Who's Playing the Race Card?

I don’t know that I’ve heard, or seen, anything coming out of Senator McCain’s campaign that has commented on or otherwise raised Senator Obama’s race. Anytime I hear, or see, something about race, it’s coming from Senator Obama, his campaign, or one of his supporters. Why is that? Is Senator Obama trying to capitalize on his race and the historical nature of “the first black man to run for President” to get him elected? Is he playing to those who will vote based solely on identity politics? Or does he think that he’ll be able to get those undecided voters out there to vote his ticket in an effort to be fair and not allow race to color their decision? I don’t know, but it’s a bit ridiculous how those who purportedly advocate racial equality are the same folks who keep inserting race into the equation. And how they’re doing it is equally ridiculous!

First, we have Senator Obama telling folks that some don’t think he should be President because he doesn’t look like all the other men on “those dollar bills.” OK. Who cares what a President looks like? Consider President Lincoln, for example. What are important are whether he can lead, and how strong his character is, and his vision for the Nation.

Then there’s all the people who find “code words” that conservatives and Senator McCain supporters supposedly use to (subliminally?) remind voters that Senator Obama is black. Things like Senator Biden calling him “clean and articulate,” which everyone should know means “he’s black.” Or delegates and speakers at the RNC talking about “community organizer,” which is repub-speak for “he’s black.” Or anyone saying Senator Obama is an “elitist” or “arrogant” which are, of course, synonyms for “uppity,” which means “he’s black.” We can’t call him “skinny” or “angry” or “risky.” All of those are questionable comments mean “he’s black.” And according to the President of the AFL-CIO, when anyone says Senator Obama is “too young” or “too inexperienced,” “What they’re really saying is, ‘He’s black.’”

Well who cares if Senator Obama is black, or of mixed-race, or of any race at all? Race has nothing to do with a person’s character or a person’s policies or, ultimately, a person’s qualifications for political office. Just as it would be a shame to vote against Senator Obama based on race, it would be a shame to vote for him because he’s black. We should judge Senator Obama’s qualifications to be President based on his actions, judgment, policy, and character; not the color of his skin. In my opinion, he doesn’t have what it takes in any of those categories. Which could be why he and his operatives have been trying to play the “race card:” to get votes from those middle-of-the-roaders who want to be ubber-fair. What do you think?