NPR wondered today whether America is ready to elect a black president. The statistics are really interesting on this question. When asked, more than 65 percent of Americans think that a black person could be elected, but among blacks the number is much, much lower. Somewhere near 50%. If you think about it, it's a very odd poll question. The question isn't: would you vote for a black candidate (although I'm sure those numbers are out there somewhere). Instead, it's about your perception about what your fellow Americans would do. I haven't seen the geographic breakdown on the poll, but it would be interesting to see whether northerners have a different opinion than southerners on this point. I have a sense that electing Obama is possible, but I really don't know how I could possibly know. I grew up in Maine and have lived in Tahoe and Vermont -- not exactly a comprehensive introduction to the improving state of race relations in the U.S. I do *hope* that Obama could be elected. He seems to be the most intriguing politician on the radar at the moment.
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