Barack Obama's race might be a factor for some but Michigan voters say that his race is not a factor for whether or not they will vote for Obama or not. However John McCain's age is a problem with many Michigan voters who are trying to decide to who to vote for in November's Presidential election. The latest poll coming out of Michigan shows that a small percentage of Michigan voters is willing to say Barack Obama's race will be a factor in their vote for president, but a larger segment says John McCain's age is a concern.
The Detroit News/WXYZ-Action News poll shows nearly a quarter of likely voters believe McCain's age -- he'll be 72 next month -- will affect their choice for the White House in November, and 83 percent think age will be a negative consideration for other voters. Some believe that McCain's a little too old and people are looking for change and looking for somebody younger with the energy to be able to get us out of the slump we're in. However young has not always meant good to Michigan voters particularly when you look around the state and see its economy slumping and its largest city, Detroit facing so many problems with its youngest mayor. While I'm not comparing Obama to Kilpatrick but one thing is for sure and that is Obama came from the Chicago political machine like Kilpatrick came from the Detroit political machine. Therefore in both Chicago and Detroit politics, you will find that people who come from those machines are apart of a larger scale of power, arrogance and a little bit of corruption.
Friends of mine who come live and stay in Chicago have offered me various versions of how Obama really is but the more I hear about Obama and how he came up in Chicago, I begin to realize that Obama has two sides but one main goal is in mind for him and that is winning a political office. Obama is all about winning and knows exactly how to manipulate things to get his way according to some. However as we look at the latest poll in Michigan, it shows that people believe that as one gets old, the body slows down and one has to gracefully accept it. As much as one might try, health problems sometimes kick in. Therefore with only 5 percent of Michigan voters admitting Obama's African-American heritage will play a role in their own vote -- either for or against him -- 77 percent believe other voters will be less likely to support him because of his race.
One thing is for sure and that Obama does have to sell himself to many voters in Michigan who are just seeing him and getting to know about him up close and in person as he campaigns in the state now. The minister controversy might still be in some Michigan voters heads who don't understand why Obama continued to go to the church he went to and some voters even believe that while a lot of people say race will have no effect, but when you are in that tiny voting booth and the curtains close, I think a lot of people will say they don't want an African-American for president. Race has especially gotten heated up again, the black-white thing in the wake of the city of Detroit scandal. For year's race has been an issue between the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan with Detroit have the largest African American population percentage for a city in the US at nearly 85%.
That's why with Obama being the first African-American to be the presumptive nominee of a major party for president, it has really made a candidate's race a new election dynamic. Now Obama's race should have nothing to do with his qualifications and neither should McCain's age have anything to do with is qualifications because the new generation seems to take people for who they are and that is the motto that everyone in America should know. It is truly something to watch the next upcoming months to how will Obama's race and McCain's age plays a factor in who's America's next President. I do believe that many people have moved beyond race so it's not a big deal for them like it probably would have been during the 1960s or 70s or the 80s for that matters. However I will not go so far as to say people are color-blind, but I think first of all, fortunately for Obama, this election is really not about him. This election is about George Bush. If one was offered the choice between being black and having George Bush hung around their neck, I believe they would choose black.
Now the issue of age is not a new debate to presidential politics because Ronald Reagan heard it in 1988 when at 73 he became the oldest man elected president. The late great JFK (John Kennedy) heard it, too, in 1960 when at age 43 he was elected America's youngest president. Therefore age cuts both ways: Wisdom and sense of history are usually attributable to age, but vigor and vitality to youth. Many people will not necessarily be looking at age but they will be watching the physical energy of both men. So far, when people look at the outward appearances of the candidates, Obama has considerable and boundless energy and that doesn't come across with McCain.
McCain, who has had three bouts with melanoma, spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and as a result of poor treatment can't lift his arms over his head. Nonetheless, it has stopped many from beng enthusiatic about McCain and many believe that since McCain has a 96 year old mom who is feisty as all get out that he can be the same way. McCain's medical history might be hard to grasp for some but the medial folks say he is fine. So McCain's age should not be a factor in this election and neither should Obama's race. So I hope that the voters of Michigan and the United States don't use a man's race or age as a reason not to be vote for them but instead looks at each candidate policies to make their decision as to who they will support come this November.
References:
Poll: Barack Obama, John McCain in tight race in Michigan; Nader, Barr could be spoilers http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-poll-2008-michigan,0,3478266.story
EXCLUSIVE: Poll Shows MI Dead Heat http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/2008vote/story.aspx?content_id=368148b9-40c2-4716-b1ee-49b4903a9155
McCain campaign optimistic about Michigan http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS15/80722092/1215
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