Are There Still Racial and Gender Biases in the United States?

In the same poll done by the USA Today prior to the election, people were asked how comfortable they were with a woman candidate. The least likely to be “completely comfortable” with a woman candidate were woman 50 and over, at only 71% (6). This means that older woman don’t believe someone of their own sex should be president as much as a man should. Now whenever a woman isn’t getting other woman’s votes, the chances of them winning are much slimmer. “In a national survey by CNN/Opinion Research Corp., 59 percent of black Democrats backed Obama, an Illinois Democrat, for their party’s presidential nomination, with 31 percent supporting Clinton, the senator from New York” (7). Now if woman were to do the same with Hillary Clinton that blacks did with Barack Obama, her chances of winning would be much more likely. This same trend needs to be carried out in order for more female politicians.

It seems as though every decade, citizens of our nation become more adapt to change. The election of Barack Obama is a milestone, and there are many more to come. Despite my opinion on gender biases in politics, I would not be surprised if there is a female president within the next twelve years. In an early unofficial ballot for the 2012 presidential race, 29% of Republicans support Sarah Palin, which is the highest percentage among the notable candidates thus far. Coming in fourth, behind Palin, Huckabee, and Romney, is Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana (8). He is the first governor of Indian decent, and is becoming more and more popular among Republicans. Could he be the one to break more barriers in politics? Bottom line is that media, and our current culture, has had a positive impact in selecting politicians. We have moved beyond the point where there are racial biases in politics, and are on the verge of moving past gender biases in politics. From the wise words of Barack Obama, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” (9).

Notes

1. “Report sees “sobering statistics” on racial inequality – CNN.com.” CNN.com – Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 25 Mar. 2009. 28 Mar. 2009 .
2. “President – Election Center 2008 – Elections & Politics from CNN.com.” CNN.com – Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 26 Mar. 2009 .
3. “2008 race has the face of a changing America – USATODAY.com.” News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World – USATODAY.com. 12 Mar. 2007. USA Today. 20 Mar. 2009 .
4. “USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.” State and County QuickFacts. 20 Feb. 2009. U.S. Census Bureau. 28 Mar. 2009 .
5. “African Americans in Congress – Table – MSN Encarta.” MSN Encarta : Online Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Atlas, and Homework. 26 Mar. 2009
6. “2008 race has the face of a changing America – USATODAY.com.” News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World – USATODAY.com. 12 Mar. 2007. USA Today. 20 Mar. 2009 .
7. Steinhauser, Paul. “Poll: Obama makes big gains among black voters – CNN.com.” CNN.com – Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 19 Jan. 2009. CNN. 24 Mar. 2009 .
8. Steinhauser, Paul. “Poll: GOP split over possible 2012 contenders – CNN.com.” CNN.com – Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 27 Feb. 2009. 24 Mar. 2009 .
9. “Barack Obama Quote | Quotation from Barack Obama | Change/Growth Quote | Readiness Quote | Responsibility Quote | | Change will not come if we wait for | Barack Obama Quotation.” Wisdom Quotes. Ed. Jone J. Lewis. 28 Mar. 2009 .