By: Tim Wise
Amid the polls and punditry that seem to suggest Barack Obama will be the nation's 44th president, there is still a fear, spoken of in whispers by his supporters, that the polls and the pundits could all be wrong.
Whether because of deception on the part of white voters, preening as more racially ecumenical than they really are, or because of last minute swings among independents in certain key states, or even because of voter suppression and a stolen election, an Obama loss is the prospect that dare not speak its name; the nightmare scenario for millions who feel so close to a history-making victory.
It's enough to make you want to hibernate for the next several days, so as not to have to contend with the uncertainty that still hangs over this election like fog on a cool morning. Given the racial subtext that has been a constant in this race, one has to wonder, how would an Obama loss – as much as we might not wish to contemplate it – impact the nation's fragile race relations?
With white mobs at McCain/Palin rallies advocating violence against Obama and referring to him by only the most thinly-veiled racial code words, and with the racial divisions between Obama and McCain voters so substantial (most whites will vote against Obama while about 95 percent of blacks are expected to vote for him), how might an Obama loss effect the nation's racial climate, and especially the tensions that have long animated white-black interactions?
If Obama Loses, Americans Ought to Beware White ‘Frontlash’....
1 comment:
You bring up some good questions. I'm not sure of what the outcome would be if Obama loses but any historian can tell you with the economy in a downward spiral and fighting two wars on two different fronts would be certain death to the incumbent party. Why this election is so close, I think race plays a role. The backlash if Obama wins will be just as puzzling.
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