Clinton's Failed Stategy of Racism

The constant repeated attempt by Hillary Clinton to link Barak Obama with the Rev. Jeremiah Write is a remake of the Willie Horton strategy. Racism in the US remains widespread but it is not based on physical attributes. It is cultural. A problem for Clinton is that Obama does not fit the stereotypes that trigger racism in America so the solution she found is to link him with someone who does. There are problems however. As pointed out in an important article by David A. Lowe, there is nothing Rev. Wright has said that wasn't said by Dr. King decades ago or that rings as untrue to most Americans. Another miscalculation is that the most virulent and traditional forms of racism are generational. It is a good thing that many if not most of younger voters, having grown up in a more integrated society, do not buy into the stereotypes and fear that Clinton is trying to project. Instead, it is backfiring as voters see her for what she is -- another conservative Clinton, a Republican lite candidate.

As for Obama, he would do well to work with and listen to John Edwards. If he would take on single payer healthcare and better address economic disparity he might get Edwards to share a ticket which would be a victory for all of us.