The Democratic Party is most definitely "ready" for a black candidate

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

(Written in response to a statement that the party isn't "ready")

Win or lose, Barack Obama's candidacy is not a referendum on race. There are some Democratic voters who will vote against him over race, and some Democrats who will vote for him over race. The net effect of race is probably about even. And the great majority of primary voters seem to be voting with unprecedented color-blindness. There's no cause or reason to view the biggest racial good news story in American political history as negative.

Senator Obama is a fantastic politician who happens to be less tested and less experienced than the usual Presidential candidate. That's not a knock on his character. The guy is 46 years old and brand new to the national scene. Even JFK had been a congressman for a decade. Bill Clinton was the longest tenured governor in the whole country.

The question whether he is less experienced than Hillary or Edwards doesn't change the fact that Senator Obama has a non-racial electoral handicap that accounts for at least half of people's relative discomfiture with him in a head-to-head match-up with a woman (as historic an exception as race) who is associated with the only Presidential electoral success most Democrats have ever known. If Hillary is perceived as very experienced then that's the perception, and politics is all about perceptions. (And that perception isn't because she's white, it's because she's one of the three or four most famous and familiar figures in the party.)

Senator Obama is not doing well by the standards of a protest candidacy like Jesse Jackson's. He is simply doing WELL. Very well. Like ten times better than a very good-looking white male who was our VP candidate four years ago. And if Senator Obama wins it won't mean the Democratic party isn't ready for a woman... everyone has their own problems with Hillary that transcend gender.

Obama may yet gain the nomination. And if he does not, it cannot be attributed solely to race. Given the flow of national attitudes, there is no doubt that when Senator Obama is as old and familiar as the usual Presidential candidate he will be a preeminent force in the Democratic party.

The Democratic Party has had a female VP candidate, but has never had a person of color in a ticket at all. If Obama's great success shakes out to force a Clinton/Obama ticket it would be doubly historic, and would all but guarantee an Obama Presidency at some point. (Even if a Clinton/Obama administration was a failure, he would still be viable going forward.)

So it's all good, and it's not all about race.

[coco77]

1. The problem is that .

the media pounced on the fact that he won Iowa as though they know how the rest of the country will vote. We won't know until super Tuesday,the media wants Hillary to lose because they hate Hillary and Bill.

[Bicoastal]

2. I see Obama's situation as a win/win...

Even if he loses, people will still have the same level of respect for him 4-8 years from now...and by then, he will have accomplished more in the Senate to make the "experience' questions go away. And if he is selected as VP, as some are thinking--he'll be on the shortlist in 4-8 years either way. Unlike Dean, he's made very few missteps that people could remember him by...

Hillary, on the other hand--if she loses this year, she'll probably never run again. That's my guess.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Yes, this is all or nothing for Hillary

[no name no slogan]

4. If Jesse Jackson could win primaries in '88, Obama can win them this year

I think the party is ready. And he is doing much better than Jesse Jackson did.

[BootinUp]

5. Very impressive showing, he is doing better than I thought he would. nt

[styersc]

6. The Democratic Party regularly elects African Americans.

Here in SC the party is 45% African American. I have volunteered for AA candidates.

No one should by into the Right WIng lie that suggests we are an affirmative action party that should vote for a person BECAUSE of their race.

I say look at the candidate. Determine if you believe that person is the best person for the job and pull the lever.

I love Obama and am not enamored by Hillary's personality but I bleieve at this time she is the better candidate. When Obama has more experience and the wisdom of a few more years he will most likely be the guy, hell in 2016, I'll be his chairman but not this time around.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. A coalition of female, black, latino, union and economically distressed voters sounds like a winner

Sounds like a landslide in this economy

[OzarkDem]

7. Race isn't enough of a qualification

He's green, inexperienced, a closet Republican and has a lot of baggage. He's not a good candidate, sorry.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

8. I'm not a Barack fan, but his greatest qualification is his persona, not his race