Racial Puzzles in Presidential Politics

Racial Puzzles in Presidential Politics

It may have been a bit surprising when the NAACP held its national convention and Mitt Romney showed up. Romney, as comedian Reggie Brown put it, is "what people who hate white people think of when they think of white people." He's likely to do about as well among black voters as he is among Wiccans.
But there he was, taking precious campaign time in a vain and even humiliating search for votes. Naive folly or an excess of ambition on his part? Not quite.
Candidates normally put a high priority on assuring enthusiastic receptions and supportive audiences. Campaign...