As we head into the general election pitting Republican Senator John
McCain vs. Democratic Senator Barack Obama, it is becoming
increasingly clear that the contest is going to center around one
thing for most Republicans and that is Obama's race. Used to speaking
in glowing terms about how lacking in prejudice they perceive
themselves to be, citing such non-candidates as Colin Powell or Alan
Keyes as "conservative blacks" whom they could sup****t for president,
these folks are often talking about anything BUT Obama's race when
they seek to criticize him. However, it is plain enough that his
race is precisely what really bothers them and it never seems to leave
their mind. Suddenly, the liberal senator is a far leftwing socialist
with no redeeming qualities, suddenly this intelligent and poised
individual is a raving black militant just because his light-skinned
pastor, by condemning the white man and criticizing American hegemony,
has been trying to convince black pari****oners that he is blacker than
anyone else. We never hear a serious discussion about Obama's
apparent intentions as Chief Executive, other than his desire to
finally extricate us from the bankrupting and unending conflict in
Iraq, his intention to reform our ailing health care system, or the
fact that he will probably raise taxes on the richest Americans,
who've been living off the fat of the land for the last eight years as
most Americans watch their wealth dwindle and their buying power
eva****ate.
In one sense, we are proud that Americans now seem able to
consider an apparently capable person for the highest office in the
land who is not a member of the majority race, even though he is young
and largely untried and no doubt will make a few mistakes. On the
other hand, we find ourselves yanked back into the racial and social
prejudices of the past, where the most ignorant and hateful people
among us simply can't bring themselves to consider being led by a
member of a minority group, even as large and culturally familiar a
group as blacks. It is a pretty sorry display when you think about
all the deserving folks from other races who will never get the
chance, or for that matter, the white people who for whatever reason
are always considered unacceptable to the WASP establishment in the
northeast or the simple blue collar folk across the country. I mean,
what if the most talented and capable person happened to be an Asian-
American? Can you imagine whites electing him or her? Very unlikely,
I'd say. And what if a particularly adept individual happened to be
one of the original Americans, an American Indian? Oh, that would go
over real well, wouldn't it. In America, it always seems to be one
step forward and two steps back.
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