IMO, money, marketing, skin color etc should have zip to do with it. I would like see ALL democracies level the palying field for ALL Candidates and limit the amount they can spend. Then, if elected, they can use the remainder and the loosers can donate the rest to a charity.

What I think you are missing here is that Obama’s campaign has broken the mould. He is not in the super-rich bracket. His funding has come in part from the usual Democrat backers, but much more from the general public, with the average donation around $85. He is really is the people’s choice!

Why? Certainly not simply because he is black. His mixed-race heritage may beautifully symbolise the changing face of America, but ability is what got him into the Senate in the first place and now the White House. By all accounts he is extremely bright and driven. He is not a figurehead.

The only reason that he has any help with speech-writing these days is shortage of time. On his way to the Senate he established a reputation as an author and orator on his own merits.

A LOT like Windows V.s Macs. Most now know that Macs are better, but M$ marketed Windows early on and a whole better than Apple.

The BIG flaw in THIS Election, was people WANTED a black President and Obama’s speech writers cashed in on that. I bet a white Obama wouldn’t stand a chance due to his age and gross inexperience.

Well, the US voted for change (people often believe grass is always greener on the other side and love Robin Hoods) and change they will get. Not sure they will like what is coming though

The same thing goes with voting for someone because of gender. I know for a fact that there were people who voted Republican specifically because they wanted to see a woman in power…something that would have been a strong possibility had McCain been elected. That man may not live to see the 2012 election, and if he does he may well be in a wheelchair sucking oxygen from a tank.

If anything, this illustrates the fatal flaw in North American elections…they do not accurately represent the viewpoints and/or ideals of the population. There’s the real issue we should be talking about…how to fix the dinosauric first-past-the-post system or replace it with something more current (e.g. mixed member proportional). The whole race thing is a three-ring circus sideshow designed to distract from the deeper problem.

dave (original), don’t tell people to shut-up

BUT calling me a racist (repeatably) is just fine. Unbelievable, Matt.

Since black Americans generally vote Democrat anyway, Obama mainly just mobilised more of them to vote, boosting black turnout from 11% to 13%. Despite an excitable headline in the Daily Mail, that alone would not have got him into the White House. The NY Times gives a demographic breakdown from exit polls.

My advice to both of you is to stop replying to each other, because I honestly think you’re talking past each other right now. If you continue to zing each other back and forth, I’ll probably just delete a big bunch of your comments. I’m serious; take a breather, go do something else for a while, and if you want to debate each other, take it to a different corner of the web.

The following comment of dave (original) has been allowed to stand with no reply or action from Matt Cutts!!!

“Or to come back to Planet Earth for a moment, he (Matt Cutts) understands the statement for what it is and knows that race did play a roll in the US Elections….”

Uncle Tom

And I hereby rest my case.