When Democrats Use Race ...Paul Hogarthbyline‚ Jan. 15‚ 2008We’ve come to expect race baiting when a minority candidate tries to break down barriers in public life. After all, Republicans built their majority over four decades by employing a Southern Strategy that used coded words to revive latent racist sensibilities. And if Barack Obama gets the presidential nomination, they will certainly try it again. But what we’re seeing now is Democrats – specifically Hillary Clinton and her campaign surrogates – using race in the same subtle ways to get white voters to question whether they should vote for “the black man.” While they vehemently deny such accusations – and Bill Clinton has become particularly defensive about it – it’s there. And if such tactics allow Clinton to win the Democratic nomination, it won’t be easy to mend fences in a general election. Which could mean that the Republican candidate would win. |