I recently heard an amazing observation about this presidential race that I wanted to share. I know our nation has deeply rooted racial biases that most of the time, are hidden from plain sight. The notion that there is a political science term called the “Bradley Effect”, which essentially says that for a black man/woman to win a politcal election, he must have a lead in the polls that is at least 5% or better is very alarming. The rationale is that in the actual voting booths, white people will not be able to allow themselves to vote for someone who is not white because of their deeply rooted racial biases. The observation I heard was that if Obama gets elected, obviously he will be the first black president, but he will also be the first president to the newest generation of people age 8-12. That age (sometimes earlier) is typically where you start realizing what your country is, how your country works, and more importantly who is in charge of your country. I know for me having Bill Clinton as that first president I actually remember had a profound effect on me. He was hip, played the saxophone, articulate and was young and brash. Him being the president was something I was “proud” of. Imagine if that new generation saw a black man as president. Seeing an african-american in the oval office wouldn’t be “weird”, it would be normal. I feel like it would shatter many of the deeply rooted racial biases inherent in politics today, and society altogether. Maybe not for earlier generations, but for later generations to come. I’d love to hear your comments on this, if you agree/disagree etc.
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Thanks for posting on the Bradley Effect, people were talking about it this morning on the Sunday news shows and I didn’t know what it was.
There are so many things I don’t understand. I can’t figure out if these racial biases exist to the extent we are led to believe by the media, or if it’s really much more of a non-issue. I’m not trying to be flippant when I say this, but it’s been too long for America, and Obama is 1/2 white… I frequently wonder if we are making too much of this. When we ONLY refer to him as African-American, it makes me think back to Mr. Plessy who was 1/8 black (Plessy v. Ferguson)… I sincerely believe Obama has many bigger issues to overcome than his race. If he never comes up with a snappy come back, election day is going to be a nail-biter to say the least.
I just don’t know that I buy into the idea that enough people are so racially biased that it warrants the frequent national discussion it gets. I know why it’s discussed – the pollsters are sure they can’t assess it accurately – but nonetheless, I just don’t think I buy into the drama.
Maybe because we live in NYC.we dont understand how big racial tensions are in the USA..but we have alot of problems that need to get sorted out..
As Obama as president..i think alot of racial tension might be lessended… simply because people are curious to see what is Obama capable of.
I think Americans will vote based on the qualitifacations and experiences of the two canidates, if they are smart enough they will not rely on their racial biases and discrimination to make their choice for president. America desperately needs someone who can handle the economic crisis that is going on now and someone who will be able to withstand the war in Iraq, along with issues at home. Does is really matter about race or about experience, the choice is up to the voters.
Roshni Ally
Totally agree with that comment however that “smart enough” comment is the exact reason why this Bradley Effect is so alarming. It’s not that they consciously choose to “not pick the black guy”, it’s that in their core belief structure they don’t think that african-americans can hold prominent positions in office because they have gender biases. If it really was a race vs. experience intelligent/rational decision, Obama would win. But instead, for some, it’s an irrational “can i really vote for a guy who is black who has an arabic name” decision, and that’s scary.
What I like about the whole thing is that people are now beginning to talk about race in ways they haven’t in years. As we try to define race its now getting even more blurry. Obama is biracial and it could also be argued that he is white. After all he was raised by a white mother and white grand parents. Its when he accepted his name that he identified himself with the black race. In Kenya if you are biracial you are considered to be just that – biracial, not black or white. In the states if you even have a drop of black blood in your genes you are considered to be black.
I just happened to stumble back on to this topic and wanted to thank y’all for good comments, this was a really good post.