So, what, to not have a shameful and embarrassing national identity we have to wait for old people to die off? If Obama gets the nomination and all the sacred, elemental voters go McCain, I suppose his policies on healthcare and whatnot will give them their just desserts. One small step forward for women, one giant leap nowhere for blacks?

I'd expect nothing less from those who presume to wag their finger and lecture me about my morality.

An interesting sidelight to Obama's "bitter" controversy was how so much sensitivity is required towards the feelings of people in small towns and rural areas, and even to some degree to suburban soccer moms and nascar dads, yet it's always been fair game to say what you want about us urbanites. It's hardly new. I've been conscious of it since at least the early 1990's, so I suspect it goes much further back.

What jump? There's never a jump. Why do these authors think there's a jump? And even if there were a jump, better to say "Scroll down for more" or some similarly descriptive advice.

Thankfully, not all of us in small-town, Southern America think this way!

"Race. I really don't want an African-American as President. Race."

That's a Democrat speaking!

No, that is no democrat - that is a racist speaking and until you can see that clearly it will always be invisible.

Racism is hate. Period - plain and simple. Time to stop allowing hate because it is a hassle to bust these jerks when they spew forth their poisonous inanity, ignore it and it festers and eventually creates a problem.

You insult all democrats by offering that misnomer.

The uni-bomber could have been a democrat - would you ever dare print his hate and say "That's a Democrat speaking!" and think you are offing something insightful?

Giving rank and obvious hate a platform in print - in a progressive blog and then associating it with either party is shameful. Quit it.

Ah, rural America, desperate to preserve the last vestiges of a bygone era. It's sure going to be different when Hispanics are 'middle America.'

Well ya know sometimes I'm suprised there aren't some folks who will swear the earth is flat and that all else rotates around our earthly existance (ok there is an abundance of those).

What can we do but shake our heads. I so wish we could peal back the label and just be American.

I'd vote for Obama except his adviser is Zbigniew Brzezinski. Brzezinski encouraged China to support Poi Pot, armed and radicalized Al-Quida to fight Russia. Brzezinski and Ms. Obama are Counsel of Forgein Relations members. CFR shapes our aggressive foreign policy and plays a key roll in the Security and Prosparity Partnership with Mexico and Canada. Obama voted for the Real ID, Patriot Act II, and funding for the war (ending it is support). Plus, I think he should stand beside his Pastor who is speaking out against government corruption.

I need the actions to match the words. The economy, the war on terror, Iraq, Afganistan, Iran, Executive directives, Homegrown Terrorism and Radicalization, speach zones, FEMA, Homeland Security, wire taps, Blackwater, Mental health screening, GMO foods, torcher camps, toll roads and Inflation/hyperfation.

I'd get stuck on abortion or homosexual marrage but above that I want our federal government to repect the Supreme Law of the Land.

Hey People,

You need to get your heads out of the sand. It is not just in the south, I live in california and have kids in public high school. The kids are getting more and more segragated, by their OWN choice.
When i was in high school, many diferent races would eat together, but from what i am told now, that DOES NOT happen. The mexicans kids have little tijuana, the blacks have little africa, the whites have scandia...
It is not because all parents of every race are biggots, but it seems to be a natural progression...? (ie birds of a feather)..?
I don't know, i mean, how is it that ALL the kids now feel so much agression aginst the other races...?

What do you think..?

Bill

What I think is... you spent most of your school time in the cafeteria watching people and forming your world view, while the Africans, Mexicans, and Scandias (whatever the hell they are) went to class...

I am certain the non-bigots have both more class and have had more classes.

Racist is hate, hate is rooted in fear and self-loathing.

Teach your children to love others unconditionally and they can love themselves in the same measure, teach them to hate by even an iota and the hate will eat their character and soul from within like a disease. The hate will corrupt anything good that was a gift or birth right. Hate will demoralize a kind and loving nature

Kids have to have permission from their family and parents to be able to love all others - there is only one race - the human race - with all of the variation of color, height, body types and personal goals and interests.

Capt-Hussein, Obama is a hatemonger as evidenced by his side kick Pastor Wright. There is no room in a democratic society for such hate and racism that comes from these too. Say no to racism, vote for Senator Clinton.

(Sally, your manifestly ignorant comment flabbergasts me.) I am from KY and yes, many of the inhabitants of small-towns there are racist, ignorant, intolerant, and hate-filled Americans who deserve to be challenged, criticized, and chastised for their opposition to what America "stands for" as much as anyone else--including obnoxious preachers. I have lived there. I know. The situation will not change until someone figures out that EDUCATION is the most important issue in this country. The media does not help by daily encouraging the dumbing-down of our children AND our adults. On this point, I will commend Senator Obama on his proposed education plans that do not cater to the lowest common denominator, but propose to give students motivation to learn, express, and use new forms of intelligence and literacy. I hope one day, we can elect a president without having to resort to a prayer that there are more intelligent people than idiots in this country.

"Inthecourseofhumanevents" you manifest my sentiments perfectly--that you can appear intelligent by invoking incomplete and unsourced info on Dr. Brzezinski, and then spell "torture camps" as
"torcher camps" should be evidence enough that serious measures need to be taken to levee the foundations of public office from the flow of ignorance flooding through this country.

I've got to say that I'm in complete agreement with you Bonnie from Ky

Sally, you really can't expect us to take too seriously the opinion of someone who confuses the difference between too and two can you? To and too is understandable, but too and two? Now I realize that you are most likely a product of the public education system that the conservatives have been destroying for the past thirty or so years. But the ignorance that you manifest is both deplorable, and an indication of how the conservatives have managed to bring this once great nation to such a sorry state.

sally I would not get too upset over confusing too with two.
hey I have a phd and make errors all the time in my comments.

what you may want to do is look deep inside yourself and ask if you and others are looking for a reason not to vote for a person whose skin is black.

if we are a racist any excuse will do even if it is one remark like bitter or one's pastor.

vote for hillary sally so she can finish the job her husband started more of reagan economics.

it matters not who wins the die is cast. politicans are only a reflection of the voters.

it is two easy to blame the politicans rather than look within. sorry my idea of humor.

There are bigots in both parties. The conservatives cast a larger net of hatred that seems to draw more attention, but that this Democrat Jonathan encountered is a racist doesn't surprise me. There are Democrats who are bigoted towards specific races and there are Democrats who are bigoted towards the poor and illiterate. I grew up with a mother who is still a rabid Republican and heard her use the term 'liberal elite' all the time. Now I know she used it ignorantly and indiscriminately, but I have come to know that this type does exist. They are the progressive professional that just love having my partner and I to shindigs at their house. I always suspect that this is their internal justification: "Gays add such a sense of style to any event! And those two always dress nice and speak clearly!" But these same folks can still be caught saying things like, "You didn't park your car over on such-and-such street, did you? That area's a little..." Translation: the "blacks" OR the "white trash" live there. This is in my home town and I know for a fact that random street crime is simply not an issue in the areas these people are talking about. All I am getting at is that I think Jonathan meant 'And this was a Democrat, whom we identify as being above the pettiness and ugliness of hate!' Which, after all, I get, but think is a bit naive. I think discrimination takes a fair amount of ego, for a person to assume they can cleverly sift out the bad from the good based on an internal formula that is always infallible. So foolish and short-sighted.

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation.
Stop sending taxpayer money to Israel that kills third world people.

Keep things in perspective. Gianni Alemanno, 50, a firebrand neo-fascist and the first Right-wing mayor of the city since the Second World War, vowed to make Rome “secure” as he was sworn into office after his election at the weekend.

The election of Mr Alemanno confirmed a strong shift to the Right by Italians, who have been sickened by a spate of violent crimes committed by immigrants.

Earlier this month, the centre-Right leader Silvio Berlusconi was re-elected as prime minister and will form a government in partnership with Umberto Bossi, the leader of the anti-immigration Northern League.

In a sign of things to come, after Mr Alemanno’s election Mr Berlusconi declared: “We are the new Falange.”