Obama and Hidden Racism - What's in a name?

I was happy last week when Barack Obama won the Democratic primary. I think that he is the best thing for our country after 8 disastrous years under George W. Bush. My excitement has been dampened slightly, though, by stories like this one which show that while Obama's message resonates with younger voters like me, he's still got a long way to go with older voters.

I don't think our country is ready for a black president," Susick, who is white, said in an interview in the paint store where she works. "A black man is never going to win Pennsylvania."

Susick said her personal objection to Obama is his inexperience, not his color. "It has nothing to do with race," she said.

This seems to be a common theme in stories that explore the older generations' attitudes towards Obama. Few of them are willing to admit that racism plays a large part in their willingness to consider Obama as president. But although they claim to be colorblind, they say that their less enlightened neighbors might have a problem with his race:

In interviews with 40 Pennsylvanians across three counties that Clinton won by big margins, only one person indicated opposition to Obama simply because of his race. But several others said their neighbors might do so.

So if they don't have a problem with his race (according to them), what reasons do they give for not supporting him?

Obama "just hasn't impressed me," he said over midmorning coffee with a friend at Denny's. "His middle name bothers me a lot." That name is Hussein.

His. Middle. Fucking. Name. What the hell? And this middle name, which Obama didn't choose for himself, of course, bothers this potential voter a lot? Are people really that stupid? Other folks give muddled, nonspecific answers:

"He just doesn't appeal to me, and not because of race, definitely," she said in an interview in which race had not been mentioned.

Such comments are all too familiar to Richard Akers, who phoned dozens of prospective Pennsylvania voters as an Obama campaign volunteer in April. Democrats often explained their opposition to Obama with "excuses that were not rational or valid, as I saw it," said the retired bank director from Johnstown, another hotbed of Clinton support.

"To me, it was almost a code," Akers said. "'He doesn't wear a flag pin.' It seemed like code for 'He's not one of us.'"

I think Akers hit the nail on the head. People like this can't give any real reasons for disliking Obama, and they feel like they'll be judged for coming out and saying that they don't want to vote for a black man. So when put on the spot, they're "just not impressed" with him (despite his almost universally-praised oratorical skills and tact) or that he "just doesn't appeal to me."

Then, of course, there are the people who don't even bother to hide their bigotry:

Robert Miller, 72, who lives in a government subsidized room in Bedford, said the Constitution should be amended so it will "not let any colored people run for the White House." He seemed unsure about his voting record in recent elections, but vividly recalled voting for Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

Dixie Pebley of Johnstown, 71, explained her distaste for Obama, saying, "black doesn't bother me, but Muslim does." When reminded that Obama is a Christian, she conceded the point, but added: "He was born Muslim and raised Muslim, that's enough for me. He just scares me to death."

These are the types of quotes that drive me nuts! I realize it may be elitist of me to think this way, but how is it that people who are so clueless about the candidates or so blinded by racism are able vote? My stomach churns at the thought of people like this flocking to McCain because he's white, like them.

There is a silver lining to this cloud, thankfully. The article notes that it's very likely that a lot of Clinton supporters who told pollsters that they'd vote for McCain if Clinton lost might be bluffing:

James Antoniono, a Greensburg lawyer and veteran Democratic activist who worked for Clinton, said many Clinton backers will support Obama this fall, including some who told exit pollsters they would not.

"It's one thing to come out of the voting booth and say that," Antoniono said. "It's another thing when you're faced with a choice in the general election."

A retired truck driver familiar with the Pennsylvania region echos that sentiment:

Obama's race "will hurt him" in many places, said Weimer, who follows the campaign intensely on cable TV. "But when push comes to shove, people around here want change."

That might include some white Democrats who publicly criticize Obama just to fit in with their neighbors, he said. "Once they go into the voting booth," he said, "who knows?"

I can only hope that Weimer and Antoniono are right, and that those folks who just can't get over Obama's name or can't overcome their hidden racism don't end up giving this crucial election to John McCain.