(Danville, California)
Next stop on he presidential campaign trail is Tuesday in Mississippi, with 33 Democratic delegates on the table. It is fascinating that in the Deep South this year, Barack Obama has done exceedingly well. But a lot has changed since the Civil Rights era of the 1960s.
Who'd have thought a Black man would be winning Southern primaries 40 years later, and Northern primaries too for that matter. That Obama can win South Carolina, which is racially mixed, and Iowa, which is predominately White says that most American's are far minded people these days. He's leading in votes among White men, and giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money with all female voters, and beats her in most other demographic groups.
Why is that? The answer appears simple. People want to vote for the person they believe is the best candidate, regardless of gender and skin color. It's truly a remarkable transformation in American society, in all corners of this country!
So if race and gender aren't big issues anymore, then why do I bring them up? Well, because they could resurface again. At their core, American's debates and struggles with race and gender issues have been about fairness and equal opportunity, the core of our Constitution.
What Democrats are facing is the possibility that one candidate may get the most popular votes, but that another candidate receives the most convention delegates. This could happen though un-elected "Super Delegates" or "re-dos" of primaries that were already held.
The possible results are ironic, given all the Democratic posturing in 2000 about Al Gore winning the popular vote, but George W. Bush winning the Electoral College (which is what counts). Now the Democrats are facing the same kind of system they attacked (which they re-created within their own party).
So what to do? Well, the system is potentially even more volatile. For example, Barack Obama could win the most popular votes; he could win the most primaries and caucuses; and he could lead the national delegate count at the end of the formal primary season.
Despite all that he could lose the nomination to Hillary Clinton if Super Delegates and Michigan and Florida "do overs" go her way.
That could lead to a Democratic backlash. Black voters (and many White, Latino, Asian, etc. Obama supporters) are bound to cry foul and say the nomination was stolen. The question becomes, will disenfranchised voters return to the fold and support the Democratic nominee (or select-ee) in November?
Some might, but many, particularly Blacks may not. Keep in mind that African Americans represent just 10% of the U.S. population, but they vote 92% for Democrats. They are put of the party's core base. So they aren't likely to go running to GOP nominee Sen. John McCain. Instead many disenfranchised African-American voters, feeling the nomination was stolen, may simply stay home. If they do, President McCain may be what the Democratic Party gets for creating such a fractured process.
Check back Tuesday, as we will post pictures and results from the Mississippi primary at www.MarkCurtisMedia.blogspot.com.
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