Obama Win Will Swell White Supremacist Ranks

The Associated Press is reporting that white supremacist groups expect a sharp uptick in membership if Barack Obama is elected President. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is sounding the alarm:

Obama "will be a clear signal for millions of our people," Duke wrote. "Obama is a visual aid for White Americans who just don't get it yet that we have lost control of our country, and unless we get it back we are heading for complete annihilation as a people."

The AP and Duke are a little late on this one, predicting something that has already happened. As I reported in June, white supremacists have already reaped the benefits of Obama's nomination for President. An Obama win in November will likely continue that trend.

I've never understood what makes a guy like David Duke tick. Sure, being white is cool. You can always get a cab, shoplift with impunity, and people are really impressed when you can dance, but I don't get the need to be supreme. What is it that makes Duke so insecure, so threatened?

The fact is, the overwhelming majority of Barack Obama's supporters are white. An even more overwhelming majority of John McCain's supporters are white. You know why? The overwhelming majority of Americans are white.

To the extent that there is wider-spread racial tension or animosity, it stems more from misunderstanding and mistrust than any need to feel supreme.

The AP story contains an encouraging statistic. The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that there are 200,000 people active in white supremacist groups nationwide. That's tiny. Even if they double in size, still tiny.

White people aren't losing control of America, Mr. Duke. You are.