Please read both Common Sense Books. Both Parties SUCK. Obama is currently on a non stop spending spree that is Killing the economy. We need some non Progressive leaders that dont play party games and look out for the People and the Constitution. I mean really, with all the spending, stupid Czars Obama is appointing, taking over all kinds of businesses, Cap and Trade (predicted to be the biggest tax increase in history if passed), lack of transparaency, and just playing the same old Washington politics and I could go on and on and on but you get the point. Guys get your head out of your rear, it isnt about if you are Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, it should be about whats best for AMERICA.
Again I cant stress this enough READ (if you are a liberal you should have an open mind right?) Common Sense by Glen Beck (A Libertarian btw not a Republican)...
Also, CAN WE PLEASE GET OVER THE COLOR of our skin now? I would like to have people judge me by my character...
I Know they will still play the race card even though an average American Black rose against all odds to be the most powerful man in the world... I just wonder how long it will take people to see they want us divided so we cant unite against this horrible progressive movement... Wake up please...
I was raised on the Mason Dixon line and I, too, remember how things were only a few decades ago. Yes, the switch to the Republican party in the South had a lot to do with opposition to affirmative action and the enfranchising of blacks in society.
The implicit racism of the Republican Party is also quite obvious over the last 30 years. The opposition has been to social spending, as those funds are perceived to go to minorities, not spending in gral (Rep. deficits have been FAR larger than under Democrats). Just looking at the county-by-county breakdown of the last election shows that majority red correlates closely with the rural, uneducated, and fearful of displacement. These areas of the country also receive a net transfer of wealth in the form of:
- Fed funding of States (there's a net transfer from blue to red, look it up)
- Agricultural subsidies
- Placement of military bases
The unspoken fact is that rural whites are the coddled, spoiled of the US, and they don't want to compete fair and square, much to the contrary of their stated, "free-market" beliefs. It's in the blue areas where the economic present and future of the country is being forged, and where all the centers of learning and innovation are located.
All the moaning and groaning among the comments here about "don't call me a racist" is feigned indignance. If you voted for a party using the tactics employed over the last 30 years in presidential and congressional races, well, you have formally given your explicit approval to racist messages and tactics. Own up, or shut up. All that whining is unmanly.
You can flame me, but the Rovian Republican methods are too obvious, the Willie Horton scare tactics too common, the budgetary numbers too real, for you to have ground to stand on. Dissed.
No offense, but I self taught myself to success, I didnt need any stupid help from the STUPID Government.
Quit whining about needing help and do for yourself. It DOESNT MATTER IF you ARE BLACK, WHITE, PINK or any other skin color...
Need proof? One word Obama!
As a Virginian I have to say that I'm amused that it is our election of Mr. Obama that is seen as Virginia's repudiation of a (Republican) legacy of racism. Personally, I think that our election of Doug Wilder back in '89 should have put those notions to bed (especially since his polling numbers held up pretty well in SW VA IIRC) but then political narratives often ignore plenty of inconvenient details.
Oh man, what a canard and false dichotomy about websites regarding politics and technology. Only a fool doesn't realize everything's interconnected, and then posts ranting about the OP's "inane" political views, and then pretends false outrage at being labelled a racist for being a republican when in fact, the only real reason to vote republican in this election is because one is, in fact, a racist.
Sure, some blacks voted republican. They're called Uncle Toms. Is that insulting? Sure! Why not. It's disgusting and insulting to imagine a black would ever vote for a party that gives poor blacks life in prison for smoking pot while coke-heads get off scott free. Or that giving a working welfare black mom some additional help is considered racist while fat cat white CEOs make off with millions in taxpayer corporate welfare. Geez, such hypocrisy. If you don't want to read someone's polilical opinions, DON'T READ THEM.
And yes, many republicans are rabid racists. If you don't like that I said so, sue me. Or better, get a clue. The whole world is cheering that many of your fellow citizens finally did. So stop pretending like there's no racism...I'd think it was high time to take responsibility and skip the article or just STFU instead of trolling blog posts that have clear titles hinting them as being progressive and right-thinking Re: NC voting Democrat as being a positive development.
Just because Anandtech's a tech blog doesn't mean we cease to be human beings when we log on. So quit it with the false dichotomy about the OP shouldn't post his opinions, when almost every single other internet and traditional venue is talking about it. If you don't like it, turn off your computer and go back into the dark ages when only priests spoke and everyone else had to listen. Now we all get a voice. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Wow, what a beautiful display of free speech... NOT!
If one's opinion is that he can take a wiz on anybody's front lawn... no comment. And it's an equal display of IQ to come on a tech site and berate people that actually want to read about tech stuff! Not to say about the language which makes me wish that there would be some form of moderation for the comments.
The only moment when I wish to hear about politics is when/if the government would actually take measures against that DMCA, against legal binding agreements that force you to install "legitimate" Sony rootkits and stuff like that.
Last thing, about "don't read if you don't care": well, that doesn't actually work if someone throws bright-painted letters right in your path; again, this is a tech site and (too) personal opinions can be displayed elsewhere. After all, Anand himself only blogged about stuff related to hardware/multimedia, not about his views on the American Pop-Corn ;)
P.S.: and yes, people will stop reading useless stuff, but if that is repeated, the entire site might take a dip in the audience. Or actually the traffic might grow; tabloids can prove that: junk in, gold out!
Just wanted to say I think its very innovative that Anandtech is letting historians from MoveOn.Org and the Democratic National Committee write guest blogger editorials.
Surely this is just the first edition and the 'opposing' side will be given equal time in the near future. Who will be giving the right-wing side, the Christian Coalition of America? Maybe the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth? No, don't tell me! I want it to be as much of a jaw-dropping surprise. Can't wait!
Hi, I registered just to post this. I'm glad that you're happy that Obama won NC. Go Heels Go!
I think you might want to clarify some of your positions. Even if you didn't explicitly say that "Republicans are racist" and "anti-affirmative action is a racist position", you surely implied both. I think that's why people are angry and/or offended.
I don't think you mentioned any of Obama's policy positions or anything about his agenda. Do you know much about him, other than that he's half-black? There's a lot more to him than that. You could have written about how exciting it is that he is very pro-consumer in regard to privacy and net-neutrality.
I know quite a few white people who are Democrats; in fact, almost all of the registered democrats I know are white. I also know quite a few African Americans who are Republicans.
There are a lot of African-Americans, especially educators, that are against affirmative action because it actually stifles excellence in many areas of education. So are they racist? Are you sure that you can call the 'hands' ad (I haven't seen it, so it's an honest question) racially motivated? I think most people would like equal rights without regard to race; so are they racist too?
And, I'm sorry to tell you that voting for Obama simply because he is black IS racist and irresponsible. I am extremely happy that many African-Americans voted for the first time in their lives, but do worry a little that they did it mostly because he is also black and they believed all that CNN and their friends told them about him. Unfortunately, they believed that they had more in common with him than the color of their skin.
It's your blog, so you can do what you want. If I were you, I would clarify in the post and not post political-oriented articles anymore.
Thanks for an educated response. I get so sick of the racist bit. I think the new minority is quickly becoming whites as they cant say things others can and they have to watch what they do but others can do whatever they want and it isnt considered racist. There is a growing double standard in America today.
The most racist people I know are black. Sad but true. As a Christian I dont believe in judging people by their skin color and I wish others would do the same. We are all unique and Special in God's eyes and that is what is important. :)
Mr. Fink, I understand that what you wrote about is an important subject for yourself and you'd like to share it with the world. But, using Anandtech to publish your political views is completely is childish, egocentric and very unprofessional. Yes, you can defend that it's your blog and you can write about anything you want. But this is a tech site which deals with tech subjects and those subjects appear in the home page of your "CEO'S site". Content you generate helps bring ads targeted to your core audience, if every writter starts talking about something not related to this site, why should advertisers pay top dollars to place ads on a highly targeted site...let alone probably the most respected one nowadays in the industry? I have had a notion that since Anandtech started placing blog entries the site's content quality had gone down...I really couldn't point my finger at something but I felt it. A post like yours makes me understand things better the site is generating a lot of personal opinions about personal subjects instead concentrating on informing us about the latest developments in the tech world. I see it with Anad's home theater experiences, etc. But at least those were on topic and could be dismissed as minor glitches in a well-oiled tech publishing machine. Seriously, don't use Anandtech to vent your personal views, maybe advertise it here in some unobtrusive way in the site. But keeping the "this is my blog and I can write what I want attitude" is narrow, mediocre and egocentric approach that causes more harm than good to the overall site. With this approach in a couple of months we could be reading here about your personal hygiene habits or your taste in porn or whatever it is you are extremely passionate about. Besides for political views there are respected and independent establishments just like Anandtech where I'm willing to read articles such as yours from the pros, here I'd rather unwind and read about tech from the pros.
Political diatribes really have no place in the technical blog sphere, this kind of intolerant name calling even more so. How can anyone write the sentence, "I also remember as a child that North Carolina was a reliably Democratic state in the days before Red and Blue became boundaries for hate and intolerance." without realizing they’ve just called half their readers intolerant and hateful? The political bloggers do this all that time it’s how politics works, but in the middle of a blog that has always contained purely technical articles it has no place.
I to am ecstatic that America demonstrated to the world on Tuesday that the Civil Rights movement worked and due to people such as yourself Mr. Fink we can firmly say racism has no hold on us. But, please to not mix your apparent dislike for Republicans with Obama’s success. They have nothing to do with each other.
What makes you assume my quote was only referring to half the readers. With name calling on both sides of the Red-Blue boundaries these days I am calling ALL potentially intolerant and hateful toward the other side. I remember times when being from a Dem or Rep state was a passing fact and not a reason to hate each other.
I am hopeful that blurring the boundaries and cracking the race ceiling in this election will help us to quit the name-calling, labeling, and baiting. We are ALL sick of it.
Nicely written Wesley. From one fogey to another: these are incredible times. I come from a red state, Idaho, and there are plenty of prejudiced/racist voters here. It's amazing to me how many people still live in that mental/ideological stone age. This election was as big as humans on the moon...amazing. Glad we are here to witness it.
Ugh. The statements people make. "I come from a red state, Idaho, and there are plenty of prejudiced/racist voters here"
Probably all democrats you're talking about then. I've met lots of prejudiced/racist democrats. And most don't even know it.
I am also a fogey. Growing up in rural Northern Virginia (King George County).
I moved to MN in 1978.
I met more racists, backwards people in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul (a deep blue state) than I had ever perceived or experienced in Virginia.
I would argue that the intellectual candor and intelligence of most of the people I knew in Virginia was very evolved. I won't say nobody votes on race, but it's a tiny number. Virginians are more proud about supporters to states rights, and don't care what "color" or "race" you're from. There is room in pragmatic conservatism for everyone.
Virginians are some of the most intelligent, even handed, courteous and non-racist of any "Southern State" I've ever met. At least everyone I knew.
My HIGH SCHOOL history teacher in MN told the class "There is only one reason for the Civil War. Southerners are racists, Northerners weren't. The war was fought for one reason. Freedom of slaves."
Poorly written Wesley. Your "pride" in the choice of your state to vote, may have come Republicans crossing the line to vote the right person into office based on the choice Not a reflection of racism.
Without judgment on the actual piece I too believe that it's better to keep religion, politics and... sports out of AnandTech and other tech websites. Even if it's just a blog.
Equating the Republican party with racism is inaccurate. Racism has existed throughout both major political parties but is taboo today. The Neo-Conservative movement is a subset of the GOP that bases its power on Christian fundamentalists who are the largest unified voting block in the country. However, the talking points of the neocon movement have never been racist. Abortion, gay rights, and other legislated morality have been their focus. The same people who vote for neoconservatives may be disproportionately racist, but this is not the issue of the neoconservative movement. Before the neoconservative movement, most Christian fundamentalists were apolitical. It was the neoconservative movement that drove these people to the polls in an effort to create a Christian nation (largely under the guise that it started that way).
The shift towards the Democratic party has little to do with the neocons. Loss of buying power and jobs has driven the nation to the Democratic party in hopes of recovery. The McCain campaign was actually ahead in September, seeing a large boost after the Palin nomination reinvigorated neocon support. If credit had stayed good for another two months, we would likely have McCain in the White House.
I'm a student at Duke and I know that this campus is overwhelmingly composed of Democratic Obama supporters, transplanted, like another commenter said, from blue states. There was a huge push for the democratic ticket on campus and in the surrounding area and I'm glad the effort from the youth vote seems to have made a difference.
That said, maybe it's because I've been living in this academic environment, or perhaps NC really has shifted, but I haven't noticed much of a difference in culture or racial relations compared to Maryland, where I'm from.
..Also, would Anand or any of the other writers be interested in holding a reader meetup in the Research Triangle Area? I think that would draw a lot of interest ;)
I am a minority and a conservative. I find it objectionable that you would associate Republicans with racism (racism does not observe party lines).
The continued defense of your post show it was not a well thought or delivered "opinion piece." It was assumptive of the readers beliefs and did not qualify statements represented as fact.
The only "Transformation" that I can see is this site's tolerance of being the delivery mechanism for your opinion.
but both parties have changed too. while neiither party has a monopoly on racism and intolerance historically, it's better to look at things as they are now rather than trying to extrapolate from the past:
- The Republican party of Lincoln bears absolutely no resemblance to the Republican party of today;
- While the Democratic party housed a large contingent of racists in the mid-20th century (including Robert Byrd), it was also home to a large progressive wing; that is a constant that stands to this day;
- The Democrats did not run a campaign based on fear and subtle race baiting. The Republicans did, adhering to a tradition established decades ago. Own up to it for a change!
Now the shoe is on the other foot: Republicans are the ones who are bitter and angry while the Dems are the ones who are looking forward with hope and optimism. We get to clean up the mess left behind. We can only hope the Republican Party will ditch its know-nothingism for a more inclusive and rational ideological stance. I suspect that will not happen.
I was just in the triangle area this past weekend to visit my friend. It would have been awesome to know that your headquarters were right there. Both of us being computer geeks, we would have definitely visited the "headquarters"
So we have a half-black, half-white person as president-elect, and now we can say a big step has been made toward ending racism in NC.
I wonder how many african-american voters voted for Obama just because he is black (or half-black). In fact, I wonder how many white voters voted for Obama just because he is black. Still sounds like racism to me. Liberals seem to want to keep every group compartmentalized so they can each claim some special "right" they think is theirs. Conservatives (not necessarily Republicans) would prefer to have everyone in a homogeneous melting pot and to give them an equal shot at equal rights.
...except when the conservatives' seat of power is threatened. Then, boy, watch the buckets of mud fly! Equal shot at equal rights, coming from you, is nonsense. The conservatives' "equality of opportunity" is a lie, and proven as such by your performances in the real world. Yeah, you guys don't discriminate: you screw every race and creed over equally. The Willie Horton/Rev. Wright stuff doesn't fly. Nobody cares anymore. Game over!
And skip the minorities' "special rights" and reverse racism stuff. Most blacks voted for Obama BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE YOU, GENIUS!We've moved on. You're still fighting the campaigns from 20 years ago. That's why we'll continue to win going forward. The Dems finally adjusted their thinking. The Repubs are just beginning to enter the dark tunnel of isolation. Enjoy it! I know I'll enjoy watching it.
As a citizen of the United States of America, I believe that is time to simply be an "American". Especially, in this time of economic turmoil, let us lay aside being republican, democrat, white, black, Christian, atheist, etc. and just be Americans. Whether we supported the candidacy of the newly elected president or not, he is now OUR president and we should support him in every way possible and, indeed, hope that he is successful in his efforts to govern this country.
Now with the above said I, also, resent being called racist because I choose to be a political conservative and am therefore a republican. While I disagree with liberals on many things and, in fact, believe them to be often wrong as well, I respect their right to their opinions. In return, I would hope to have my beliefs respected. After all, being an American gives us each the right to free speech and free thinking.
I have always thought the description “African-American” to be incorrect. I think that “American of African descent” is better. I describe myself as an “American of European descent” because I am an American whose ancestors came to America from Europe. I have never been to Europe. I don’t know any family members in Europe. I certainly don’t consider myself to a “European-American”. It seems to me that the same thinking holds true with “African-American”.
Finally, Mr. Fink, while you have the right to your opinions, I can’t say that I much approve of your presentation. I believe it is way past time to stop concentrating on the past, which cannot be changed, and get on with making the future better.
...and when a blog is shown on the first page of a site, it surely would be good to keep the subject close to the main topic of that site.
We have a saying in Europe: everybody knows politics and football (soccer, for you). On the same tone, I'm eager to read Mr. Fink's next musings on knitting. Or maybe photo cameras... Oh wait, I already read some of his amateur diatribes on modern cameras; certainly, not more "modern" than knitting.
While I can feel for somebody that's older than "readers under 30" (because I'm over that age too), I also feel that AnandTech deserves to keep the high-level for which it got its renown; as the Bushes ;) finally stepped down, it's high time for Wes to make way for people that actually care about that high level, without thinking that (once they've been around for some time) they can write half-a$$ed reviews or, even worse, defamatory ramblings.
The problem with assigning racism to a particular political belief is that it falls short of the true root of racism: human nature.
By our fallen nature, we strive against anyone who is different than us, whether by philosophy, culture or ethnicity.
You can look at any group of people in any location on the planet and find contention, whether you look in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or any of the multitude of islands on this earth.
That contention runs the gamut of looking oddly at your neighbor to the genocidal atrocities seen throughout history in all of those locations.
I live in a state that, a mere 200 years ago, became a unified country by virtue of one island leader slaughtering the leaders and soldiers of the other seven major islands in the area.
They were all of the same race.
The hatred between the ethnicities of Asia is matched by the tribal slaughter practiced all over Africa.
The basic difference between the conservative and liberal school of thought centers around each school's view of the government's place in a citizen's life, nothing more.
Unfortunately, the devolution of civility in our society is such that both schools of thought reach all too quickly for the old accusations that have little or no merit.
The two main political parties in the US have long used human nature to artificially create acrimony between people who, under most circumstances, would be the best of friends.
Are there still knuckle-draggers out there who are stupid enough to think that race makes a difference?
Sure, and they come in all shapes, sizes and political leanings.
I did not vote for Barack. My opposition to his presidential bid was due to his political stance, not the color of his skin.
To attempt to construe my vote as being that of a racist is an insult, especially from people who do not know me.
Now that he has been elected as my president, I will support him as strongly as I have his predecessors.
I will also try my best to counter his actions where his political viewpoint diverges from mine.
That's the right and responsibility of all citizens of the US.
I would NEVER imply in any way that those who voted against Barack Obama are racist. There are many other valid reasons for choosing another candidate over Obama and I know plenty of people who voted for others who don't have a racist bone in their body.
My point was that an African-American winning states like Virginia and North Carolina is truly an event that says a great deal about America's evolution - and in this case North Carolina's evolution. It IS a very big deal in the historical perspective.
The story was to provide something of a personal historical perspective. Many of my Republican friends in the South have no idea of the history of the rise of that party in the South. Many also claim to be conservative, but the party they support bears little resemblance to the definition of conservative described by Barry Goldwater.
Politics should be kept away from computer tech sites unless it actually relates to computers or technology in some major way. It brings so many strong feelings to the surface and it's easy to step on each others toes or get carried away in long, heated discussions.
Nearly 50% of Anandtech's American readers did vote for the Reps and you also have a not insignificant number of readers from other parts of the world who may not be interested in US politics at all... and if we are, there are many other, more appropriate forums where those issues can be discussed.
Before you call me ignorant, I did stay up until the morning (in my time zone) to see the results come in. But I won't share any of my opinions here because this is just "my source for hardware analysis and news".
I lived in North Carolina for almost 4 years. Overall I loved the area. The one thing I didn't like about the area was the racial tension. I was raised in Massachusetts so the racial issues of the south where not something I was used of. Not to say there is no racism in the north east, it's just much less of a problem. I too am glad that things are changing and I hope they continue to change and I agree politics in their own shameful way contribute to racism. I hope this a sign that things are going to change for good.
Without really meaning to do it, you just offended a large group of your readers. Your comment about the Republican party moving beyond racism is a particular slam. Believe me when I say racism crosses racial and political party affiliation.
It's good that you feel good about your state and I agree that the glass ceiling has been broken. I hope that people of all races can move to the top of their company or party based on their merits without being called an Uncle Tom (terribly insulting phrase isn't it). I'm proud of our state electing a minority governor here in Louisiana. He's done an awesome job.
I have been called a lot of things in my life but never a racist. That is until today. I guess there must be 57M of us, since that is the number of Republican votes in this election.
The fact that I live in South Carolina makes it just that much worse according to your opinion. If I am a racist for that fact, so be it, but then that makes you a bigot Mr. Fink.
Using your generalization we can conclude that any Demoncrat, sorry, Democrat from the South is a bigot. Is that true? Of course it is not, just like being a Republican in the south does not make me a racist.
Also, do you know the history of FDR when it came race relations? How about the fact that FDR appointed two of the worst segregationist in the country to the Supreme Court. Our own native son, Jimmy Byrnes, a leader of the Democratic party, an "assistant president" in the later years of FDR's presidency according to most sources, and his personal choice for VP in the 1944 election. Of course Truman was chosen by the party but we almost had a leading Democratic Segregationist as President, almost as scary as Cheney today when you think about it. Yes, us racist republicans have a sense of humor.
The second one being Hugo Black. A former Democratic Senator from Alabama who was a member of the KKK and became notorious for defending and usually winning racial murder cases involving KKK members. It was Black who joined the majority on the court and authored the opinion letter that supported FDR's illegal internment program during WWII of over 120k Japanese Americans. Hmmm, a democratic president sends over 120K people to concentration camps because of their race and we get all upset at a republican president when a couple of hundred terrorists are not getting Satellite TV during break time in Cuba.
How about another one of our native sons, Ernest Hollings. You know the "liberal" Democratic Senator and former Governor of South Carolina. He was one of four Democratic governors in the South who fought bitterly for continued segregation in their states during the 60s. In fact, he personally made sure that rebel flag flew at the state capitol all those years.
Let's not even get started about Robert Byrd who by all accounts made Jessie Helms look like an angel most times. Also, read up on Nixon vs Herndon in 1927 and then tell me that the Democratic party is clean in the South when it comes to racism. Even better, how about the 21 Democratic senators from the South that opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including both senators from North Carolina. Al Gore Jr. never mentions that his dad, Al Gore Sr. was one of the leaders of this group.
Over 40% of the Democrats in Congress voted against that act, while 80% of Republicans supported it. The NAACP presented Everett Dirksen who was the ranking republican a civil rights accomplishment award in 1965 for his tireless efforts in getting that act passed. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was even worse from a Democratic support level, once again, all opposition came from the South, states that were heavily represented by Democrats who opposed the measure.
It goes on and on including the KKK infested 1924 Democratic Convention in New York, read up on John William Davis who was nominated by the Democratic party for President that year, what a guy he was when it came to race relations, actually he did fine in some cases but overall he would be considered a racist by you.
My point is that racism can be found anywhere, anytime, and crosses all party lines. The fact that you generalized racists with all Republicans from the South makes you a bigot and the fact you are a Democrat from the old South also makes you a racist according to history. Of course that is just plain stupid but I hope you can see just how dumb it was to tie my party affiliation and location together to come up with me being a racist.
quote: The Obama win in North Carolina and Virginia is also good news for the Republican Party. Perhaps in reinventing itself from this humiliating landslide victory by the Democrats
Really? 4-5% is a landslide? In California 4% is a slim margin for Prop 8, so slim they keep checking the numbers hoping they change.
And the quip about racism is a republican legacy? are you serious? You know Lincoln was a republican right?
you need to do some research about the republican party in Lincolns time. It has nothing to do with the republicans of today. hell, the republican party of today has nothing to do with the republican party I remember 25 years ago. It's really too bad.
The final margin of 53-46 is 7 points, which is the largest winning percentage in recent history for a Democrat and the lrgest margin since Bush-Dukakis and Reagan-Mondale. Most analysts are now calling it a landslide.
I was thinking that maybe it was about the tranformation and growth of the Raleigh Durham area and maybe some information about technology there. But no, it's a political diatribe. That's pretty slick tossing in your inane political opinions in the midst of all these good tech articles and news story.
It's a Blog, and a Blog is an opinion piece. You could stop reading whenever you wish.
I'm sorry that after reading this you see the article as a political diatribe. That was certainly not my intention. It is to me an overview of many years of change in a place I love.
I found it hard to believe there wasn't anything technology oriented in your overview, so I ended up reading it hoping maybe I'd get some information about the place since Forbes says it's a great place to live for housing and jobs.
You're saying that before this election you could "be sure in any future election that a Red victory in the South was at least partly the result of lingering racism." That must be especially true in South Carolina where the Confederate battle flag has a memorial on the state capital lawn. Republican South Carolina Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham surely didn't win their seats by their own merit, but won their seats because of "lingering racism" or they benefited from the Strom Thurmond's and the southern Republicans' "legacy of racism" or maybe they won by "preaching the politics of exclusion, barrier fences, and fear". You leave me to think that South Carolina's Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is one of the biggest racist... he didn't take the battle flag down, he grew up on a plantation and now lives in an exclusive part of Charleston... and we all know about the history of plantations and Charleston. Give me a break you're not sorry at all.
assemblage,
you can spew all you want about what you are calling a diatribe, but the fact remains: Wesley lived through some of the most awful moments of our country. I don't know how old you are, but this man's experience lets him appreciate this election and the history of his state in a way some of us younger people just cannot grasp. I was crying with the presidential announcement, and all I had was my father's stories of not being able to eat at certain places for consideration. I don't think Wesley was attacking the republican party. He was simply sharing an experience/view he thought (and I definitely agree) is important with a mostly younger population. He lived through the racist politics and his statement that racism is still very much present, especially in the south is very true. You would be a fool to think that racism does not influence politics. The amount of racism and ignorance that came out and was caught on video from the republican supporters is (only a small part) proof to that. I am happy that the evil that once controlled the laws in your state, Wesley, has taken somewhat of a back seat to allow and major shift.
I thank you, Wesley, for posting and sharing your story. I also thank you for sitting in and helping that motorist. This alone demands respect for your article. Would most of you readers have the guts to puts yourself at risk? Who cares if this is a tech website. We will never experience something like this in our lifetimes. Let a comment come from a senior website admin. Because now, when my child is born and I ask him what he wants to do when he grows up, and he asks me if he can be president, I will tell him, "Yes you can." And I will believe it. Thanks Wesley for your state's support in making this possible. Racism has been, and is a part of politics. Period. We have dealt a big blow to this evil.
Peace.
This isn't spew anymore than Mr. Fink's. I didn't write the blog, I'm just pointing out how unfair, untrue and race baiting it is. Just look at the quotes...."one of the Republican Party’s legacies in the South is racism","the party will never be able to effectively play the racism card again", "There are areas of the South, it turns out, where running a campaign based on racism and hate and fear just won’t play reliably any more", "Perhaps in reinventing itself from this humiliating landslide victory by the Democrats, the Republican Party can find a way to be inclusive again - embracing African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Gays, Atheists, Muslims, and ALL Americans, instead of preaching the politics of exclusion, barrier fences, and fear. Whether that happens or not we can never again be sure in any future election that a Red victory in the South was at least partly the result of lingering racism." This is indeed saying the southern Republican party is racist. Since there isn't a southern republican party, he's saying the southerners who are republican are racist. From his exclusion list he's just indirectly saying, the racists are republicans who are southern, Christian, heterosexual and white. It's those people who preach politics of exclusion, erect barriers and intimidate those who aren't like them. It's those people who run campaigns based on racism, hate and fear. It's those people who you'll never be sure have this lingering racism that compels them to vote based on race. That's incredibly unfair and untrue generalization. Intentional or not, it's race baiting. Mr. Fink says in a post, "I would NEVER imply in any way that those who voted against Barack Obama are racist." Well Mr. Fink is implying that if they are southern republicans nobody is sure if their vote is racially motivated or not, but it's a good possiblity it was.
I actually live in what's, according to Mr. Fink, the bastion of southern racism, Strom Thurmond's old voting precinct. I didn't poll, but I did have a few conversations about the election. None of my white friends and coworkers said they're dislike was racially motivate. All my black friends and coworkers voted for Obama and one of they're reasons was racially motivated. They said he's black and his victory would show their son's and daughters they could do and be anything.
I was born and raised in Raleigh, attended school at NC State, and I have to agree with your comments.
I think those who detract you here simply have no concept of what you refer to as "the Republican party of the South," which is exactly as you have portrayed it. It is easy to ignore those comments because they clearly do not have the exposure to those politics, and certainly not the history living within it to back up their accusations.
No one who lived through Helms or Thurmond would ever defend them as "non-racists." These are the guys who took over the Republican party, in fact, when they felt the Democrats of the 40s and 50s and had abandoned their historical small government, low taxes platforms. Strom created the "Dixie-Crat" party as a break-away faction, which after a few cycles, eventually drew majority support from Republican voters, and became the powerful base that we see in the Republican party today.
Undeniably, the core of the Dixi-Crat platform was segregation and racists politics; this being the primary platform of Thurmond's presidential campaign so many years ago (imagine how far back we would be today had this hateful, disgusting person become president?)
I know that this isn't the general core of the Republican party today, but it remains the ideology that changed the Republican party in those days, and the ideology that rested the Southern states from historically democratic control. This is also why you see majority African Americans voting democratic, despite their traditional socially conservative values.
Living in the south, you'd have to be a fool to deny the racist origins of modern Republican power. Unfortunately, I see this beginning anew, with the Rovian tactics of populism, the hijacking of the Republicans by the vocal fundamentalists. They are no longer the party of "small government and low taxes," unless they choose to shed the neo-con base that has had this grip on their ideology for 2 decades now.
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ap90033 - Thursday, July 9, 2009 - link
Please read both Common Sense Books. Both Parties SUCK. Obama is currently on a non stop spending spree that is Killing the economy. We need some non Progressive leaders that dont play party games and look out for the People and the Constitution. I mean really, with all the spending, stupid Czars Obama is appointing, taking over all kinds of businesses, Cap and Trade (predicted to be the biggest tax increase in history if passed), lack of transparaency, and just playing the same old Washington politics and I could go on and on and on but you get the point. Guys get your head out of your rear, it isnt about if you are Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, it should be about whats best for AMERICA.Again I cant stress this enough READ (if you are a liberal you should have an open mind right?) Common Sense by Glen Beck (A Libertarian btw not a Republican)...
ap90033 - Thursday, July 9, 2009 - link
Also, CAN WE PLEASE GET OVER THE COLOR of our skin now? I would like to have people judge me by my character...I Know they will still play the race card even though an average American Black rose against all odds to be the most powerful man in the world... I just wonder how long it will take people to see they want us divided so we cant unite against this horrible progressive movement... Wake up please...
Hlafordlaes - Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - link
I was raised on the Mason Dixon line and I, too, remember how things were only a few decades ago. Yes, the switch to the Republican party in the South had a lot to do with opposition to affirmative action and the enfranchising of blacks in society.The implicit racism of the Republican Party is also quite obvious over the last 30 years. The opposition has been to social spending, as those funds are perceived to go to minorities, not spending in gral (Rep. deficits have been FAR larger than under Democrats). Just looking at the county-by-county breakdown of the last election shows that majority red correlates closely with the rural, uneducated, and fearful of displacement. These areas of the country also receive a net transfer of wealth in the form of:
- Fed funding of States (there's a net transfer from blue to red, look it up)
- Agricultural subsidies
- Placement of military bases
The unspoken fact is that rural whites are the coddled, spoiled of the US, and they don't want to compete fair and square, much to the contrary of their stated, "free-market" beliefs. It's in the blue areas where the economic present and future of the country is being forged, and where all the centers of learning and innovation are located.
All the moaning and groaning among the comments here about "don't call me a racist" is feigned indignance. If you voted for a party using the tactics employed over the last 30 years in presidential and congressional races, well, you have formally given your explicit approval to racist messages and tactics. Own up, or shut up. All that whining is unmanly.
You can flame me, but the Rovian Republican methods are too obvious, the Willie Horton scare tactics too common, the budgetary numbers too real, for you to have ground to stand on. Dissed.
ap90033 - Thursday, July 9, 2009 - link
No offense, but I self taught myself to success, I didnt need any stupid help from the STUPID Government.Quit whining about needing help and do for yourself. It DOESNT MATTER IF you ARE BLACK, WHITE, PINK or any other skin color...
Need proof? One word Obama!
KryptiK1 - Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - link
As a Virginian I have to say that I'm amused that it is our election of Mr. Obama that is seen as Virginia's repudiation of a (Republican) legacy of racism. Personally, I think that our election of Doug Wilder back in '89 should have put those notions to bed (especially since his polling numbers held up pretty well in SW VA IIRC) but then political narratives often ignore plenty of inconvenient details.rlburnside - Sunday, November 9, 2008 - link
Oh man, what a canard and false dichotomy about websites regarding politics and technology. Only a fool doesn't realize everything's interconnected, and then posts ranting about the OP's "inane" political views, and then pretends false outrage at being labelled a racist for being a republican when in fact, the only real reason to vote republican in this election is because one is, in fact, a racist.Sure, some blacks voted republican. They're called Uncle Toms. Is that insulting? Sure! Why not. It's disgusting and insulting to imagine a black would ever vote for a party that gives poor blacks life in prison for smoking pot while coke-heads get off scott free. Or that giving a working welfare black mom some additional help is considered racist while fat cat white CEOs make off with millions in taxpayer corporate welfare. Geez, such hypocrisy. If you don't want to read someone's polilical opinions, DON'T READ THEM.
And yes, many republicans are rabid racists. If you don't like that I said so, sue me. Or better, get a clue. The whole world is cheering that many of your fellow citizens finally did. So stop pretending like there's no racism...I'd think it was high time to take responsibility and skip the article or just STFU instead of trolling blog posts that have clear titles hinting them as being progressive and right-thinking Re: NC voting Democrat as being a positive development.
Just because Anandtech's a tech blog doesn't mean we cease to be human beings when we log on. So quit it with the false dichotomy about the OP shouldn't post his opinions, when almost every single other internet and traditional venue is talking about it. If you don't like it, turn off your computer and go back into the dark ages when only priests spoke and everyone else had to listen. Now we all get a voice. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Barbu - Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - link
Wow, what a beautiful display of free speech... NOT!If one's opinion is that he can take a wiz on anybody's front lawn... no comment. And it's an equal display of IQ to come on a tech site and berate people that actually want to read about tech stuff! Not to say about the language which makes me wish that there would be some form of moderation for the comments.
The only moment when I wish to hear about politics is when/if the government would actually take measures against that DMCA, against legal binding agreements that force you to install "legitimate" Sony rootkits and stuff like that.
Last thing, about "don't read if you don't care": well, that doesn't actually work if someone throws bright-painted letters right in your path; again, this is a tech site and (too) personal opinions can be displayed elsewhere. After all, Anand himself only blogged about stuff related to hardware/multimedia, not about his views on the American Pop-Corn ;)
P.S.: and yes, people will stop reading useless stuff, but if that is repeated, the entire site might take a dip in the audience. Or actually the traffic might grow; tabloids can prove that: junk in, gold out!
tcsenter - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - link
Just wanted to say I think its very innovative that Anandtech is letting historians from MoveOn.Org and the Democratic National Committee write guest blogger editorials.Surely this is just the first edition and the 'opposing' side will be given equal time in the near future. Who will be giving the right-wing side, the Christian Coalition of America? Maybe the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth? No, don't tell me! I want it to be as much of a jaw-dropping surprise. Can't wait!
headala - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - link
At first I thought this was a post about the upcoming and ironically named "Fairness Doctrine"! :-)zinfamous - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - link
well, as I commented in the forums last week, a "'Yes' on Prop 8" appeared in the Google-powered ads on the forum pages....maybe, in a way, this is the counter-opinion?
;)
headala - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - link
Hi, I registered just to post this. I'm glad that you're happy that Obama won NC. Go Heels Go!I think you might want to clarify some of your positions. Even if you didn't explicitly say that "Republicans are racist" and "anti-affirmative action is a racist position", you surely implied both. I think that's why people are angry and/or offended.
I don't think you mentioned any of Obama's policy positions or anything about his agenda. Do you know much about him, other than that he's half-black? There's a lot more to him than that. You could have written about how exciting it is that he is very pro-consumer in regard to privacy and net-neutrality.
I know quite a few white people who are Democrats; in fact, almost all of the registered democrats I know are white. I also know quite a few African Americans who are Republicans.
There are a lot of African-Americans, especially educators, that are against affirmative action because it actually stifles excellence in many areas of education. So are they racist? Are you sure that you can call the 'hands' ad (I haven't seen it, so it's an honest question) racially motivated? I think most people would like equal rights without regard to race; so are they racist too?
And, I'm sorry to tell you that voting for Obama simply because he is black IS racist and irresponsible. I am extremely happy that many African-Americans voted for the first time in their lives, but do worry a little that they did it mostly because he is also black and they believed all that CNN and their friends told them about him. Unfortunately, they believed that they had more in common with him than the color of their skin.
It's your blog, so you can do what you want. If I were you, I would clarify in the post and not post political-oriented articles anymore.
ap90033 - Thursday, July 9, 2009 - link
Thanks for an educated response. I get so sick of the racist bit. I think the new minority is quickly becoming whites as they cant say things others can and they have to watch what they do but others can do whatever they want and it isnt considered racist. There is a growing double standard in America today.The most racist people I know are black. Sad but true. As a Christian I dont believe in judging people by their skin color and I wish others would do the same. We are all unique and Special in God's eyes and that is what is important. :)
doncerdo - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Mr. Fink, I understand that what you wrote about is an important subject for yourself and you'd like to share it with the world. But, using Anandtech to publish your political views is completely is childish, egocentric and very unprofessional. Yes, you can defend that it's your blog and you can write about anything you want. But this is a tech site which deals with tech subjects and those subjects appear in the home page of your "CEO'S site". Content you generate helps bring ads targeted to your core audience, if every writter starts talking about something not related to this site, why should advertisers pay top dollars to place ads on a highly targeted site...let alone probably the most respected one nowadays in the industry? I have had a notion that since Anandtech started placing blog entries the site's content quality had gone down...I really couldn't point my finger at something but I felt it. A post like yours makes me understand things better the site is generating a lot of personal opinions about personal subjects instead concentrating on informing us about the latest developments in the tech world. I see it with Anad's home theater experiences, etc. But at least those were on topic and could be dismissed as minor glitches in a well-oiled tech publishing machine. Seriously, don't use Anandtech to vent your personal views, maybe advertise it here in some unobtrusive way in the site. But keeping the "this is my blog and I can write what I want attitude" is narrow, mediocre and egocentric approach that causes more harm than good to the overall site. With this approach in a couple of months we could be reading here about your personal hygiene habits or your taste in porn or whatever it is you are extremely passionate about. Besides for political views there are respected and independent establishments just like Anandtech where I'm willing to read articles such as yours from the pros, here I'd rather unwind and read about tech from the pros.Rigan - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Political diatribes really have no place in the technical blog sphere, this kind of intolerant name calling even more so. How can anyone write the sentence, "I also remember as a child that North Carolina was a reliably Democratic state in the days before Red and Blue became boundaries for hate and intolerance." without realizing they’ve just called half their readers intolerant and hateful? The political bloggers do this all that time it’s how politics works, but in the middle of a blog that has always contained purely technical articles it has no place.I to am ecstatic that America demonstrated to the world on Tuesday that the Civil Rights movement worked and due to people such as yourself Mr. Fink we can firmly say racism has no hold on us. But, please to not mix your apparent dislike for Republicans with Obama’s success. They have nothing to do with each other.
Wesley Fink - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
What makes you assume my quote was only referring to half the readers. With name calling on both sides of the Red-Blue boundaries these days I am calling ALL potentially intolerant and hateful toward the other side. I remember times when being from a Dem or Rep state was a passing fact and not a reason to hate each other.I am hopeful that blurring the boundaries and cracking the race ceiling in this election will help us to quit the name-calling, labeling, and baiting. We are ALL sick of it.
Bonesdad - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Nicely written Wesley. From one fogey to another: these are incredible times. I come from a red state, Idaho, and there are plenty of prejudiced/racist voters here. It's amazing to me how many people still live in that mental/ideological stone age. This election was as big as humans on the moon...amazing. Glad we are here to witness it.Homerpalooza - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Ugh. The statements people make. "I come from a red state, Idaho, and there are plenty of prejudiced/racist voters here"Probably all democrats you're talking about then. I've met lots of prejudiced/racist democrats. And most don't even know it.
I am also a fogey. Growing up in rural Northern Virginia (King George County).
I moved to MN in 1978.
I met more racists, backwards people in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul (a deep blue state) than I had ever perceived or experienced in Virginia.
I would argue that the intellectual candor and intelligence of most of the people I knew in Virginia was very evolved. I won't say nobody votes on race, but it's a tiny number. Virginians are more proud about supporters to states rights, and don't care what "color" or "race" you're from. There is room in pragmatic conservatism for everyone.
Virginians are some of the most intelligent, even handed, courteous and non-racist of any "Southern State" I've ever met. At least everyone I knew.
My HIGH SCHOOL history teacher in MN told the class "There is only one reason for the Civil War. Southerners are racists, Northerners weren't. The war was fought for one reason. Freedom of slaves."
Poorly written Wesley. Your "pride" in the choice of your state to vote, may have come Republicans crossing the line to vote the right person into office based on the choice Not a reflection of racism.
Zak - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Without judgment on the actual piece I too believe that it's better to keep religion, politics and... sports out of AnandTech and other tech websites. Even if it's just a blog.Z
lamestlamer - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
Equating the Republican party with racism is inaccurate. Racism has existed throughout both major political parties but is taboo today. The Neo-Conservative movement is a subset of the GOP that bases its power on Christian fundamentalists who are the largest unified voting block in the country. However, the talking points of the neocon movement have never been racist. Abortion, gay rights, and other legislated morality have been their focus. The same people who vote for neoconservatives may be disproportionately racist, but this is not the issue of the neoconservative movement. Before the neoconservative movement, most Christian fundamentalists were apolitical. It was the neoconservative movement that drove these people to the polls in an effort to create a Christian nation (largely under the guise that it started that way).The shift towards the Democratic party has little to do with the neocons. Loss of buying power and jobs has driven the nation to the Democratic party in hopes of recovery. The McCain campaign was actually ahead in September, seeing a large boost after the Palin nomination reinvigorated neocon support. If credit had stayed good for another two months, we would likely have McCain in the White House.
fk49 - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
I'm a student at Duke and I know that this campus is overwhelmingly composed of Democratic Obama supporters, transplanted, like another commenter said, from blue states. There was a huge push for the democratic ticket on campus and in the surrounding area and I'm glad the effort from the youth vote seems to have made a difference.That said, maybe it's because I've been living in this academic environment, or perhaps NC really has shifted, but I haven't noticed much of a difference in culture or racial relations compared to Maryland, where I'm from.
..Also, would Anand or any of the other writers be interested in holding a reader meetup in the Research Triangle Area? I think that would draw a lot of interest ;)
rowcroft - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
I am a minority and a conservative. I find it objectionable that you would associate Republicans with racism (racism does not observe party lines).The continued defense of your post show it was not a well thought or delivered "opinion piece." It was assumptive of the readers beliefs and did not qualify statements represented as fact.
The only "Transformation" that I can see is this site's tolerance of being the delivery mechanism for your opinion.
zuffa10 - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
I live in Raleigh as well from.all of us know why Obama won North Carolina.
Its all the northeastern tranplants that have moved here like me and we've finally taken the state over :)
Dadofamunky - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
but both parties have changed too. while neiither party has a monopoly on racism and intolerance historically, it's better to look at things as they are now rather than trying to extrapolate from the past:- The Republican party of Lincoln bears absolutely no resemblance to the Republican party of today;
- While the Democratic party housed a large contingent of racists in the mid-20th century (including Robert Byrd), it was also home to a large progressive wing; that is a constant that stands to this day;
- The Democrats did not run a campaign based on fear and subtle race baiting. The Republicans did, adhering to a tradition established decades ago. Own up to it for a change!
Now the shoe is on the other foot: Republicans are the ones who are bitter and angry while the Dems are the ones who are looking forward with hope and optimism. We get to clean up the mess left behind. We can only hope the Republican Party will ditch its know-nothingism for a more inclusive and rational ideological stance. I suspect that will not happen.
MarchTheMonth - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I was just in the triangle area this past weekend to visit my friend. It would have been awesome to know that your headquarters were right there. Both of us being computer geeks, we would have definitely visited the "headquarters"Occams Razor - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
So we have a half-black, half-white person as president-elect, and now we can say a big step has been made toward ending racism in NC.I wonder how many african-american voters voted for Obama just because he is black (or half-black). In fact, I wonder how many white voters voted for Obama just because he is black. Still sounds like racism to me. Liberals seem to want to keep every group compartmentalized so they can each claim some special "right" they think is theirs. Conservatives (not necessarily Republicans) would prefer to have everyone in a homogeneous melting pot and to give them an equal shot at equal rights.
Dadofamunky - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
...except when the conservatives' seat of power is threatened. Then, boy, watch the buckets of mud fly! Equal shot at equal rights, coming from you, is nonsense. The conservatives' "equality of opportunity" is a lie, and proven as such by your performances in the real world. Yeah, you guys don't discriminate: you screw every race and creed over equally. The Willie Horton/Rev. Wright stuff doesn't fly. Nobody cares anymore. Game over!And skip the minorities' "special rights" and reverse racism stuff. Most blacks voted for Obama BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE YOU, GENIUS!We've moved on. You're still fighting the campaigns from 20 years ago. That's why we'll continue to win going forward. The Dems finally adjusted their thinking. The Repubs are just beginning to enter the dark tunnel of isolation. Enjoy it! I know I'll enjoy watching it.
johncarr - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
As a citizen of the United States of America, I believe that is time to simply be an "American". Especially, in this time of economic turmoil, let us lay aside being republican, democrat, white, black, Christian, atheist, etc. and just be Americans. Whether we supported the candidacy of the newly elected president or not, he is now OUR president and we should support him in every way possible and, indeed, hope that he is successful in his efforts to govern this country.Now with the above said I, also, resent being called racist because I choose to be a political conservative and am therefore a republican. While I disagree with liberals on many things and, in fact, believe them to be often wrong as well, I respect their right to their opinions. In return, I would hope to have my beliefs respected. After all, being an American gives us each the right to free speech and free thinking.
I have always thought the description “African-American” to be incorrect. I think that “American of African descent” is better. I describe myself as an “American of European descent” because I am an American whose ancestors came to America from Europe. I have never been to Europe. I don’t know any family members in Europe. I certainly don’t consider myself to a “European-American”. It seems to me that the same thinking holds true with “African-American”.
Finally, Mr. Fink, while you have the right to your opinions, I can’t say that I much approve of your presentation. I believe it is way past time to stop concentrating on the past, which cannot be changed, and get on with making the future better.
Barbu - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
...and when a blog is shown on the first page of a site, it surely would be good to keep the subject close to the main topic of that site.We have a saying in Europe: everybody knows politics and football (soccer, for you). On the same tone, I'm eager to read Mr. Fink's next musings on knitting. Or maybe photo cameras... Oh wait, I already read some of his amateur diatribes on modern cameras; certainly, not more "modern" than knitting.
While I can feel for somebody that's older than "readers under 30" (because I'm over that age too), I also feel that AnandTech deserves to keep the high-level for which it got its renown; as the Bushes ;) finally stepped down, it's high time for Wes to make way for people that actually care about that high level, without thinking that (once they've been around for some time) they can write half-a$$ed reviews or, even worse, defamatory ramblings.
ggathagan - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
For every Strom Thurmond, there's a Robert Byrd.The problem with assigning racism to a particular political belief is that it falls short of the true root of racism: human nature.
By our fallen nature, we strive against anyone who is different than us, whether by philosophy, culture or ethnicity.
You can look at any group of people in any location on the planet and find contention, whether you look in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or any of the multitude of islands on this earth.
That contention runs the gamut of looking oddly at your neighbor to the genocidal atrocities seen throughout history in all of those locations.
I live in a state that, a mere 200 years ago, became a unified country by virtue of one island leader slaughtering the leaders and soldiers of the other seven major islands in the area.
They were all of the same race.
The hatred between the ethnicities of Asia is matched by the tribal slaughter practiced all over Africa.
The basic difference between the conservative and liberal school of thought centers around each school's view of the government's place in a citizen's life, nothing more.
Unfortunately, the devolution of civility in our society is such that both schools of thought reach all too quickly for the old accusations that have little or no merit.
The two main political parties in the US have long used human nature to artificially create acrimony between people who, under most circumstances, would be the best of friends.
Are there still knuckle-draggers out there who are stupid enough to think that race makes a difference?
Sure, and they come in all shapes, sizes and political leanings.
I did not vote for Barack. My opposition to his presidential bid was due to his political stance, not the color of his skin.
To attempt to construe my vote as being that of a racist is an insult, especially from people who do not know me.
Now that he has been elected as my president, I will support him as strongly as I have his predecessors.
I will also try my best to counter his actions where his political viewpoint diverges from mine.
That's the right and responsibility of all citizens of the US.
Wesley Fink - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I would NEVER imply in any way that those who voted against Barack Obama are racist. There are many other valid reasons for choosing another candidate over Obama and I know plenty of people who voted for others who don't have a racist bone in their body.My point was that an African-American winning states like Virginia and North Carolina is truly an event that says a great deal about America's evolution - and in this case North Carolina's evolution. It IS a very big deal in the historical perspective.
The story was to provide something of a personal historical perspective. Many of my Republican friends in the South have no idea of the history of the rise of that party in the South. Many also claim to be conservative, but the party they support bears little resemblance to the definition of conservative described by Barry Goldwater.
JimmiG - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
Politics should be kept away from computer tech sites unless it actually relates to computers or technology in some major way. It brings so many strong feelings to the surface and it's easy to step on each others toes or get carried away in long, heated discussions.Nearly 50% of Anandtech's American readers did vote for the Reps and you also have a not insignificant number of readers from other parts of the world who may not be interested in US politics at all... and if we are, there are many other, more appropriate forums where those issues can be discussed.
Before you call me ignorant, I did stay up until the morning (in my time zone) to see the results come in. But I won't share any of my opinions here because this is just "my source for hardware analysis and news".
Einy0 - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I lived in North Carolina for almost 4 years. Overall I loved the area. The one thing I didn't like about the area was the racial tension. I was raised in Massachusetts so the racial issues of the south where not something I was used of. Not to say there is no racism in the north east, it's just much less of a problem. I too am glad that things are changing and I hope they continue to change and I agree politics in their own shameful way contribute to racism. I hope this a sign that things are going to change for good.DocSparky - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
Without really meaning to do it, you just offended a large group of your readers. Your comment about the Republican party moving beyond racism is a particular slam. Believe me when I say racism crosses racial and political party affiliation.It's good that you feel good about your state and I agree that the glass ceiling has been broken. I hope that people of all races can move to the top of their company or party based on their merits without being called an Uncle Tom (terribly insulting phrase isn't it). I'm proud of our state electing a minority governor here in Louisiana. He's done an awesome job.
Just be careful with your generalizations.
goinginstyle - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I have been called a lot of things in my life but never a racist. That is until today. I guess there must be 57M of us, since that is the number of Republican votes in this election.The fact that I live in South Carolina makes it just that much worse according to your opinion. If I am a racist for that fact, so be it, but then that makes you a bigot Mr. Fink.
Using your generalization we can conclude that any Demoncrat, sorry, Democrat from the South is a bigot. Is that true? Of course it is not, just like being a Republican in the south does not make me a racist.
Also, do you know the history of FDR when it came race relations? How about the fact that FDR appointed two of the worst segregationist in the country to the Supreme Court. Our own native son, Jimmy Byrnes, a leader of the Democratic party, an "assistant president" in the later years of FDR's presidency according to most sources, and his personal choice for VP in the 1944 election. Of course Truman was chosen by the party but we almost had a leading Democratic Segregationist as President, almost as scary as Cheney today when you think about it. Yes, us racist republicans have a sense of humor.
The second one being Hugo Black. A former Democratic Senator from Alabama who was a member of the KKK and became notorious for defending and usually winning racial murder cases involving KKK members. It was Black who joined the majority on the court and authored the opinion letter that supported FDR's illegal internment program during WWII of over 120k Japanese Americans. Hmmm, a democratic president sends over 120K people to concentration camps because of their race and we get all upset at a republican president when a couple of hundred terrorists are not getting Satellite TV during break time in Cuba.
How about another one of our native sons, Ernest Hollings. You know the "liberal" Democratic Senator and former Governor of South Carolina. He was one of four Democratic governors in the South who fought bitterly for continued segregation in their states during the 60s. In fact, he personally made sure that rebel flag flew at the state capitol all those years.
Let's not even get started about Robert Byrd who by all accounts made Jessie Helms look like an angel most times. Also, read up on Nixon vs Herndon in 1927 and then tell me that the Democratic party is clean in the South when it comes to racism. Even better, how about the 21 Democratic senators from the South that opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including both senators from North Carolina. Al Gore Jr. never mentions that his dad, Al Gore Sr. was one of the leaders of this group.
Over 40% of the Democrats in Congress voted against that act, while 80% of Republicans supported it. The NAACP presented Everett Dirksen who was the ranking republican a civil rights accomplishment award in 1965 for his tireless efforts in getting that act passed. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was even worse from a Democratic support level, once again, all opposition came from the South, states that were heavily represented by Democrats who opposed the measure.
It goes on and on including the KKK infested 1924 Democratic Convention in New York, read up on John William Davis who was nominated by the Democratic party for President that year, what a guy he was when it came to race relations, actually he did fine in some cases but overall he would be considered a racist by you.
My point is that racism can be found anywhere, anytime, and crosses all party lines. The fact that you generalized racists with all Republicans from the South makes you a bigot and the fact you are a Democrat from the old South also makes you a racist according to history. Of course that is just plain stupid but I hope you can see just how dumb it was to tie my party affiliation and location together to come up with me being a racist.
Rage187 - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
Really? 4-5% is a landslide? In California 4% is a slim margin for Prop 8, so slim they keep checking the numbers hoping they change.
And the quip about racism is a republican legacy? are you serious? You know Lincoln was a republican right?
Bonesdad - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
you need to do some research about the republican party in Lincolns time. It has nothing to do with the republicans of today. hell, the republican party of today has nothing to do with the republican party I remember 25 years ago. It's really too bad.Wesley Fink - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
The final margin of 53-46 is 7 points, which is the largest winning percentage in recent history for a Democrat and the lrgest margin since Bush-Dukakis and Reagan-Mondale. Most analysts are now calling it a landslide.joe19 - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
When you look at the number of electoral votes, 364 for the democrats against 163 for the republicans, it really looks like a landslide.wwwparker - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I graduated from Chapel Hill. Go Heels!assemblage - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I was thinking that maybe it was about the tranformation and growth of the Raleigh Durham area and maybe some information about technology there. But no, it's a political diatribe. That's pretty slick tossing in your inane political opinions in the midst of all these good tech articles and news story.Wesley Fink - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
It's a Blog, and a Blog is an opinion piece. You could stop reading whenever you wish.I'm sorry that after reading this you see the article as a political diatribe. That was certainly not my intention. It is to me an overview of many years of change in a place I love.
assemblage - Thursday, November 6, 2008 - link
I found it hard to believe there wasn't anything technology oriented in your overview, so I ended up reading it hoping maybe I'd get some information about the place since Forbes says it's a great place to live for housing and jobs.You're saying that before this election you could "be sure in any future election that a Red victory in the South was at least partly the result of lingering racism." That must be especially true in South Carolina where the Confederate battle flag has a memorial on the state capital lawn. Republican South Carolina Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham surely didn't win their seats by their own merit, but won their seats because of "lingering racism" or they benefited from the Strom Thurmond's and the southern Republicans' "legacy of racism" or maybe they won by "preaching the politics of exclusion, barrier fences, and fear". You leave me to think that South Carolina's Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is one of the biggest racist... he didn't take the battle flag down, he grew up on a plantation and now lives in an exclusive part of Charleston... and we all know about the history of plantations and Charleston. Give me a break you're not sorry at all.
Gtroop - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
assemblage,you can spew all you want about what you are calling a diatribe, but the fact remains: Wesley lived through some of the most awful moments of our country. I don't know how old you are, but this man's experience lets him appreciate this election and the history of his state in a way some of us younger people just cannot grasp. I was crying with the presidential announcement, and all I had was my father's stories of not being able to eat at certain places for consideration. I don't think Wesley was attacking the republican party. He was simply sharing an experience/view he thought (and I definitely agree) is important with a mostly younger population. He lived through the racist politics and his statement that racism is still very much present, especially in the south is very true. You would be a fool to think that racism does not influence politics. The amount of racism and ignorance that came out and was caught on video from the republican supporters is (only a small part) proof to that. I am happy that the evil that once controlled the laws in your state, Wesley, has taken somewhat of a back seat to allow and major shift.
I thank you, Wesley, for posting and sharing your story. I also thank you for sitting in and helping that motorist. This alone demands respect for your article. Would most of you readers have the guts to puts yourself at risk? Who cares if this is a tech website. We will never experience something like this in our lifetimes. Let a comment come from a senior website admin. Because now, when my child is born and I ask him what he wants to do when he grows up, and he asks me if he can be president, I will tell him, "Yes you can." And I will believe it. Thanks Wesley for your state's support in making this possible. Racism has been, and is a part of politics. Period. We have dealt a big blow to this evil.
Peace.
assemblage - Friday, November 7, 2008 - link
This isn't spew anymore than Mr. Fink's. I didn't write the blog, I'm just pointing out how unfair, untrue and race baiting it is. Just look at the quotes...."one of the Republican Party’s legacies in the South is racism","the party will never be able to effectively play the racism card again", "There are areas of the South, it turns out, where running a campaign based on racism and hate and fear just won’t play reliably any more", "Perhaps in reinventing itself from this humiliating landslide victory by the Democrats, the Republican Party can find a way to be inclusive again - embracing African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Gays, Atheists, Muslims, and ALL Americans, instead of preaching the politics of exclusion, barrier fences, and fear. Whether that happens or not we can never again be sure in any future election that a Red victory in the South was at least partly the result of lingering racism." This is indeed saying the southern Republican party is racist. Since there isn't a southern republican party, he's saying the southerners who are republican are racist. From his exclusion list he's just indirectly saying, the racists are republicans who are southern, Christian, heterosexual and white. It's those people who preach politics of exclusion, erect barriers and intimidate those who aren't like them. It's those people who run campaigns based on racism, hate and fear. It's those people who you'll never be sure have this lingering racism that compels them to vote based on race. That's incredibly unfair and untrue generalization. Intentional or not, it's race baiting. Mr. Fink says in a post, "I would NEVER imply in any way that those who voted against Barack Obama are racist." Well Mr. Fink is implying that if they are southern republicans nobody is sure if their vote is racially motivated or not, but it's a good possiblity it was.I actually live in what's, according to Mr. Fink, the bastion of southern racism, Strom Thurmond's old voting precinct. I didn't poll, but I did have a few conversations about the election. None of my white friends and coworkers said they're dislike was racially motivate. All my black friends and coworkers voted for Obama and one of they're reasons was racially motivated. They said he's black and his victory would show their son's and daughters they could do and be anything.
zinfamous - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - link
Great read, Wesley, thanks for that.I was born and raised in Raleigh, attended school at NC State, and I have to agree with your comments.
I think those who detract you here simply have no concept of what you refer to as "the Republican party of the South," which is exactly as you have portrayed it. It is easy to ignore those comments because they clearly do not have the exposure to those politics, and certainly not the history living within it to back up their accusations.
No one who lived through Helms or Thurmond would ever defend them as "non-racists." These are the guys who took over the Republican party, in fact, when they felt the Democrats of the 40s and 50s and had abandoned their historical small government, low taxes platforms. Strom created the "Dixie-Crat" party as a break-away faction, which after a few cycles, eventually drew majority support from Republican voters, and became the powerful base that we see in the Republican party today.
Undeniably, the core of the Dixi-Crat platform was segregation and racists politics; this being the primary platform of Thurmond's presidential campaign so many years ago (imagine how far back we would be today had this hateful, disgusting person become president?)
I know that this isn't the general core of the Republican party today, but it remains the ideology that changed the Republican party in those days, and the ideology that rested the Southern states from historically democratic control. This is also why you see majority African Americans voting democratic, despite their traditional socially conservative values.
Living in the south, you'd have to be a fool to deny the racist origins of modern Republican power. Unfortunately, I see this beginning anew, with the Rovian tactics of populism, the hijacking of the Republicans by the vocal fundamentalists. They are no longer the party of "small government and low taxes," unless they choose to shed the neo-con base that has had this grip on their ideology for 2 decades now.