The role of Race

• What was a subtle issue in the campaign?

  Obama's race
• What did Palin say in subtle regard to Obama's race?

  'This is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America'
• How many black Americans had been elected state governor since Reconstruction?

  2
• Who were these black state governors?

  Douglas Wilder (Virginia) Deval Patrick (Massachusetts)
• How many black Americans had been elected to the Senate prior to Obama?

  2
• What was a considerable fear for the elections?

  Many believed that a lot of white people wouldn't vote for a black American
• Who was a black official who believed that Obama wouldn't receive votes?

  Robert Ford, a state senator from South Carolina
• What did Ford do?

  He supported Clinton in the Democratic Primary fearing Obama wouldn't beat a white Republican candidate
• How many black officials were elected in the US in 2008?

  8000
• What did Ford claim about black officials?

  That 99% represented districts with an over half black population and that Obama wouldn't get elected outside of 'black' areas
• Where did Obama lose the vote?

  He heavily lost the white vote in the South
• What occurred in several states?

  White voters who voted for a Democratic governor did not vote for Obama
• What did right wing radio commentators do?

  They made fun of Obama's name, associating his name with bin Laden
• What did right wing commentators suggest?

  That America should be highly suspicious after 9/11 which encouraged controversies over his name
• What percentage of the black vote did Obama receive?

  95%
• What did Obama's candidacy have a possible role in?

  The greater turnout of black Americans in 2008
• How much of the electorate did black Americans constitute for?

  11% in 2004 but 13% by 2008
• How many more black voters were there in 2008?

  More than 2 million voters
• What other votes did Obama win more of?

  A little more of the white vote than previous Democrat presidential candidates
• What percentage of the general white vote did Obama receive?

  44%
• What percentage of the below 30 white vote did Obama receive?

  54%
• What percentage of the Latino vote did Obama receive?

  65%
• Which states voting in 2008 could be seen as surprising?

  Pennsylvania
• Why was Penn.'s voting surprising?

  The state was considered 'male and pale' (representation) and Obama was perceived to have offended the white working class here
• What did the Governor of Penn. state?

  He favoured Clinton in the primaries and said that some conservative whites were not ready for a black president
• What may Obama's victory in Penn. be seen as?

  A triumph against racism
• What other state was a surprise win for Obama?

  North Carolina
• How long had it been since a Democratic candidate won N. Carolina?

  32 years
• Who had N. Carolina appointed to senate continually?

  The racist Jesse Helms had been sent to the Senate for 30 years so Obama's win was a greater achievement
• What was the overall turnout for the 2008 election?

  63% of the population
• How many electoral votes did Obama win?

  365
• How many more votes did Obama win than McCain?

  202 more