Political scars for Obama

The recent flap over Barack Obama’s comments regarding rural voters being “bitter” about issues such as immigration, race, guns and religion is finally turning the media’s microscope on this year’s presidential darling. After weeks of swooning, we now see that Obama is nothing more than an elitist who doesn’t understand working-class voters and reverts to lowest common denominator to win votes. Right?

Sort of. His comments are disconcerting, but not because he said them. What’s unfortunate about the whole fiasco is that with all of Obama’s education and oratory and political skill, he failed to articulate why voters “cling” to these divisive issues. It’s not because they’re confused about their lots in life and are looking for someone to blame; it’s because national politicians have been running attack ads and giving stump speeches that seek to divide and conquer the electorate based on these wedge issues.

For too long, our leaders have framed our national dialogue in terms of black vs. white, rich vs. poor, gay vs. straight. No wonder people are voting based on these issues.

Obama is no demagogue playing to voters’ fears, nor is he trying to brush them off. His March speech on race relations in the United States proved that he sees the subtleties and complexities of a divisive issue, and that he’s willing to take on these issues and even say things that are unpopular.

But we’re having nothing of it. In some ways, people do cling to their opinions on guns and race because it’s easier than challenging our own assumptions. America was in an uproar in 2003, when then-Democratic frontrunner Howard Dean said Southern voters shouldn’t base their decisions on “race, guns, God and gays.” He was similarly admonished by the press, and the comments marked a turning point in Dean’s unsuccessful bid for the nomination.

Obama may weather this storm and still win the Democratic nomination, but not without some political scars. He’ll still go on talking frankly, and some might not want to hear what he has to say. But Obama has built his campaign on transcending divisive political debates. Now, he must rise above his own faults.