Racism in Politics

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (Source) I, too, share this dream. Some think that our upcoming presidential race has been tainted by racism.

Mr. Navarrette, Jr. insinuates that Hillary Clinton is racist for saying that she gets more votes from certain white people than Barack Obama does. The fact that Clinton does seem to get more votes from certain white people is backed up by polls. The assertion that she is racist for saying so is not supported by any evidence that Navarrette provides.

Navarrette does not waste much time with Clinton, however, and presses on to warn certain American voters: "It's going to take some time to get used to all that, especially for people who never thought they thought they'd see the day that an African-American would be elected president." My question for Mr. Navarrette is this: how many people are voting for Obama based on the color of his skin?

I would contend that someone voting against Obama on the basis of his race is a fool and a racist. I would also contend that someone voting for Obama on the basis of his race is a fool and a racist. A vote for president should be based on issues and character, not skin color, whether you vote yea or nay. Perhaps Mr. Navarrette should warn his readers that no one should vote for Obama on the basis of his race, not just typical, racist white people.

Voting merely on the basis of gender, race, or even religion is inherently foolish. Although religion can give you an idea of a candidate's stands on issues and character, I give an example of how using religion as a basis for voting can lead to wildly differing candidates: anyone that voted a straight Mormon ticket would have to vote for Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Harry Reid. Talk about polar opposites...

Is there racism in this presidential contest? Of course! How pervasive it is, and what are its forms are the real concerns. Mr. Navarrette does his readers a great disservice in addressing merely one side of the issue, and not establishing the size and level of threat from that one side of the issue.

Many conservative voices have predicted that if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for President, anyone that votes against him will be labeled racist. Looks like that's not too far away.