As a resident of Massachusetts, I see real parallels between the rise and fall of our first black governor Deval Patrick, and the rise and coming fall of the first black president, Barack Obama. Let's get to some politically incorrect, uncomfortable-to-say for some, specifics.
The Ballot Becomes The Race Card
Both Deval Patrick and Barack Obama had the same campaign guru: David Axelrod.
Using white liberal guilt to his political advantage, Axelrod created candidates that were immune from the normal political vetting process, as any attempt to do such would be called veiled racism. With that, they ran with vague slogans that touched at progressive heartstrings, and they did. Patrick's "Together We Can" and Obama's "Yes We Can" slogans offered what the beholder thought he or she wanted, without the nasty details.
Again hiding behind the race smear, virtually no one pestered the candidates for details of what they planned on doing once in office. Patrick and Obama were allowed to say whatever they wanted to make the voters feel better about making history. The beauty of this strategy was that any opposition to these candidates had the typical politically correct response in the waiting: racism.
With Patrick's victory, Axelrod found his template and with Barack Obama, took it national.
The Non-Threatening Black
Granted, it's neither of their fault, but liberals really like Halfrican Americans. If you think that's an over-the-top assertion, take a look at all of the so-called pretty people Hollywood celebrates. A vast majority of the "black" female singers and actresses are light-skinned. With the exception of gangsta' rappers and hip-hop thugs, a good number of black males in entertainment aren't dark.
This is not a true reflection of the preferences of the American people, but of the liberal racists who "discover" the new talent. Take a look at President Obama's inner circle and with one or two exceptions, almost all are light-skinned black people; a trait someone must consider more visually acceptable to the American people.
Both Deval Patrick and Barack Obama are halves. When choosing clients, that had to have weighed in on Axelrod's decision: how to use race politics that will be the least offensive. Despite all the civil rights gains over the decades, there are still people who'd never vote for a black man, but if he weren't so black…?
So by finding black candidates that spoke proper English and weren't "threatening", we had two candidates for high office that could be embraced by the mainstream while still maintaining the fear of a race label on those who would oppose.
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