It’s been an open secret for a long time, but now with MSNBC’s latest report on it, I figure it’ll be a good time to make a point – Obama’s got a dog problem and I’m not referring to Clinton.

This is a blog, so I’m not going to nuance my post or make it seem less harsh or something; “I’d rather vote McCain” = “I’ll never vote for a black man”. It’s as simple as that. No need for metrics. If Clinton and Obama hold such similar policy positions, then it isn’t a problem with the plan, it’s a problem with the planner. If Obama, supposedly the “inexperienced one” and Clinton, supposedly the “experienced one”, have similar plans and ideas, then either Clinton has lousy ideas or Obama’s lack of experience doesn’t count for much when it comes to doing what’s right for America. Some point out that Obama is too naïve when dealing with hostile foreigners – I say that playing Tom Threepersons on the international stage and expecting people to be impressed is a lot more naive than sitting down and talking like mature adults. Others say he could use a few more years seasoning – to do what? George Washington was never a legislator.

So why do so many (1 in 4 according to the Huffington Post) Clinton backers say they’d choose to vote McCain instead of Obama? I’m betting it isn’t a matter of experience, naiveté or seasoning.

It’s simple bigotry.

The whole argument is simply a politically acceptable way of saying “he’s black so I won’t vote for him”. Like the “he doesn’t understand the needs of the working people” argument is just a nicer way of saying “he isn’t white so he doesn’t understand whites”. Or “he wants to talk to our enemies” is just a play on “he’s a foreigner, not an American”. Honestly, there are no reasonable grounds for voting McCain over Obama unless your problem is with the man, not the message. And what personal issues does Obama have over McCain or Clinton? His father for no other reason than because he’s Muslim.

It’s been submerged for most of the campaigning season, and the Obama campaign isn’t eager to bring it to attention – mostly because doing so would go against his central message of transcending these divisions. Sadly, these divisions are very real and blatantly obvious. It’s worth remembering that the very reason these people vote Democrat is because they Lincoln was a Republican.

The “Blue/Yellow Dog” Democrats haven’t changed since the reconstruction.