As this Presidential campaign enters the final stages, time seems to move more slowly. We can almost recite the stump speeches because we have heard them so many times. The historic nature of this election is beginning to take center stage, and the question being asked more often is whether race is going to be a deciding factor. Everyone concedes that it is a historical factor. The essential question is whether the expanding lead in the polls will translate into victory for Barack Obama. Here is a report from CNN.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new national survey suggests that race won't be a major factor in the outcome of the presidential election.
Seven out of 10 -- or 70 percent -- of Americans questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Survey released Friday said the race of the candidates will not be a factor in their vote for president this year.
That 70 percent figure is up 9 points from July, when the same question was asked. Only 5 percent of those polled said race will be the single most important factor in their choice for president, with 11 percent saying it's one of several important factors, and 13 percent indicating race will be a minor factor in their vote.
"First, don't assume that everyone who says that race is factor in their votes are voting against Obama. Some voters are choosing Obama because of his race. And many of those who say that race will influence their votes are Republicans who were highly unlikely to vote for any Democrat this year," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director.
"By one complicated measure, the number of votes Obama may lose due to his race is roughly equal to the number who will vote for him because he is black. And both those numbers appear to be small, possibly just 1 percentage point in each direction," Holland said.
"Take all this with a grain of salt -- race is a complicated topic and polls may not reveal each respondent's true feelings on this hot-button issue. Nonetheless, the poll suggests that race may largely be an influence on Americans who aren't typical Democratic voters, and that race works both for and against Obama in roughly equal proportions," Holland said.
Most African Americans I speak with are uneasy about the race factor. The only antidote for the uneasiness is to work hard right up to the very last day for every vote possible. None of us have complete trust in the polls. However, one thing is certain. All Obama supporters now fervently believe that victory is within reach.
The remaining 10 days will be the longest days of our lives.
Posted By: Roger E Madison Jr
Sunday, October 26th 2008 at 12:15AM
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