Posted by
Mike Bates on Thursday, August 07, 2008 3:57:14 PM
The Chicago Sun-Times today includes Mary Mitchell's column, "We can deny it, but race slithers into campaign."
The subheadline reads "Obama, his campaign trying to transcend it --
but can't." The article makes a startling assertion about Senator
Barack Obama:
Obama tries to avoid talking about race, as do his surrogates, staffers and supporters.
Say what? Obama's recent remarks that he "doesn't look like all
those other presidents on the dollar bills" clearly referred to his
race. Even his chief strategist admits that.
And it was hardly the first time he introduced the subject. In June, Mitchell's colleague Lynn Sweet mentioned a pool report from the New York Times's John Broder:
Obama “The choice is clear. Most of all we can choose
between hope and fear. It is going to be very difficult for Republicans
to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign
policy. We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re
going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you
afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name.
And did I mention he’s black?"
If Mary Mitchell isn't an Obama supporter, one of the groups she
claims tries to avoid talking about race, she does an excellent
imitation. She doesn't exactly avoid talking about race. There was
her column last month, "Ebony covers the real meaning of 'black cool'" which begins:
Black Cool. Ebony Magazine has defined Black Cool by giving readers a glimpse of "The 25 Coolest Brothers of All Time."
There's Sen. Barack Obama, of course.
Of course. Mitchell suggests the desperation of Obamatons in today's piece with choice material like:
Indeed, it says a lot that McCain, who dumped his first
wife to marry a wealthy heiress, is perceived to possess more of the
values that resonate with voters than Obama does, according to some
polls.
And a few paragraphs later:
Voters there said Cindy McCain -- a former drug addict
and thief -- better fits their idea of a first lady than Michelle
Obama, someone who has not had a hint of scandal attached to her name.
But of course the column is really about race and how it has managed
to slither into the presidential campaign. Even though Obama and his
minions do their darndest to avoid talking about it.