poetsheart

If a white candidate had never enjoyed 90% of the black vote in an election, maybe you could claim racism on the part of blacks. If blacks only voted for black candidates, no matter what, and to the exclusion of all else, you could most certainly claim racism. But neither of these scenarios is the case.

Blacks almost never think, "I'm not voting for So 'n So because he/she is white. Blacks are use to voting for white candidates, and have been known to throw their support (yes, by 80-90% and higher) behind a single white candidate (always a Democrat). The Clintons have been use to just such overwhelming support from the black community, which is why it must have been galling to find out that they could no longer take that support for granted.

Contrast that with whites who state they will not vote for a black candidate because he is black---who say so quite unashamedly. Racism is the belief that one race is inherently superior to another or other races, and that political and social policy should reflect that belief. Throughout the history of The United States, it has been the white race that has held that it is inherently superior to all other races, especially the black race. Until roughly the last 30-40 years of our country's 300+ year history, this belief was held to be so axiomatic that all of society was structured to reinforce it. So, it has only been relatively recently that a black candidate has even been on the ballot for an elected position of importance. Until relatively recently, race alone would have been deemed an absolute disqualifier.

Black people aren't voting for Barack Obama just because he is black, and Hillary Clinton's race is not being seen as a "disqualifier". Black people aren't thinking, I'm not voting for that woman because she is white, and therefore inferior. They are voting for Barack Obama because he is a symbol of hope, and inspiration, a person of historical significance who excites a sense of possibility within the black community. He is a democrat (an absolute prerequisite, as far as most blacks are concerned) who embodies everything blacks have always admired in The Clintons, AND he represents an opportunity that has heretofore been historically denied. You had best believe that if he were a black republican, he would be viewed with deep suspicion, even resentment, and would in no way be enjoying such widespread support within the community. Black skin alone won't earn you the black vote! White skin is not seen as a disqualifier. Black people are not voting against whiteness, but for hope.