Fear of a Black Planet

In light of Sen. John McCain's badly managed presidential campaign and series of outlandish statements, along with general anti-Republican sentiment among the electorate, some prominent Democrats and media pundits are now saying the only reason many polls show McCain essentially tied with Barack Obama is due to the latter's ethnicity.

Gee, ya think?

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius raised the topic of subtle racism while taking questions from a crowd in Iowa on Wednesday.

“Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African-American?” said Sebelius, as quoted by The Iowa Independent. “That may be a factor. All the code language, all that doesn’t show up in the polls. And that may be a factor for some people.”

Jack Cafferty, a CNN political analyst, echoed the theme later that same day.

“Race is arguably the biggest issue in this election, and it’s one that nobody’s talking about,” Cafferty said. “The differences between Barack Obama and John McCain couldn’t be more well-defined. Obama wants to change Washington. McCain is a part of Washington and a part of the Bush legacy. Yet the polls remain close. Doesn't make sense, unless it’s race.”

Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke even discussed the topic in a recent Web article. Burke said, "I know there is a real concern out there that some people who normally would be voting Democratic might not vote for an African-American."

We’ve been saying ever since Ohio’s March primary that the most likely explanation for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s strong showing among the state’s blue collar, non-college educated workers was their reticence in voting for an African-American to hold the highest office in the nation.

Exit polling done at the time by MSNBC revealed about two-thirds of white voters in Ohio backed Clinton, higher than in many other states. Also, Ohio is far more Caucasian than many states; nearly three-fourths of all voters here are white, compared to the six in 10 in earlier Democratic primaries.

Obama got overwhelming support from blacks, younger voters and the college educated, but did poorly among blue collar workers and elderly voters.

The same split also held true in primary results in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where the same demographic gave Clinton her margin of victory.

But even Clinton’s own campaign manager, Terry McAuliffe, conceded during the primary race that Obama and Clinton agreed on “90 percent of the issues.” The biggest difference was on healthcare and, in that instance, Clinton’s plan was more liberal. Clinton’s proposal would’ve required that everyone have insurance coverage, which Obama’s didn’t at the time.

Further, Obama publicly criticized the job losses sparked partially by passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s and vowed to renegotiate the pact, while Clinton was more hesitant and nebulous on the issue. Whether it was genuine or calculated, Obama’s position was closer to the one held by many blue collar workers in the region, yet they still voted for Clinton.

Race is still a hot button issue that’s not brought up in polite society.

Philadelphia Daily News columnist Fatimah Ali discovered that earlier this month when she wrote, “If McCain wins, look for a full-fledged race and class war, fueled by a deflated and depressed country, soaring crime, homelessness — and hopelessness.”

The mere mention of a possible race war — two words out of 775 in the column — triggered an avalanche of hateful commentary on conservative Web sites and right-wing radio talk shows, and threats to Ali.

U.S. society has come a long way since the Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, which celebrated its 45th anniversary on the day Obama accepted his party’s nomination. But it hasn’t come as far as everyone likes to think.

— Kevin Osborne

Comments

[Walter Madison Washington Jr]

If Barak Obama is Not elected President of Our United States
the only explanation is his Race.
specifically the African part.

McCains' lies and his choice of the non-experienced female running mate Palin
I hope will be exposed eventually
in the Debates.
And Americans will have No other reason to not Elect Barak Obama President.

And lets hope the the "race excuse"

doesn't happen.Let's look at the real isssues.

As Barak says. We are Americans.

[trey]

It obviously can be argued oppositely that race got him where he is today. Obama has one of the thinnest resumes of anyone who ever made it this far (especially in these modern times where resume is king).

Sorry I can't link to it but I think its Michael Barone (who I think is right-leaning but generally regarded as one of the more rigorous political analysts out there) who ran the numbers through and showed that the group least inclined to vote for Obama (Appalacians or who he more rigorously categorizes as Scots-Irish) actually voted in large numbers for the black guy who won governor in Virginia (Wilder?) and some other prominent black candidates who had a general respect for what he calls the "warrior" culture of the Scots-Irish. According to Barone, the Scots-Irish to a not insignificant degree are rejecting Obama because he comes more from the "negotiation" culture which the Scots-Irish generally dislike.

[trey]

Type in Michael Barone Scots-Irish at Google and his April 2 article on the motivations of the Scots-Irish voter will pop up.

[Kevin Osborne]

Trey,

That is an interesting article. Thanks for tipping me off to it.

[Not the Mamma Cass!]

Why is the Obama campaign using white guilt as a strategy? If Obama loses it will be because he isn't the better candidate.

Why are Democrats the ones raising his ethnicity? Some Republicans have made bigoted comments and been rightly pilloried, but come on.

"Has anyone noticed he's part African-American"? Is Sebelius an idiot? What "code" language? Like Obama's socialist rhetoric?

Give me a break.

Here's a deal: if Obama wins, no more victimology. No more excuses. No more "code language." No more complaints. No more white guilt. No more race-based anything.