Does Race Really Matter

Does Race Really Matter?
By: Michael A. Cohen
New York Times
So far in this heated battle of a presidential election. Most polls heavily favor democratic candidate Barack Obama. But as we see Senator Obama keep rising the question many people are asking themselves is “What about the race factor?” Many people believe that we as Americans are not ready to put an African-American man in the white house just yet. It is true that we have came a very long way when it comes to race and prejudice. But we aren’t where we need to be yet. Recent polls say that 56 percent of voter’s wont vote for Obama based on his ethnicity. It is no secret that race will play a huge role in the 2008 election. But what we aren’t realizing is that this doesn’t necessary mean bad news for Obama. Actually this might be the defining factor in his road to the white house. With Obama being the first African-American presidential candidate with a legitiment chance of winning, He is most likely going to get the highest rate of minority voters in election history. 95% of black voters side with Obama. And African-Americans do make up over 1/3 of the population now. So even if Obama does lose votes do to his race, he will most likely make up for them and more because of his race.