What with the Bush legacy of reckless war and economic
mismanagement, 2008 is a year that favors the generic Democratic
candidate over the generic Republican one. Yet Barack Obama, with every
natural and structural advantage in the presidential race, is running
only neck-and-neck against John McCain, a sub-par Republican nominee
with a list of liabilities longer than a Joe Biden monologue. Obama has
built a crack political operation, raised record sums, and inspired
millions with his eloquence and vision. McCain has struggled with a
fractious campaign team, lacks clarity and discipline, and remains a
stranger to charisma. Yet at the moment, the two of them appear to be tied. What gives? If
it makes you feel better, you can rationalize Obama's missing 10-point
lead on the basis of Clintonite sulkiness, his slowness in responding
to attacks, or the concern that Obama may be too handsome, brilliant,
and cool to be elected. But let's be honest: If you break the numbers
down, the reason Obama isn't ahead right now is that he trails badly
among one group, older white voters. He does so for a simple reason:
the color of his skin.Much evidence points to racial prejudice as a factor that could be
large enough to cost Obama the election. That warning is written all
over last month's CBS/New York Times poll,
which is worth examining in detail if you want a quick grasp of white
America's curious sense of racial grievance. In the poll, 26 percent of
whites say they have been victims of discrimination. Twenty-seven
percent say too much has been made of the problems facing black people.
Twenty-four percent say the country isn't ready to elect a black
president. Five percent of white voters acknowledge that they,
personally, would not vote for a black candidate. SOURCE:SLATEMAGAZINE.COM