama because of his race could easily outnumber the final difference between the candidates during the last election.
And the negative responders aren't all McCain Republicans, either. More than a third of white Democrats have negative views towards blacks calling them “lazy," “violent," and responsible for their own problems. The negative views could mean Obama's trouble with race is hurting his chances within his own party. Only 7 in 10 people who identify themselves as Democrats support an Obama presidency compared to the 85 percent of Republicans who support McCain.
The poll also found a trove of stark statistics in regard to opinions about race — to see what they are, .
- Given a choice between several adjectives, 20 percent of all whites thought the word “violent” strongly applied.
- Among other words, 22 percent agreed with “boastful"; 29 percent, “complaining”; 13 percent “lazy”; 11 percent “irresponsible."
- Among Democrats, one-third used a negative adjective and of those, 58 percent planned to back Obama.
- Among Independents, more than one-third used “complaining” and 24 percent used “violent”.
- Nearly 40 percent white independents said that blacks should “try harder."
- And the most upsetting news for Democrats: Just 59 percent of Hillary Clinton’s white Democratic followers said they wanted Obama to be president.
If you’re an Obama supporter, this information is rather bleak — but if you’re someone who is more interested in racial harmony there is a silver lining – sort of. One Stanford political scientist said of the survey: “There are a lot fewer bigots than there were 50 years ago, but that doesn’t mean there’s only a few bigots.” Is the presidential race motivating issues of race — or merely bringing those that already exist to the forefront?
Source [3]