I'll agree to that. Political candidates are individuals who spend six months under a microscope. Unlike many situations, there is far more than ample time and information to discern whether a candidate is an "exception" or a "rule" without having to fall back on playing the odds based on known group tendencies. Like I say, run Thomas Sowell against Hillary Clinton (not a "liberal", I refuse to let the Leftists use that find old name anymore.
I am a Liberal.) See who I vote for. Just don't run Armstrong Williams, the Limbaugh-esque Black right-wing talk show personality, who is very conveniently thinking of voting for the Dem's man this election.
What gets my goat is the obvious, almost amateurish attempt by the media to point their crooked little fingers at White people in America yet again and act like they are the only segment of the human race to practice ethnocentrism, when in fact modern Whites are probably the least ethnocentric group walking the face of the Earth. And this sort of pot-stirring of racial animosity almost constitutes incitation on the media's part, IMHO.
BTW, I don't think a third party candidate can win this election. I don't know if a third party candidate can EVER win a election. But I can say for sure, that if it is Demopublican from now on, there is no hope for this country. The two wings of the Boot-On-Your-Neck Party, are demonstrably going to do whatever they want. They don't debate about allowing more illegals in, they debate the particulars of how many and how. They don't debate about foreign interventionism, but merely how to intervene. They do not debate about whether or not to socialize more segments of the economy, but merely whose plan is best for that. The Republicans, ever since Barry Goldwater lost, have existed by positioning themselves JUST to the Right of the Dems and saying to the poor slobs who constitute the backbone of this nation, "What are ya gonna do? Vote for the GREATER evil? Screw you!" And I for one, am tired of it.
Personally I could care less if the candidate is purple like Barney, or their gender. For me it is all about the philosophy they bring to the table.
There will be people that will not vote for Obama because he is black. But there are also many people who will vote for him BECAUSE he is black as well.
I know several people who have nothing in common with Obama philosophically but are likely to vote for him anyway because he is, in one case "trendy", and in another "because he is black and if we vote for a black person it will show that we aren't a racist country."
It would be nice if we lived in a so-called colorless society. Unfortunately we do not and those that have wished and lobbied for a colorless society for decades are now the ones making color the issue. "Some whites won't vote for Obama BECAUSE he is black." It isn't just polls, it is also democratic pundits that are saying it. That makes color an issue. Whites voting FOR him because he is black also make color an issue.
It is funny, I look at Obama and see a middle aged liberal senator. I look at McCain and see an older centrist senator. In the interest of fairness, I looked at Mitt Romney as a middle aged, conservative, ex-governor and Hillary as an older left of center senator.
I suggest that a person should vote on the basis of which party best represents their own views, because it is the party's ideals that will be represented when in office, not the flowery speeches and platitudes the candidates deliver while on the soap box. Third party folks, don't bother with a high jack. In reality America is a two party system. Work within it. A good example of what can happen when you support your ideals and throw away your vote on a third party candidate is in 2000 when in all likelihood, liberal people who voted for Ralph Nader succeeded in getting a conservative elected by not supporting Al Gore, who was much closer to what they believe in. So instead they voted on principle instead of on the candidate that would be closest to what they believe in. Political parties are a big tent and you have to live in the tent that best represents what you believe in.
