Son,

The media is in a big toot about Racism.  Bill Clinton dismissed Obama’s victory in South Carolina by stating that Jesse Jackson won there in 1984 and 1988.  The implication was that Barack Obama is just another black man.  The media interprets this as an attempt to minimize Obama by Clinton.

Well duh!  What do you suppose candidates do to one another?  Chuck Norris said that John McCain is too old – Everyone in the media thought it was a misguided but cute comment by a political novice.  McCain laughed it off.  But McCain uses his age to raise the standard of experience. When Reagan was running as a senior citizen he joked that he would not make an issue of his opponent Mondale being so young and inexperienced.

I have written commentary on Huckabee pursuing a Theocracy.  Well, he is a Christian Minister who advocates injecting his faith into the constitution.  Huckabee cannot change his past – so he tries to maximize his past – that is what candidates do.   Huckabee capitalizes on the evangelical vote – by itself it is not enough to win, but it does grant him a platform to stand on.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon Scientologist for Jehovah on the 7th Day.  Some folks have made his religion an issue.  That is an issue for Romney’s campaign to manage.  He is not going to change his faith – so he must somehow overcome that obstacle.  And the reality is that he played the faith card in Nevada where 25% of the population is Mormon.
Barack Obama is an African-American.  That fact creates an aura about him – the same as McCain’s age, or Huckabee and Romney’s faith.  Each of these candidates use their aura to gain a base, then it is their task to expand the base.  Each of these candidates, in trying to expand the base, try to minimize their natural aura.  It is the way of national politics.

Barack Obama is a Black man.  McCain is an Old Man.  Giuliani is a serial husband.  Romney and Huckabee are wackos.  Each carries his own aura and each has the responsibility to convince the voters that their personal lives are secondary to their competency to be President.

Dad