The Weekly Weigh-in - Racism by Proxy

You may have heard about the recent "swiftboat" style attacks against Obama. There's the critique that he's not patriotic enough because he didn't put his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegiance. Besides the fact that this is about as close to a non-issue as one can get (and, by the by, the pledge is a jingoistic bit of idiocy better suited to a police state than the United States; I never say it), Obama pointed out that the photo in question was actually taken during the playing of the national anthem, not the pledge. Nonetheless, stupid people continue to ask him about it during his campaign stops.

More disturbing still, I think, is the email suggesting that Obama is some sort of closeted Muslim. Besides the fact, once again, that the charge has no basis in truth, the fact that it has gotten a fair amount of traction has forced me to rethink the race issue as it relates to Obama's candidacy. See, I have felt since before he announced that while there are doubtless some people out there who won't vote for Obama for the simple fact that they are racists, I figured that the majority of Americans were evolved enough, so to speak, that he could still win in spite of the troglodytes. And, I still believe that, so long as the attacks are transparently racist.

This "he's a Muslim" attack, though, as loathsome as it is, makes me wonder if Obama's adversaries haven't found a way, whether inadvertently or intentionally, to subtly make Obama's race an issue. Call it racism by proxy. See, they can't, successfully anyways, get people not to vote for him by calling him the N-word. Indeed, I like to think that might cause some people to vote for him who might not have otherwise, if only to take a stand, of sorts, agains racism. But, lots of people wouldn't have a problem with not voting for someone purely b/c he's a Muslim. And, come to think of it, that Obama feller kinda looks like one o' them Muslims - kinda brown, if you catch my drift...

So, in effect, I think the Muslim charge is a way to piggyback on some (perhaps subconcious in many cases) racist sentiments that some voters have, allowing people to attack Obama's skin color, in effect, withoout attacking it directly.

To put a finer point on it: obviously the charge rests to some degree on the fact that Obama was raised briefly in Indonesia and attended a school there that happened to be majority Muslim, but I don't think the charge would receive nearly the same attention, or any, really, if Obama were white. I mean, a white Muslim - who ever heard of such a thing? (And yes, I realize that there are white Muslims - I'm just trying to outline the thought process of some of the more manipulable voters.)

In the end, I still hope, and think, that enough people would reject this kind of demented attack that he could still win in the general, but, given the degree to which such scurrilous claims, in spite of being completely baseless, do sometimes stick with people, I have to admit that it makes me a little more concerned about his g. e. viability...

Meanwhile, more news recently that seems to suggest that the ole "Huck-ba-crite" might well be a serious contender come caucus time, with a sufficient number of religious conservatives coalescing around him to give Romney and Giuliani a run for their money. And, I also have to wonder if, given the length of this process and Republicans' general inablity to settle on a frontrunner, old McCain might not make a comeback after so many people (myself included) had pretty much written him off. Ultimately, I don't think he has enough time to get back in voters' good graces, but I do think there's a glimmer of hope. And, on a personal note, though I do think he's a hypocrite and an idiot for some of the things he's said and done, I have to admit that I would prefer McCain over all his (legitimate) Republican rivals. I mean, he still sucks, but the thought of him being president is not nearly as stomach-turning to me as the notion of a president Giuliani, Romney, or Hucakbee.