Originally Posted by kane

You make a strong point. Race is an issue. There are a lot of people who won't vote for Obama because he is black. They may not even realize that is the case. They just don't like him and deep down it is because of his race. The other day I had a conversation with someone who said he wouldn't vote Obama. After several questions he finally admitted that it may be because he is black and when he looks up and sees Obama and his family on TV they don't look like this guy's family and he can't connect with him. I don't think this guy is a racist, he just feels like he has nothing in common with a black guy.

For many people in this country they have very little exposure to black people. I was one of them. Growing up I knew exactly 1 black person from the time I was five until I was out of high school. We had had 1 black kid in my school and he was only there for a year. I wasn't a racist, I just didn't know any black people and had no exposure to them so I felt no connection to them. As I grew up and moved away that changed, but for many it doesn't. So you are right. There is the black/white issue and the big fight will be for those second tear voters. McCain is going with a conservative mother hoping to win the middle class women over while Obama is going with Biden hoping that he can use his experience in foreign policy to convince these middle class women that he will keep them safe.

To me the election really comes down to two things. 1. If McCain can connect with the independents and get the working class independent voters to vote for him in the swing states he will probably win (or at least make himself very hard to beat) and 2. If Obama can activate the far left and actually get them to put the bong down long enough on election day to vote he will win. Historically the far left talks a good game, but then fails to turn up at the polls on election day. The last guy to really activate them was Bill Clinton and he rode them to a win. If Obama can actually get them to vote he will be nearly impossible to beat. I find myself wondering of those two which is the harder task?