Thanks for nothing

Poor Barack Obama. He's trying to recover from yet another loss of a large population state replete with blue-collar white Democrat majorities and lo and behold, Reverend Wright pops up on his "15 minutes of fame" tour to torpedo Obama's attempts to reconcile with this critical demographic group.

After working hard to convince Democrat primary voters, and more importantly superdelegates, that Wright's most inflammatory views were "sound bites taken out of context", the Reverend has been in a spate of public appearances that not only put them in a context that reinforced the public "misperceptions" but took them to another level. He even went to great lengths to explain that blacks and whites think differently, brain-wise, and thus the black affinity for memorizing hip-hop lyrics. If a white person made these observations, they would be castigated like they were Jimmy the Greek.

Most unfortunate, for Obama at least, was Wright's strange scattershot appearance at the National Press Club yesterday. He now has political observers, on both sides of the ideological spectrum, opening wondering if he is trying to sabotage Obama's campaign and elect John McCain. Newt Gingrich thinks Wright is doing this to hurt Obama. This is gonna keep Democrats in so much chaos that I would buy stock in Maalox and Pepto-Bismol if I were an investing wizard.

When he started with a calm appearance on Bill Moyer's show on PBS, it seemed logical for Wright, knowing that he continues to be an issue, to put a calm face with the frenzied voice on the pulpit clips. But black liberation theology is no more reasonable to white voters when spoken in quiet but passionate explanations on one of the most liberal programs on TV. Wright's follow-up appearances at the NAACP Detroit branch's dinner and the Press Club meeting will only serve to confirm the worst fear of the working class blue collar worker: an Obama presidency will constitute black retribution for hundreds of years of white oppression in America. This is not a "post-racial" candidate's message if one expect to woo old-style New Deal Democrats.

For the first time, I am changing my view that Obama's candidacy could lead to a McGovern-style loss: it could be worse. Many New Deal-coalition Democrats could see this as time to send a message to their party. They might want to send it by casting aside many congressional Democrats, especially those who bought into Obama's "new message" campaign and endorsed the Illinois senator.

We have seen over the last several weeks that polling data and even the exit polls have not properly represented this demographic group's rejection of the Obama candidacy once their ballots are tabulated. What happens when this opposition to Obama becomes more publicly acceptable?

We are starting to see this show up in polling data in Indiana. If he takes a shellacking there, this theme will become an open concern for the superdelegates. He had better hold his double-digit lead in heavily black North Carolina.

As it becomes increasingly clear that they will have to choose the nominee, that neither candidate will be able to claim the nod based on the pledged delegates, the party will have it's choice between death by discredited Clinton or death by a black liberation theology amateur who thinks we simply need to sit down and talk with our enemies. This is the advice he is accepting which has serious risks for the world, not just the United States. What should party leaders do? I don't envy them.

I realize that to some reading this blog this will seem a harsh characterization of the two candidates but this is how disgruntled Democrats are starting to perceive their choices.

John McCain must feel like he is truly experiencing the "luck of the Irish."

PS...it gets stranger...it seems the good reverend's appearance at the National Press Club was organized by a hardcore black Hillary supporter. Wow, isn't politics fascinating?

PPS...once again, one of my favorite writers has weighed in on these matters. I urge, nay, PLEAD, with my readers to ready Victor Davis Hanson's blog post on Wright and the effect on the Obama candidacy. Whether you agree with it or not, Professor Hanson has the perspective of a well-respected historian...