Race – The Biggest Factor in this Year’s Race

Congratulations, change has indeed come to America. But is it political change, economic change, or foreign policy change that we can look forward to? One thing that surely has not changed is the impact that racism has in this country. And not in the way that conventional wisdom would lead one to believe. Our country has just elected the single most unqualified Commander-in-Chief in our country’s history. Our country has just elected a man who had ringing endorsements from dictators who despise America and their values, individuals and organizations such as Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, the Iranian Regime, and Hamas. Our country just elected a man with some very questionable and radical characters in his past who have supported him along the way. Why? Few in the media have been willing to point out one very obvious reason for the election of Barack Obama. The focus and the finger pointing have gone in several directions. Many thought it would boil down to the economy. Some suggested that the perception of John McCain as an extension of George Bush would play a significant role. Then there was reality. There were a select few in the media that suggested race would play a role in the election, but much of that coverage was concerned with the so-called Bradley Effect. No one seems willing to address the flip side, a contingency which sought to drive African-American voters to choose Obama solely because of his race. As Hardy Brown of Black Voice News stated, a vote for Barack Obama is ‘an opportunity to break the shackles of hopelessness that has weighed us down for so long.’ He demanded that African Americans vote for Barack Obama calling on his readers to harness the theme of ‘we are owed this election because of our past.’ How about, ‘we owe ourselves the dignity of making an honest choice on Election Day, casting our vote based on policies rather than skin color?’ The main stream media also ran articles trying to explain the possibility of an Obama defeat ranging from accusations of ‘unconscious racism’ to outright charges that racism is the only possible reason that Obama could taste defeat. Now that the results are in, will the media be just as willing to point out the reverse? The numbers bear this reverse racism out. Exit polling shows that a staggering 95% of African-American voters cast their ballot for Barack Obama, compared to 4% who voted for McCain. And, what of the concerns of white voters unwilling to vote for a black President? A more representative sample in that category shows that 55% of whites chose McCain compared to 43% for Obama. Picture, for a moment if you will, those polling numbers being reversed. Imagine the uproar in the media and in our country had 95% of white voters picked McCain as their President. America would be called out as a racist nation, stuck in the past. Racist rednecks to paraphrase John Murtha. Racism has no place in campaigns or elections, it can be agreed upon. What the Obama supporters and the main stream media struggle to realize is that, by invoking the race card prior to this election, and ignoring it afterward, you have merely revealed the depths of your own bigotry. Two years ago, the Washington Post ran an article asking: Is America Too Racist for Barack? The answer is a resounding no. Little did anyone realize that America was actually too racist for John McCain. - Rusty Weiss is a writer for the media watchdog site, NewsBusters.com. He is a freelance journalist focusing on the conservative movement and it’s political agenda. Rusty can be contacted at rustyweiss@verizon.net.