By Carmen Finestra Santa Monica
In Kenny Mack’s column (“Obama still has a lot to overcome,” page 4, April 30), he said the only way Barack Obama might win white voters “over 45” is by pandering to their insecurity about future social security payments. He said, and I quote, “This ‘demographic’ is the most out of touch with the way the world is today and if they want to forsake America’s future for one more day above ground, I say let ‘em vote for the Republican geezer.” That “attempt” at humor basically disses the majority of Americans who were part of the 418,000 dead and over 600,000 wounded in fighting Nazism and Fascism in World War II, 50,000 dead and 100,000 wounded in Korea, and 60,000 dead and 153,000 wounded in Vietnam. He further said, “Let’s face facts. There are some white people, especially those who were born before the Civil Rights movement and never went to college, who will not vote for a black man for president.” This is as cogent as saying that 90 percent of African- Americans (which is what Barack Obama is getting in almost every primary) will not vote for a white woman for president.
Mack correctly targeted The Rev. Wright’s need for fame and publicity as one thing that has hurt Sen. Obama, but Sen. Obama’s own dismissive comments about the bitterness of these voters also hurt him. That showed a total lack of respect and understanding. How do you think the voters in that demographic are going to react?
The bottom line is, Sen. Obama outspent Sen. Clinton by 3 to 1 in Pennsylvania, and in the areas he targeted heavily, the city of Philadelphia and the affluent suburbs outside it, he did not do as well as he hoped. And that had been his demographic up to then.
If Kenny Mack wants voters to be color blind when considering Sen. Obama, then continuing to write about Sen. Obama’s race and branding people who vote against him as racially intolerant, is not going to help.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 3, 2008. Read the original PDF.