parsing racism in america

The fallout from the Pennsylvania primary is starting to land. Not one, but two, editorials in today's NYTimes calling for Hillary Clinton to step aside given the still very long odds of her securing the nomination. Basically, it still involves a goodly portion of the super delegates who've already said they're committed to Obama to switch to her. The Clinton's, and regardless of what people like to say, it really is both Hillary and Bill, know that as long as you're in the race, anything can happen. (I tend to share this same attitude in athletic races and still end up finishing way down the list; but you never know when a tornado will wipe out the front half of the field!) They're hoping that some demon from the black lagoon steps forth and sinks Obama for good. If that happens, HRC is ready for the call-to-action. Don't bet the farm on it.

And Obama still can't win the nomination outright without a majority of the outstanding super delegates going over to him. He needs 293 delegates to secure the nomination. There are 7 primaries left that have a total of 408 delegate up for grabs. If he wins 55 percent of the vote in all of them, he nets 224 delegates and he's still shy of victory. We've known for some months that the super delegates will end up deciding this race, and it's still true. What will they use to make up their mind? Popular vote? Nod to Obama. Total victories? Again, nod to Obama. Big states? Nod to Hillary. So on and on and on it goes, where it will stop, only the super delegates know.

The good news from the bad. One in five voters said that race was an issue in their decision yesterday, which tells me that only 20 percent of the white folks are still racists, and a lesser number of them are still misogynists since those who didn't vote for Obama voted for HRC. Depressing yes, I know, but hey, these numbers are way down from the past when 80 percent of the white folk were racist bigots.

If we can get past this election, maybe someday all the bigots will have lost and no one will have to wear a made-in-China flag lapel pin if they don't want to. Unless you happen to still be a Republican and then we'll be forced to pry the lapel pin from your cold dead hands, and trust us, friendo, "we'll be happy to do so."
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black like you by john strausbaugh