If Obama Loses...Could it be because of anything other than race?

BY SOPHIA A. NELSON

Sept. 9, 2008--Here is the nightmare scenario: Nov. 1, 2008, Barack Obama is leading in the national polls by a comfortable margin. Nov. 4, 2008, he loses the election, either by a whisker or by a margin large enough to suggest that it was never really close. All indications are that the loss will be blamed on "race" and "racism." People will say that cynicism and fear won out over hope and change, that a "black man" still can't get a fair shake in America. Dispirited supporters will argue that the great American scourge of race, "our great birth defect" as suggested by Secretary of State Condi Rice in an interview last March cannot be defeated.

Recent polls following the conclusion of the Republican Convention have made a possible Obama loss a hot and emotional topic. Even contemplating the scenario brings with it a host of additional worries. Could anger and disenchantment cause riots in the streets? Could an Obama loss actually set back people's aspirations, leaving them to feel that Dr. King's great dream is not only unfulfilled but trampled? Will blacks erupt in collective outrage, or shake their heads knowingly and whisper to each other (as many of us are doing now)—America is still not ready for a black president no matter how bright or qualified he/she may be.

Pollsters insist that while "race is a factor" in this campaign, they have not been able to accurately measure its impact. Many black Americans are holding their collective breath, hoping that the most stubborn of American issues will not be the thing that keeps Obama out of the White House. I suspect that many white Americans are, too.

If Obama Loses...