Race Becomes Front and Center in Presidential Race

Race has injected itself directly into the chase for the White House when Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain accused Barack Obama of playing the race card. Aviewfromdc is happy this issue is finally front and center.

Make no mistake race is an underlying issue in this campaign. The final results will give us a strong indication of our accomplishments in race relations. Whether any one wants to admit it or not, the close polling numbers reflect misgivings many have about Obama’s ability to lead the country and race is at the center of it. Obama is correct. He does not look like other presidential candidates voters are accustomed to seeing. There is a natural uncertainty within voter’s minds because of it some sincere and some not so sincere. Instead of trying to deflect it we should be discussing it with as little rancor as possible.

I believe there are a significant number of voters, who happen to be white, with legitimate apprehensions about the hope Obama presents. I believe they are open to voting for him if he can convince them he can adequately address their concerns about the economy, security, etc. For these individuals, if they do not vote for him it is because they believe McCain is the better option.

But let’s not be naïve. There are voters who under no circumstances will vote anyone other than a white man into the White House. If necessary, they will vote a white woman into office before they will vote for a black man. I also believe there are voters with the “Guess Who is Coming to Dinner” reaction. It is okay for blacks to pursue equal rights but getting elected president is a bit too much in their view. If the comments attributed to leaders of white supremacist groups are true, these individuals are joining those groups in the hope to “take back” America.

The commercials sponsored by the McCain campaign and his supporters are toying with racism as they question Obama’s patriotism by saying he would rather win an election than win a war, by highlighting how different he is, by associating him with Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears and referring to his confidence as arrogance. This follows a New York Magazine cover which played on racial fears depicting Obama in Muslim garb, his wife in an Angela Davis pose and the American flag burning in the fire place.

McCain presents himself as a man of high character except when he is out to win an election then anything goes. He says he does not want race to be a part of the campaign but his handlers will tickle the fibers of racial doubt just enough to illicit fears from the white electorate but not enough to be charged with racism. The charges are deftly made.

First, Obama is charged with inexperience. Yes, he does not have the extensive resume of John McCain. But like McCain, Obama has met the basic criteria to be president. He was born in the United States and he is at least 35 years of age. The question before the electorate is: does he have the leadership we are seeking in our next President? To question his experience is disingenuous. Every year a president is elected, with a few exceptions, we are electing some one who is inexperienced. I don’t care how much expertise a person has in any area nothing prepares you for the responsibilities of the presidency. Unless you are a sitting president getting reelected it is an on-the-job training position. It is similar to parenting. You can have all the training the world has to offer on childhood development but nothing compares to actually having a kid 24-7. So who is John McCain kidding? What exactly has he done which compares to the responsibilities of the president? Because he is older than Obama he certainly has life experiences he can draw from, including his military experience, but that doesn’t mean he will be a good president. General Wesley Clark raised this issue and was skewered. The truth is if McCain is elected, we will be taking as much of a chance on him as we will with Obama.

I genuinely respect and admire John McCain but he is painting himself as the modern version of John Wayne the great American savior. Barack Obama is being painted as a dissident individual who only cares about himself and not his country. This is appalling. Barack Obama has done nothing but express respect, appreciation, admiration and love for his country. But to the John McCain’s of the world, it is not good enough. This is a sensitive point for me. It has always upset me when an individual who is white questions my patriotism or the patriotism of other non-whites. People of color have gone out of their way to fight and die for this country in the hope they would be considered equal to whites. But I wonder if John McCain will question the patriotism of Italian-Americans this October when they unfurl the Italian flag on Columbus Day. I also wonder if he has ever questioned the patriotism of Irish-Americans when they display the Irish flag on St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t think so but to win an election he will tickle the senses of white America by saying this Black man with a Muslim name doesn’t love his country nearly as much as the war hero John McCain.

Do I believe John McCain himself is racist, no! But let’s not be fooled: John McCain is not the saint he is painting himself to be. Barack Obama loves his country as much as McCain does. And McCain is just as ambitious, selfish and self-serving as he claims Obama to be.

Candidate’s Tax Policy Will Impact Funding for Housing and Community Development Funding

Each candidate has an array of policy initiatives he wishes to fund if elected. Of the two candidates, Barack Obama has a more detailed response to local housing and community development initiatives he would like to pursue. (In previous postings aviewfromdc has summarized the initiatives of each candidate). However, each candidate must fund these initiatives which will be a daunting task given the current economic climate. Driving the funding of these initiatives will be the revenue generated by each candidate’s tax policies and how they decide to allocate those funds. While it is unclear how much money each candidate will make available for public housing, housing vouchers, community development, homelessness and other initiatives, advocates for these programs should learn the tax proposals of each candidate.

The Tax Policy Center has a useful side-by-side of each candidate’s proposals. It also contains a handy tax guide to help the reader understand tax policy and how it affects you. In the coming weeks, aviewfromdc will provide you with more detailed information on how the candidate’s tax policies will affect housing and community development programs.

Q&A with Robertson Williams, Tax Policy Center

In the interim, aviewfromdc has added a little twist to the Q&A section of the blog. This is a link to questions answered by Robertson Williams, one of the authors of the Tax Policy Center’s Tax Guide. He is currently a Principal Research Associate at the Urban Institute. Williams was at the Congressional Budget Office from 1984 through 2006, most recently as deputy assistant director for tax analysis, and before that an assistant professor of economics at Williams College. He has written numerous papers on tax policy, income distribution, and social welfare programs.

Interesting Reads

The number of interesting reads is longer than in previous postings and focuses mostly on the presidential election.

Hovering Above Poverty, Grasping for Middle Class
By Michael A. Fletcher and Jon Cohen, the Washington Post Staff Writers

Dollar Bills and Paris Hilton
Both presidential candidates are capable of better.
The Washington Post

McCain's Problem Isn't His Tactics. It's GOP Ideas.
By Greg Anrig, the Washington Post

It Really Isn’t Hard to Figure out Why
By Jennifer Rubin, Commentary Magazine

Right strategy, wrong candidate? Even a good strategy has to match the candidate
By Chuck Todd, Political Director, NBC News

Barack Obama's Lost Years
The senator's tenure as a state legislator reveals him to be an old-fashioned, big government, race-conscious liberal.
By Stanley Kurtz, The Weekly Standard

Can Obama Stay Above the Fray?
If he won't refute McCain's attacks, does he look stronger or weaker?
By Eleanor Clift, Newsweek

The Curious Mind of John McCain
Ambition and Emotion Color the Complex Intellect of the Candidate
By Robert G. Kaiser, Washington Post Staff Writer

The Low-Road Warrior
Mudslinging will damage McCain’s brand—but it may be the only way he can win.
By John Heilemann, New York Magazine

When Voters Lie
It's a given that people fib in surveys, and this election season is especially tricky with race looming as an issue. How pollsters are trying to uncover the truth.
By Ellen Gamerman, Wall Street Journal

In Senate, GOP Braces For Cold November
Republicans are in such perilous shape heading toward Election Day that they argue a four-seat loss would count as a "moral victory."
By Jennifer E. Duffy, National Journal Magazine

On the attack
Will John McCain’s negative blitz on Barack Obama do him any good?
From Economist.com

Race Proves to Be Unwelcome but Persistent Issue
By Juliet Eilperin and Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writers

Democrats anxious for Obama to widen lead
By Edward Luce, Financial Times