Republican Pollster Confident Racists Will Deliver a John McCain Victory
Barack Obama is leading in the presidential polls. This means that more people plan to for him than for John McCain, right?
"Wrong!" declares Republican pollster Frank Luntz. Republicans can take solace, he argues, that Americans are fundamentally too racist to elect a minority candidate.
Luntz cited the "Bradley Effect" in a speech to the California Republican delegation, who were brunching at a Lake Minnetonka Country Club. Said "Effect" takes its name from the 1982 California governor's race where Tom Bradley, the African-American mayor of Los Angeles, lost despite leading in the polls…
Analysts believe voters lied when they said they'd vote for Bradley, when in fact they were unwilling to vote for a black man. Luntz predicted the same thing would happen with Barack Obama. He told California delegates not to get discouraged if John McCain is trailing in the polls, because the Bradley effect will make up for some of that.
Luntz must take comfort in his belief that American racism is just as vibrant today as it was 26 years ago. Heck, that's the same thing John McCain's supporters keep saying about him!
But things have changed in the past 26 years, whether Luntz acknowledges it or not. For instance, the United States Congress currently has 43 African-Americans, 8 Asian-Americans, 29 Latinos, 43 Jews, 1 Muslim, 2 Buddhists, 5 Christian Scientists, and 15 Mormons—including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Also, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is now a national holiday. If you don't believe me, ask John McCain.
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Actually there are two Muslims currently in Congress: Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana.
Absolutely correct that the McCain campaign is banking on some voters' fears of voting for any black candidate. Moreover, that summarizes McCain's entire strategy, to keep subtly reminding people Barack is black.
Here is a magic decoder ring for McCain/Palin messages:
"mayor vs. community organizer" = Obama is black. Nobody imagines a white face on a community organizer. Sarah's speechwriters reminded the audience of Obama's race and simultaneously produced her second-best sound bite. Diabolical, but brilliant.
"celebrity" = Obama is black. McCain ads that accuse Obama of being a celebrity are designed purely to call up images of Kobe, P-Diddy and other black stars who've had experiences with the criminal justice system. Famous black people can't be trusted.
"He's not ready" = Obama is black. If you are old enough, you heard that as an excuse the first time a promising black job applicant tried to get hired at a white-run organization. "Someday, but not now. He's smart, but he's not ready." Said by people who were trying to appear open-minded.
Can the McCain campaign strategy work? Yes, it could. Would you expect that deciding sliver of the electorate who are undecided to be educated, enlightened, open-minded or otherwise possess attributes that would tend to make then inclined to consider a black candidate? No. Republican strategists know that, and they will subtly exploit that fact every day.
I know it's not on topic, but Sarah Palin "hits a home run" and the market tumbles 300 points the next day. Coincidence? I – think – not!
I'd like to think that America has overcome its racism, as you suggest, but, given the clear bigotry at work in sinking Mr. Romney's campaign, I wouldn't be surprised if race does play a role. Someone who's willing to disregard a candidate because he's Mormon might not have much trouble disregarding a candidate because he's black
He's a thoughtful guy but he's using his expertise to win an election, which is to underplay his potential.
These S.O.B.s are going to pull out some nasty underhanded race-baiting as an 0bama victory really sinks in for them. Hopefully they will not prevail in dragging us down into the sewer again.