Ted Rall cites this poll to illustrate why race is indeed a factor to consider in choosing a candidate.
Polls show that two-thirds of Americans think the country is ready for a female or black president. But I’m a glass-third-full guy. When a third of the electorate tells you “we’re” not ready for a woman or an African-American commander-in-chief, they really mean that they won’t vote for one. John Edwards is more likely to beat Romney or McCain than either of his history-making rivals, just by showing up with pale skin and a Y chromosome.
Actually the poll showed that 71% of whites said that America is ready for a black president. What's astonishing is that 61% of African Americans don't believe that the time has come. To the extent that they mean that a majority of white Americans will not vote for a black man, even an extraordinarily gifted and apealing one, I agree.
There is enough overt racism in this country to give victory-minded Democrats pause. But the truth is, you don't have to be a card-carrying member of the KKK to instinctively hesitate to vote fot a black candidate. As this little test demonstrates, race-based bias is real. Even well meaning white people who consciously strive for tolerance, harbor beliefs and preconceptions which color their responses to others.
If the goal is for Democrats to win in Novemer, shoudln't we talk about this? Some of the very people who correctly note that Hillary Clinton would be a risky general election candidate because of her high negatives and the effect that HIllary haters might have on such, cry "racism" or "race card" when the legitimate issue of Barack Obama's electability is raised. This is patently absurd, but because race is such a charged issue, no one calls it for what it is.
If you were to say that mentioning Hillary haters means that you have a problem with the Clintons, you would be laughed out of the room. Yet I can't count the number of times I've been (virtually) shouted down for venturing to say that nominating Obama is a risk. This double standard forecloses any discussion of the "elephant in the room" and allows people to maintain a certain naivete about the racial realities of this country.
The puzzling results in New Hampshire have led to informed speculation that the Bradley effect was at play. No one has ventured to say for sure, but observers have not ruled it out as a possiblity. To paraphrase, no one ever went broke underestimating Americans' tolerance and respect for their fellow man. I'll grant that things have gotten better over the past forty-odd years, but I'm not willing to gamble this critical election on chance that racism is no more or that bias does not exist. That's a sucker bet if ever there was one.
If your goal is to see Barack Obama on the Democratic ticket, no matter the cost, I have nothing to say to you. But for those of you who value party over candidate, and want to maximize our chances for victory in November, please 86 the race card card. And kindly ask your fellow Obama supporters to do the same.
Thank You
Oh, and before anyone accuses me of being a white racist, you should know that I am neither.