Race and Obama

Rally for Him Now!
HOW BLACK AMERICA CAN REVIVE OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN.
By Melissa Harris-Lacewell
Posted Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, at 1:09 PM ET
So much for the post-race horse race. The exit polls in New Hampshire were accurate for the Republicans and for the second-tier Democrats. The only miscalculation was the amount of support for Obama. That miscalculation is about race. Iowa caucus-goers stood by Barack, in part, because when voting with their bodies, in front of their neighbors, Iowans are held accountable. In the quiet, solitary space of the voting booth, some New Hampshire voters abandoned Barack.
The reasons are not simple. Some media believe that women voters want a woman president. But there is not a substantial gender gap in American politics. Historically, white women voters are as likely to be Democrats as Republicans; as likely to vote for male candidates as for female; and as likely to describe themselves as conservative or liberal. It is not as simple as gender solidarity. Some observers will argue that naked racism explains Tuesday's result. But that argument ignores the thousands of white women and men who built Obama's local organization in New Hampshire and worked tirelessly on his behalf for months.

See: http://www.slate.com/id/2181782/