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Saturday, May 10, 2008

It's Not Race, It's Wright

Posted by: Carol Platt Liebau at 12:08 PM

Everyone knows that Democrats and Barack's friends in the media will attempt to portray any opposition to his candidacy as nothing more than racism. But Stuart Taylor makes an important point -- that Obama's troubles attracting white votes seem to postdate the Wright imbroglio, noting that Barack "easily won the caucuses in overwhelmingly white Iowa on January 3 and, over the next seven weeks, captured the white male vote in Maryland, Virginia, and Wisconsin and as many white male voters as Clinton did in South Carolina."

Here's the question: Would Americans be offended if a white pastor had blamed 9/11 on The United States? Yes -- in fact, the regrettable former rector at my church did the same thing, and his congregants were appalled. Would some (at least) Americans be taken aback at the news that a candidate's close confidant (and spiritual advisor) had said, "God d**n America"? Of course.

All this has taken a toll. One anecdote: A close friend of mine, a moderate Republican who was initially receptive-to-enthusiastic about the Obama candidacy recently wrote me, "I'm rethinking it after this Wright thing. And his wife is now proud to be an American for the first time? Forget her." If some white voters are turning from Obama, it's not because of his skin color. It's because of the views of those closest to him -- and what they suggest about the candidate's own views.

Just for the record: It's not Obama's Republican opponents who have made an issue of his race -- or who have most damaged his candidacy. It's his closest compatriots (like Wright and Mrs. Obama) and his intra-party competitors (like Clinton).

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GP36 writes:	Sunday, May, 11, 2008 3:31 PM
For conservatives its always about race
"It's not Obama's Republican opponents who have made an issue of his race -- or who have most damaged his candidacy." Say what!? What world have you been living in? No one has made a bigger deal about Obama's race than the conservative media. Of course a lot of it is done in wink-wink fashion. Just check the items about Obama from this blog in 2007. Race was mentioned in 90 percent of them -- often by simply noting that some item in another media had not mentioned race.
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Ken writes:	Saturday, May, 10, 2008 7:54 PM
It was not about race at the beginning
When Barack Obama started on the trek for the nomination he was a candidate who happened to be black. Now after his handling of the Wright controversy and after his wife's comments, it has now become about race. Barack Obama turned this campaign into a race contest; he turned it from a man running for President to a black man running for President. Read more at: http://brokengovernment.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/48/
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rushshambula writes:	Saturday, May, 10, 2008 7:28 PM
Real Racism
I heard a caller to Sean Hannitys' Radio Show last Thursday a self described black lady named Dr. Love. She said she did some kind of a radio program and admired Sean. But when she made the claim that "blacks" are the most racist when it comes to politics Sean quickly shot her down. This sort of thing is the problem. She had what I thought was a very good point she referenced DC voters reelections of Marion Barry after he was caught in posesion of cocaine. She would have probably reiterated all the other points Sean made including those about Sharpton, Jackson, now Wright. The real problem is FEAR!!! Fear to stand on the truth. If whites are racist in any real way then the same could be said of blacks and until we how a standard of equal judgement on ALL this behavior leaves the door open and skews reality
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mrbmrb writes:	Saturday, May, 10, 2008 5:32 PM
its not race
lets all get together and start a new thing in journalism and i blogs and in fact, anything that refers to the presidential candidates. sinec we all know from al the people who have insisted that race should and does not play any pert in this election. lets all agree never to mention any candidates race. no black for obama no wjhite for mccain and clinton. anyone who does used that descriptive adjective will either be left in the middle of the deepest darkest ghetto i can find (white or black, perhaps orientl and if its a blatent vilation the barrio. wanna bet it doesnt happen. why not????
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An Instinctive Gesture of Reciprocal Liking writes:	Saturday, May, 10, 2008 3:11 PM
Carol
Do you notice how no one ever appears to care about your columns?
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