is offensive, IMHO.

again, "WHITE woman gives thumbs up"...

you don't see the problem with that???

wow...

and the conventional wisdom is that the RR ticket is the choice of white males. RR has also fractured us along gender lines as well. I speak as a whie woman of a certain age group who recognizes the potentialfor this scenario and their are lots of us out here. These dynamics are the creation of a suset oh whie males. Unfortunately there are those who appear to have no desire to recognize or confront them

I appreciate your thoughtful take-- but just who is "making much of race" or racial issues in this election?

yes, the doof GOP recently went ape over General Powell's important endorsement of Obama, but I'm having a hard time thinking of any other instances of this.

if you're referring to the pundits or Bloggo world-- that is more or less irrelevant to me. I ignore 99% of what the pundits/bobbleheads say about much of anything (tho' it has been hilarious watching David Brooks squirm on PBS Newshour over Rmoney's numerous gaffes and ineffectual campaign strategy). and I don't give alot of credence to what I read in Bloggo world.

is the only source of information for millions of voters.

I think you need to calm down and see the reality around you. The only reason this election is even close is because of race.

I think we can agree there are some states that just don't matter in this election. Mississippi for example; just how many campaign stops there for Obama? zero?

the last two-three weeks, let's look at the states where Obama (and Biden and Mr Clinton) is spending his time campaigning and where the most tee vee ads are being run- by the democrats. again, it's not Mississippi, Texas, etc.

thus some random woman giving a thumbs up to Obama supporters in a non crucial swing state is in fact irrelevant.

I'll go double check my mailbox right now

everything regarding race for some time, which is my point. It has permeated their entire campaign strategy by constantly keep the image of "the other" out there and applying broadly. That punditry is the face of what the big money behind want to be heard by the nation. You disregard them at your own peril because it is making a major contribution to the shaping of the electorate. I don't see the gender or race neutral messaging you are claiming to see--at least, that is what I think you are saying. Otherwise, your comments make little sense in reality.

"has been going ape regarding race for some time"...

Examples, please?

if you're referring to the Reagan nonsense about "welfare queens driving brand new Cadillacs".. that's not compelling to me and my ignoring this garbage over the years has resulted in ZERO damage to me or mine-- contrary to your "dire warning".

that said, it;s intriguing that almost nobody here or anywhere else in Bloggo world wants to talk about the fifty percent of eligible voters (regardless of race) who DO NOT vote, period. somehow, I'm supposed to ignore this pathetic fact and instead be worried about what FAUX News says on any given day.

weak.

think that Mittens was mainly referring to when he made his "47%" remark? Who do you think the RW Tea Party assholes are referring to when they wear their "Put The White Back In The Whitehouse" fucking T-shirts?

This is not about race for the rednecked, right-wing, fucking RMoney crowd? Where the fuck have you been?

I've pointed out here several times our nation is chock full o' racists and ignorant people.

getting back to the original post: the notion that one WHITE woman giving the thumbs up toward an Obama rally in Fishbite Falls, Anystate represents scientific proof that racism is ending in the U.S. is a complete farce. the gesture, IMHO, is also not some sort of indication of "hope". I have my doubts the person described will even vote.. and if she does vote, she will likely have to vote as her racist husband directs her to.

I find you send mix messages about exactly where you stand in the spectrum of choices. What you lay out there sounds very much like GOP gibberish to me. Then you toss in a little nugget about people who don't vote after spending a bit of time denigrating a story about a woman trying to signal her understanding of who would better represent her interests.

Fail.

"spectrum of choices" falls very well into that category.

TWO choices is a "spectrum"??

again the repukes saying he's not a "real American" isn't racist?

I think this is in the small points dept.

I would hope we are not so desperate to win this election that one person giving a thumbs up in Fishbite Falls, Anystate has earth shattering significance regarding the outcome of the election

That's ridiculous. Race and gender polls have been taken - it's expressing a hope that Obama get more of the female or white vote.

I like these kinds of stories about people out there doing things to help elect the candidates they want to win. And this is as good as any of them.

The point was that this woman disagrees with her husband. There might be some votes Obama will get that we're not expecting.

It show's I think a kind of light side of the election not negative or offensive. IMHO

Because the woman was revolting?

for some reason had to point out she is a WHITE woman... you don't see the racial coding/baiting going on here?

why not simply say "a woman gave the thumbs up" ??

Race is relevant to the discussion and a white woman giving Obama supporters a thumbs up indicates one more white vote, something we need.

The fact that she did this surreptitiously indicates her husband would not have approved, but she did it anyway. This makes one think about how many other covert supporters Obama may have in overtly "RW" households. It also makes me wonder how many women lied to pollsters about who they were voting for because their husband might be listening.

There's no need to be overly sensitive. Race is relevant to this election.

A certain phrase from the movie "Argo" comes to mind.

If that's not proof, no amount of race identifying will convince you, you close-minded idealogue.

people who are working so hard to get out the vote....that glimmer of hope and tells us that women ARE AWARE of what a Romney win would do for women. Husbands do NOT have to know who their wives vote for.

I LOVE THE ORIGINIAL POST...and KEEP up the good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eastern oregon all their life. Everyone expected she was a conservative republican too but she wasn't. she was an FDR dem and always voted dem. She just never told anyone. RIP, my angel Virginia.

I have no doubt that women now lead us politically, whether we want to admit it or not. But, the demographic data proves it, then swing the results.

There's something very sad about that.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Awful.

When I was young she would vote democratic secretly relishing the knowledge that she negated my fathers republican vote. She was a housewife living in VA. Parents born in the forties. Honestly I don't think that kind thing is that unusual for that generation. Today's women though I hope would have none of that. My hubby knows my vote, but then he shares my political views. And I have a generation of women to thank in between that fought for women's rights, changed how women are viewed and what they can accomplish. Thank you boomers!

Is there anything sad about that?

But since you asked, have you beaten your spouse lately?

she is hiding her support from her husband.

From that, we know that she knows her husband prefers Romney, and she doesn't want him to know she disagrees with him.

There are two logical possibilities about why this might be. It is either to keep the peace or because, God forbid, she fears him.

If she fears him, my comment is self explanatory.

If it is simply to keep the peace, I have these questions: why is her preference the one that has to be kept secret? Clearly her husband isn't worrying about not crossing her to keep the peace. She knows HIS preference and is not crossing it. This possibility may be more benign, where the wife nods in agreement with her husband and then goes her own way. But there is the same discounting of her opinion, the same appeasement, the same overt denial of her wishes.

She wanted to show support. She needed to hide that want from her husband.

is the opinion of the observer that she was holding her hand "down low so her husband couldn't see it."

And then from that opinion all of the rest of this analysis was derived.

If it is simply to keep the peace, I have these questions: why is her preference the one that has to be kept secret? Clearly her husband isn't worrying about not crossing her to keep the peace. She knows HIS preference and is not crossing it. This possibility may be more benign, where the wife nods in agreement with her husband and then goes her own way. But there is the same discounting of her opinion, the same appeasement, the same overt denial of her wishes.

But if that interpretation is correct, I would bet money that one of my scenarios is correct. Because I've seen it a thousand times. It doesn't take much analysis, because it goes on all the time.

and her husband is stupid beyond belief. As a white older male at times I'm very embarrassed by my race. .

I wonder why then, that most of the lifer, do-nothing white guys in congress who are up for re-election will find they still have a job after this Tuesday?

so sorry

you're OK with paying buffoons who don't do much real work a big phat salary with great benefits?

Genius!!!

Why then are there so many "moldy old white men" in office?

I'm going with this Pew Research report from March of this year.

There has been a gender gap for 30 years; women prefer Democrats and lean strongly toward democratic values.

Four paragraph snip:

and silence of women that is, apparently, still going on in this nation? Why can this woman know who her husband is voting for but her preference has to be hidden?

That's the main reason that alienating white male voters is stupid, because married women vote more like their husbands than like single women.

The woman in the truck, if the onlookers liberal application of stereotype is accurate, is the exception, not the rule.

Married couples often disagree on politics. And often go to an effort to avoid initiating conflict on this issue. This goes for both genders.

And this is assuming the OP's characterization is accurate.

Go women who can think and understand what's at stake for them.

Its sad to be honest, what are they afraid of, if there is enough love there should be no fear. If you are married to someone you cant be honest with over something minor as an election, why be married. If a woman says "psst...Im going to sneak and vote for Obama Tuesday, dont tell my husband", I would seriously wonder if they were being abused by their spouse.

Not only is this election yoodge, as Trump would say, but a two-party household would be unbearable for me. Particularly with this election, a person's very character is an indicator of their choice. So, if you can't respect the character of your partner, what else is there? And yes, it's terribly sad.

unfortunately, there are still a lot of women who do what their husbands tell them to do. i have a few in my circle of friends who do not leave the house without their husbands by their sides. and i am thankful that voting is secretive, because they would not be able to cast their vote any other way. wash. state is all mail/drop in votes. my friend got the mail before her husband got home and filled hers out and sealed the envelope so he would NOT see that she voted for Obama. it's sad but it happens. this little sign of thumbs up was a huge sign that no matter what - i do have a mind and i can think on my own. my thumbs up to every woman out there that decides to think for herself and make her own decisions. thanks for the article. it brought a smile to my face while i was having my morning coffee.

I figure he will pressure her to vote his way. Or she just says yes dear and in the booth does what she wants. Either way she does it for personal peace in her life. When she leaves the booth she can tell her husband she voted for Romney and in the end she really voted for Obama and her fellow women. That is the most important thing.

That is, women who say one thing in public, but will be voting the opposite due to our beloved Tea Party candidates enlightened stance regarding women's issues.

Yea I get it that it's a repost.

Kwik over at Kos I should hope just worded this badly but there seem to be so many assumptions in this that a body doesn't even know where to begin with the WTF questions.

for those who remember.

I guess it's interesting that the woman seemed afraid of conveying her support of Obama to her husband (a sad commentary on her marriage, BTW) but what does her whiteness have to do with anything?

So it's supposed to be amazing when one can overcome their natural hate of non whites.

Wouldn't be tolerated in the reverse.

in which the trend has been for older, non-hispanic white, men and married women to vote repub.

This is an anecdote of a member of that demographic "bucking the trend."

Even though race is often relevant in politics and personal actions, you can't use words like "redneck" or "cracker". And the Repubs have made politics all about race, while denying it. There are different subcultures in America related to socioeconomic class and race; but you cannot identify a person in any anecdote by race. It's not politically correct, although it is factual & relevant .


I wish I was kidding, but I am not.

Then your argument is based on stereotype, and you can't argue the point on "factual and relevant" grounds.

Where I live, 99% of the people ARE walking examples of stereotypes.

Characteristics:

White, extremely conservative Christians, not usually well educated, use bad grammar.
Even the ones who are college graduates don't believe in evolution.

Republican voters, libertarians, who are argumentative and will disagree with me or my hubby just to be contrary--about anything, not just politics. They absolutely hate Obama's guts. They collect guns and ammo. They need semi-automatic weapons to plug Bambi with.

Their idea of hospitality is inviting me to their church and being quite baffled when I say I am not interested. They think all people are just like them and anyone who is different is BAD. The men hate women and think everyone must follow biblical sex roles.

Think Larry the Cable Guy, but very obnoxious at the smallest provocation.

In fact, I live in a deep-red Republican state.

a person's race without being a "racist" and all that entails. Which is thinking you're better than someone else because they are a different race. There.

came to DU and why it is allowed to stay. It's an old, 80s, rush style theme catapulted by the dittoheads as well as the kkk and stormfront. I'm not sure how it got a foothold here, though.

I get the whole "big tent" idea, but, I'd prefer our tent not be so big as to allow r/w "values" in. YMMV, however.

Driving along the 5 with my Obama stickers on my little car. And I'm driving through the section of the 5 that is SO red, with those giant right wing message signs all over the ranch fences, and gospel scriptures on signs, etc. Not an Obama sign in sight, just acres and acres of ranch lands with republican candidate signs.

So suddenly this pick up truck pulls up next to me, and inside is a man in his 50s or 60s, and he's clearly a local rancher. And he's waving and smiling at me. Okay, I politely smile and keep going... as a female, men tend to do those things as they pass by.

I don't think anything of it. Then he comes up again, and he's waving and smiling and pointing at the side of my car where the sticker is. I wave and smile and he takes off up the 5, disappearing out of sight. At first, judging from the appearance of the truck, the man, and the area, I thought "oh, no my tire is flat, or I forgot to put the gas cap back on" So when I could see that he was nowhere around, I pulled off at the gas station, and saw that the car was fine. Then I realized he was waving and pointing at the Obama sticker. And it just seemed to be REALLY important to him to show me that HE agreed, in that reddest of red areas. (anyone who drives up between Vacaville and Red Bluff knows the area.)

It was incredibly cool.

There were those of us who did much the same those endless years when Dumbya was in office. Prop each other up, as it were, even though we didn't know each other and, likely, would never see each other again. It was definitely a boost to either have it happen to me or give the (or a few positive words) to someone else.

And incredibly cool, just as you said.

It makes me feel so good when people get it. They vote for the substance not the smears.

And, you never know where you're going to find them.

Who only beats his wife when she disagrees with him.

interesting sign from the older woman who is White..down there in Merritt Islandi!

It's a small sign that says women are paying attention to the Substance of Voting Democratic..

Another comment from dkos on Women who are voting on the "down low for Pres Obama..

yeah, that's where they have to keep it in conservative areas.

for workin it Cha