Justin Webb's America

Refereeing special interests

• Justin Webb
• 25 Jan 08, 09:40 PM GMT

WASHINGTON DC: Following on from what we might call the "Dick Morris thesis" on race and the Obama campaign I pass on something that the Obama folk are peddling down here in South Carolina, or more precisely will be peddling after a win which is then characterised as a win "wholly due to black voters turning out for the black candidate". First they will call this a form of racism (do black voters not count?) and secondly according to the document I have seen:

"The fact of the matter is that blacks represent potentially pivotal blocs of voters in most battleground states in November – including Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia and even Nevada. Obama’s ability to inspire and mobilize black voters could easily prove instrumental in swinging those competitive states to the Democratic column in November. Indeed, in Nevada where blacks are about 6% of the voting age population, with Obama on the ballot they comprised fully 15% of the caucus electorate according to the Entrance Poll -proof that he can bring them out beyond their numbers or past participation."

All of that is fair enough, I suppose, except that Hillary Clinton's special appeal to Latino voters might rather counterbalance it. Although black people have been more reliable voters in the past? The subject is now much discussed both sides of the Atlantic with the Times of London taking a sceptical view...

For the record, I asked Obama - during a campaign stop here - if he accepted that the media gave him an easier ride that they did the Clintons. He laughed. He claimed it wasn't true. But he went on to call the press "the referee".

I have never heard a politician do that unless he thought the referee was making the right decision...

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