Over the past couple of weeks I have been saddened at the display of hatred and racism being displayed by American people who are running scared that a black man, who has always been a threat, may become President. I am really starting to see people’s true colors come out.

I am ashamed that we are on display for the whole world to see and we promote freedom and equality. It is also sad to know that some will lie about a person's religious orientation or throw around a middle name to win an election. Who can blame a person for what their mother named them?

People need to realize that there are many different common names of this world. That does not make someone something that they are not. I am sick and tired of hearing it. It is absolutely ridiculous. Hello. Some people truly need to get a life. Are people so dumb that they cannot realize this?

Franklin D. Roosevelt said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. That is what many have turned to in America. Fear is the leading factor of this election year. It is time we start talking about the pink elephant in the room.

Denise Morris

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Denise Morris,
You'll have to forgive me, but I can't think of a single instance of
racism coming from the McCain campaign, or from any other America than that which the Democrats have fabricated, for the umpteenth time.

I don't care, nor does anyone I know care about Obama's skin color (we'd be
tripping over ourselves to vote for Condi Rice).

It's his far-left politics we fear, not his epidermis.

John R. Smickle
Chattanooga
jsbottomfeeder@juno.com

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Mr. Morris.
Last week’s Time magazine had an article about the issue of race in the election. They found that 54 percent of whites viewed Obama favorably while 97 percent of blacks viewed him favorably.

These statistics are very interesting. At first glance, these percentages could be construed as evidence of racism among white voters but take another look at the numbers. Given the almost 50-50 split in the country between Democrats and Republicans, the white approval rate of Obama appears to reflect politics not skin color. In fact, Obama would appear to be receiving four or five percentage points in his favor that go beyond party lines among white voters.

How are we to interpret the 97 percent approval rating of Obama among blacks? Since 97 percent of black people are not Democrats, their approval of Obama indicates that many black voters are looking at something other than party affiliation and political issues. In other words, it could be argued that skin color is more of an issue to black voters than to white voters.

According to these numbers and others that I have seen this election season, most white people are looking beyond race and voting according to politics while it seems many black people will look beyond politics and vote according to race. What is the definition of “racism” again?

Mr. Morris, if it is wrong for a white voter to not vote for Obama because he is black, is it okay for a black voter to vote for Obama simply because he is black? It is very telling that all the noise about racism is coming from the Democrats. They benefit from the not so subtle insinuation that if you are white and you do not vote for Obama, then you are a racist. Shouldn’t everybody, black and white, vote according to the issues and what they think is best for the country?

John Daum
Chattanooga
johndaum@hotmail.com

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Ms. Morris,

I have to disagree with your view, somewhat. I recently heard a story on a talk radio station in my area in which a reporter decided to put to rest the theory that most black Americans were voting for Obama simply because he was black. The reporter went into a crowded shopping area and randomly picked black Americans who were willing to be interviewed about their political view.

The kicker was the reporter switched the views/strategies of the candidates when asking the questions. The first person interviewed was asked "Who do you support for President?" The answer "Barack Obama." When asked what of Obama's views was more important to them, the continued U.S. presence in Iraq or pro-life, the person stated "Our continued presence in Iraq…we don't need to leave there yet."

Next question was "Do you think you'll be comfortable with Sarah Palin in the position of Vice President should Obama be elected?" The answer was "Oh yes, I think she's going to be great."

Question "So you think Barack Obama made a good choice in Sarah Palin for his running mate?" Answer "Yes I'm confident in his choice. She'll do a great job." There were three more interviews that went the same way.

Now, with whom does the racism/fear lie? I'm sure there are white Americans who, if interviewed in the same way, would give similar answers on the other side of the fence. Either way it's wrong. But from what I have been seeing and hearing there is a significant skew to one side of that hypothesis.

I understand your anger but you're only arguing one side of things and that in itself is rather racist. I personally am not all that enthusiastic about either candidate but I can tell you with all certainty I will not be voting according to the color of the candidate's skin. It will be whichever one aligns the most with the views that I consider most important. Unlike those interviewed who obviously have strong feelings about particular subjects but neglected to look beyond skin color when choosing their candidate, putting color above their principles.

Heather Lousteau
Gonzales, La.
Former Chattanooga resident

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I thought long and hard about writing this letter to the Chattanoogan today. I wanted to comment on the letter titled “Fear Is the Leading Factor in This Election.” I thought about my target audience, which for simplicity’s sake would be the entire Tennessee Valley (and beyond). To preface my letter, I should say that I’m a good ol’ country boy from Fort Oglethorpe who just happens to be white. I grew up in isolation from other races and was raised with all the prejudices and misconceptions that were around in the 50s, 60s, and beyond.

I have been a lifelong supporter of the Republican Party although I have been open minded enough to vote for Democrats who were able to show a sense of leadership and direction in their message. In regards to Denise Morris’ letter, I must admit that she makes some valid points.

I want to clear the notion that all supporters of the GOP are inherently racist even though it is true that some of them are. Some are very prejudiced in their views just like many Democrats. I will be the first to admit that the Republicans have engaged in a surreptitious campaign to instill fear in the minds of the electorate. What many people won’t admit is that they harbor certain misconceptions about people and we take certain stereotypes seriously.

The GOP has used this to their advantage to create a healthy level of fear about Obama and his policies. I’ve heard Obama referred to as a socialist, even though I dare say that many people in this area are truly aware of what a socialist government looks like. I won’t go into the intricacies of socialism in this forum, but I will say that it represents a medium between capitalism (embraced by the U.S.) and communism (embraced by the Far East and Latin America) that has proven to be a failure over the long haul. While there are parts of Obama’s economic plan that I do not agree with, his policies would hardly push this country towards socialism. If anything, I think he would make a reasonable attempt to end the golden parachutes enjoyed by the CEO’s and presidents of large corporations that have failed, thus the need for a nearly one trillion dollar buyout. I also believe he would do more to bring back the manufacturing jobs that were lost under the Clinton administration.

The next area I would like to address is the constant need for those in both parties, but particularly the GOP, to cast Obama as a Muslim. I find it funny because anyone with an ability to read could research his background and realize that he is not a Muslim at all. Most point to his time in school in a predominantly Muslim nation and therefore he MUST be a Muslim. The fact of the matter is that most of the electorate is too gullible/lazy/ignorant to do their own meaningful research on a candidate. We believe what we see on TV without facts. If Fox News says he is a Muslim terrorist who plans to take over the world, then by golly he must be one!

This coincides with my next point about the overt use of his middle name Hussein and the way some people have tried to associate his name with that of dictator Saddam Hussein. Here is what I find disgusting about the zeal to paint Obama as a Muslim. For all of the talk about how we are not racist and/or prejudiced, we are in a big hurry to stereotype ALL Muslims as terrorists or somehow less than human just because of the culmination of events that led to 9/11. Notice how the hypocrisy goes unmentioned because in politics, it is perfectly ok to label an entire religious group as terrorists. It is en vogue to hate those of Middle Eastern descent because of what an extreme few of them have done to us. Of course that isn’t prejudiced, right? Kudos to the GOP for successfully implanting that level of ignorance into our subconscious, but let’s stop the hypocrisy and the wholesale drive to label Obama as a Muslim in order to cast him in an unfavorable light.

The final area I would like to touch on is his ethnic background/race. I hate to sound so simplistic, but many people on both sides of the political spectrum will not vote for Obama because he is a black man with an equally ethnic-sounding name. I know many of my Republican-leaning associates have said they would never vote for a black man, but they use other issues to cover their true feelings up (like the Rev. Wright issue). In fact many people are grasping at straws to tie Obama to anything remotely negative like ACORN or William Ayres so that they will not have to go on record as saying they do not want a black man as president. We can sit here and deny it if we want to, but we know this is true to a larger degree than we’re willing to concede. No one bothers to point out the xenophobic/criminal/shady characters that McCain has been associated with (Rev. John Hagee, Oliver North, and George W. Bush, etc). The reason why is because this is irrelevant information in the long run to the average voter. The fact is that we are all associated with someone who may have skeletons in their closet. I don’t profess to be perfect and neither should anyone else.

The fact of the matter is that many have already decided on a candidate for no reason other than whether they have a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ after their name. Many have decided on a candidate based on their stance of a particular fringe issue like abortion (which hasn’t been overturned by Congress regardless of which party was in charge). Many still have decided on a candidate because of his skin color even though I seem to remember Dr. Martin Luther King making a speech that spoke to judging a man by the content of his character. I have no fear about either candidate because I know my family will continue to be blessed in spite of whoever is in office. I have no shame in admitting that I put my support behind Obama after researching the backgrounds of both candidates extensively. It doesn’t mean that I turned my back on the Republican Party. It just means that I decided to separate myself from the ignorant fringe and use my own mind to make an informed decision. Perhaps if more of my fellow citizens are willing to do the same, we can avoid the mistakes made by our current administration and restore our standing in the world. God Bless America and 'everybody' else.

Mike Farrior Sr.
Fort Oglethorpe
mike_farrior@yahoo.com

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I must congratulate Mike Farrior on a great response. Your letter was thorough and very well written.

My husband and I voted today for Obama. We, too, have researched extensively, watched all four debates and have listened to and observed both candidates. We made our decision quite some time before Colin Powell came out with his endorsement of Obama, but the things Powell said confirmed our own thoughts in every way.

Unfortunately, race and gender are issues for some people. That cannot be denied and it will always be a problem for some. It is not imagined, as one person asserted. I've seen videos of some of the rallies online and some ugly things have been said. Some people are ignorant and will always be ignorant.

However, we cannot change those who feel that way so we just need to push ahead and stay positive. Obama has offered positive changes for our country and he has exhibited an ability to bring people together. We truly do need to put country first since it is crucial for the well being of future generations.

Marilyn Eisele
Cleveland, Tn.