Race in the Race to the White House

The General Election is three weeks away and the vicious rumors still persist about Barack Obama. Rumors like these:

Some of those rebut persistent but false rumors that Obama isn’t a Christian, or wasn’t born in the United States — or was sworn in to the U.S. Senate with his hand on a Quran, not a Bible. (The mailing shows Obama being sworn in by Vice President Cheney, his hand on a Bible.)

That those rumors persist so close to Election Day frustrates the Obama campaign and its allies.

Over the weekend I had an encounter with the rumor about Barack Obama’s birth certificate. The person who I spoke with adamantly insisted that not only was Barack Obama’s certificate a fraud, but the situation had escalated into litigation. Even with proof from snopes.com and factcheck.org the person would not give an inch. In fact, the person even disputed the legitimacy of snopes.com and factcheck.org in the person’s attempt to belittle Obama.

Since Obama declared his candidacy for President of the United States the inbox on my e-mail account has been flooded almost daily with urban legends, lies, and racist e-mails about Barack Obama. One had even gone so far as to make the claim that Obama is the anti-Christ.

Never in all of my years have I seen a candidate for Office be maligned as badly as I have witnessed Barack Obama get maligned. The attacks on Obama would make Joseph Goebbels proud, and hearken back to McCarthyism. I can only conclude the reason to the persistent, vile rumors and beliefs about Obama are because he is mixed race.

It is only right that the racists are confronted with their racism; it may make them uncomfortable, but in the 21^st Century it is time to leave the shackles of racism behind and propel America and all of its citizens to a better future.

I believe that Americans overall will rise above this vile viewpoint and do the right thing, but racism must be confronted.

Homer Simpson Votes for Obama