Nobody, Including Barack Obama Himself, Expected It

So right, Frank. I can’t remember if it was Stephanie Miller or someone else on the radio last week who said something about political strategists. Every station has half a dozen of them - where did they come from? What’s on your resume that makes you a political strategist? All they seem to do is - as you have said - babble. There’s very little that’s coherent or relevant.

Great picture of Obama. This was an interesting conversation with the lead off about Obama and everyone getting it wrong, and how he had his organization together and got it right. There continues to be racism in our country, it will probably always be here, but, as you pointed out, the speed of change in our cultural acceptance of important issues is great to see. I don’t know if Obama will win, but I am so proud of our country that he is running. It was a tough democrat primary and a sad ending for many, but here we are with a great role model for not only African Americans, but all Americans. He is another example of America’s courage.

I continue to have issues with him due to lack of experience, but am waiting to see how things unfold. I do believe that even though many people will not vote for him due to race, it doesn’t matter. He is here and America is giving him a fair shot. He has run a campaign that yields results and we shall see what happens. I could not guess which way it will go.

The race card may be used by some, but if McCain uses it, it will do more harm to McCain’s campaign than to Obama’s. McCain would not benefit by looking like a racist. It would seem to me that if Obama’s campaign focuses on and accuses the race card being used, it will make him look weak. America doesn’t want a weak president. I think they are going to avoid race as much as possible. Private citizens have their own opinions and will vote accordingly. You cannot legislate and change anyone’s ideas about race. It is something that we are growing out of, and it takes time.

Race has always seemed like such an odd thing. As a child, in 5th and 6th grade I went to a school that had a great racial mix. The teachers were wonderful and worked with everyone equally. Mrs. Mordigan was just amazing to me. When we had assemblies she always had 2 children presenting, either black and white, latino and black, or white and latino, and it just seemed so normal to all of us. No big deal. I think church is where it seemed more separate. I knew society had problems and I recognized that, but it always seemed to me so odd that someone was different or not equal because their skin was different. There was not logic in it for me, I could never understand how it started that way.

I must admit that I did have concepts about race, but I think it was taught, not in words, but in cultural treatment of different races and ethnic groups in our society. Movies, TV and the absence of African Americans in ads or commercials etc. Thank heavens that has changed and is changing.

“It’s more inane babbling than talking, IMO.”

By Frank Peterson on 07/01/2008 11:12 am

Yes, and the “race card” is being bandied around more by those inane babbling heads than by any of the candidates. They have made this entire campaign more about spinning everything they can possibly bite out of context into a tabloid headline about race, sexism, patriotism, elitism, evangelism, whatever, than about comparing the candidates’ stands on the real issues.