Obama represents a radical change in direction for the country – of course, his ideas and platform, but also the question of race. Despite the boos we heard, Ed Rendell was right in saying that many Americans still aren’t comfortable voting for a black man.
The presidential election will be about many things. Mostly, it will be about Barack Obama.Millions of Americans are ready for change. But many aren’t comfortable with the man who’s calling for it, at least not yet.
Obama’s ability to reach a comfort threshold with large numbers of those voters – including those hesitant to support a black candidate – will have a huge impact on whether he defeats Republican John McCain.
Both candidates know this full well.
Speaking on the NBC Nightly News last week, Obama said that the Republicans want “to paint me as a very risky choice as president, partly around national security, but partly around cultural issues and, you know, he’s got a funny name. And we don’t know where he’s coming from. . . . I think that’s going to be the race they run.”
The Republicans are known
The Republicans are known for running ruthless campaigns without regard to the amount of bloodshed, but playing the race card in an election where the young vote is going to be so powerful, could spell disaster for them not just in 2008, but beyond. Today’s younger voter isn’t burdened with the same racial problems his parents and grandparents have to deal with. They are open to mixed marriage, they expect a minority to be treated equally at work and so on and a racial attack on Obama by McCain will be seen as just that…a racial attack that doesn’t belong in today’s society. The Republicans will have a hard enough time defending Iraq.
JP
Makes Sense
A John McCain presidency will equate to nothing more than a continuation of the Bush Adminstration’s failed economic, education, and international policies that have failed the majority of Americans. As a result, it makes perfect sense that the 2008 Presential Election will focus primarly on Sen. Barack Obama – the candidate that offers an opportunity for the wounded middle class.
Wounded indeed! Every
Wounded indeed! Every administration has its weak points, but its astonishing how clumsy the Bush group has been in everything they touch from foreign policy to the EPA to the economy. And all this for two unforgettable terms.
JP
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