Derec
Contributor
There is a big difference between them. Gay marriage neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket. Racial "reparations" certainly would pick my pocket, even though neither I, nor any of my ancestors, ever owned African slaves.Can say the same thing about gay marriage 30 years ago.
I agree with you on the latter. On the former, I asked you for any polls showing majority (much less "supermajority") support based on how the question is asked.And of course, what is being asked. Reparations over slavery v reparations for centuries of slavery followed by a century of intentional economic discrimination and violence. Also, what type of reparations. I think America would support finally eliminating sources of lead in poor housing. I don't think America would support sacks of cash.
Why are you beating your wife?Why are you against blacks having a voice in Democrat primaries?
What a loaded question on your part! I am, of course, not "against blacks having a voice in Democrat primaries"! But having a vote does not necessarily mean that a state like SC should go first. I am against blacks having an outsized power in the Democratic primaries. Blacks are, what, 13-14% of US electorate. But blacks are about half of SC Dem primary electorate. That makes SC a very poor proxy for the nation. In Iowa and NH primaries blacks are underrepresented, but far less so than they are overrepresented in SC.
Additionally, Iowa and NH are smaller states with long tradition of retail politics. They give a chance to less known candidates to prove themselves. In SC, media and party machinery (John Cornyn anyone?) are far more influential and thus they tend to pick more conventional candidates.
Had SC been going first, we most likely would not have had Bill Clinton, and HW could have won 2nd term. In 2008, Obama would probably have lost to Hillary. Sure, he did win SC primary, but only after winning Iowa and basically tying NH, proving that he can win the support in heavily white areas. Without that vote of confidence, I think SC, and the nomination, would have gone to Hillary, and presidency most likely to McCain (given how poor of a general election candidate Hillary proved herself to be).
True. All the more reason to pay more attention to the segments of the electorate that is not as tightly bound to either party.This might come as a surprise to you, but minorities vote in heavy majority for the Democrats.
The modern primary system does not go much further back than 1972 (if any, will have to look it up later). And it's not necessarily about winning Iowa, it's about doing well. Bill Clinton did not win Iowa (Tom Harkin was from Iowa so nobody expected anybody else to win), but he win delegates which put him in the game. He soon won NH and the rest is history. And Obama showed that white people will vote for him, which is necessary to win the presidency. Winning Iowa and doing well in NH did far more for him than winning SC would have.It'd seem stupid not to provide a more prominent spot over fucking Iowa or New Hampshire. Iowa hasn't been the first primary since the founding of the nation, it only started in 1972. Of which, since 1972, only three people have won a contested Caucus and became President (Carter, W, Obama).