Colin Powell said it himself, if it were just about race, he could have made a decision long ago. But this race is not about race, and except for a few Rev. Wright moments, never really has been.
The country’s economic crash has all but assured it’s all about class –not race–from here on.
That’s why you see McCain touting Joe the Plumber instead of Joe the Filipino, or Joe the Asian American. Even though the national Asian American poll shows more than 30 percent of us are undecided and could swing to either canddiate, the economy has made class a more relevant and powerful issue.
Ethnic vote? We’re lumped in and genericized. Are you hurting from the bailouts and the markets? We’re all just two colors now: We’re in the red, or we’re in the black.
Nothing else really matters. We’ve found common ground. We all took a hit economically.
Powell’s endorsement helps make race even less of an issue. If you’re one of a dwindling number of feaful white voters in America, here’s the black person you’d cast in “Guess who’s Coming To Dinner.”
Barrack’s homies? Powell, Warren Buffett, Richard Luger. How many white voters will that combo scare off?
In some circles, the question becomes just how many real progressives will be scared off by the thought of an establishment Barrack? I saw this same concern over Bill Clinton as he made his ascent in the ’90s.
In the end, the left, far-left and left-over would rather not be left out another four years.
The coming together of such odd bedfellows may be the strength of an Obama presidency. It will have to put together coalitions the likes of which this country has never seen.
But that’s essential when you’re in crisis mode.