The race discussion Obama didn't want

[DixieBelle]

"Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now," Obama told those assembled at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center and a nationally televised audience in March.

His campaign, though, didn’t follow his lead.

Instead, his aides have steered clear of any explicit discussion of racial inequality or of his pioneering campaign as they try to woo swing voters, some of whom may be discomfited by the notion of the first black president.

"The best time for a national conversation on race is when he's president," Bill Perkins, a New York state senator from Harlem and early Obama supporter, said Saturday, expressing a widely held view among Democrats.

SNIP
And Friday's debate will bring the campaign to the Deep South and offer the symbolism of an integrated debate at Ole Miss, the scene of a brutal battle over integration a generation ago. That conversation creates a moment with risks for both candidates — though perhaps greater risks for Obama.

Many Democrats see the explicit discussion of race and politics as almost unambiguously negative for Obama, a reminder to voters of fraught questions of identity and a distraction from the economic troubles that have dominated the headlines in recent days and could bury Obama's rival, Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee.


SNIP

"There are a lot of suburban moderates who want to turn the page in the biggest possible way from [President] Bush, and voting for Obama gives them a chance to not only make history, but to prove something to themselves about their own evolved feelings on race," said Harris.

Aides to Obama and McCain declined to discuss the impact of the race conversation Saturday, a mark of its sensitivity. And virtually everyone involved recognizes that the impact of race is difficult to predict.

"Some Americans out there will vote for Barack Obama, even though they disagree with him, because they would like to see America move beyond this," said veteran Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. "And there are some Americans who have not moved beyond this."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13686_Page2.html

I predict some interesting soundbites at the Ole Miss debate.  And I find it highly insulting to say the "suburban moderates" will vote for the Ooooobama to show they have "moved beyond this". 

[Wretched Excess]

juan williams had an interesting comment on fox news sunday.  he said that BHO needs to be careful in the debate if he should go on the attack, lest he come off as "the angry black guy".   this all came up in a discussion of debate strategy, wherein some of the panelists thought that it would be The BarackStar!'s goal to "get under mccain's skin", and hopefully cause him to have (I suppose) an A Few Good Men moment.

[DixieBelle]

Yes, I can see that. I'm sure we'll see all sides of teh Ooooobama in the debate coming up. We'll get:

Fast Eddie the Chicago Machine Politico
Teh Obamamessiah planet healer
Barry the humble black man just trying to make a difference
Sharp Shelly's Sidekick who thinks these discussions don't help their kids
The Harvard educated "I made it in spite of mean ole whitey" lawyer 

I'm kind of looking forward to it. No matter how brilliant McCain is though, the media will carry Obama's water.  I think most people can see through it though. The veneer is already slipping since the message of Hope and Change has turned negative when examined further.

[Wretched Excess]

Yes, I can see that. I'm sure we'll see all sides of teh Ooooobama in the debate coming up. We'll get:

Fast Eddie the Chicago Machine Politico
Teh Obamamessiah planet healer
Barry the humble black man just trying to make a difference
Sharp Shelly's Sidekick who thinks these discussions don't help their kids
The Harvard educated "I made it in spite of mean ole whitey" lawyer 

I'm kind of looking forward to it. No matter how brilliant McCain is though, the media will carry Obama's water.  I think most people can see through it though. The veneer is already slipping since the message of Hope and Change has turned negative when examined further.

a couple more .  . .

barry, the nurturing father of kids that you haven't been hearing of constantly.
The BIG Obama, young, athletic, and mentally sharp (as opposed to john mccain, who is senile, physically handicapped, and older than dirt)

[DixieBelle]

And, Citizen of the World Obama who understands the plight of the poor and knows that America can't be "mean" any more - we must bow to international demands and seek to restore our reputation.

[Wretched Excess]

And, Citizen of the World Obama who understands the plight of the poor and knows that America can't be "mean" any more - we must bow to international demands and seek to restore our reputation.

"foreign policy expert obama", who, it turns out, is chariman of some senate subcommittee of other that you never heard of, and they never talked about, until mccain tapped a governor to run as his veep . . . you know, governors . . . the ones that always win when they run for president?