The Elephant in the Room

Barack Obama responds to the question of whether race will be an issue on Nov. 4th with remarkable cool.

On 60 Minutes last night, he said it would probably be a wash, with some people voting against him because of the color of his skin while others will vote for him for the same reason.

He has nothing to gain from calling attention to the issue of race. He would appear defensive and maybe even angry and end up reinforcing some of the very same stereotypes that divide our nation.

But the fact that, even in 2008, America is still populated by a significant number of people who aren’t comfortable voting for a black man and that race is still something that divides us is deeply disappointing.

I know there is little to be gained by raising this. People are unlikely to be reflective about race. The days of overt racism are, mostly, over and few people would ever admit to questioning Obama’s merits based on his skin color.

But the issue of race remains a factor whether we admit it or not. For example, comments from people who acknowledge apprehension or distrust of Obama raise a red flag with me and then there are the unmitigated swoons by some over Sarah Palin who, they say, is “Just like us.”

How reassuring is that. Let’s elect someone who reminds us of our own dysfunctional lives.

I know that people often vote for psychological reasons as much as, or more than, political reasons. A New York Times/CBS News poll released in July suggests that racial divides are still powerful in America. So what else is new?

What I find particularly repugnant is when examples cross over from the implicit to the explicit.

Was it just me who felt that the McCain ad that called Obama “disrespectful” for questioning Palin (by calling her “good looking”) was over-the-top?

I found it gruesomely reminiscent of America’s unfortunate history of discrimination and miscegenation laws (eg story of Emmitt Till).

Or how about when a Georgia congressman calls Obama “uppity?”

Even here in Wisconsin, I was surprised to hear Republican state chairman Reince Priebus refer to Obama as “unelectable. “

What is it, Reince, that makes Sen. Obama, who is leading Sen. McCain in nearly every poll, so “unelectable?”

Of course, we know that every vote counts, especially in battleground states like Wisconsin and it really doesn’t matter what reason, conscious or unconscious, causes a person to support one candidate or another.

But if we don’t take this opportunity to at least admit that the issue of race remains pernicious, then it will be a shame.