The current political chatter is asking why Obama isn’t running away with his polling numbers by an even great margin. No matter he is polling ahead. No matter his numbers are as good as Democrats actually win in national elections for presidential (FDR and Truman excepted).
How’s that for white privilege? McCain trails and he’s somehow winning.
CNN confronts the loaded question in the following video, which avoids that ways race is involved in both the asking and answering of it. I’m not saying that he is where he is in the polls because American is racist, but race is undeniably a part. We need to free ourselves from thinking of racism as some sort of purposeful prejudice and realize, that in a historic white supremacy, we can be nothing other than racist until we purposefully confront it. Ignoring race is more racist than any affirmative prejudice.
CNN reports “43 % of Americans say they don’t relate to Obama’s background or values. In other words, to many, he’s unknown.” Am I the only one that sees this as selective?
In other words, whites can’t relate to blacks because they have been indoctrinated to think of their experiences as so inherently different. This isn’t something to ignore, but to confront, to discuss, and to push out of existence with purposeful action, not more ignorance.
LATINO LIKE ME 
Tom, I’m genuinely hurt that you think I’m a racist. But I suppose that, in order to keep the race/class/gender field relevant, we need to define racism in a way that is not only unfalsifiable but also includes everyone and everything.
Even so, isn’t this a bit paranoid of you? Perhaps the media’s surprise has less to do with white privilege and more with the fact that until quite recently, Obama was nearly running away in the polls. Remember Occams razor.
Conservative pundits speaking back from the grave is far more worrisome than systemic racism!
That said, the media darling is now experienceing the ebb and flow of such a status, and the ebb ain’t that bad. But my point is the kinds of analysis that fails to find expression and consideration in either status.
And don’t fear the label, Billy. It only helps prove the point.