A recent poll shows that one-third of white Democrats have some form of negative racial bias against Barack Obama.  The issue of race has always been the elephant in the room—something present but simply avoided. With the 2008 election, racial preferences have become bigger and more prominent.  Whether conscious or not, race is something we all have to realize plays a factor, not only in our day to day lives, but in this election.  The often ignored racial divide could potentially cost Obama 6 percent in the polls, which could pose a very dangerous threat to him on Election Day. 

Recent polls also prove that as many as 17 percent of white Clinton supporters will now vote for McCain.  Nine percent of that 17 percent openly admit that the primary reason for their switch is Obama’s ethnicity. The Republicans have stated that more seats in Congress are in danger of being lost to the Democrats.  They have openly conceded that they have no chance to take back control over Congress.  Throughout history, and certainly since the 1930s, an economic downfall has cost the incumbent President’s party control of the White House in the following election.  This is true even when the country’s economic plight was felt to a lesser degree than our current turmoil.

As a consequence of the Republican Party’s failed agenda over the last eight years, which has left this country in a state of economic purgatory, no logical reason exists for the Presidential election to be this close.  A common denominator must exist—an ever-present, unarticulated and certainly un-debated characteristic that narrows an otherwise large stage for Democratic success.  Recent polls and the economic downfall during the Republican presidential tenure is proof positive that the close race is due to racial bias.

As our future is held in a collective urn of insecurities and bigotry, we all have to force ourselves to come to our own personal truths.  Because racial preferences are rarely articulated, we live in a silent reality.  How honest are we with ourselves or in conversations with others?  How many Democrats, having never voted Republican in past elections, secretly and avidly turned Republican in this election?  Former Democrats who have not, and certainly will not, see any social or economic gain as a result of their switch in parties somehow justify it to themselves.

Our society has formed misconceptions of one another by building isolated enclaves, black, white and indifferent.  We have created speculations and misguided truths of how to define the identity of another.  We view people in frames of color or class, as opposed to individuality or the uniqueness that truly separates us. We have become echoes of ourselves by talking about our struggles, instead of confronting them with viable solutions.  But let us try by giving up on racial biases.  Rather, truly deal with the real issues and identifying with something bigger than self.  This economy that has grown legs just to crawl away from us will continue to crawl until we unite and recognize the solution.  People of all races and social classes are suffering from the same underlining economic issues.  Black faces and lower earning society are not the only ones baring witness to this downward spiral. It is the multi-million dollar home owner feeling the burden; the mutual funds and the business owner; it is your grandmother’s pension along, with your future.

Identity plays the lead role in voting and as we all sit back and come to our own personal truths, we should all try to disentangle ourselves from the shadows of our doubt, fears and racially biased ways. This is for those racist minds, avid Republicans, and those who simply have been stripped of all faith in American governmental decisions. It is for the previous home owner that lost his home, investors whose investments are dwindling by the second. It’s for every American, regardless of our own selfish biases, to ask ourselves honestly, who can really help?

And that answer will define our future.