Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[clement]

I just saw a car on the road that had a "9-11 was an inside job" sticker on one side and a "Nobama" sticker on the other. Not really sure what to make of that.

Did they at least have the stickers appropriately positioned on the car--left vs. right?

Maybe they were making a subtle political joke.

They were positioned that way. That's pretty clever I suppose.

Unintentionally I'm sure. I really don't think someone who thinks 9/11 was inside job would be in the mainstream of either party. If you think back to pre-9/11 days, the most anti-government conspiracy theorists were on the far right, not the far left. Those people didn't just go away.

Michael, back in the 70's "colored" was actually a pretty accepted (or at least widely used) term to refer to African Americans. Certainly many people who used it were not using it with any intentional negative connotation. But I think it was indeed a strange term, and it was eventually deplaced in favor of Afro-American. So I was confused in the 90s when people started using the term "people of color".

[lukethedrifter]

One of my white co-workers was called a racist by another white guy because of his McCain sticker. I'm sure you are all glad I posted this.

[jim]

We played at a Democratic benefit in Iowa last weekend. A guy with a big Obama sticker came up to us and was telling us about a (n word) he knew in the army. He used the word several times.

This kind of reminds me of grandma calling African Americans, "the coloreds".

"Michael, I believe the coloreds deserve the same rights as white people."

She was actually pretty progressive.

I want to refer to people in language that they find respectful and completely understand it is their call. But.... when i was little the people in my family that used the term "colored" were the ones that were trying to be PC. From my childhood memories it was not meant to be derisive at all.

[TimeForGuinness]

My friend saw some political signs on a lawn the other day that had a McCain sign and an Obama sign on it.

Under the McCain sign, it said "His"
Under the Obama sign, it said "Hers"

I laughed.

[Michael]

Michael, back in the 70's "colored" was actually a pretty accepted (or at least widely used) term to refer to African Americans. Certainly many people who used it were not using it with any intentional negative connotation.

I know this, but when i was a little kid I found it funny. My grandma didn't mean any harm.

edit - 5k posts in this thread!

[Leroy]

Michael you have 22,222. Crazy.

[Radbird]

Will Obama suffer from the 'Bradley effect?'

The Bradley effect is named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American who ran for California governor in 1982.

Exit polls showed Bradley leading by a wide margin, and the Democrat confidentially thought it would be an early election night.

But Bradley and the polls were wrong. He lost to Republican George Deukmejian.

The theory was that polling was wrong because some voters, who did not want to appear bigoted, said they voted for Bradley even though they did not.

[Leroy]

I don't mind appearing bigoted.

[maddash]

Will Obama suffer from the 'Bradley effect?'

The Bradley effect is named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American who ran for California governor in 1982.

Exit polls showed Bradley leading by a wide margin, and the Democrat confidentially thought it would be an early election night.

But Bradley and the polls were wrong. He lost to Republican George Deukmejian.

The theory was that polling was wrong because some voters, who did not want to appear bigoted, said they voted for Bradley even though they did not.

Nate Silver has made a few posts on the Bradley Effect:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/ ... ffect.html
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/ ... oting.html
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/ ... ffect.html

Or as he sums it up - There is simply no empirical evidence that the Bradley Effect exists any longer.

[Michael]

Will Obama suffer from the 'Bradley effect?'

The Bradley effect is named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American who ran for California governor in 1982.

Exit polls showed Bradley leading by a wide margin, and the Democrat confidentially thought it would be an early election night.

But Bradley and the polls were wrong. He lost to Republican George Deukmejian.

The theory was that polling was wrong because some voters, who did not want to appear bigoted, said they voted for Bradley even though they did not.

Nate Silver has made a few posts on the Bradley Effect:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/ ... ffect.html
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/ ... oting.html
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/ ... ffect.html

Or as he sums it up - There is simply no empirical evidence that the Bradley Effect exists any longer.

Here's another skeptical article from RCP:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... ive_m.html