October 26, 2006
THE 15% LIE....The Wall Street Journal takes a look at Harold Ford's Senate race in Tennessee and wonders if he really has a chance of winning:
Polls have often shown African-American candidates scoring well in the polls only to fail to clinch the election.
....Some political scientists and strategists refer to it as the "15% lie" when whites, bowing to societal pressure, tell pollsters they intend to vote for a black candidate but fail to do so in the voting booths. Indeed, several political experts believe that despite Mr. Ford's strong showing in the polls, some whites may desert him at the last minute. "We'll get the non-surprise surprise when Ford doesn't get the vote," says Thomas F. Schaller, an associate professor of political science at the University of Maryland and author of a new book, "Whistling Past Dixie," which argues that most of the South is beyond Democrats' reach.
The problem is that even if Ford ends up doing worse than the polls show, there might be other factors at play. I've always suspected, for example, that in close races there's a small but significant number of voters who can't bring themselves to vote against their usual party, even if they planned to do so when they walked into the polling place. Thus, I figure that Republican candidates in reddish states like Tennessee and Missouri are actually doing a little better than the polls show, while Democratic candidates in bluish states like Maryland and New Jersey are doing better than you'd think.
I don't think this effect is anything like 15%, but in a close election even 2-3% is more than enough. This is why I suspect, in the end, Democrats will gain Senate seats this year, but not quite enough seats to make Harry Reid majority leader.
—Kevin Drum 11:59 AM
Permalink
| Trackbacks
| Comments (70)
Depends on what you think their "usual" party is. In states like Tenn and Mo, it's often usual to vote for one party locally and another nationally. Thus, it may not seem so strange for a lot of Tenn or Mo voters to vote Democratic, even if they went for Bush in '04.
I give more credence to the race lie. Unless Corker and the Republicans make the electorate sick with their disgusting ads (not likely, if history is any guide), Ford is really substantially behind.
Posted by: David in NY on October 26, 2006 at 12:04 PM | PERMALINK
In a world where any criticism of a politician darker than Casper is inexpliciably called racism, it's no surprise that white people fear saying they're not voting for the black candidate.
Example:
Democrat: I think Barack Obama should be president. If you disagree, you are racist.
Republican: I'm certainly willing to listen, but what the hell has he done that would make him qualified to be president?
Democrat 1: Why do you hate black people?? HATE CRIME!!
Posted by: American Hawk on October 26, 2006 at 12:07 PM | PERMALINK
Fancy Ford is going to lose this election. The citizens of Tennessee are going to vote for a real Tennessean to represent them not some pampered rich boy who was raised in liberal Washington D.C. The values of Fancy Ford are not the values of Tennessee. Tennesseans are value voters and people of faith. They don't want someone who can't control his jungle fever around women as he did with the Playboy girls at the Super Bowl party. He's like a pimp selling prostitutes when he's around pretty women. Watch for Bob Corker to defeat Ford in a landslide.
Posted by: Al on October 26, 2006 at 12:08 PM | PERMALINK
Does the Wall Street Journal care to tell us which strategists and political scientists think 15% of white southerners are lying racists? I can't find a reference so I don't know whether this was a post-civil war rule of thumb or a MLK-era rule of thumb.
Posted by: B on October 26, 2006 at 12:10 PM | PERMALINK
Wow the troll got out early on this thread.
Any charge of racism no matter how valid is false in wingnuttia. Who ever pays these foobs is getting ripped off.
Posted by: klyde on October 26, 2006 at 12:11 PM | PERMALINK
American Hawk: so you're saying that conservatives are lily-livered cowards afraid of a little criticism? Interesting.
Posted by: janet on October 26, 2006 at 12:13 PM | PERMALINK
The dems will lose me if they outline a brokeback future for my kids however. This may be a onetime deal.
Why would we do that? We have no idea what your kids look like.
Posted by: SomeCallMeTim on October 26, 2006 at 12:15 PM | PERMALINK
What David in NY said. I live in Tennessee, and Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen has cross-party support. There's a new ad out with Phil saying, "Harold will make us proud."
I think Corker's the one with soft numbers. He slimed his opponents in the primaries, both this year and in '94, so he pissed off their supporters. Also, he's been pro-choice in the past, so the state right-to-life folks aren't endorsing him.
Ford's supporters, on the other hand, are enthusiastic, even flaming libruls who disagree with him on social issues.
Posted by: hamletta on October 26, 2006 at 12:15 PM | PERMALINK
The dems will lose me if they outline a brokeback future for my kids however.
You lost me there. The dems might try to turn your kids gay?
Posted by: B on October 26, 2006 at 12:16 PM | PERMALINK
Example:
Republican: I think all of our laws should be based on the dictates set forth in the Bible.
Democrat: Well, there are certainly some values set forth in the Bible that we can all agree on, but prohibitions on Pork and shrimp?
Republican: Why do you hate all Christians? Why do you want to persecute religious belief? Hate Crime!!!!
Posted by: Doug-E-Fresh on October 26, 2006 at 12:17 PM | PERMALINK
The Republicans are feeling a little desperate. So, they play the race card in both Virginia and Tennessee.
The way to overcome this issue, I hope, is to remind the voters of those states, and Missouri, of all the Republican scum in Washington D.C. Overcome their racist feelings with pure disgust at all the pedophilia (the page scandal), corruption (Abramoff), lying and lack of patriotism (Plame outing).
Let them know what's at stake, so their racism will pale by comparison.
The Democratic Party or the Dem Senate Campaign Committee should I suppose organize this ad campaign as it reaches across several states.
Posted by: MarkH on October 26, 2006 at 12:17 PM | PERMALINK
Al is obviously a card-carrying KKK member, as are most of his ilk. That said, Ford won't win Tennessee simply because the Republicans in that state will vote for the Republican candidate. For the same reasons, Democrats lose in Virginia and probably Missouri.
Posted by: GeorgiaDem69 on October 26, 2006 at 12:19 PM | PERMALINK
I'm just assuming the GOP will retain controll of both houses. The reason? They've proven to be experts at winning elections over the last 12 years. The structures they've grown of Limbaugh and FoxNews, the discipline with which they all repeat the slogans...the Dems aren't playing in the same league.
Posted by: steve s on October 26, 2006 at 12:20 PM | PERMALINK
Example:
Republican: We need to support everything our President says at all times or the troops will suffer.
Democrat: Well, I want the troops supported, but maybe its incumbent on us to be critical if he wants to do something ridiculous like send them into battle naked and carrying squirt guns
Republican: Why do you hate America? Why do you want the terrorists to win? Treason!!!!
Posted by: Doug-E-Fresh on October 26, 2006 at 12:21 PM | PERMALINK
I suppose that "brokeback future" refers to "the gay agenda" or some such right wing fantasy. Guess what, dems did not invent homosexuality, either God or natural selection did that. So there are plenty of gays in your children's future.
Posted by: Ace Franze on October 26, 2006 at 12:22 PM | PERMALINK
I bet another "lie" scenario in polling is when they ask about the economy. Some Democrats may answer the economic questions as if the economy is worse for them in reality and vice versa for Republicans.
Posted by: Robert on October 26, 2006 at 12:23 PM | PERMALINK
Nightline stuck a fork in Ford yesterday.
In a piece about leveraging racial stereotypes in campaign ads, they brought up his Playboy club visit, and quoted him saying "So what? I like women." (approx).
It was either the new Nightline or Entertainment Tonight - can't tell the difference.
Posted by: wishIwuz2 on October 26, 2006 at 12:25 PM | PERMALINK
I think it's possibly that your hypothesis is correct, but I think that whatever votes Ford loses that way will be more than offset by lower Republican turnout (something which doesn't show up in the polls since they have difficulty forecasting who is going to actually show up and vote). If Republican turnout is even five percent lower than in 2004 (that's one out of every twenty voters deciding to stay home), and/or if five percent of Republican voters decide to vote for Ford (again one out of every twenty Republicans), Ford will win going away.
The major variable is not which candidate people are going to vote for, its who is going to bother to show up at the polls, and that, at least this year, favors the Democrats.
Posted by: mfw13 on October 26, 2006 at 12:28 PM | PERMALINK
Dems probably regain control of the House but not the Senate simply because Republicans are better at getting out the vote and have more money. Too many races are within the margin of error. Races that close will be impacted by the Republican's advantages in GOTV and $$.
Posted by: GeorgiaDem69 on October 26, 2006 at 12:28 PM | PERMALINK
Also, Kevin, in the last SUSA poll, showing a 48-48 tie in Tenn, there were 37% R's, 38% D's, and the rest independents. And 87% of the R's were going for Corker. Face it, he's just not going to do much better than that under current circumstances. He's got to get more independents, and they don't have that hesitancy to pull the D lever. Your analysis sucks. In the latest SUSA, Corker was getting more independents, but Ford had before. We'll see how it swings. SUSA seems to think it depends on how strongly the African-American vote comes out.
Posted by: David in NY on October 26, 2006 at 12:29 PM | PERMALINK
sorry this is a reality in the south especially a high profile election
I think most point to Doug Wilder in VA -- he was hugely popular LT Gov against a very weak Republican he was leading by wide margin in the polls leading up to election and yet he only won by less than 8,000 votes.
Basically it was because whites reluctance to vote for what was the first black govenor of VA.
Posted by: smartone on October 26, 2006 at 12:30 PM | PERMALINK
This year we have one of those "defense of marriage" amendments on the ballot in Tennessee, and it's the reason for the Corker campaign's confidence despite having done just about everything wrong that a campaign can do wrong. What they've been thinking all along, but won't say, is that the anti-gay marriage vote will have coattails long enough to carry Corker into office.
It also needs to be remembered that Harold Ford is a member of Tennessee's most notorious political family, and that there are thousands of voters in this state who will not vote for him for the simple reason that he is a Ford.
Another tip: Watch the performance of GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Bryson. Bryson is as anonymous a candidate as you can find anywhere; the Tennessee GOP turned to the Williamson County backbencher after nearly all the state's better-known Republicans refused to run against trhe popular incumbent Phil Bredesen and his fortune. Nevertheless, there are those claiming that Bryson could receive 40% of the vote. Should Bryson manage to do that, it would point to problems that Tennessee Democrats have that are more serious than campaign ads.
Posted by: dr sardonicus on October 26, 2006 at 12:37 PM | PERMALINK
Well I guess I could see one or two people doing that, but 15%, sorry, the polls won't be THAT wrong, people don't have that much trouble saying what they really feel to a poll taker, and Kevin, you are talking about the corporate pandering WSJ and slanted opinions. Sounds like just an excuse to let Diebold steal an election. You do know that Diebold are the only people that have the right to check the machines and declare the winner, not the state, nor any state officicals. State officials are not allowed to see any of the voting evidence. That's the right American gave up.
Dems are promising minimum wage increases if the house takes control, how long has it been since people had a raise in Bush's "for corporations only" administration?
Employment is up but only in the service industry? That type of employment doesn't pay anything and sure WSJ, not that the rich people cares.
Posted by: Cheryl on October 26, 2006 at 12:37 PM | PERMALINK
oops: Employment is up but only in the service industry? That type of employment doesn't pay anything and I'm sure that WSJ doesn't care about the state of overall public. The WSJ is just a rich people rag.
Posted by: Cheryl on October 26, 2006 at 12:42 PM | PERMALINK
"The dems will lose me if they outline a brokeback future for my kids however."
The republicans are the party who support the world of brokeback mountain. They want gay men closeted, in deceitful marriages, traveling to the dominican republic for clandestine gay sex tourism, beaten to death when found out... etc.
Posted by: jefff on October 26, 2006 at 12:46 PM | PERMALINK
I think that the best way for Ford to deal with the "15% lie" is to confront it head-on, and the Republicans have given him the perfect opportunity with their "jungle drums" commercial.
The key is, don't accuse the other side of racism. Rather, accuse them of insulting Tennessee voters, by assuming that the voters are racists and will respond to this jungle-drum stuff. Embarrass the hell out of them. Ask them if they think that Tennessee voters go around in white sheets at night. Ask them why they have so little respect.
Posted by: Joe Buck on October 26, 2006 at 12:50 PM | PERMALINK
This is why I suspect, in the end, Democrats will gain Senate seats this year, but not quite enough seats to make Harry Reid majority leader.
That's the sense I get, reading the polls and commentaries at Real Clear Politics.
Another few percent: it was shown in the analyses of the polls and returns in Ohio in 2004 that conservative/Republican voters were less willing than liberal/Democrats to respond to pollsters. For the reasons that those analysts mentioned, I expect that to be generally true for a few years, until polling organizations find and test strategies to overcome the problem.
Posted by: papago on October 26, 2006 at 1:02 PM | PERMALINK
Whenever a crime is committed, everyone in the vicinity wants to sound convincing in saying, "It wasn't me."
They've started early.
Posted by: Foiled again on October 26, 2006 at 1:04 PM | PERMALINK
Well, dr. sardonicus, in the latest SUSA poll, Bryson the R has all of 29% of the vote, or less than the 87% of the Republican share of the vote (37%) that Corker is getting, and nothing else. So at least in the polls, his showing is lagging far behind Corker's, getting him only that absolutely solid 30% Republican base, and no more. I don't think his showing means anything.
Posted by: David in NY on October 26, 2006 at 1:06 PM | PERMALINK
you folks are a real riot! why do you even bother....?
Posted by: bigapplegeorgiapeach on October 26, 2006 at 1:13 PM | PERMALINK
mfw13: The major variable is not which candidate people are going to vote for, its who is going to bother to show up at the polls, and that, at least this year, favors the Democrats.
I do not see how anyone can have an opinion on this. The polls fairly consistently underpredicted Republican turnout in 2004, and I think they have the same features in place to underpredict this year. Besides, Republicans know that confirmation of Bush appointees depends on keeping a Republican majority in the Senate; extending the tax cuts depends on majorites in both houses. I don't think that Republican disappointments on other issues are going to lead them to cede control of those issues.
I think that the idea of staying home because of discouragement is slightly more prominent among liberals and Democrats than among onservatives and Republicans. As you can read anywhere in the blogosphere: It's a fine idea to punish the Republicans, but it's self-defeating to reward the Democrats.
Posted by: papago on October 26, 2006 at 1:16 PM | PERMALINK
I think there is about 5% hidden racist vote that doesn't show up in the polls. Ford will have to be ahead 5+% in the polls to win in Tenn. I think there were studies showing this to be true in North Carolina when Jesse Helms used to run racist ads.
Like it or not racist ads are very effective. Most people's racist insticts are dormant. These ads awaken the hidden fear/hate in a lot of people who don't consider themselves racists.
I would go further and argue that Joe Liberman on the ticket probably cost Gore several close southern states, including Tenn. Anti-semitism works the same way as racism. There must have been at least 5% of voters who could not bring themselves to vote for a Jew on the ticket.
Posted by: Nan on October 26, 2006 at 1:17 PM | PERMALINK
What Joe Buck @ 12:50 said...
Posted by: AkaDad on October 26, 2006 at 1:17 PM | PERMALINK
I've never once believed Ford would win that race, for the reason mentioned in the WSJ article. He's going to find that his attempts to run away from every issue that could conceivably be associated with an urban black politican have been totally futile (his irrelevant criticism of the actions of a state court in New Jersey being the latest and most ridiculous example). You can be as me-too Republican as you want, but in the end, Tennessee is the south and Ford is black--end of story.
Posted by: Hyde on October 26, 2006 at 1:25 PM | PERMALINK
I have to agree with Kevin. Dems will pick up seats, but not enough to regain a majority. What happens if dems pick up 4 seats (not including LIEberman), and it ends up 49(R)-49(D)-2(I)? Would be an interesting Senate!
Posted by: MeLoseBrain? on October 26, 2006 at 1:32 PM | PERMALINK
what the devil was all that blathering about
Posted by: perianwyr on October 26, 2006 at 1:44 PM | PERMALINK
How does anyone know Ford is "black?"
He looks white to me. Light skin, green eyes.
Posted by: ddd on October 26, 2006 at 1:46 PM | PERMALINK
Should Bryson manage to do that, it would point to problems that Tennessee Democrats have that are more serious than campaign ads.
Other than the fact that they have to live in
Tennessee ?
Posted by: Stephen on October 26, 2006 at 1:49 PM | PERMALINK
Another few percent: it was shown in the analyses of the polls and returns in Ohio in 2004 that conservative/Republican voters were less willing than liberal/Democrats to respond to pollsters.
They were probably at work when the pollsters called.
Posted by: sportsfan79 on October 26, 2006 at 1:51 PM | PERMALINK
I've seen plenty of blog articles starting to make excuses for why Democrats won't win congress regardless of what the polls say. The concept of a "15% Lie" is a pretty interesting example.
More interesting anyway than posts like Cheryl upthread screaming Diebold, DIEBOLD! Don't forget your tinfoil hat, Cheryl.
Posted by: sportsfan79 on October 26, 2006 at 1:55 PM | PERMALINK
Harold Ford is black?
Posted by: Yancey Ward on October 26, 2006 at 1:58 PM | PERMALINK
I lived in Los Angeles when Tom Bradley was defeated for governor by that hoser Deukmejian. That's when I found out about the quiet racism of the voting booth. Ick.
Posted by: EmmaAnne on October 26, 2006 at 1:58 PM | PERMALINK
Frankly, I've never heard of this phenomenon being linked to any specific percentage like 15%. As I've understood it, the problem is not that voters lie and say they'll vote for black candiddte A while fully intending to vote for white candidate B. It's that almost all of the people who say they're Undecided end up voting for the white candidate -- leading to speculation there's some embarrassment about not wanting to admit you're set agaisnt the black candidate. This was Doug Wilder's problem: he led polls by plenty, but got only the exact number (50-51%) he was polling; it turned out to be just enough, but looked paltry next to his (can't remember exactly, but let's say) 51-43% poll lead. So, that's Ford's problem: that he's not hitting 50%, and may not be able to expect any better than he's polling. Only possible saving grace: if turnout differential is truly dramatic and favors Dems (as many polls suggest); in that case, Ford getting 48% of a bigger pool could swing the election for him.
By the way, this is a case where ragging on the South is somewhat unfair. The first time analysts noted the "what voters say/how they vote" discepancy was in the Bradley/Deukmejian CA Governor race of 1982 -- Bradley had a strong lead in a very Dem year, but fell just short because Deukmejian took about 95% of undecideds.
Posted by: demtom on October 26, 2006 at 2:03 PM | PERMALINK
The dems will lose me if they outline a brokeback future for my kids however.
Perhaps you would prefer your children become Congressional pages in a Republican controlled House.
Posted by: Hositle on October 26, 2006 at 2:08 PM | PERMALINK
The day a black man wins a Senate seat in Tennessee is the day ________________. (Insert words like "pigs fly", "Trojans don't cheat", etc. )
Posted by: gab on October 26, 2006 at 2:09 PM | PERMALINK
The WSJ is just a rich people rag.
The WSJ is the newpaper of record for the extremist faction of American right wing politics.
Posted by: Hostile on October 26, 2006 at 2:14 PM | PERMALINK
Harold Ford is black?
The entrenched bigotry of the US is demonstrated by our need to ethnically identify every person by their skin color. I am often taken aback when people like Tiger Woods are referred to as Black, when he is clearly half Asian. People like Mr. Ford are referred to as Black, even though he is almost certainly more a descendant of Europeans than Africans. The Old South had many different calculations and names, as well as lots of impolite gossip, for people who had even a hint of color in their complexions. Even if a person is only 1/1000th African, they are Black in America. I think it is shameful we continue to observe the institutionalized bigotry left over from our slave holding heritage.
I do not want to disparage taking pride in one's ethnicity. If Mr. Ford, for example, wants to identify with any of his descendants' origins, he should do it proudly, as I would hope all people would, but without the kind of exclusivity that usually defines European America's attitude about race.
Posted by: Hostile on October 26, 2006 at 2:33 PM | PERMALINK
Clifford is gay?
Posted by: Yancey Ward on October 26, 2006 at 2:49 PM | PERMALINK
The dems will lose me if they outline a brokeback future for my kids however. This may be a onetime deal. Posted by: clifford
". . . brokeback future for my kids . . ."? Jesus. We don't want your vote if you're that fucking bigotted and stupid.
What the hell is wrong with people?
Posted by: JeffII on October 26, 2006 at 2:52 PM | PERMALINK
Even if a person is only 1/1000th African, they are Black in America. I think it is shameful we continue to observe the institutionalized bigotry left over from our slave holding heritage.
Well, Hostile, I agree with most of what you say. However, anyone with 1/1000th African ancestry would most likely not know it. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that over 40% of the "white" population in the U.S. has african ancestry and it is a fair bet that about 99% of them don't know it.
Posted by: ddd on October 26, 2006 at 3:13 PM | PERMALINK
ddd,
It is pretty much a fact that every human being on the planet has African ancestors.
Posted by: Yancey Ward on October 26, 2006 at 3:17 PM | PERMALINK
Bob is gay?
Posted by: Yancey Ward on October 26, 2006 at 3:18 PM | PERMALINK
The problem is the sexual appetite and depravity of homosexual predation.... does no one understand the implications of Foley's confession that he was compromised by an older gay man when he was a child?
Hell, even in that film, one fellow preyed on the other. In my own family, one member still has horrible memories of being seduced by an older boy at school... and because he was brought to orgasm... he thinks he might be gay. Posted by: clifford
Clifford your pathologies are too big to be dealt with here. However, just because you got off with a male playmate does not mean you are gay (see Dan Savage's column in The Stranger). But, one can't discount the distinct possbility that you may be a repressed homosexual.
Posted by: JeffII on October 26, 2006 at 3:25 PM | PERMALINK
The silent racism of the voting booth still applies, so I don't think Ford is far enough ahead in Tennessee to win. Especially coupled with a gay marriage ballot measure. That will really get the wingnuts out to vote, unfortunately.
And it's not like I mind too much, as I never liked Ford's conservative positions in Congress. I would much rather have seen a different Dem. Senate candidate, but he's the one on the ballot.
If, however, there's a HUGH national landslide for Democrats, he might pull it out.
Posted by: Cal Gal on October 26, 2006 at 3:33 PM | PERMALINK
Well, it's beyond me how Mark Foley proved people aren't born gay, Bob. How does that go, exactly? Do you mean there's some proof somewhere that Foley wouldn't, but for the priest, have been oriented towards sex with men? That only his "recruiting" and not his innate orientation, was involved in his later homosexuality. And how do we know that, exactly?
I mean, if you've got a prejudice about this, I'm sure Foley's affair with the priest makes you happy. But proof, it isn't.
You might remember that in certain subcultures it was common for younger boys to be the sexual partners of older ones as rites of passage. The English public schools were notorious for this. And most of those involved did not turn out to be homosexual in orientation. In addition, most of those who have sued the Catholic church because of molestation by priests have not turned out to be homosexual in orientation. And so on. In short, a homosexual experience as a youth does not by itself cause homosexuality as an adult and never has. It takes an innate orientation in that direction as well.
Posted by: David in NY on October 26, 2006 at 3:36 PM | PERMALINK
David in NY,
Though I agree that Foley's claims prove nothing, I would point out that you are making pretty strong statements at the end which seem to imply that an innate orientation is a requirement for being homosexual as an adult. This may or may not be true, but it also has not been proven either way.
Posted by: Olijah Navaroon on October 26, 2006 at 3:46 PM | PERMALINK
It is pretty much a fact that every human being on the planet has African ancestors.
You know that, but I will bet you that you will get some heated arguments from some less literate individuals if you told them their ancestry orignated in africa. But, in this sense, I was talking about recent history, i.e., in the last 300 years. Many "whites" in this country are descended from the africans brought to this country to serve as slaves and they have no idea of that fact.
Posted by: ddd on October 26, 2006 at 3:55 PM | PERMALINK
It's really simple.
Republicans are racists.
No ifs, no ands, no buts.
Racists.
Posted by: POed Lib on October 26, 2006 at 4:08 PM | PERMALINK
The new bigotry is a lot nastier than the old. When I worked for CORE during the Civil Rights Era (1955-1965) we almost had respect for those outright racists that we opposed: at least they didn't lie about it. A Klansman may be an ignorant asshole but he's up front about his hateful racism. The new bigotry hides behind a smarmy language-contorting veil of intolerance that denies its own existence. These bastards would have you believe that Red-State America is NOT about race hatred and resentment, when that's all that goddamned ex-slave society was ever about. I almost pine for the honesty of those rednecked peckerwoods. Of course these closet racists will tell you they'd vote for Ford or Obama, but they'd do nothing of the sort. They've learned how to lie to other white people about colored people because they know many white people are "liberals," which is their code word for "nigger-lovers."
America is about race. Whether liquidating Indians or stealing from Mexicans or enslaving Africans It has always been about race. And anybody who says otherwise blusters and lies.
Posted by: buddy66 on October 26, 2006 at 4:33 PM | PERMALINK
America is about money.
Race is often just a convenient way to distract poor people (of not only the apparent target race but also the dominant race) from that.
Ditto with "culture war" issues.
Posted by: cmdicely on October 26, 2006 at 4:46 PM | PERMALINK
I would go further and argue that Joe Liberman on the ticket probably cost Gore several close southern states, including Tenn.
Baloney. What costs Gore Tennessee was that he took it for granted and didn't bother to campaign here. And I say that as a life long Tennessean.
I'm sure the race issue will cost Ford a few points, and in a close race it might be enough to swing the result. But Tennessee isn't Mississippi, folks. Even East Tennessee, the most Republican part of the state, almost broke away from the Confederacy during the Civil War. I don't think race matters here as much as it does in the deep South.
And to be blunt, it helps that Ford is so light-skinned. The first thing that strikes you when you see him isn't "black guy."
Add this to the fact that many conservatives are really, really pissed at Corker over his behavior during the primary campaign (in which he beat two conservatives). Some of them are mad enough to stay home, and I've heard some well-known ones publicly state they're mad enough to vote for Ford (who is moderate enough not to scare them).
I think this race hinges on turnout. And I think it will be close. If I had to bet, I'd say Corker will eek it out, but I sure would have to bet.
Posted by: gemini on October 26, 2006 at 4:49 PM | PERMALINK
That's supposed to read "I sure would hate to have to bet."
Posted by: gemini on October 26, 2006 at 4:51 PM | PERMALINK
POed Lib at 4:08 and buddy66 at 4:33.
Black people are just people, pure and simple. You don't empower them by treating them like anything other than regular people.
One of the worst aspects of many left wing legislators is that they see black people as a vote, nothing more and nothing less. All their PC pandering is just a veiled attempt to keep minorities dependant on the system, and keep their vote intact. Pure garbage.
I live right in the middle of a large city, 1 block from a primarily black neighborhood. I interact with black people every day. All the liberals I know from work live out in the second tier suburbs. They need to practice what they preach.
Posted by: sportsfan79 on October 26, 2006 at 5:06 PM | PERMALINK
All that nonsense about people being born gay?
The Foley scandal knocked the wind out of that one.
Posted by: Bob
there have been 4 studies looking at the genetic basis of human male sexuality. 3 of them found convincing evidence of moderately strong penetrance, 2 of them independantly localizing a region on the X chromosome (Xq28). Probably the best (and first) is Linkage between sexual orientation and chromosome Xq28 in males but not in females. Nat Genet. 1995 Nov;11(3):248.
A meta-analysis of the data in both humans and mammals strongly supports a genetic basis for male homosexuality (or male-male preference). Multiple human studies have repilicated the finding that later fraternal birth-order increases the likelihood of homosexuality.
Among pedophiles, multiple studies demonstrate that homosexuality, mental retardation, younger age at 1st sexual experience, and sexual abuse as a child are ALL over-represented. It is completely unknown, and little studied, whether the homosexual attraction that occurs in homosexual pedophiles is the same mechanism that defines healthy adult male homosexuality.
... equating homsexuality with pedophilia or predatory sexual behavior is the same as assuming that the mechanism that attracts some straight men to 18yo playboy bunnies is the same as that which attracts other straight men to 7yo little girls.
foley proves nothing, and scientific illiterates like yourself should refrain from making statements such as the above simply to justify your bigotry. anecdotes aren't data points ... jackass.
Posted by: Nads on October 26, 2006 at 6:41 PM | PERMALINK
I live right in the middle of a large city, 1 block from a primarily black neighborhood. I interact with black people every day. All the liberals I know from work live out in the second tier suburbs. They need to practice what they preach.
Posted by: sportsfan79
assuming you aren't lying, you actually only live 1 block away from liberals.
Posted by: Nads on October 26, 2006 at 6:42 PM | PERMALINK
Foley blamed his behavior on his experience when he was a child. Lots of studies have shown that children that are abused become abusers.
Now the stats get skewed when the perp says hes married... my best friend is a psychiatrist dealing with this subject and she told me the APA is so drenched in homosexual activism that when a perp is 'married' he is automatically entered in the data base as heterosexual.... why a married heterosexual is preying on little boys never occurs to the fags in the APA -- sez 60 year old therapist Dr. Otto...
SO -- Foley sez the predation made him do it.
Foley's excuse is early predation... and my point was that aging queens hit on small boys as they run out of boy toys with age.
MY pathologies? why do fags always tell us WE are the problem... lets all just fuck every thing and every body ... every day!! dogs cats, kids....
ejaculation is the ANSWER!!
way to win the hearts and minds of america...
Posted by: Charlie on October 26, 2006 at 8:00 PM | PERMALINK
"How does anyone know Ford is "black?"
He looks white to me. Light skin, green eyes."
Posted by: ddd on October 26, 2006 at 1:46 PM | PERMALINK
What's the matter with you? Can't you tell he's a gay, Black, Massachussetts Liberal, commie? Well, that's what all the Republicans say, and they couldn't be wrong could they? They wouldn't be lyin', would they?
I think the Republican political class uses race (and religion) to get votes and they're probably laughing their asses off at all those racists in the South who think Republicans care about them and their needs.
Meanwhile they're sending those poor White Southern kids who are soooo patriotic off to Baghdad to get their bodies blown apart.
I wonder if their body armor works these days. On days when I watch news programs where they list the dead and their ages it just shocks me to see the 35-40-year olds and the 19-year-olds. Somehow the thought of our career soldiers dying needlessly and the very young inexperienced children dying just makes me mad.
If Bush were patriotic he wouldn't keep our kids in a losing battle. We won't lose this war no matter what, but in the battle in Iraq we can lose a lot of kids and money for nothing, if the Republicans are re-elected.
Pick your battles where you can win. Bush is an idiot is keeping us in a losing battle.
.
.
Posted by: MarkH on October 26, 2006 at 8:01 PM | PERMALINK
most of the South is beyond Democrats' reach
So what happened after the civil war - di all the assholes in the country flock down there?
Posted by: um yeah on October 26, 2006 at 11:25 PM | PERMALINK