Editorial: No race in this race

Issue of August 29, 2008

Love Barack Obama’s policies or hate them, something really momentous has happened that’s worth noting.

Once upon a time — that is to say, as recently as two years ago — the conventional wisdom held that a black man had virtually no chance of becoming the presidential nominee of a major political party. Obviously the conventional wisdom was wrong.

In much the same way that Senator Joe Leiberman became the first Jew on a major party ticket, Senator Obama has made history.

There’s been a lot of tortured handwringing about race in this country in the last number of years — have the historical injustices and indignities suffered by black Americans been righted, or haven’t they?

Race baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton still seem to have work —someone is still paying for Sharpton’s suits — so, perhaps not. On the other hand, Jackson has clearly been marginalized in this race, as his imprudent episode with a cable news studio microphone indicated, so perhaps times have changed.

It seems clear to us that times have changed in terms of race — very definitely — and for the better.

Both presidential campaigns are tearing their hair out to reach the undecided voters. So, whether Obama wins by a whisker or loses by a hair, the result could end up being virtually the same as in the last race for the White House — a really close call (remember: the winner actually lost the popular vote).

We would take that to mean that race really wasn’t much of an issue, at all, this time around, and that would really be something to write about.

In this week’s issue of Newsweek, a pool reporter recounts how Obama was warmly welcomed, hugged, by country folk in a predominantly white diner in a predominantly white town. The writer painted a picture by describing a man watching the scene, pushing his baseball cap up on his head, and murmuring, “Well don’t that beat all.”

That’s what we think too. No mention of race at all. Quite matter of fact about it, in fact. And that seems to be something new and different, and good.

We’ve been noting our own reactions as the race has gone on (and on, and on, and on) since Obama first announced his presidential bid back in 1999 (well, it seems like it’s been that long, doesn’t it?). And our reactions have been, well, pareve.

The fact is, we don’t think Obama is ready to be president. Four years ago the guy was a state assemblyman, for heaven’s sake. But it has nothing to do at all with the fact that he doesn’t look like those other guys. (And we don’t buy those smears about his Moslem past, either.)

So after all the endless chatter leading up to the two pointless political conventions, something big is happening beyond the momentous nature of a presidential election.

Who knows, maybe Joe Leiberman might be president some day?