Posted on 08/28/2008 4:10:14 AM PDT by ricks_place
Denver -- There is a powerful, often painful, thread of memory in the American mind with regard to race. It is a flowing narrative from the time of slavery to the Civil War and on to the nation's struggle for racial equality. That story includes Martin Luther King's life and death as a martyr. Today the story continues in a nation where one-third of the population is made up of racial minorities. There is also an unprecedented number of immigrants and record levels of prosperity among the black and Hispanic middle-class.
Now we have Barack Obama's astonishing political rise, advancing the story to the point where a majority white nation might possibly select him as its first president of color.
For Sen. Obama's supporters and much of the American media, the message of this neatly packaged story is that the Illinois senator is the man who fulfills King's dream. "Had it not been for that speech," Mr. Obama told the Rocky Mountain News last week, "I very likely wouldn't be standing in Invesco [field] to accept the nomination from my party." He told USA Today he plans to pay tribute to King tonight, and use the speech to express "pride in how much this country has transformed itself in my lifetime . . . I don't think we can shy away from the significance of that."
More than 90% of black Americans are now on board with that story line, and according to polls, more than a third of black voters say his race is either the most important factor or one key factor in explaining their support for Mr. Obama. His race is at least a key issue for about a quarter of white voters as well, and that percentage is going up...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
LLS
Let's see.. . . . more than a third of black voters say [Obama's] race is either the most important factor or one key factor in explaining their support for Mr. Obama. [Pride! Solidarity! Great!] His race is at least a key issue for about a quarter of white voters as well [Bigots! Racists!]...
What a bunch of bull. There is not one living soul in this nation that remembers slavery.
White America is not racist. I'm sure you can find individual Americans who are racist, just as you can find individuals who molest children, but America is not racist. It's just been proven.
If Obama talks about race in America as a problem that still needs to be overcome, then he makes a mistake. For me, it's now at the level of "When did you stop beating your wife?" Look: I'm not guilty and it annoys the heck out of me when people assume that I am.
I must disagree with you. Obama is the democRat nominee precisely because that party IS racist.
If the man was white, he wouldn't have made it past the first caucus.
But if the spin becomes "White folks are still keeping black folks down -- they can't get ahead because The Man won't let them." Then Obama's situation is a complete refutation. The type of racism one can now find in America has a tendency to reward people with dark skin, promote people with dark skin, and give preferential treatment to people with dark skin.
Oooooooooooh! We have a race problem! Who thinks Obama will be fixing that kind of race problem??
The great thing is that no matter how many liberals cry racism, Obama's black supporters voted almost 90% for him in the Dem primaries over a candidate more qualified, better known, with a much better chance to win. A candidate whose husband championed their cause and "felt their pain" for 8 years.
racism... a dim industry.
LLS
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