So sorry that I’m still stuck on the issue of politics; we do talk about other stuff here. But, hey, it’s an election year, right?
This week, questions of sexism and gender roles have come to the forefront with the nomination of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as the GOP vice presidential candidate. But this USA Today interview with former Republican lawmaker Dick Armey about how Barack Obama’s chances of being elected president are most threatened by “the Bubba vote” (i.e., white working-class voters often from rural areas) got me to thinking about the racial dynamic again. Here’s a quote from Armey:
“The Bubba vote is there, and it’s very real, and it is everywhere. There’s an awful lot of people in America, bless their heart, who simply are not emotionally prepared to vote for a black man.”
Later Armey suggests that there probably will not be an equivalent sexist backlash against a female candidate on the GOP ticket. From the article:
On the other hand, Armey said, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s name on the GOP ticket should not produce much of an anti-woman vote. “We’re very far down that path,” he said. “We’re not as far down the racial equality path.”
Armey seemed to be doing an incisive social commentary, as well as proudly proclaiming why his party would triumph this November. What do you think of his statements?
Related Article: This is an interesting Washington Post piece on a similar topic, and perhaps one of the reasons I feel so depressed and alienated as I watch the RNC on television.
Reconciliation Blog 
He may have some truth, sadly, in his comments. Glad for the women. But it’s disgusting and makes my stomach turn.
Sadly, I think he may be right. That is why the Wilder effect maybe be a factor in this race. The left doesn’t want to talk about it and the media ignores it, but it could end up doing him in.
There’s some degree of truth in what he says, but I think this primary season has brought a lot of progress.
I identify with candidates on both tickets, and find it hard to see the dynamics that have been set up.
Christians have a hope transcends political parties. Rick Warren was right in saying he agrees with some positions of each major party candidate. Our identity is not in a political party.
Can we celebrate both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin for their courage, hard work, and willingness to serve–and their concern/compassion for certain segments of the powerless?
And maybe be sorry they’ve both become parts of machines that are so much larger than themselves, that they have limited control over.
I read the article and watched the video of his comments, and I don’t think Armey seemed proud of the Bubba vote. He called it “deplorable”, “unfortunate” and “tragic” among other adjectives. He also said that the Republican party does not actively pursue votes for racist reasons, so I think the party’s responsibility for “Bubba” is limited.
Sidenote: Anyone named “Dick Armey” lives in a glass house name-wise and shouldn’t be saying someone else has a “funny name.” 😉
I just wanted to add that I’m sorry you feel alienated. I really believe that conservatives have the best ideas for the whole country, and that obviously includes African Americans and other minorities.
The way Republicans communicate with minority communities needs to change for sure; It’s like we speak two different languages.
very frustrating.
I don’t agree that America is more likely to accept a woman as President over a Black man.
I think it often comes down to Commander in Chief and Black men have been combat soldiers (and thus less suspect in society’s mind for their military command potential) much longer than women. Can the Bubba vote get behind Palin making good decisions to go to war?
Thank you for sharing your perspective. It helps me be more sensitive to people around me.
Ed, you’re not the only one feeling depressed and alienated. Have you read the column in Philly.com by Annette John-Hall entitled “Pit bull of a hockey mom leading war on diversity”? I’m attaching a link. If the link isn’t published, you can Google this one.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/27900154.html
Kevin,
Thanks for that link. Interesting piece. She touches on a lot of the things I’ve been wrestling with since Palin’s speech—not that I endorse everything she says. Still, I bet a lot of folks can relate with her perspective.
Over at his Jesus Creed blog, Scot McKnight asked for opinions about Sarah Palin’s speech the day after. It led to what has to be one of the liveliest and most interesting political/ethical/theological discussions in the blogosphere. You can find the thread here: http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=4273#comments
You’ll see that I chimed in, too. As I was still trying to digest the meaning of Palin’s speech and all the proceedings at the RNC, here’s what I wrote at Scot’s blog:
“Because of my experience as an African American evangelical, I cannot help watching this whole thing through a (unfortunately) racialized lens. I’m a registered Independent, but I used to vote (more or less) exclusively Republican. That changed after the first George W. Bush term. I definitely don’t agree with all of Obama’s positions, but his focus on reconciliation resonates with me—just as George W. Bush’s compassionate conservatism resonated with me back in 2000.
“Anyway, as I watched last night’s proceedings, I was saddened by the overwhelming whiteness of the folks in attendance. I know this is pretty typical for GOP gatherings, but in past years there seemed to be more of an intentionality about changing that. Apparently, no longer.
“So, right or wrong, to hear Giuliani and then Palin attack Obama’s credibility in that mono-racial context made me very uncomfortable as a person of color. For instance, the ridiculing of Obama’s work as a community organizer seemed blind to the importance of such a role in many minority and inner-city communities. What was Martin Luther King Jr. if he wasn’t, especially in the early stages of his ministry, a “community organizer”? To denigrate the value of that vocation felt insensitive and shortsighted.
“For me, this whole discussion about “experience” is missing an important dimension. When I think of experience, I not only think of leadership roles in government, but I think of “lived” experiences with different types of people. By now, everyone knows that Obama has a very diverse set of life experiences—as a biracial person, as someone who spent time in Hawaii, Indonesia, Kansas, Chicago, Cambridge, Mass., etc. His path has connected him with people of many different races, cultures, and religions, and it’s reflected in the themes of his campaign. I’ve yet to hear anything about Sarah Palin’s life experiences in this way, except that she has spent most of her life in, as she said, small towns. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t want to belittle the value of that or the people who live in “small towns.” However, I’d like to know more about her interactions with folks of different backgrounds and cultures, and how that has impacted her ideas about service and public policy. That kind of experience also plays a key role in what kind of leader one will be.
“Based on last night’s speech, I don’t feel as though Palin, or McCain, is seeking to speak to folks like me. To be honest, most of what I heard last night felt a bit like a pep rally for white nationalists.”
Just to add a little “anti-partisan” thought to this (I’m as anti-DNC as I am anti-GOP), since most of the thought here seems to be directed at the “good-ole-boys” of the GOP… I recall some ugly exit polls during the Democratic primaries (sorry, don’t have the time to find the links or do my homework– going off the top of my head here), where race was a “major deciding factor” in 1/3 to 1/2 of Hillary supporters’ decisions– a group which exit polls also revealed would NOT support Obama at a striking 20% clip (or more, depending on the poll), should he win the nomination. (In contrast, only about 1% of Obama supporters said they would not vote for Hillary if Obama lost the primary.)
Bubba wears blue, too. It’s just that Byrd, Carville, and the gang have been instructed to keep their mouths shut on the subject, so We the People just aren’t quite as aware of it in the Democratic camp. Don’t think that doesn’t have something to do with the DNC “Superdelegates”‘ reluctance to embrace Obama until the fat lady had “done sung”.
[…] touched on this latest question in an earlier post, and I had no intention of pursuing it any further, but it’s been on my mind a lot the past […]
[…] one-drop rule type of thinking still pervades the country. Also, it reminds me of what Republican Dick Armey said recently, praising the nation’s ‘bubbas’ (codeword for racist rednecks) for not voting for […]