Racism Vs. Ageism: Making A Case For Obama And Against McCain

Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama’s stealthy yet determined effort to keep the issue of race from being injected into this race could only go so far; it has finally bubbled up to the surface. However, it may have come just in time, when voters are beginning to realize that the issue is superficial; the color of his skin has nothing to do with the economy. And not only that, but talking about the role of racism in this campaign has stirred up another issue, the one lingering around his opponent, Republican Nominee John McCain: his age. Or to be perfectly blunt, his chances of dying while in office. Now you can argue with me, or amongst yourself, about who brought up what and when and which party’s bloggers or surrogates did what, but it doesn’t matter, because I’m bringin’ both of these seemingly superficial issues up right now. It’s time to talk about about Barack being black and McCain’s odds of survival.

Part I: Obama & Racism

Let me begin with perhaps the nastiest of 'isms' that plagues our country, Racism. I don’t need to provide a lecture on the often tumultuous history of the United States (nor am I anywhere near being qualified to do so). The US economy, sorry to say, was originally built up and strengthened by slavery. An undeniable and, frankly, unsurprising fact. Then we fought a civil war, the slaves were more or less freed, Dr. King marched in Selma, and now an African American has a very good chance of becoming President. I suspect that even Sen. Obama is a little taken aback.