Vote For Me! I'm Definitely Not White!

[Hyena Dandy]

http://news.yahoo.com/white-guy-pret...2328015.html?v

So, here's a guy who wasn't going to win election... Except he campaigned by only putting pictures of black guys on his campaign flyer, and pointing out that he's endorsed by Ron Wilson.

Not, though, Ron Wilson, popular African American state representative from the area. No, not that guy, how would you think that? He was endorsed by Ron Wilson, his cousin from Idaho.

[AccountingDrone]

When Rob, Phlip and I went down to vote Tuesday, there were a couple of positions that were running empty - a couple of backup committee spots and one town sheriff back up position. We commented that I should have written myself in ... I probably would have won. I have frequently joked that I should run for a position in the state reps for my area on the grounds that I couldn't do any worse.

I know it is somewhat strange, but I really do feel that I could do a better job than a lot of the yahoos who get elected - at least I passed my certs for paralegal, I went to school for accounting [and worked in the field], have a few classes in sociology, psychology and political science. I really do think I couldn't do any worse.

[Greenday]

What does it say of the locals who are upset that the candidate they voted for wasn't the color they thought he was? If he were white, would they still have voted for him?

[Hyena Dandy]

If a guy was running for office, with pictures of himself standing next to the same guy, talking about how he loved him, with a rainbow flag, and saying he was endorsed by George Takei and Ian McKellan...

But it was his cousin George in Hawaii and his friend Ian in Maine, and that he's not gay at all, you're damn right I'd be pissed off. Even if I'd have voted for him as a straight guy, I'd be pissed off.

He was running the campaign based off being in touch with the needs of the local African-American community, and claimed an endorsement from a prominent and popular local politician.

The fact that he's not black, and that was a different guy, and that upsets people, shouldn't be making THEM look bad.

He pretty much lied. He stretched the truth so much that what he said barely resembled reality. Like if you give a drink to someone 'cause they tell you they're 21, and it turns out they're 17, but they were counting in Base 8. I don't see how you're interpreting this to make someone who ADMITS he was trying to deceive voters with this as better than the people he deceived.

[Greenday]

It's a whole separate argument. Both the voters and the politician look dumb.

[Nyoibo]

Sounds like someone was a fan of Eddie Murphy and The Distinguished Gentleman.

[Hyena Dandy]

It's a whole separate argument. Both the voters and the politician look dumb.

I think they don't.

If you make a big part of your campaign "I am one of you, I am a part of this city's African American community, that's how I'll represent you. I'm endorsed by one of your community leaders" and you turn out to... Not be part of the city's African American community, and you're endorsed by some guy they've never heard of with the same name, you're an asshole.

They weren't voting for him because he was black. They were voting for him because he would represent the best interests of the black community. His evidence for that was

1) I'm black.

2) A black community leader has endorsed me.

The district is embattled. If he'd run as a white guy, he would probably have been asked to show why he was so in touch with the things that the community feels is important. If he could do that, they might have still voted for him.

His campaign was predicated on a lie. An endorsement from a guy who didn't endorse him, and claiming to be black when he wasn't.

Like I said, if someone was running on how much they care about gay people, they were gay, and claimed gay icons endorsed them, I would be furious to find out that they weren't gay, and those people didn't endorse them. Because if that was what they were doing to boost that reputation, that was basing it on a lie.

They were voting based on a lie. They have every right to be angry.

[s_stabeler]

I will point out that his color is more or less irrelevant. He made himself look as if he would represent the black community. He was not. To give an example that is much the same: a Candidate for the House of Representatives makes his campaign literature look as if he is backed by the Tea Party. ( The area being one where the Tea Party is strong enough to elect a candidate) They are actually a Democrat, who thinks the Tea party are utter idiots.

It is the misrepresentation of the candidate that is the problem, not his color as such. If he was white but endorsed by the community leader Ron Wilson, then he would still have likely got elected. ( Hell, if he pretended to be black, and was legitimately endorsed, then people probably wouldn't care)

[Panacea]

I know it is somewhat strange, but I really do feel that I could do a better job than a lot of the yahoos who get elected - at least I passed my certs for paralegal, I went to school for accounting [and worked in the field], have a few classes in sociology, psychology and political science. I really do think I couldn't do any worse.

I really don't think you could do worse, and you could do a lot better.

But on the issue of deception: let's face facts.

The voters voted for who they thought was a black guy. I really don't think the voters put a lot of thought into this kind of election. They saw black guy, they voted black guy. It says something about the voters that he was able to get away with this, and what it says isn't good.

However, that's no excuse. This guy did something reprehensible, and quite frankly he should be impeached and thrown out of office as soon as he's sworn in.

What a dick.