I think Mickey’s 100% right here. Of course Obama is where he is in part because he’s black. I find it predictable but absurd that anyone could disagree, never mind call such an observation racist. Colin Powell was where he was in 1996 in part because he’s black. That doesn’t mean Colin Powell didn’t “deserve” his stature. But it’s one of the simple facts of politics that who you are and what you’ve done are inextricably bound together.

Update: A snarky reader writes:

Let’s grant that you’re right, and that it’s absurdly
not racist to make the observation. The question then
becomes, what’s your point? What was Ferraro’s point?
Everybody is where they are in part because of their
personal attributes. BFD. But it certainly strikes me
as the type of concern for clear-headed realism that,
if shared by enough people, will guarantee that a
black man is never elected president, because, after
all, ANY viable black presidential candidate is going
to be there in part because he’s black. So do you have
a point, other than pedantic fact-checking?

Me: Well, pointing out the truth amidst a bonfire of identity politics pieties seems a worthwhile rationale for posting a paragraph. Beyond that, I think the reader has a point about Ferraro. She’s trying to say that some sort of double standard about his race is giving him an unfair advantage against a woman who’s gender is working against her. I think there might be some analytical merit there, but at the same time if Hillary Clinton wasn’t a woman she wouldn’t be senator from New York never mind a presidential contender. In other words, hearing whining from pro-racial and gender quota liberals about double-standards of this sort leaves me entirely cold.

Moreover, I think it’s obvious that lots of people are sympathetic to Obama precisely because they really love the idea of a black guy being president — so long as he’s qualified for the job. Lots of Democrats would have voted for Powell in 1996 (partly) for that reason and I can imagine quite a few Republicans doing likewise.

I don’t see any problem with Barack Obama admitting that part of his appeal is the hope that he might help mend the racial divide and turn a new page. But he could also say that he’s not running for the President of Black America but of all America and that his qualifications involve more than his skin color. He’s more than eloquent enough to make that case.

Update II: Woops, I should have continued my thought and been more clear in that last graf above. Obama does say he’s not running for president of black America. But the point I was getting at is that it would be fine to make that point while also making the point that having a black president would amount to progress for America. It doesn’t need to be either or. Moreover, it is simply obvious that his race is indisputably part of his appeal, as Mickey’s original post demonstrates.