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Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:00 AM

Obama's historic run heads south

Did his victory in Iowa and strong showing in New Hampshire really "put to rest the notion that a black candidate can't win in America"?

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  • Thursday, January 24, 2008 01:10 PM

    The media is to blame, mostly!

    The media has created the racial/gender issue. I don't support Clinton but I don't for a minute believe there was anything racial about any of Bill Clinton's remarks. He made a good point on NPR today. He said we went through the past 40 years or so fighting for civil rights not so we can avoid race and racial issues all together but so people can be free, can speak freely, about whatever the heck is on their minds without fear of being called a racist.

    It's not Obama who is complaining either. His grievance has to do with how the Clintons have distorted his record. It has nothing to do with race or gender or who deserves more pity and what not.

    It's the media that fans the flames of race and gender because framing the story around black and white issues everyone can understand makes for good headlines. Headlines people will buy and read. Us against them, man vs. nature, good vs. evil, etc. The problem is that there is no longer any clear line between entertainment and news. News agencies have to be entertaining if they want to survive.

    That is not to say that racism and sexism are not forces at work in our lives. It is simply to say that the media exploits it for profit, no longer out any desire to report what is the case, but just to distract and entertain you before they go on to tell you what Britney Spears is doing today or some such crap.

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