Drift Reality

I will be the first to admit that I am not tracking the presidential campaign on a daily basis but some of the story lines in this campaign have been so prominent that they seem to just jump out and bite at you - and I think the most recent issue with Obama’s pastor is a little bit like that.

My first thought was, “I wonder who is behind this story…” I honestly found myself wondering whether this was simply one of the cards that the Clinton campaign has been waiting for the right time to play.

Throughout the campaign, Obama has done a great job treading the line between appealing to a black constituency in this country while presenting himself to the non-black majority of his constituency as a candidate who transcends race and represents the future of America.

The media coverage of his pastor’s remarks is a swift and strong reminder that Obama is a black candidate - and as much as we don’t like to believe or say it - there are certainly people out there who probably fear having a non-white president and this story plays on those fears.

Clearly, the people who benefit most from the story are the Clinton and McCain campaigns.

The people who are hurt the most are the American people, not necessarily because Obama is the best candidate to be our next president but because if the issue continues to gain momentum, we will start thinking about the presidential race in terms of race instead of looking at it in terms of who we think will be the best leader for this country over the next four years.

Additionally, I am probably going to catch some heat here - but I disagree with the claims that Wright’s documented comments are anti-American.

That’s just stupid.

Unless someone comes out and blatantly condemns another group - or condones hatred and violence, then I think it is quite pro-American to speak your mind.

When it comes down to it what this pastor is saying is simply that racism still exists in this country on various levels and I think anyone would be hard pressed to argue with that underlying message.

In fact, I was just on an airline a few weeks ago (I can’t remember which one unfortunately) and was sitting in the exit row. The airline attendant, a middle-aged caucasian woman came by and looked over everyone seated in the exit row and before beginning her primer asked me, “Excuse me - do you speak English?”

I glanced down at the copy of the Economist that I was reading and then looked over into the other aisle, where a younger black lady was giving me a look that I swear was sympathetic in nature. Eschewing the barrage of smart-ass comments that were running through my mind I simply answered, “Yes.” (Note - I later called the airline attendant over and reprimanded her for her comment in private)

At any rate, the reason I relay this story is simply because I believe it is a microcosm for the implicit beliefs held by certain people in this country - that if someone has darker skin and slanted eyes they might not speak English.

I guess for people of ethnicity it is not so shocking to hear public figures come out and say that there is still latent racism in the US - which at its core, is what I think Wright is really getting at (albeit a little more colorfully for my liking).

I just hope that people don’t become preoccupied with this and refocus on the other characteristics of the political candidates in this race.