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 Pennsylvania and the Persistence of the Race ChasmPosted on Apr 23, 2008
By David Sirota A few weeks ago, I published an article in In These Times showing how Hillary Clinton has been winning states almost exclusively in the Race Chasm—states whose populations are more than 6 percent but less than 17 percent black. The results of the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania—a state whose demographics fall squarely in the Race Chasm—continue the trend. I have hypothesized that the Race Chasm exists because of racial politics. Specifically, in states where there is almost no black population, black-white racial politics has little traction because it isn’t part of the political dialect. In states where there is a very large black population, the black vote can offset a racially motivated white vote. But in the Race Chasm, the black vote is too small to offset a racially motivated white vote. So how prevalent was race as a factor in voting in Pennsylvania? The exit polls suggest that when Gov. Ed Rendell previously said race would be a huge factor, he was absolutely correct. Specifically, Page 4 and 5 of the CNN exit poll show a whopping 19 percent of Pennsylvania voters said race was an important factor in their vote, with Clinton winning almost 60 percent of that segment. Broken down further, 13 percent of the white vote said race was a major factor in their vote, with Clinton winning 75 percent of that group. These are big numbers, especially considering the fact that these numbers represent only those voters who are willing to admit to pollsters they are voting on race. The real number is probably much higher, because some voters may not want to disclose such taboo voting habits. Let me reiterate something I wrote in my original Race Chasm analysis: Clearly, race is not the only force moving votes. Demographic groups—white, black or any other—do not vote as monoliths. Additionally, the Race Chasm does not mean every white voter who votes against Obama nor every black voter who supports Obama is racially motivated. However, considering the exit polling and the fact that Pennsylvania falls squarely in the demographic Race Chasm, it is clear that those who continue to pretend race is not a major factor in this campaign are deliberately averting their eyes from a very powerful force in the Democratic primary.
David Sirota is a best-selling author whose newest book, “The Uprising,” will be released in June. He is a fellow at the Campaign for America’s Future and a board member of the Progressive States Network, both nonpartisan organizations. His blog is at www.credoaction.com/sirota.
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By Fla Chuck, April 24 at 8:59 am # Is 90 % Racism?If whites were voting 90 % for Hillary, knowing nothing else, would you accuse them of racism? Of *course* you would! So I want to know this: Why are whites branded ‘racist’ when they are voting about 50 % for the black guy, but blacks *aren’t* being called racist for only voting 10 % for the white gal?
By Brian Rothermund, April 23 at 9:07 am # "From the rustbelt of PennsyltuckyI remember months ago telling whoever would listen that a black man stands NO CHANCE of winning a major election among the western PA electorate. I am sadly filled with “I told you so’s”. Anyone who has traveled this nation in the last few years and witnessed the interaction among the white, black, and hispanic races can tell you (in confidence of course) that racism is alive and well in almost every state in the union. Racism is not THE motivating factor in most elections simply because minorities rarley run for office outside of their own demographic areas. But it is a major factor in statewide and national elections. The unfortunate facts are that there have been very few blacks elected as governors, senators, or congressman in our nations history. With all that said however, this year should be a golden opportunity for an Obama to “break the chain” so to speak, but alas I live in America (and western PA) and around here we use all of our inherent freedoms to oppress other people, especially minorities. Add Your Comment |
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