More on race and the race

Just to add an exclamation point to my earlier posts and column on race and the race, check out this Reuters piece posted on The Raw Story:

Elements of Obama’s biography including the fact that his father was from Kenya and he grew up in Hawaii make him seem strange to some voters, said David Leege, emeritus professor of politics at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Other factors making it harder for Obama were reservations about his race and concern he would use presidential powers to favor African Americans over whites when distributing government resources, Leege said.

In recent elections, nearly 20 percent of voters were susceptible to subtle appeals to race, though a smaller percentage were repelled by those kinds of appeals, Leege said.

“The reason the polls are close is partly because of the sense of antagonism that Obama might serve interests other than white interests and the doubt about: ‘Should you really take a risk on someone who is very different from us,'” Leege said.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet