Mary Mitchell

We have a very viable black candidate for the presidency and the Secretary of State is a black women.

So when are black people going to come to the realization the the U.S. is not a Racist country?

I do have to hand it to you Ms. Moderator, you are pretty slick and sneaky with your insulting remarks towards whites. You say that "until a black man can seek the presidency without worrying that something tragic may happen, then we really haven't made much progress". What is that supposed to mean? Do you mean to say that us white people are such savage animals that we would try to harm a black person who is running for president? Let me educate you a little bit. Jesse Jackson ran twice, Sharpton and Carole Moseley Braun and Alan Keyes ran, and no one tried to harm them. Where is your basis for making such an offensive remark? Also, if you look at interracial crime stats you will see that a white candidate has a much better chance of being harmed by a black than vice versa.

Why is it that Obama is only Black--he used to be Barry. Is he Whack or Blite? Does he deny that he is white?
He is bi-racial.
When will this ever be stated and used as a fact?

What's with this bridging the gap?..Will insulting 'whites' ever become out-of-style?

Hey, if memory serves me, Bobby Rush easily beat Obama in a congressional primary by playing up to Obama's whiteness. So why aren't you asking the same of African-Americans, if they have bridged the gap?.. Truth is, the black community would vote for a former KKK'er and a guy who still uses the N-word often (Robert Byrd) as long as he's a democrat, over a decent, talented, and highly intelligent person, who happened to be a republican. So what about that, "bridging the gap"?

By the way Mary, Sharpton is already talking of Obama in a non-chalent manner. Asking if he really speaks for the black community. There is some real big ego's being put to the test here. To Jackson's credit, he hasn't been that way yet.

Finally, you sadly underrate the white community. If the guy is seen as the best and smartest candidate, he or she will get the votes. Thats a fact ! ... And please don't bring up Harold Ford, Jr. It wasn't a commercial that beat him. What beat him was all his corrupt family members. Such as his uncle getting indicted by the feds the day Harold announced his running for the senate. And other members of his family who are always getting bad press because of corruption, also. It'd be like here I suppose if a white didn't vote for a Arenda Troutman, because of whats going on with her, that the white person would be seen as racist, which is ridiculous.

In closing, Obama's big worry isn't going to be "Joe Public Caucasian". He's had it easy so far. Been the darling of you columnists. He hasn't had to answer about his Rezko connections, his walking-in-step with the Cook County machine and the Daley's. He hasn't been asked about his 2004 campaign comment to the Tribune, "that we may have to do surgical bombing into Pakistan." Somebody needs to remind him Pakistan is a soverign nation. And then there is the Clinton team. Those folks play hardball. Wait until Hilary Clinton uses every trick-in-the-book. Or should I say the Clinton gang. Bill, James Carville, Joe Lockhart, Paul Begala, and Terry McAuliff, plus others. Does Obama know what's about to hit him? He'll have to have answers for a change.

Until a black man can seek the presidency without worrying that something tragic may happen, then we really haven't made much progress.

That statement has got to be the most racist comment I have ever seen in print.

YOU HONESTLY NEED TO RETHINK THIS STATEMENT AND ISSUE AN APOLOGY!

After reading your blogs for a couple months, then having my children read them. It proves my fact, that Chicago is the most Racist city in America. Segregated schools as well as neighborhoods.The whites who respond to your articles what ever they may be, show so much hatred towards minorities. It's kind of funny but sad, and you know what,white's don't even realize their problem. Just ask people across the World about White people. They can't stand them.They are so Narcisist that it's pathetic. Thank God we don't have to go through the White population or the average white citizen during the hearings for reparations.White people feel that nothing ever happened and that they earned their positions in life through honesty and hard work. What a joke? They earned their position by holding our ancestors behind, while their ancestors performed a masterful job of erasing our Heritage, language while dehumanizing our people. The first thing that comes out of a white person's mouth is "Get over it" or " I wasn't ever hear then, why should i pay for reparations". Whites just don't get it.They purposely unleveled the playing field to their advantage. If it where up to the now a day white folks, we would still be pickin cotton. Since they know that will never happen again in life !! Their after the mexican Clan.Hopefully OBama will change all of this. He has had the best of both Worlds, and a little bit more. White mother and an African father.Maybe just Maybe he'll begin the process of leveling the playing field. It's going to take Hundreds of years, but you have to start somewhere. Remember Minorities are going to out number the white population very very soon.

Wow Jerry's really crazy . . ."let me educate you" priceless

Let us remember that Barack Obama's senate race was against a lunatic who came in a few months before election time . . .A presidential race, no, a Democratic primary race is whole new animal. I like Obama, at least when I can pin him down on an issue but Im waiting for all the hype to clear.

"Also, if you look at interracial crime stats you will see that a white candidate has a much better chance of being harmed by a black than vice versa."

Every president-killer in this country has been white so far. You need to do some more reading.

I love that Jerry can always be counted on to make the first pointless remark. Like he sits at home with breath that is bated for Ms. Mitchell to pen something new. Jerry you might want to come up from that basement now, your mom just finished your laundry!

Could it be as simple as Obama not exuding hatred and anger? He actually "can" unite people; not just hammer the other group.

Might be as simple as presentation but I suspect it's working because he genuinly wants to represent more than one group. Obama is not a black candidate; other candidates that were black were black candidates.

Mr. Obama has neither the experience,knowledge and wisdom to be president of the USA. What's he famous for? Also he is Muslim trained which will turn of the majority of Christians and
Jewish communities. He will
never make it.

Obama stands for everything that America should be about. He speaks for ALL America. He paid his dues by working for the poor and helpless. He's had enough experience to know that there are issues that need addressing. I'm sure that he will be able to put enough advisors and cabinet leaders together to help and steer him when necessary. More power to this great man.

My Two Cents
As much as I like Obama, and I really like him. I don’t think he will ever bridge the great racial divide in this country. Not so long as we have people like see an interracial couple and say. “ What does she see in him or Why is he dating her. Remember the how could you Michael story ? It’s people like you that keep the racial divide wide open. What do you care if a black man or woman dates a person of
another race.Why does that bother you so much. And as for Obama, one of the many reasons that I like him so much, is because he wants this country to move forward as a whole, not just any one race of people. And that’s what’s it’s all about. Get off that old black/white S***, that played out. Take a walk downtown and you’ll see it’s not like it was in the 50’s. There are people from all over the world. Not just black and white. Is there still racial prejudice ? of course. in every country in the world there is someone who doesn’t like someone else because of there race, religious belief or whatever. That’s the way it’s always been. That’s the way it will always be. Not even Mr. Obama can change that. But I feel that if we learn to accept and respect each others differences things can get better that it is.

"Also he is Muslim trained which will turn of the majority of Christians and
Jewish communities. He will
never make it."

Obama is a Christian. Do your research. He grew up in Hawaii, raised by his mother and grandparents (Caucasians transplanted from Iowa) and, later, his stepfather.

I'm a white male from Duluth Minnesota. I'm a vietnam era veteran. I would like to cast my vote for Sen. Obama today.
Where can I send it?
And oh, by the way, go Bears!

Okay folks, lets take a step back here. I could care less what color the man is, or that Hilary Clinton is a woman. Instead of talking about the racial lines, lets talk about where he stands on the important issues. As a voting citizen thats what I care about.

let's find out what he did when he was out of the country and being schooled by muslims and also what has he done since that would make him a viable president hopeful. The press sure thinks he is but hasn't really giving us anything that would make me vote for him, but than again the press thinks for us, at least they think so!!

let the Hillary and Barry love fest begin. doesn't anyone see thru Barry's pathetic attempts to seem more black ? yet still try to seem not to black to whites . stand for something , anything ! all style with no thoughts, ideas or substance. good luck with all that . maybe Barry's mob ties will just go away like all of Hillary's baggage apparently has (whitewater, bill , etc.) i miss Alan Keyes. i found him to be a sane and measured politician,with many rational ideas . not. lol. also thanks to Lou for pointing out everything that is wrong with me. i really appreciate it . now i know .

I've never seen such vitriol spewed back at a columnist who said nothing inciting.

Yes, many of you you claimed otherwise, safety is a concern for a black candidate deciding to run for President. The previous black candidates were never very serious contenders, so they didn't have any real threats. At the top of the ticket, or even as the running mate, security would be a huge concern. 99.999% of whites would not try to harm said candidate... there are still racist Bubbas who would. The first black to do anything major always receives tons of death threats (just ask Hank Aaron how his run for the record went). Yeah, that was 31 years ago. So? That was baseball -- this is running the nation.

So, the comment by the columnist was not racist, insensitive, or wrong.

Lou: The US isn't a racist country? It may not be the MOST racist country, but considering there have been 2 black senators since reconstruction (both from the North), no Arabs, and one Asian, I'd say the U.S. is a racist country.

Because the color of a man's skin (note: we can still barely say woman's yet) is a topic of discussion for any office of any significance, I'd say the U.S. is a racist country.

There is an enormous amount of racism in the United States. A great amount of it is hidden and under the surface.

Yes, the U.S. has made amazing strides over the last few decades. Considering the way things were 50 years ago, the moves the U.S. has made are actually quite historically significant; rarely has a group, without a revolution which overthrows a government, been able to make the strides the black community has made.

Black Wiseman: you just rambled; and you need to use both a spell-checker and a fact-checker if you want to be taken seriously.

Jerry: If you want to talk about interracial crime stats, please show us some. Give us a citation or something. And are these 'interracial crime stats' based on criminal on candidate? If they're not, your point is moot.

Great job with the article. I'm looking forward to his historic run at the White House! The skinny kid with the funny name deserves a chance; the U.S. will be the better for electing him President!

I've never seen such vitriol spewed back at a columnist who said nothing inciting.

Yes, many of you wou claimed otherwise, safety is a concern for a black candidate deciding to run for President. The previous black candidates were never very serious contenders, so they didn't have any real threats. At the top of the ticket, or even as the running mate, security would be a huge concern. 99.999% of whites would not try to harm said candidate... there are still racist Bubbas who would. The first black to do anything major always receives tons of death threats (just ask Hank Aaron how his run for the record went). Yeah, that was 31 years ago. So? That was baseball -- this is running the nation.

So, the comment by the columnist was not racist, insensitive, or wrong.

Lou: The US isn't a racist country? It may not be the MOST racist country, but considering there have been 2 black senators since reconstruction (both from the North), no Arabs, and one Asian, I'd say the U.S. is a racist country.

Because the color of a man's skin (note: we can still barely say woman's yet) is a topic of discussion for any office of any significance, I'd say the U.S. is a racist country.

There is an enormous amount of racism in the United States. A great amount of it is hidden and under the surface.

Yes, the U.S. has made amazing strides over the last few decades. Considering the way things were 50 years ago, the moves the U.S. has made are actually quite historically significant; rarely has a group, without a revolution which overthrows a government, been able to make the strides the black community has made.

Black Wiseman: you just rambled; and you need to use both a spell-checker and a fact-checker if you want to be taken seriously.

Jerry: If you want to talk about interracial crime stats, please show us some. Give us a citation or something. And are these 'interracial crime stats' based on criminal on candidate? If they're not, your point is moot.

Great job with the article. I'm looking forward to his historic run at the White House! The skinny kid with the funny name deserves a chance; the U.S. will be the better for electing him President!

He went to a "Muslim" school in Indonesia when he was SIX. That makes him "Muslim" TRAINED? Idiocy. I read from the Koran when I was at a Catholic High school. I guess i was "trained" by Pope Osama. The way to thrive without "experience" is to surround yourself with talented, creative, and honest people. Just look at all the folks around the decider that honed their corruption with the Nixon-Ford cartel.

All I know is Obama is well educated, honest and has more charisma than any other candidate in recent memory. Many experienced political figures cannot get the job done. He is an advocate for goodness and not whites, blacks, yellows, rich or poor.

Not one black person ever killed a prominent white politition . EVER. Unless Obama wants to be a martyr it is the end result that a vast majority of black people feel will happen. There is too much hatred of minorities and so many different groups who only look for the downfall of blacks and other minorities in this country. EVERY single black person in America will look at Obama with pride if he won the presidential office. You can't say that about whites. Obama has as much experience in politics as our present President had. Plus, Obama never won an office with his family's name so prominent,like our present President,did. Bush never had a clear record and personal back ground to win nary an election on his own. Americans give so many people chances just because of name recognition. Any reason to excuse Obama as a viable candidate only impugn the dignity or respect I will have for the person who would utter those words. I won't call that person a racist but I will wonder if race isn't a distraction that you will willfully overlook.

He is NOT a muslim!

Interesting comments, but I would like to say this. When Harold Washington ran for Mayor, most white people in Chicago voted AGAINST him just because he was black. He was far superior to Daley or Byrne and even aginst Bernard Epton. So please spare the best qualified postings. This is a city where white women are considered a minority and have gained a significant foothold in the business industry. Chicago is a racist city and a city where most of the population comes from the suburbs. The city dwellers are left to deal with high taxes, corruption and crime. I would much rather have seen Obama run for Mayor actually.

Why shouldn't he be president. I am white and from Illinois. We have been excited about this guy for awhile. The fact that he went back on a promise that was coersed by Russert on national television does not matter. To have Obama as president would be thrilling.
The fact that he is black I really don't think is as big a factor as the MSM makes it.
I can see this guy as our president and I can see his wife as a very classy first lady. If you can even picture someone in the office and in the White House and know that person is right, the color or whatever is mute point.
But, I do know that for all my black friends and the my past bosses who were black, it has to be a moment of pride. Like I felt with nancy Pelosi.
This man is the first one who is black who should and will be president and the black community must know this. And I do hope there is pride in knowing this.

I have to admit that I know very little about Barack Obama. It seems as though he has come into the Presidential candidate spotlight very quickly for a newcomer in politics, and he is a newcomer compared with many of the others running. The 2008 Presidential election is going to be a very important one. In my book, the most important one ever. We need a candidate who can win by a big majority. We can't chance that the election results will be screwed up or tampered with as the last two elections were. Call me paraniod, but as I see it, I think the Republican Party would love to see Barack Obama run for President on the Democratic ticket. They know he could never win. They wouldn't even have to fix the voting machines. Now, I don't say this because I am predjudice and don't want to see a black person run. I am a white woman, who was married to a black man. My two grown daughters are bi-racial. I live in rural North Dakota with my 2nd husband who is white. My first husband died 6 yrs. ago. I can say this as an unfortunate fact; even if Barack was proven to be the best person ever to run for President, and even if every black person in this country voted for him, and a good number of whites voted for him too, I really don't think he could win. There are just too many white people out there that won't vote for a black. Believe me I know this for a fact. Even white Democrats, and definitely those of the Republican party who are unhappy with the Bush Administration at this time. This is not to say that Obabma shouldn't run in some future Presidential race. But not this one coming up. There is way too much at stake here. My preference would be Dennis Kucinich. I think he would do as much for the minorities as any black person would. He did not give his support for the war in Iraq, not even from the beginning. He is for Peace, and for the enviornment. Kucinich would get my vote.

To respond to to Obamas experience posed by nick, please explain the the knowledge, experience and wisdom that George W. Bush had when he first ran for President? outside of being a total failure in business, a drunk and the rider on his fathers coat tails all his life. We leaders with vison and not beer glasses.

Obama's Father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr, was a radical Muslim from Jakarta, Idonesia. Obama, was educated as a Muslim in the Wahabbi School. Wahabbism is the radical teaching that createad the Muslim terrorists who waging Jihad war on the US and other nations. How can you endorse such a individual black or white with this type of back ground.

Mitchell comment:

This story was debunked by CNN.

John,

A couple of your comments struck me as particularly ludicrous. First, you claim,

"Truth is, the black community would vote for a former KKK'er and a guy who still uses the N-word often (Robert Byrd) as long as he's a democrat, over a decent, talented, and highly intelligent person, who happened to be a republican."

Blacks currently make up 3.8% of the population of West Virginia, (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54000.html), so I'm not exactly sure how you deduce that blacks would rather vote for someone like Byrd than a Republican.

Second, your statement, "Finally, you sadly underrate the white community. If the guy is seen as the best and smartest candidate, he or she will get the votes. Thats a fact !"

It most definitely is not a fact. A number of times the best and smartest candidates have been smeared and tainted by aggressive and often untruthful mudslinging during campaigns. And regardless of your head burying about Harold Ford Jr. I believe that race did play a role. Why would they specifically have put a white woman on TV saying, "Call me." They knew the reaction they'd get, and they refused to take it off the air once that reaction came. This serves as further proof the best don't always win, any candidate that would allow an ad like that to go out under his name, his party's affiliation, or under a group promoting him for office is not honorable and certainly is not the best we have to offer.

I totally disagree with what Jerry said. All who tried to assassinate a white politician were also white. I've never known a black person to be associated with an attempt on any white public figure's life. I agree with Ms. Mitchell that Obama would be a likely assassination target because people are inclined to listen to and follow his lead much like they did Martin Luther King, Jr. King was targeted for assassination because he was smart, charismatic, and people listened to him. In short, he was effective. Obama, too, is effective. The reason why no attempts were made on the lives of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Sr., Carole Mosley Braun, et al is because they are not deemed charismatic leaders, don't have a broad range of appeal, and are therfore not considered to be a threat.

I’m sorry I’m not an often blogger, but I had to step up and say something here. How can anyone on this site sit here and say that America is not a racist country. What? That is very funny you people must be living with blinders on. I must also state that neither Jackson nor Sharpton had attempts put on there life, but were they ever really taken serious as contenders. Or were Taken in the same light Keys was taken. By the way Jackson had numerous threats on his life. Also I sometime disagree with somethings that Mary says, but you have to understand you can be Pro black without being anti anything else. Also racism does not exist but we have government officials not wanting to apologize for slavery. As well as a mother of a sitting President says that the poor people who had just suffered maybe the worst Natural disaster in this country history will be better off. She said this after these people had lost everything they lost family members houses everything. Don’t even get me started on Katrina. How Police men restricted black people from getting to higher ground because simply because they feared they would be "problem". Explain to me How America is not racist but Black men or being tied to trucks and drugged to there deaths. You guys sitting at your plush offices typing this crap about how only white men Presidents have been killed. Im sorry has there ever been anything else Come on. You don’t have to Vote for Obamma but at least take those sheets off your head and see the facts that this is a very racist country. Yes I’m an Obamma supporter and yes I fear for his life. America not a racist country that is one of the most insane things I have ever heard and my life. By the way is Rice really Black.

Obama went to a Muslim school while living in Jakarta, Indonesia. This does not mean he is Muslim trained, and the fact that his diverse background would be hijacked by those who insist on division and hate mongering is disgraceful, Asher be ashamed of yourself.