Picking Your President by the Color of his Skin

I have been talking to a lot of people recently, including dozens of people in the State of Nevada. I am very pleased to report that there are a lot of Obama supporters out there, but I do feel that some of the people who just won't comment or come up with completely bogus reasons why they won't consider the candidacy of Barack Obama are quietly or secretly thinking that they're just not ready to vote for a black man.

This is so sad. I recognize that there were times when blacks were denied the vote, a time when even women were denied the vote. Although I never lived there, I acknowledge that there was a time when blacks were denied the use of certain hotels, the front of the bus or even use of a public restroom. Somebody had to break the mold, realize that we live in a different world and that all people in this country are created equal and everyone is entitled to the same rights and privileges, including the right to be voted into the presidency.

I have found the most profound yet simple vignette that I believe puts racism so succinctly into a very easily digestible nugget. Pass it on, because it is something that everyone should see.

How racism works

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class? What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said “I do” to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard? What if Obama were a member of the “Keating 5”? What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.