A question about all this race talk and Obama

There will always be racist people... but this is a step forward for African-Americans. However, it is apparently a step back for Arab people, who became the racist scapgoat of the election. Funny how things work out. Anyway, I still want to know why the McCain campaign referred to Obama as "Tiger Woods" and why they thought it was so freakin' funny.

I know blacks who voted for Obama because he was black. I know blacks who voted for McCain because they liked his moral values. I know whites who voted for Obama because they thought he was a liberal or represented change. I know whites who voted for McCain because of his values. It all works out. I think whether or not you feel the heaviness of racism depends on where you work, live and play.

Race is very important to some people and it is the governments fault. You can get a contract if you are a minority, you can get an extra shot at college if you are a minority you even have extra protection in court if you are a minority. If you look at people when you walk through the malls and shopping area you will notice more and more mixed race couples. You see more people who if you look closely you will ask yourself are they Mexican, Blacks Latinos or are the Italian, or Middle Eastern? You are finding it very hard to find Pure Races in the US. In my rather conservative family I have a biracial granddaughter, my daughter has dates a couple of different men of different races. My Nieces have dated men of different races. The relationships tend to be based on personality, education, and common interests. You are always going to have some people who are racist. In one community I lived in I was told that some families only let their children date pure children, meaning their parents came from the same country. This is why the ability to speak English is so important to immigrants because it is at that point that they see them selves as Americans.

I am not an American so did not vote but the election campaign was well aired here in Australia - for the entire 2 years (or however long) it was going for. There are and always will be people who are racist and that is regardless of which country they live in, although the racism could be about the colour of skin, physical features, religion or anything for that matter. I do not think the US citizens changed in that regard overnight at all because those who were racist on the 4th November were the same on the day after and continue to be racist. From the television coverage we saw here in Austalia, I do believe a lot of people voted for Obama solely because of the colour of his skin OR more accurately because he identifies himself as black. Many of those who were interviewed said that they were like Obama, African-American and would be voting for the first time ever. I am not saying those votes won him the election but simply that a lot of people claimed they would, or did, vote for Obama based on his skin colour. The sad, and in my opinion racist, thing is the term African-American. Are those people who claim to be so Americans or Africans? It happens in Australia too and I find it so very wrong that people choose to put another nation before the one where they actually live and therefore supposedly have first loyalty to.

I think you're absolutely right that most people didn't vote for or against Obama because of the color of his skin. I know it didn't enter into my decision at all but I still recognize how historic his election is. It would have been the same had Hillary Clinton gotten the nomination and ultimately been elected, at least I think it would have and I know it would have for me. With Sarah Palin as the GOP V.P. nominee there was also some talk about whether or not women would or should vote for her ticket because she was a woman. Again, I don't think most people voted for her and McCain or against them because she's a woman, but had they won we'd be hearing much the same kind of talk about how historic it was and how we had moved forward regarding gender. Also, I think there were some people who voted however they voted DESPITE the fact there was an African American or a woman on the ticket. Please, don't anyone take this wrong, I'm not calling anyone racist or sexist although we all know racism and sexism does exist but we've come a long way from where we were when I was a child. Lil, I know you're quite a bit younger than me and one of the things that makes me feel the most optimistic about our future is how the younger someone is the less likely they are to even hardly notice things such as race and gender when it comes to who gets elected to what position. I still remember when Kennedy was elected; I was only 8 years old but I still remember hearing my parents and others talk about how history had been made because the first Catholic had become President. There was also considerable talk when Joe Lieberman became Al Gore's running mate in 2000 because he was the first Orthodox Jew to hold such a position. It was actually made a much bigger deal back in 1984 when Geraldine Ferrara was the Democratic V.P. candidate than it was this year with Palin although it was mentioned quite often that she was the first Republican to get that spot. I guess it's all about milestones we've reached and hopefully will continue to reach as a country. This year's line-up of potential candidates actually really "looked like America" more than ever before and while I don't think these things should be made a huge deal they're still not a small deal, if that makes any sense. I think what makes Obama's election particularly historic is that he didn't just win among blacks but he carried many other demographics. It's hard to put into the right words but I guess race is a big deal because race really wasn't a big deal, if that makes any sense. Annie