Poll-itics: African-Americans are dramatically more upbeat than in past 25 years

By GottaLaff

Turn that frown upside down:

Despite a recession that's disproportionately affected their community, African-Americans are dramatically more upbeat about their progress in this country than at any time during the past quarter century, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

Barack Obama's election as the nation's first African-American president is credited for the increased optimism that's reflected in a range of issues, including race relations and expectations for further African-American progress.

Do you mean to tell me that a light-skinned African American who only talks Negro at certain events has African Americans fooled into feeling more optimistic? Someone better tell the authors of Game Change. They've been all over the Tee Vee Machine making mischief.

In the survey, 39 percent of African-Americans said "the situation of black people in this country" is better off now than it was five years ago, almost double the 20 percent who said that in 2007. [...]

Fifty-three percent of African-Americans said life for African-Americans in the future will be better than it is now, while only 10 percent predicted that things would get worse. In 2007, 44 percent said things would get better and 21 percent said worse.

As for that light-skinned business:

Fifty-five percent of African-Americans said Obama is an African-American, while 34 percent said he's of mixed race. Whites' opinions split in almost opposite proportion: 53 percent said he's of mixed race, while 24 percent said he's African-American.

There's a lot more. Go take a look.