For us, the most interesting topics of the Democratic debate tonight concerned race, which, despite whatever the heckler said, pinpoints important issues and important differences. Obama handled the Latino question well, focusing on his constituency and the commonalities that do exist, while Hillary came across as very awkward with her “black and brown” comments, which seemed like she was trying a little too hard to get the lingo right.
Most importantly for Obama, he dished out some criticism of neglect on the part of black fathers, which should help him with the centrists… good move to refer back to his own father, though, for as Bill Cosby knows, these kinds of comments can backfire!
In the end, might Latinos make the difference? Or will it be the independent white voters who are turned off by an overemphasis on race? All the candidates are hedging their bets at this point, but Obama seems to be pushing all the buttons he’ll have to push to get there.
