Apples and Oranges?

CNN was just talking about minorities voting for Barack Obama merely because his skin pigment is closer to theirs than John McCain's (Their phrasing, not mine). In other words instead of party lines they are voting on racial lines, issues be damned.

So I ask you, readers, assuming limited-to-no knowledge regarding the policies of each campaign:

1) Is there a difference between voting straight party lines and voting straight racial lines?

2) Is there a difference between deciding to vote for Obama because he is black and deciding to not vote for Obama because he is black?


Are all uneducated votes the same, or does the voters intent matter?