I don't care what color they are. I don't care what gender they are. Hell, I don't even care if they are human or alien! All I want from our next President is someone who cares about this country and who will not drag us through another inappropriate war and who will not make the USA the laughing stock of the world and the most hated, as has our incumbent!!!

Not important- -to vote for someone just because of gender or race might even be worse than just voting down a party ticket without knowing anything about a person outside their party!

I'd say it's not important to me at all in relation to their platform... A black or female Bush is still a Bush... What is important to me is electing a president that puts America first in their platform...

It is not "time for a black president"..it is not "time for a woman president"..it is time for a LEADER!!! It is time for the needs of the people to come first!! To hell with the labels...black, white, man, woman, young, old, Republican, Democrat. Ummm..sorry...that would be a "not important".

The only way to gauge Bush's performance is by comparing it to someone else's performance under the exact same conditions (Starting with Saddam's refusal to comply with UN sanctions, to the events of 9-11). And since we will not recreate these events just to measure Bush's worth, that leaves us with the notion that we will never know if Bush is indeed as bad as people make him out to be or if someone else would have gotten us into an even bigger mess. Bush comes from a good family and I know that he would not have purposely engaged us in a senseless war. This said, it really makes no difference who's at the top, as long as he or she is NOT an enemy of our country.

Nothing is as important as a candidates platform. Not their race, religion, especially not their party. Vote for the person who stands for the political stances you agree with most & will make the changes, etc that YOU WANT to see in this country.

Its more important that we pick someone who is good for the country. Picking someone for president just because they are female or African American is just as prejudice as picking someone because they are white and male. It is discrimination if it is based on race or gender not on qualifications.

as it doesn't directly affect me .. I don't mind who is president. I would like to see a woman in charge, but only if she was more qualified to do the job than the other candidate .. that goes with a black person or even Aahnold (Arnold)

While I think it would be a major milestone for the civil/women's rights movements, in the end all that really matters is the decisions they make when they get into office, and how well they represent the will of the American people (unlikely).

Its not time for any kind,who cares what gender,or race,its actually nice to see people standing up and being firsts for this country. We need a leader nomatter what color of the skin or gender..I dont care if they are pink and transgender.its not about what they look like or what gender its the heart and will power they have to make a change,we need a strong minded and determined president. Nothing is more important then someone with a whole lot of heart and willingness to make the change and actually do something thats what is important!!

It shouldn't be, but we are only human, and I'm afraid that is how most will vote. I usually vote one way, but if my president was caught doing some of the things others have done in the past, I would never vote for him.

I agree with everyone's statements here... however... as a black man I have to say that it is "somewhat Important" that either a black man or a woman become president AND a good leader for the country because it shows that race and gender relations are improving in the United States. With so much discrimination that still exsists in this country having either "minority" make it to the finish line is an important step that can help to break the glass celing for women who constantly struggle to reach equality and really the same for blacks in this country who in many many cases are still discriminated against just because our skin color is darker. Don't ever think that everything is better just because you personally don't have anything against someone of color (black, hispanic, arab or whatever)there are people where I live now (in the south) that STILL hate Blacks and will tell you so in a heartbeat.. they use the infamous N word in places down this way like its still 1945...

I do not take race religion nor sex into consideration when voting for a candidate. I vote for who I believe will be best for us as a whole. With that being said I plan on voting for John McCain. He was not initially my first choice but unfortunately for some unknown reason Fred Thompson decided to pull out. Why do I feel McCain would be a better President than Obama or Clinton? Because Clinton is in the campaign for her own personal gain and what's in it for her. She doesn't give a damn about any of the issues she claims to stand for just like her husband Bill. It's time for all the people She has fooled to wake up and realize the worsddt thing they can do is Help put Hilary in the White House. You think things are bad under Bush wait til Hilary is in there and f##ks s##t up even worse than Bush Obama has some really good ideas but is a very scary man in that if he is elected we will definitely be overrun with more immigrants and we will be susceptable to more attacks. Why because his ideas on immigration are weak and his assinine idea of a full and immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq would spell disaster not only for Iraq and all the U.S. has tried to accomplish there but for the U.S. as well. If we just up and leave like he and so many other idiots in this country want us to do it would allow the terrorists to take over in Iraq and before you know it all of our major cities will become like Jeruselem was a few years back having almost daily public transit bombings by nuts that think they are doing Allah's work I like McCain's strong stance on immigration and his ideas for a gradual reduction in the number of troops in Iraq. That makes a hell of alot more sense than just pulling out completely and letting the terrorists take over. Personally I just wish we would get a candidate with the balls to promise a constitutional ammendment to make English the official language of the United States and to require all immigrants from non english speaking countries to have minimial proficiency in the english language within a certain time frame lets say 1 year after coming to this country or else face deportation. I for one am sick and tired of my hard earned tax dollars going to pay for translators in public buildings because people are too dammned lazy to learn the language of their new country and would rather speak their native tounge. Now I'm not talking about the ones barely off the boat or plane etc but those who have been here for 5 10 or even 20 years and still can't communicate in english. I think it is totally disgusting.

I've said it over and over again, only a fool makes up his or her mind on something without knowing the issue. That includes electing someone because of race or gender. Apparently certain groups (NOW-NY for example XD) disagree with me, but that just proves how fanatical certain movements can get. For those who are wondering NOW-NY is New Yorks branch of the national organization for women.

Interesting question. Politicians are a lot like lawyers. A lawyer is considered successful if he wins cases. Never mind whether he obscures the truth in the process if he can outmaneuver the opposition. A good politician presents his agenda (platform) more convincingly that another politician. Never mind whether he'll actually get anything DONE if he can outmaneuver the opposition. Considering politicians have ALWAYS sold us a load of crap to get elected and there's NEVER been a black or female politician, I figure it's more important to have NEW faces lying to us for a change, instead of the same old sh**.

It is part of the presidential politics. We vote for the whole person. Some people are very charismatic like Ronald Reagan or John Kennedy . Clinton and Obama are both extraordinary as presidential candidates in that they both have a real probability to be president and either way that will be historic. The US, the greatest country on the earth at this time, can be so backwards. The fact that Clinton is a woman and Obama is black shouldn't be a big deal, but it is in this culture.

The United States is in a crucial time; and are in desperate of the VERY BEST; and most experienced dedicated leadership. Race & Gender should not be a consideration. But unfortunately; having an Afro-American candidate; appeals to the lifelong dreams of millions of people of color in this country; even though this candidate was ostensively the least qualified contender in the field. So now the call to action (to heal the Racial inequity & devisiveness of the past)is to BE RACIST; and Vote for a candidate; whose main qualification for office is that he IS BLACK. I only pray that this sad state of affairs will not devistate the hopes for the future of America .

It should not be important at all, and I believe the time for a minority President (of any type) will come when being a minority is no more important than having blue eyes or brown hair.

It's not at all important. Americans elected much higher quality candidates back before the candidates' faces were broadcast 24/7 on television. The media has caused politicians to be unelectable if they're not good at public speaking or not charismatic. Thomas Jefferson, one of our greatest presidents, had a lisp and detested being in the public eye - he started a long tradition of sending a written "state of the union" address to Congress, and in my opinion, it's a shame that tradition came to and end. I also doubt Lincoln or Washington would be electable now. The candidate's platform and political philosophy, and their intelligence, used to be the deciding factors in elections. Today, elections are glorified popularity contests. It's sickening to think about how many millions of dollars are wasted on campaigns, when people in our own country are starving or deprived of adequate health care.

The time is never right for a black president like Farrakhan or a woman like Brittny Spears. It's got to be based on qualifications. But I have a strong feeling that if a white male is competing against a similarly qualified white female or minority male or female, the public will take the latter over the white male.

Gender and Race shouldn't matter. We are all the human race, and I believe some women make better leaders than some men, not all. I'd like to see Condi Rice running for office more than any of the candidates I've seen in some time. But I still don't know if she's make the perfect president, but strongly convinced she could do a lot better than most. Electing someone based solely on them fitting the race or gender of what is "overdue" is not only ridiculous but could have seriously disastrous effects on a great many things from the fate of the Free World to the chances of even more backsliding in "equality" than might even be still perceived.

Not important.

i think who wish a president because of his/her color or his/her ethnicity is racist and shallow.

it is nonimportant! they will all the same assumed power white male presidents had. I wish the news would stop focusing on their races and sexes and start focusing on their issues.

The race or gender should make no difference only the qualifications should matter, but sadly many people will place a vote based on race and on gender which will go both ways this election, both candidates have views that i agree and disagree with. I am however tired of all the finger pointing and name calling have we all become so childish?

Excuse me but Obama is not just a BLACK person. He is a child of an interracial couple: black and white. IF Obama wins, we still have a "white" man in the office, so to speak. :D

Voting for a president based on race or gender is actually going to bite those people in the arse later on. For example: IF a black person is voting for Obama because he has black in him, doesn't that only say that Blacks no longer can claim discrimination for everything? If someone like Obama or Winfrey can rise to powerful and influential position, what's stopping other blacks but themselves? Sure, there will always be discrimination - which happens to EVERYBODY - but to use race as the excuse every time is absurd. So IF Obama does win, the last thing I want to hear is people pulling the race card for every little thing.