Why is it so important to have a woman or a black president rather than just a good president?

Question

As a curious external observer from india i would like to know abthese questions from you all:

If Hillary did become the president would we have done justice to her merits irrespective of the fact that she is a woman?

Is Obama getting the green signal more so because of his skin rather than his merits?

What about some good eligible white male candidates or is that illegal to ask in USA nowadays?

Answer 1

You are assuming that being a woman, or being black, and being a good president is mutually exclusive.

It is quite possible to be a woman AND a good president.  Or be black and be a good president.

We have had 200 years of white male candidates, while other countries have enjoyed success with female or black leadership.  

You should applaud us for finally coming into the 21st century.

If we look at history, the black man in this country got the vote before white women.  Women are on the bottom of the pile.  So I am not surprised that a black man with less experience was able to beat Hillary.

Based on merit, I think Hillary deserved to win.  Based on history, I'm not surprised she lost.

On your EDIT...  we just had a white male president and look what HE did to our country's destiny.  India has had several successful political leaders that were female.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, I think the main problem with our political system is the lack of good candidates.  It's been this way for years and it seems to be getting worse.  Such high importance is put on the black and female candidates because in the entire history of our country, only white men have been in power.  I have never focused on one's gender or skin color.  We are all people.  I will focus on the candidate who I believe will s***w up our country the least.

Answer 3

why does it have to be only white candidates!!!!

Answer 4

For the first time in US history, the country is open and ready to elect a black president.

This would be an historical event.

However, and this is my viewpoint, we have a candidate who is too far out of the middle ground that this country needs.  The most negative thing is the fact we are likely to have a one party controlled congress, as well as this possibility of Barack Obama as president.

This country will be pulled in only one direction with NO counter balance to  pull us down the middle.

This was the intention of a two party system.

With two factions pulling in two different directions, we would be guided somewhere down the middle.

This country has more capable blacks than Obama.  The democratic party has chosen him solely because of his socialistc views which has evolved along the Democratic views over many decades.

I personally think he is too extreme and making promises that can never be fulfilled.

We don't have the finances in the US.

We are nearly 10 trillion dollars in debt.

Manufacturing jobs, which were filled by the average person, without higher education, no longer exist in the US.

No president can change that.

You are well aware what oil is doing to all economies.

We already have a congress that is doing nothing and haven't done anything to correct it, since 1972.

Answer 5

If what i gather is true, Obama hates the fact that he is being labeled "the black canidate" by the media.

None the less, he has taken on a teflon persona because of his status as "the black canidate" If his inexperience and his Idealism became the subject of scrutiny instead of "making history" by being the first black president, i don't think it would benefit him in the least bit

Last time i Checked, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Al Gore were all eligible white male candidates, you can't label one man's campaign as a revolution, especialy since he is "the black canidate" against his wishes

Answer 6

You have an excellent point.  Looks like we are getting the unintended consequences of affirmative action--not the best qualified, but the most politically correct!

It will be a sad and shameful day for America if Obama gets elected, and our country will deserve what we get if we stoop to this level.

God help us!

Answer 7

Its not so much that we are voting for them for being a woman or black but that we have never had such a thing in our history so we hype it up. Both canidates have their qualities that people are voting for and the media simply plays up that Hillary is a woman and Obama is black. More than likely people are voting for them because the republican George Bush has F***ed up our country and the people want change.  Don't make it out to be woman, black, or good president when you could have both a good president and a black or woman be that good president.

*And to that guy who made the bigot comment about Obama you're an idiot...

Answer 8

I think that this presidential race has gotten alot of peoples minds in the wrong place. Being that the democratic candidates are outside the norm, we have started to focus on the things that really dont matter...ie. race, and gender. We as Americans are easily distracted by these issues and because of this I think that the Republican party might unfortunately get another four years on us.

Answer 9

Not all good politicians are white Christian men, so the fact that the U.S. has ONLY had white male Christian presidents logically suggests that there is some sort of prejudice operating.

Many of us would like to see evidence that the "some sort of prejudice" has begun to disappear.

Edit: No, the question was "Why is it so important to have a woman or a black president rather than just a good president?"

Answer 10

There will always be those that vote for a leader based upon their s*x race or political stance. My mother always votes democrat, while my husband always votes conservative, so to say that some blacks wouldn't vote for Obama based upon his race, or Hillary based upon her s*x would be absurd. Most people vote based upon what they think will benefit them most, and a black president that has already exposed his bias towards white through his preacher has no doubt sent forth a strong message towards the black community. I don't consider Hillary to be a woman, but a deceibtful political buisnessman just like her husband. In all honesty, I wouldn't vote for either one of them, and I wouldn't vote for Mccain either, the only candidate that has spoken truth is Ron Paul, but nobody wants to vote for him, because they know the changes he speaks of are imposiible to reach because congress and the state of reps would never allow him to return some of the wealth and power back to the people. It does not matter who gets elected because we will only continue to see more of the same, until it gets to the point that even a doctor can't afford housing in this country due to the rapid rate of inflation and taxes. Everything is taxed, even after it is bought and paid for, don't believe me, try buying your own house in the city. You'll pay whatever they say you pay or you will lose everything you ever worked for. All of these politicians are greedy crooks that are destroying our freedom, our ability to own, and our ability to spend what we earn. At least 50% of all wages earned goes for taxes, and when you buy a house, you pay more in interest than you do for the house itself, our entire system in this country is corrupt and all I hear people crying about is people who ask for assistance from a portion of the taxes that are paid every year. Who in their right mind has incentive to work so the government and bankers, or top 3%, can steal everything they work for? The problem in this country isn't the candidates, it is outright greed that exists in the political realm, and the fact that only those that are in high places have the power to change it, but choose not to because they have never been homeless or hungry and they don't give a rats @ss about the rest of the population. Like Jennifer Granholm said, if you don't make at least $30,000 a year you shouldn't even be considered. Meaning, if you don't pay in a specific amount of minimal taxes you are insignificant in the scheme of things, so let those people starve and rot! ;-)

Answer 11

ether way thee us is collapsing the dollar is worth less and less each second that pases so there is no way to save he us even if we got a good president

Answer 12

Frankly, I believe that a rabid dog will do a better president that any of the candidates. At less he wouldn't be lying.

Answer 13

It isn't. The best person for the job and the country should be president.

But there are a lot of ignorant morons (who unfortunately also happen to be registered voters) who believe that a woman or a black person could NEVER be the best person for the job and the country.

Don't like Clinton's politics or Obama's lack of experience? Fine, those are valid reasons not to vote for either of them.

Race and gender are not good enough, sorry.

Answer 14

I believe just that ,we should vote for a candidate that will improve our country and I dont care what color nor what gender they are.

Answer 15

hello, ideally there would be no prejudice and people would get ahead on their merits.

i am a republican (tho i did not expect bush to s***w things up as bad as he did) and will vote for mcCain, but sometimes even tho i hated hillary's position the most (i respect obama) i found myself wanting for her to win as a woman.

sometimes i find it hard to win respect at work because i am a woman, and it was odd, when i gave up my own femmimism the most, i was tempted to vote for hillary the most. thinking maybe if men got used to having woman president they will accept a woman Senior Software Developer more redily.

Statistics back this up too. the older women who gave up the most support her *because* she is a woman, but young women who feel they can acheive anythign they want in their own life as a while don't feel the need to vote for a woman just because she is a woman.

this would not be enough for me, because of the 3 candidates, i thought she was the only one who would messup this country worse than bush did. it would be terrible if the first woman president would be worse than even bush! women won't be respected again for 50 years!

but americans are big hippocrites. they treat hilary with some respect, but if a republican woman like Rice or someone ran, all the same femminists who support Hilary would be making sexist jokes at Rice!

they did a study a while back where they gave an essay to people to grade. everyone has the same essay. but some people had it say "by Jane smith' and other people "by john smith" or some other male/female name like that.

guess what.

BOTH men and women gave the famele name's essay a lower grade on average.

so even if you take the most qualified, what people think is most qualified is often based on things like s*x and race anyway even if they don't admit it. sometimes getting quotas in (get the best female as a president, as opposed to get the best human as a president) helps to overcome and disspel such prejudices.

i once worked for a sexist boss like that, he was a baby boomer. he did not respect any woman. he was not sexist, per se, just when a woman came to him talking economics, he felt that that particular woman didn't look experienced, intelligent, whatever. it was just his general impression that each woman coming to him was less qualified. i'm sure he never thought *why* it was so. if i worked for men like that, i could see myself even voting for hilary to show *them*. and older women have lived among men like that, and for that reason, they supported hilary more.

hmm, typing this stuff made me think. if more black people vote obama because of race, and less women over-all vote hilary for her s*x, does that mean that women as a whole feel they can get what they want from life regardless of s*x than black people? most black people voted obama, while only 60% of women went for hilary.

Answer 16

I'm rather curious as to know which predominately white countries have had "black" presidents myself.

Since the Democratic Party seems to be fixated with the concept of "change" it only makes sense that they would have candidates which differ from the norm, it's their gimmick, like how the GOP wants status quo on everything.

Answer 17

This is from one Indian to another: white males have been running the USA since it became a democracy. While there is no doubt you do need a good leader, you should give others a chance.

Obama promises good change, so I would have voted for him, and if I could I'd vote him for President too. Republicans have a reputation for being conservative.

You (directed at nobody in particular) have to vote based on the promises made. If you have that "Says stuff now but will do nothing" mentality, your country will never progress.

Answer 18

Well the white male candidate that is running is a lying snake who is stuck in the 1940's and is another conservative who has a bigger ego than brain.

I would rather take the chance with someone who is less experienced but has the heart and spirit to go against the current flow than someone with experience who is so set in his ways that he has developed tunnel vision.

What's wring with challenging the norm and breaking tradition? Your question exposes your prejudice.

Answer 19

Who said it was?  Just a ploy to gain votes...just like people are people...