Race, West Virginia and the Quest for the Presidency

Marshall University hosted a weekend forum on race and politics that explored the possibility that West Virginians rejected Barack Obama in May -- and will do so again in November -- because he is black.

Panelists included former Delegate Arley Johnson, D-Cabell, who "advised the Obama campaign after the primary that to bring the candidate back to West Virginia would be a waste of time," The Associated Press reported.

The article said Johnson and "other panelists said the primary laid bare the uncomfortable fact that many West Virginians will never vote for a black presidential candidate simply because of his race."

But AP's Tom Breen also noted that "About 50 miles away, state Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey was roaring out at a crowd of party faithful at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Charleston, 'Do you have a problem voting for him because he's part black?,' to which the crowd yelled back, 'No!'"

And the Herald-Dispatch, in covering the Marshall forum, reported that some panelists "spoke about the education levels of West Virginians:"

Gerald Beller of West Virginia State University said the determining factor in Sen. Hillary Clinton's easy win over Obama in the state's Democratic primary was voters' education levels. When Clinton campaigned in the state, she reinforced her connection with the white working class, Beller said.

The younger generation with either a college or high school diploma has favored Obama while Clinton received strong support from the white working class. West Virginia, Beller said, is not unique in its voting preferences.

But the Huntington newspaper cited comments as well from panelist Simon Perry of Marshall, who said three forms of racism, "blatant, modern and invisible, "all affect the perception of Obama in the state.

Meanwhile, AP is reporting on its national poll conducted with Yahoo News and Stanford University, which "found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them 'lazy,' 'violent,' responsible for their own troubles."

The survey "suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004 — about two and one-half percentage points.," that AP article said.

An accompanying graphic charts the findings that "more than a third of all white Democrats and independents — voters Obama can't win the White House without — agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks, according to the survey, and they are significantly less likely to vote for Obama than those who don't have such views. "

The article notes further that "Republican John McCain has his own obstacles," listing several, and notes that "lots of Republicans harbor prejudices, too, but the survey found they weren't voting against Obama because of his race. Most Republicans wouldn't vote for any Democrat for president — white, black or brown. "

Politico has also tackled the race factor. Noting the AP poll results and some of the reactions to it, it reports that "the national conversation appears to have arrived. Racial considerations that have long been palpable in southern Ohio and other crucial regions are again in the foreground."

Politico has a separate article more focused on the poll results.