It says that Obama's black supporters who are counting on Obama to change race relations better sit down.
His presidency may represent fundamental change but that doesn't mean he will initiate such sweeping changes if he's elected.
"Politicians, even the best-intentioned ones, are weather vanes," says Sirota. "If the wind isn't blowing in the right direction, they will perpetuate the status quo," he says.
It will take more than a presidential candidate to change the status quo -- it'll take a movement, Sirota says.
"My concern is that people will think that by simply electing Obama, change will come, whether it's on race or economic justice issues," he says.
"If people believe that, then real change will not happen."
Well, for one it's insulting. Black people see Obama's greatness in addition to his race. They don't see him as the saviour with the big black agenda. They know better than to be that hopeful. White people, Latinos and the rest of us support Obama for who he is and his policies. Not his race.
The Hillaries could never seem to get past that idea -- Geraldine Ferraro was a good example. They thought the rest of us were voting for Obama because he was black, because we thought he could improve race relations by waving his magic wand. Good grief.
Two, I'm sure black people and anyone other than a white person, know that it ain't going to be that easy to change race relations.
Racial prejudice is still common, but it's changing. Look at the younger generation. They embrace race for the most part (we're obviously excluding Appalachia).
Give it another couple of generations, when all the boomers are gone and you'll see much better race relations. It's the way the wind is blowing.
This is all an effort to reduce Obama, to reduce him to a mirage of white guilt. Nice try CNN. I don't know anyone who thinks Obama is going to end racism. Write about something useful instead of something divisive.
Looks like Jesse Jackson is on Obama "white guilt" reduction, too.
Paul Street, author of the forthcoming book, "Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics," says Obama risks becoming an Oval Office version of talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. She and former Secretary of State Colin Powell are African-American figures whose popularity allows some white Americans to congratulate themselves for not being racist, he says
"They're cited as proof that racism is no longer a significant barrier to black advancement and interracial equality," says Street.
"This isn't new. Go to the 19th century and Southern aristocrats would point to a certain African-American landowner who was doing well to prove that whites are not racist."
