Letters to the Editor
-
The Proverbial Elephant In The Voting Booth
The opinion from Geraldine Ferraro regarding Barack Obama's racial identity and the impact on voting because of it was spot-on; people may not like what she had to say, but, she did address what many people are thinking: there are people who WILL vote for Senator Obama simply because he is black and there are people who will NOT vote for Senator Obama simply because he is black.
And, there it is: the issue that no one (except Geraldine) is willing to address exactly because of the indignant firestorm that inevitably ensues. Forget addressing the validity of the comment, immediately spewing the "racist card" is expected. But, crying "wolf" every time is wearying.
Remember New Hampshire? Barack Obama polled well ahead of Hillary Clinton...until the privacy of the voting booth. All those people who told pollsters that they were "for Obama" obviously weren't. Wonder why they changed their votes?
Bottom line: the white population in the US is roughly 80%. The latino population is roughly 12%. The black population is roughly 11%. The hard, cold reality of the situation is what Ms. Ferraro was addressing; I don't believe for a moment that she is a racist, either.
Barack Obama will have a hard time being elected president for several reasons...not the least of which is his race. Discussing WHY that matters to some people would seem to be more important than simply calling anyone who raises the question a "racist."