What's wrong with Obama

 
For one, he is not Barry O'Bama.
  
Everyone has been asking the same question: "In this Democratic year, why isn't Obama ahead by double-digits?"
  
It's the race, stupid!
  
Difficult to quantify and uncomfortable to talk about, the effect of race in voting patterns is something we rather not discuss. However, over the last few weeks, there has been a gradual appearence of articles mentioning how race would/could affect Obama's chances. I posted an op-ed excerpt from an Indian newspaper, American Exceptionalism, on 6 September, discussing this issue.

In an exit poll, 12% of voters in the Democratic primary in West Virginia said that race would affect how they would cast their ballot. Many thought that this is actually a low figure, and these people were not being wholly truthful with the pollsters. Clinton got two-thirds of the vote and Obama a mere one-fourth. Even though Edwards had withdrawn form the race before this primary on May 13, he still got over 7% of the votes.

  
Now, CNN reports that an AP-Yahoo News poll, designed in partnership with Stanford University, has conducted another study "...that surveyed racial attitudes suggests that racial prejudices could tip the balance in the upcoming presidential election." It finds that "If there were no racial prejudice among voters, Sen. Barack Obama would receive about 6 percentage points more support..."
  
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey found that "Of the 8 percent of Democrats who told CNN they plan to vote for Obama's GOP rival, Sen. John McCain, half said race was a factor". The AP-Yahoo News poll found that "one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them "lazy," "violent," responsible for their own troubles."
  
In the Gallup daily tracking poll, it was Obama 48%, McCain 44% today, down for Obama from 50-44 on 20 September. Most polls give Obama a 4% lead nationally, though the RCP average was 48-45 in his favor. 
  
The Rasmussen daily tracking poll gives Obama a 1 point edge (48%-47%) today, and the Rasmussen Markets data currently gives Obama a 52.2 % chance of victory.
  
So, assuming a national lead for Obama at 4%, combined with the 6% lead he would have had if he wasn't an African-American, the total lead today would have been 10% for him today.
  
A 10% lead would still not be bad, considering that the RCP average for a Generic Congreesial Vote is only 6% in favor of the Democrats (47%-41%).
  
Obama's nickname as a student was Barry. If only he had kept this name, and hyphenated his surname to O'Bama. After all, he IS related to Dick Cheney.
  
Let us pray. This is going to be a historic election. Either we will have the first African-American as President or a hockey mom a heart-beat away from being one.