Name That Blame

Denver, CO - We asked delegates and spectators at Invesco Field if they thought that people would blame an Obama loss on race, and also if they would blame Hillary Clinton, plus whether either position is justified. Tommy's take, along with video of some of his interviews, is available after the jump.

Denver - My interviews were not on video. I spoke with four people: two women, two men; two black, two white. All four are confident that Obama has a win coming. All four were adamantly opposed to the idea that, if Senator Obama lost, Hillary or Bill Clinton would share any blame.

The white man and woman both volunteered racism when asked what might be the main reason if Senator Obama were to lose. All four indicated racism would play a part. Of the four, only Denise, an African-American local, said she would not blame dirty pool on the part of the McCain campaign. Each of the other three felt that would be a primary, if not the primary factor.

If Senator Obama loses in November, I think it will be a big mistake on the part of Democrats to lay blame wholly on the door of either Hillary Clinton or deep racism. Americans have a proven aversion to electing far left politicians to high office, and a large and growing number of voters are put off by the dramatic coronation process the Obama campaign has made of his candidacy. Those factors must be considered if he loses.

There is no question, if Obama loses, many of his supporters will consider racism to be part of the reason. However, it seems that even here in the thick atmosphere of the convention, most will not consider it the deciding factor. Here's hoping the punditocracy will listen to the people.

Denver - I think their initial reactions were correct, that Obama will win. That said, there are times when I get the sense that this thing is already over by a lot, and we just don't know it. Maybe there really is a silent tsunami of voters who won't vote for a black guy; conversely, there may be a massive, unmeasured hunger for the kind of change Barack Obama represents.


As for Hillary, like it or not, she will take a hefty cut of blame in an Obama loss. Although negative campaigning is par for the course, by attacking Obama from the right she did a lot of John McCain's work for him.


Personally, I think America really wants to be ready for President Obama. Time will tell if they are.