Presidential 'Race' Shows Double Standards

"t's like I've always said - to be Black and successful you have to often be twice as good as your white counterparts."

I am really taken up with this part of what has been written. But then fact is fact!! Let us not develop the osterich syndrome and think the fact that you mention is not there!!

Hi Sylvia,

Thanks for the post.

I think it's worth mentioning that Obama does not attend 'that church. In fact his association with the church you mention was some 20 years ago, long before Obama ran for office and the church leader decided to go 'radical' in what seems to me like a shameless bid for publicity.

I'm sure even republicans (and their backers) can see through the false reporting of a bi-racial man like Obama, who embraces both sides of his heritage, preaching hate against anyone.

as a white guy who lived in handsworth in the 80s i remember one incident when i was arrested and righly so for my drunken behavior outside the uplands pub at the bottom of sandwell road,but my misfortune in them days was to be chucked in to the back of the wagon by a nasty group of police officers called the spg and believe me i got a good few thunps and kicks in that police van before i ended up in thornhill police station and it was no fun being held in that hell hole in the 80s,but as bad as i was treated by these spg nutcases was not as bad as a black guy who was thrown in to my cell and had the shit kicked out of him in front of me and called all racist names under the sun and what could i do to help that poor guy just nothing but tell him my beating in the police wagon was not as bad as yours.funny thing is after 9 hours in the police cell at thornill road police station that night i was released without charge and told to clear of home,i wonder whatever happened to my fellow cell mate that night who was black .and if you think anything has changed now in police stations it is just as bad as it was i the 80s,and i am now liberal lefty i despise them.but the police force and there police stations are no better now than in the 80s inthe way they treat there prisoners thats a fact i can prove.....peter from birmimgham

I very much agree with what you have written,you do have to work much harder to even be in the same ranks as your white counterparts. However this has always been the situation and always will be, the fact remains anything good in life never comes easy. It is up to the individual to work hard and perform the best they can in life. I am just extremly proud to see Obama in this position and i take his accomplishments as a template for success....anything is possible if you believe.

I also agree with Vernon Graham. I'm facing a similar situation at Univeristy, being the only black person on the course there is the feeling that your almost not as good as the others therefore you have to try and prove that your capable of achieving just the same as the white students. It all boils back to racism, yes we've all heard it before but it's true Barack has had alot of criticism and from who? white people who are just picking at very minor issues such as his "slimness" how and why is this relevant to his campaign? There is no need but once again some people can not bare the fact that some one of colour is running for such a position. I hope he wins he deserves to it will be a mark in history and change is needed.

Angie

As an American I will support my President. However, Mr. Obama's past was not even remotely delved into by the leftist biased media in the US. Indeed, this next caption is an example of the media reporting on Obama:

"Smith, who also calls himself Steve Zacharanda in the hit video which was viewed almost 20,000 times in 48 hours, had taken a week's vacation to go to Miami to volunteer for Barack Obama's election campaign."

Smith is/was a Birmingam Mail Reporter and there are many more like him.

Where is the unbiased reporting when the reporters themselves are logging time campaining for a candidate? Where is the separation of the media from the politicians?

Where was the in-depth reporting on Obama's affiliation with known domestic terrorist William Ayers? Where was the reporting on his ties to known racist and anti-semite Louis Farakahn? What about his ties to criminal and slum lord Tony Rezko? What about his 20 years listening to the hate speech sermons of Reverend Wright? Where was the reporting on Obama's votes, in the Illinois Senate, for INFANTCIDE (not abortion, but his opposition to providing comfort care and treatment to children born of botched abortions claiming that if they were allowede to survive the mother might change her mind and keep the child. he would rather see them "disposed of" while still alive)? Why did Obama refuse release of records of his time at Occidental, Columbia and Harvard Universities (which would have shown his ties to Marxist socities there) and why did the media not push him on this? What about his admitted Cocaine use in the past and why was this not fully investogated (the Gore campaign thought it was necessary to release a DUI on GW Bush from over 20 years earlier on the eve of the 2000 election)? Where is the reporting on Obama's ties to ACORN and what involvement did he have in training ground workers to perpetrate voter fraud? Why was there no reporting that Obama has spent only 160 days in the Senate and avoided taking any positions on key issues by voting "Present" 120 time? I could go on, and on, and on.

Instead, the media go en masse to Alaska to dig up dirt on Sarah Palin - THE VP CANDIDATE, NOT THE PRES CANDIDATE. We here reports on the so called "Trooper Gate" and on the eve of the election she was absolved by the Statehouse of any ethics charges/violations (didn't hear about that did you). We have $150K in clothes purchases made by the GOP. It went unreported that the clothes were going to be auctioned off and the proceeds donated post-election to charity. Again, I could go on and on.

In addition to the clear media bias in Mr. Obama's favor, for whatever reason, anyone questioning his past, present or policies, was either labeled a racist or received a proctology exam. Look at Joe the Plumber for example. Obama was canvassing a neighbourhood and approached him. Joe asked a question about tax policy and Obama made the famous "redistribution" statement. Within hours, the attack dogs had Joe's private/personal government records in hand reporting to the world, through a very compliant media, nonsense like "he owes back taxes of $1000." They attacked a citizen because of the verbal gaffe made by Obama. Or, another example, I have repeatedly been labeled a racist on blogs when I pointed out that within 24 hours of the election Obama broke cardinal election promise #1 - Change, by appointing ex-Clinton political hacks (ie., Emmanual and others) to his inner circle, or when I challenge people to explain what policies of "change" Obama has set forth?

Again, I will support my President, however, it worries me that this candidate was never challenged or really vetted. I am extremely happy that a non-traditional candidate (ie, from the known political class regardless of race) has made it to, arguably, the most important civilian post in the world. I hope that he succeeds and makes my country and this world a better place. Hopefully, there is no buyer's remorse.

PS - I am an Independent, no party affiliation. I was not a fan of John McCain as a candidate, however, his past was known and fully vetted.