If Obama had been white...

[Gustaf]

So, discuss. IMO, actually worse, which highlights why Clinton must be really disappointed. Without Obama the black vote would probably have been pretty solidly for her.

[Meeker]

He would still be winning the young, educated, and higher income vote but there's no way in hell he would be winning the black vote, much less 80% or whatever his average is.

Clinton would've taken South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri and possibly Virginia and Maryland.

[Ben.]

In that case he wouldnt be "Barack Obama".

[minionofmidas]

Tough call. Worth pointing out that Obama didn't have the Black vote behind him (according to polls) until Clinton played / was perceived as playing the Race Card.
There certainly are some segments of additional Anyone But Clinton votes that he didn't get on account of his dad.

[Wakie]

If he were white he would be John Edwards.  A charismatic lawyer with limited experience who talks about changing Washington.

People are who they are.  Take away some piece of their life experience and they become different.

[opebo]

Well, look at it this way - the Obama vote is the vote of people who understand what a horrible, vicious mess is america today and historically.  A big part of the hideousness of our sick, sad society is the abuse of blacks from the beginning to this present moment.  So, a vote to 'fix' america is not meaningful unless it is made for a black candidate.

[MODU]

I say the same.  As I mentioned before, Obama has taken a page out of Reagan's play book (speaking on determination, hope, and sacrifice in the name of a better future) and combined it with his natural gift of inspirational speaking.  The only difference is that he'd have a different accent (something like Huckabee's).  And what he might lose from blacks who is supporting him just for being black, he'd pick up with whites/hispanic.

[elcorazon]

I voted same, although it would certainly not be the same.  Obama would be doing really well in the heartland, probably better in the big states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, etc. but would not be dominating the black vote and as a result wouldn't have the built in advantage he has in several heavily black dominated states.

I believe he would do really well with southern white voters, however.

I kinda wish I'd voted better the more I think about it because ultimately, I think he's a candidate that would be difficult to stop were he white.

How about this question - Would Hillary be doing better or worse if her last name were Smith?  I'll vote worse.

Would McCain be doing better or worse if he were never in Viet Nam?

I vote worse.

Would McCain be doing better or worse if hadn't supported Campaign Finance Reform and Stem Cell Research?

I vote worse.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Tough call. Worth pointing out that Obama didn't have the Black vote behind him (according to polls) until Clinton played / was perceived as playing the Race Card.
There certainly are some segments of additional Anyone But Clinton votes that he didn't get on account of his dad.

This is a big misconception people have about this. The reason the black vote lined up behind Obama was because he won Iowa and then was seen as a viable candidate. If he had lost Iowa to either Clinton or Edwards, he would've been dead. The fact that Clinton started playing the race card coincided with Obama's Iowa victory makes it look like it was the reason, but it was because of the Iowa win that the blacks saw it as worth while to vote for Obama.

[John Dibble]

Impossible to tell, but here's some of my guesses:

-He wouldn't do as well among blacks.
-He would do better among whites, but probably not white women.
-He would do better among Hispanics, Asians, and some other groups.

Again though it isn't really possible to say.

[Ben.]

If he were white he would be John Edwards.  A charismatic lawyer with limited experience who talks about changing Washington.

People are who they are.  Take away some piece of their life experience and they become different.

Agree on the second point... although he'd be a charismatic lawyer who had a lot more political experiance than Edwards, so kinda like Edwards but better and less populist

[Stranger in a strange land]

If he were white, Obama would not be doing as well with blacks but would be doing much better among Hispanics and poor & working class whites.

[Joe Republic]

If he were white he would be John Edwards.

I came here to say exactly the same thing.

[perdedor]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

[elcorazon]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

If Hillary were black, she would never have won a single state.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

If Hillary were black, she would never have won a single state.

If Hillary were black, she would have never run for President.

[Erc]

If Obama were white, he couldn't have run for President.  Odds are, he wouldn't have been chosen to speak at the DNC--and even if he had, he wouldn't have captured the public imagination in the same way.

He'd be a young, idealistic Chicago machine politician (whatever that means).  He may have still been able to be something of a media darling as a result, but, odds are, he'd have placed third in Iowa and would be well on his way to being Clinton's VP pick (at best).

[minionofmidas]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

If Hillary were black, she would never have won a single state.

If Hillary were black, she would have never run for President.

If Hillary were black, her husband would never have been elected Governor of Arkansas... or would never have married her.

[elcorazon]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

If Hillary were black, she would never have won a single state.

If Hillary were black, she would have never run for President.

If Hillary were black, her husband would never have been elected Governor of Arkansas... or would never have married her.

all of which only goes to prove the absurdity of the question.

[minionofmidas]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

If Hillary were black, she would never have won a single state.

If Hillary were black, she would have never run for President.

If Hillary were black, her husband would never have been elected Governor of Arkansas... or would never have married her.

all of which only goes to prove the absurdity of the question.

Not really. A large part of Obama's appeal is as the Stop Hilary Candidate... and being black is not an integral part of his appeal at all.
A black Clinton on the other hand... is an absurd idea for now.

[angus]

Well, we have already experienced America's First Black President.  And America's First Black President is a white guy.  So logically if Obama were white he could try for America's Second Black President.  But I don't know if he'd have done better, worse, or the same, so I picked the default option.

[Wakie]

If Obama were white, it would be hard to tell the difference between him and John Edwards.

If Hillary were black, she would never have won a single state.

If Hillary were black, she would have never run for President.

If Hillary were black, her husband would never have been elected Governor of Arkansas... or would never have married her.

I don't know if Bill Clinton is down with the swirl or not.  Assuming he had married her though I agree he wouldn't have won Arkansas.  If he hadn't married her he probably would have married someone else ... and he probably still would have won the White House.

[Keystone Phil]

The real answer: He would have never been a candidate. He would have never been the keynote speaker in 2004. He would have been another Dick Durbin.

[elcorazon]

The real answer: He would have never been a candidate. He would have never been the keynote speaker in 2004. He would have been another Dick Durbin.

Dick Durbin has nowhere near the political skills or abilities of Barack Obama.

[Erc]

The real answer: He would have never been a candidate. He would have never been the keynote speaker in 2004. He would have been another Dick Durbin.

Dick Durbin has nowhere near the political skills or abilities of Barack Obama.

Still doesn't mean Obama would have been noticed.