This is interesting:
A new Public Policy Polling poll finds that African-American voters in Missouri have shifted drastically on the question of same-sex marriage since they were last polled in January. They now support marriage equality 50-31, whereas before opposition was much stronger at 25-44, a 38 point shift. Missouri follows polls in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and nationally that all show African-American voters embracing marriage equality in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement.
I remember when Obama was running against Hillary Clinton that he wasn’t initially winning anything like monolithic support from the black community. A lot of the polling focused on South Carolina because it was an early-voting state, and the first one with a heavily black Democratic electorate. I’m going from memory here, but I recall that his support among South Carolina blacks skyrocketed after he won in Iowa. The way this was explained was that black folks didn’t think white people would vote for him until they saw them do just that in Iowa.
It now appears that Obama has won some rather fierce loyalty. For him to be able to move public opinion in the black community so significantly on a moral question like gay marriage is very impressive. My guess is that he did change a lot of minds. But I think there’s a large segment of the black community who aren’t going to answer a poll question in a way that they feel will be unhelpful to the president. In other words, they didn’t change their mind about gay marriage; they suddenly started viewing the issue as a political question rather than a moral one.
One thing I think is going underreported is how black folks are experiencing the attacks on the president. Whether it’s the refusal to work with him or the mean-spirited crap about his birth certificate, it can’t be very pleasant for most black people to watch. And then there are the efforts to disenfranchise people of color and the endless nonsense about the New Black Panthers or Trayvon Martin or ACORN or whatever is the FOX-driven racism of the moment.
My guess is that a bit of a siege-mentality is taking root. A lot of people think that black turnout will be down from 2008, but I’m not so sure that it will be down as much as people are anticipating. I get the sense that black folks see a lot at stake. Obama cannot fail. Not like this.
this white guy is every bit as fierce in his support of Obama. I see how black folks are treated by white anti-Obama “progressives”, and it’s every bit as sickening as how republicans treat them. for example, the white attempts to blame prop 8 and amendment 1 on black folks.
Give it a rest, chief. I know a lot of Democrats/liberals/progressives who consider Bill Clinton as nothing more than a step above scum for NAFTA, DOMA, repealing Glass-Steagall and that’s not even half of it. It’s about the policies they pursue.
I can’t figure out what your reply has to do with his comment.
Sure, to an extent. It’s also a little depressing in its own way. I think Ta-Nehisi Coates is accurate when he describes gay bigotry as sustaining itself in the past not on particularly strong or intense animus, but a shallow one that got by largely uncontested. Gays used to be some tiny deviant minority that nobody in power or culture much talked about positively, even liberals. Of any race or geography. Over the last ten years, that’s really changed. The President is the culmination of that shift.
Even if some respondents are simply trying to be politically correct for appearances’ sake like you suggest, a thirty-plus point swing in an instant indicates that anti-gay feelings weren’t deeply held. They just needed pushback from advocates that could be trusted. It’s not like there was any drawn out societal battle for hearts and minds to it. Obama could have “evolved” a year ago, or three years ago, or even during the campaign and I’d imagine you’d have seen that same big swing overnight. It’s not so much that the argument needed “winning,” as it just needed to be moved beyond. It’s all rather perfunctory in the end. That’s usually how change happens, really. People just accept it, shrug, and go about their business.
From my own personal experience people didn’t really give enough of a shit about gay marriage. The last thing on their minds was gay marriage. So when POTUS “evolved” it meant nothing. Yeah there were those who came out and said that they could no longer support POTUS, but guess what the same early people who were saying that POTUS would lose AA votes sure changed their tunes within weeks (My money is on their parishoners telling them get on board or get off).
Call me naive, but the simplest explanation is that people who trust Obama see him struggle with his conscience and beliefs and come out accepting gay marriage. So they revisit the propaganda they’ve heard from some preacher or other politician. I don’t know about any numbers, but I’d bet that significant numbers of on-the-fence whites changed their minds on the gay marriage issue, too. It becomes respectable when somebody you respect takes you through the evolution of their thinking. Which is why I think Obama’s statement on the subject was incredibly effective.
Yeah, no. I don’t believe that for a second. That would fly in the face of “on-the-fence” white reaction to everything else he’s said and done for years now.
It’s just the nature of the experiences of US born Black (as opposed to immigrant of African descent) that as a community, we could not survive by being one issue voters. Who else are we gonna turn to? It’s not even a matter of skin color, Blacks have been loyal Dems because on the issues that matter to us, they have just been way more beneficial. I know it’s been said alot, but if the GOP ever got past his Dixiecrat and racist roots and really tried to reach Black voters they may eventually chip away at that support, but right now and since Civil Rights Act, it’s been the new Dem party.
On ur question about Obama and the Black community loyalty, I’d suggest that you look to urban radio and media personalities. Not the Cornel West or Tavis Smiley or even Melissa Harris Perry’s of the world who are more comfortable fitting into the pundit world and the village world of the professional left.
All over urban radio (Tom Joyner, Rickey Smiley, Steve Harvery) and urban internet blogs NOT affiliated with the left blogastan and you will see that people definitely notice every slight, ever gesture and every lie and dogwhistle.
I work with some older Black ladies and they know I’m a bit of a political fanatic. I usually keep them up to date about POTUS/FLOTUS and politics, but I have slacked off recently, but it never fails that something happens and they come to me and say something like “you see what they saying about President Obama today” (BTW, when the older ladies speak of him, they always say PRESIDENT OBAMA and the first lady, I don’t think they’ve ever called him Barack, Barry or Obama it’s always PRESIDENT OBAMA, it’s a matter of respect for them) or they’ll say “You see what they saying about the First Lady”.
I know certain member of the white Liberal left and Dem write off Rev Al as a “race baiter”, but if you listen to his radio show or you see his NAN rallys and specials then you’ll hear exactly what I’m talking about.
I specifically recalled one of the urban radio guys going of on Boehner during the whole debt crisis thing and the disrespect that the GOP is perceived to be showing to POTUS. And don’t get me started on Fox News.
Long story short, yeah, people have noticed and they are paying attention to everything (if there is a story to tell, there is a story everyday about what’s going on with POTUS or FLOTUS)
I’ve talked to many people who are part of OfA and they all universally say that of all the people they talk to the most fired up are AA. So yeah, don’t believe the hype and the GOP sure ain’t believing that AA vote will be depressed, it’s why they are working so hard to disenfranchise so many loyal Dem voters that just happen to be majority Black and Hispanic.
I remember when the President went to Ohio, I believe, and visited the home of two elderly African-Americans who had gotten messed up with predatory lenders. It was when he was rolling out the new head of the consumer protection bureau.
The President did a walk around on the street, and to a person (it was a Black neighborhood)),they ALL called him ‘ Mr. President’. And, you could hear the pride in their voice as they said it. So, I totally hear ya, lamh.
I hope we never again have to argue about the futility of progressive statements by the President in the face of less than 60 Democrats in the Senate or a Republican-controlled House. Or what mandate President Obama was elected with. Whatever we speculate about the reasons for the shift in poll numbers, this is as clear an example as can be that a simple endorsement from President Obama can powerfully shift the debate on major issues and that its absence has consequences too.
Oh, did some votes change in the Senate?
Funny, I didn’t notice that. Link?
I’m afraid we’re going to have to keep discussing the efficacy of the BULLY PULPIT, because there seems to still be quite a bit of confusion on the topic.
No, I only have discussions with people I find to be respectful and who discuss issues on their merits.
I think you are exactly right, Booman. While my black friends will express disappointment privately to me that Obama is not aggressively progressive, I can see the bunker mentality coming on in the face of the Tea Party, Birther nuts, Fox News etc. In the face of adversity, they are going to stand with their brother. They deny that that is the reason, but it is and I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s the natural reaction of an oppressed minority. It’s a survival mechanism. They will be voting. Count on it. Unfortunately, so will the Teabaggers. Count on that too. It’s the middle that will stay home.
You don’t want to make too much of Obama’s race, but you don’t want to make too little of it either. One thing you always have to keep in mind when assessing his chances for reelection is that a black man named Barack Hussein Obama got himself elected President of the United States in the first place.
Earlier today I watched a youtube video of the 2011 National Medal of Art & National Humanities Medal Ceremony. (I’d been reading about Teofilo Ruiz, one of the recipients, and ended up finding my way to that video.) It was wonderful to see. Pres. Obama has so much grace and class and style, and the recipients and other members of the audience were clearly all so happy to be there, to see and listen to the President, and, for the recipients, to receive their medals from him. And I thought about what a nice thing that was to see, such a relief after all the crap that man has to put up with from the right. It’s just unrelenting.
Anyway, here’s the link to the video if you want a little balm for your soul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcZsmNJnpPg&feature=related
The Ques and Nupes have joined forces to present: A Fundraising Event for President Obama at “Premiere Supper Club” in Hollywood.
http://youtu.be/BzNK91MVcy4
Ques = Omega Psi Phi, Nupes = Kappa Alpha Psi are historically Black fratneral organizations who joined forces to support Obama.
These 2 fraternities have as current and former members some of the most famous and prominent(past and present) African American men in the nation.
List of Prominent Omega Psi Phi: http://www.oppf.org/famous_omegas.asp
List or Prominent Kappa Alpha Psi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kappa_Alpha_Psi_brothers
Ques and Nupes United for Obama
http://youtu.be/LtF6JOuljB0
Great video. Toward the end, one man referred to Pres.&
#160;Obama as Obama, then followed with: ”PRESIDENT Barack O
bama.” Emphasis on ”President.”
Love it. :)