Will The Media’s Race Baiting Impact The Vote Negatively For Obama?

I like to think that I’m an educated voter. I voted in my first election in 1980 and have always taken voting seriously. I admit that I have voted for republicans far more frequently than democrats over the years and I tend to be fiscally conservative while being more moderate socially though as I get older even my social views tend to lean more conservative.

All that being said, the first time I heard Barack Obama speak prior to the primaries I thought he made an inspiring speech and I wished the republicans had as gifted a speaker. Lets face the fact that the republicans haven’t had an inspirational figure since Reagan and the party’s focus has pulled away from its fundamental idea of responsible spending and smaller government.

I entertained the thought of maybe voting for Obama until I spent the time to look into what his policies are about. His voting record is alarming to a conservative like me in regards to the economy, spending programs, and abortion. Without question he is as liberal as any presidential candidate in my time. That alone should be a great cause of concern but if you couple it with the current democratic leadership in Washington with Pelosi, Reid, Frank, and Dodd we will see a massive increase in entitlement programs. When was the last time the government ever ran a program successfully let alone efficiently?

I could care less that Barack Obama is black. If he were even close to being a moderate politically I’d probably vote for him. However, that isn’t the case so I will vote for John McCain. I’m not terribly excited about that choice to be honest but his record is far more in line with my views than Obama’s will ever be. Does that make me a racist?

I’m concerned about the future for my kids and their kids. There is less and less personal accountability for your actions in politics and society in general. Our core values and faith are under siege in this country. Can we afford a Supreme Court shaped by Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid? I think our personal freedoms are at risk as is the fundamental Christian-Judeo principals that the country was built on. Does that make me a racist? 

The pundits, and especially the mainstream media, have been throwing out their opinion that the only way Obama can lose is if white Americans like myself vote for McCain out of racist concerns. There can’t be any other reason not to vote for him according to the talking heads. Every concern that is brought up by the campaign or the average American is dismissed as a racist comment. 7^th graders are berated for wearing their McCain / Palin shirts to class. You can’t question Obama’s prior and current relationships because they are attacks due to race. More and more troubling are the pre-presidential run speeches and thoughts about Socialist and Marxist views that are coming to light. If you question anything you are a racist.

Today McCain is anywhere from 5 points down in the polls to 10 points. My theory is that the media’s continued hammering at the racism angle will ultimately hurt Obama and that the race is much closer than we are led to believe.

Most of the independent and undecided vote is made up of white Americans. Some may have been leaning toward voting for Obama because they want a change and are disappointed in the way the Republicans have led and I don’t blame them. However, I believe they don’t appreciate the accusation that even considering a vote for McCain makes you a racist. My belief is that the vast majority of Americans don’t judge people based on their race and that it is a media generated issue for the most part. If you continue to accuse people of being racists they are going to cast a vote against Obama because they aren’t going to be accused of being racist for having concerns about what his platform is and don’t want to put up with that label for an entire presidential term because they oppose a specific program.  

This silent vote is what will put McCain over the top. Everyone in the mainstream media will be surprised but most Americans will not. We will be labeled as racists but we know better. We are Americans first and want the best for our citizens and country. Socialism doesn’t work.

Victor Minicozzi

vminicozzi@comcast.net