I don’t think the Democrats could have chosen two worse candidates for president if they wanted to be competitive in the South. But since, we are talking about racial prejudice, I will I will reserve my remarks to the (any) black candidate. Rest assured racism is very much well and alive throughout the south. There are many white people here that would sooner cut off their arm before they would vote a nigger in as President. No amount of words can convey the revulsion that a southerner naturally feels when they think about a nigger leading the country. These are offspring of families that endured the “War of Yankee Aggression.” In the minds of many, the war was fought and lost but it is never forgotten. If Obama becomes president, I would not at all be surprised to hear from people in my state, a revival of a call to secede from the union. Racism is not a passion; it is a fervent belief. I know southern whites who intentionally voted for Obama in the primary just so they would have the pleasure of seeing him go down to defeat to a Republican candidate in the general election this fall. In the 20 years I have lived in the south, I have yet to see a southern bigot change their thinking. It is like part of their DNA. It also cuts across all socio-economic classes. There are of course exceptions but they are almost a statistical anomaly.

To truly understand the subtleties of a white southerner’s politics, sexism, racism and/or any other “ism” you would have to spend time living in the south. Most political reporting is surface level and does not capture the undertones and largely unspoken deep prejudices of white southerners. Here is one example that captures the level of racial prejudice that exists in everyday life here. There is a nice white lady in my neighborhood that has lived in the South her whole life (over 60 years.) She’s a registered Democrat and has run for office here locally as a Democrat but never won. As most everyone knows, most southern Democrats are black. If you are a white Democrat then one would assume you are not a racist. (Of course, I have yet to meet a racist that admits to being a racist.) Another neighbor of mine who is in his late 30’s and has a family, grew up in the neighborhood and was a playmate of this lady’s kids and he said to me a few years ago that the lady has nigger blood in her. Now, I don’t think he really believes this but I do think this is how he repudiates a person’s racial tolerance towards blacks. I know that there has been books written on race relations in the South but I believe unless you live here, you can’t fully appreciate the depth and conviction of racial prejudice. It is neither overt nor openly ugly.

The greatest population shift in history, the migration from the north to the south, has occurred over a single generation. Based on my experience, southerners have been far more effective in changing racial attitudes of transplanted Yankees than vice versa. If I had more time I would elaborate on this point. In any case, it comes as no surprise to me that the country has been moving away from the liberal left to slightly right of center as the result of the shifting demographics of the country. Despite the shifting demographics, I cannot imagine how any black candidate could win the white vote in the south. In the minds of some multi generational southerners, this election will be cast as a reengagement of the Civil War! But with blacks allowed to vote now, the outcome should be the same. Unfortunately, if Obama should win and I think he will, I anticipate racial prejudices to grow bitterer throughout the country. This would be played out in both subtle and obvious ways in the halls of Congress. So as a liberal white male living in this part of the world on this day, I must say that there could not be three worse candidates running for President assuming we want to make any meaningful improvements to our economy, health care system, social security, global warming, peace and security. For very different reasons, neither McCain, Obama, nor Clinton will be able to be an effective leader and bring the country together for the greater good. Maybe this time I will be wrong – I hope so!