ATKINS – Unspoken issue of ’08 campaign is simply ‘race’

Unspoken issue of ’08 campaign is simply ‘race’

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter minced no words. The choice between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain should be clear.

“If (Obama) is not elected, I think the ultimate reason would be that he is a black man.”

The elder statesman, speaking during a series of debate-week panels here on the civil rights era’s connection to this year’s elections, knows politics, the tortured history of race in his native South and in the nation, and Republican tactics. They’ve repeatedly used abortion, gun control, homosexuality and race to steer voters away from the “larger issues” that affect them – health care, education, job security and economic fairness.

Joe Atkins
Clarion Ledger
10/5/8