No, I mean nothing. If the General Election was the day after the primaries closed, the exit poll data would mean something. As it stands it's completely meaningless and in no way indicates people would vote for McCain over Obama because of Clinton.
-----------------------------------------------------------
i guess you dont watch CNN. and missed where a majority of the people in pennsylvania who said they would vote for mccain if clinton didnt win the nomination also checked off the race box as being a factor in their decision.
and as much as i disdain their ignorance, you have to admire their honesty about how they feel. its a whole lot better than listening to people i work with come up with lame excuses as to why they are going to vote republican when they are democrats and spent the last 7 years pissing and moaning about what this addministraition has done to our job.
we have come a long way in the last 60 years. but we are not there yet. the tone has changed from when i grew up and all the rednecks i lived near spit out the "n" word in every other sentence. now its, dont sit over there, lets sit over here in resturants. or the look in a cops eye when a brother drives by in a car the cop doesnt think SHOULD belong to him. or the way i get yes sir, no sir, thank you and come again in the check out line, but the black guy behind be gets "thats 20 dollars and 37 cents." and nothing more.
growing up in a prejudice enviroment, and REALIZING it is a prejudice enviroment really lets you sit back and see the subtile differances in the way people treat other people based solely on he color of their skinn. being in miami also opens your eyes to it more, try being whitey and going to a cubano resturaunt. the latin familey who walked in 10 minutes AFTER you got there is half way finnished with their meal before your waiter brings back your drink order. your food is cold, and if you complain, it might be an hour before they fix it. granted, standard service in this city isnt a whole lot better on average in any resturaunt, but you do notice it.
in pensylvania, where my inlaws live, they dont say the "n" word, they just look at you with a patronizing smile if you suggest soneone with black skinn could possibly be anything more than a day laborer. coarse, they think anyone who doesnt wear a dark colored jacket with a tie is a hillbilly, and you should have seen the look on my wifes grandparents faces when i told them i had 5 mango trees in my yard. every one up there knows mango is just a hibilly word for tomato and they grow on vines.
ignorance is alive and well. prejudice with it. latins still have a class system in most of south america. and the darker your skinn, the lower you fit in the class structure. you get someone from spain, colombia, or venezuela and they will tell you people from the islands like peurto rico, santo domingo and the others are labor, not people.
i HOPE we have changed enough to allow someone who fought their way to the top to reap their just rewards reguardless of the color of their skinn. obama would go a long long way toward showing the rest of the world we have finnally grown up. his mere presence would go a long way at the negotiating table with other countries in convinceing them we are not the "good ole boys" club most of the rest of the world thinks we are. the doors he could open are countless.
his mere presence would also inspire the next generation of youth. a guarentee that reguardless of where you came from or the color of your skinn, you can thrive in america based on your skills and effort alone.
he is the only man on the ticket that could take us to the next level. not just the best man, but the ONLY man who can take us there.
if we are ready.........sadly, i dont hold out as much hope as he does about this country.
its a moderate republican for VP or another 4 years of bush.