There is an article in today’s Tennessean which states that Barack Obama may be writing off Tennessee as a potential win for him in November and how that may be a mistake. Harold Ford, who made an impressive albeit losing effort to win a U.S. Senate seat for the state, criticized Obama during the democratic primaries, stating that he shouldn’t have been so quick to write off states like Kentucky and West Virginia. Even knowing that he could not win those states, Ford states that Obama would have still benefited from showing the people from those areas that he is not an elitist intellectual from the north, but that he can relate to the rural everyman as well.

While I agree with Ford, especially during the time of the primaries, I can’t help but to think quietly to myself that Obama is doing the right thing. Should he blow off the state completely? No. He still needs to appear to the south overall that he is a champion of the entire country and not only those who have appeared to have moved past the antiquated ideologies of their forefathers. However, I can guarantee you that there were two things that hurt Harold Ford during his senate race in the state and one thing that helped him. Obama suffers from the same liabilities and can not benefit from Ford’s one asset.

The one thing that probably gave Ford a fighting chance was the fact that he and his family have been involved in politics in the state for a number of years. So, there was a definite familiarity there.

The two things that hurt him, however, were larger liabilities to his campaign than the asset of being well-known across the state. 1) His uncle, former state senator John Ford, was a tool and a crook. For people who wanted to find a reason to dislike Ford when they were not deft enough to argue against his policies, they could point to John Ford and state that the apple does not fall far from the tree. These would be the same kinds of individuals who are still convinced that Obama is a Muslim and wishes to bring this country to its knees in deference to the Middle East (which we kinda are anyway, aren’t we?). 2) Ford is a black man. We could have done away with number one completely and I still think Ford would have lost simply due to his race. It doesn’t help that the Republican Party chose to run this rather dubious commercial during the campaign. One of the lowest denominators in politics is to prey upon the fears and ignorance of your fellow men. It is also an easy way to win a lot of votes and maybe even win an election (Democrats have wallowed in this muck as well. Remember Daisy Girl and more recently, the Clinton’s scorched earth campaign against Obama?)

Growing up in the south, and more specifically, Tennessee, I know that people from the outside probably have a hard time understanding how race could be such a polarizing factor when it came to making a choice in the area of politics. But, trust me, that commercial was well calculated. It was the Republican’s way of stating, “Don’t you remember what your daddy taught you?”

Recently, while attending a party, I listened to someone dictate a story to other party goers and the following exchange took place:

“It was so and so.”

“Oh, the Mexican guy?”

“No, this guy was normal.”

I heard someone say the exact same thing almost fifteen years ago. This is how far some of us have progressed. Nowhere. These are the same folk who happily perpetuate the lies conjured up about Barack Obama that float around the internet in cancerous email chains that seem to have an infinite shelf-life. I would love to say that these folk are the anomaly and not the norm in these parts, but I honestly do not believe it. The south is steeped in heritage and tradition. That is not entirely a bad thing, but when it allows people to continuously perpetuate antiquated beliefs and outdated and divisive mores, then it becomes an issue and a stigma that is hard to shake.

21% of the voters in Kentucky’s democratic primary stated that race played a factor in their choice. That’s 21% of people who were actually honest about why they voted a certain way. If we lump in the dishonest/evasive into that equation, I am sure we would arrive at a much more daunting result. But, the fact is the Democratic nomination is won by delegates. It is not a winner takes all process like the Republican primaries or the general election. So, strategically, I think it was a mistake for Obama to throw in the towel before the fight had even begun. By pulling more delegates than people assumed, he could have given himself an unforeseen boost in other swing states come November. But now…why waste the time? He squandered his chance. Now that we are facing the winner-takes-all general election, why focus too much energy and time on the foregone conclusions? Kentucky is not going to go his way. Neither are West Virginia or Tennessee.

I do believe that Barack Obama should make an appearance here because there are people here who honestly feel like he would be the best leader for this country. There are those who believe in McCain as well and for legitimate reasons, and I can respect that. But, honestly, I think that tradition reigns supreme here and there are just too many people who cling to their prejudices and fears. We are a military state as well, and conservative patriotism is bound to give McCain a jolt in the polls. Plus, Obama has the stigma of being both a black man and a Yankee. That’s a double whammy. Clinton won this state twice, as did Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson during their bids. However, they all had something in common. They were southern white men. They had the accents. They had the common backgrounds. They had the Anglo sounding names and they were of the proper hue. Obama has none of that. It would take a whole hell of a lot of convincing to sway this bunch. And he would need a lot more time than he has to accomplish such a change.

So, senator Obama, please stop by again and say hi. But you know and I know and even Harold Ford Jr. knows that Tennessee will end up in the loss column come November.

Sidenote:

I get a bit of a kick out of knowing that Harold Ford Jr. recently married Emily Threlkeld, an attractive, young blond who is actually hotter than the woman in the attack ad. Of course, those who hate Ford now claim that the new Mrs. Ford is a beard as HFJ is now apparently a homosexual. What’s next, I wonder. Can’t wait to read the rumors about him and the livestock.