I Found This Nugget And I Thought I Should Post It Here.

Reflection of Kentucky culture

By Maurice Sweeney

The day after Kentucky's Democratic primary election for president, I saw Morton Boyd, a good friend and past president and CEO of National City Bank. He asked me if I believed Kentucky could be as racist as the election results suggest. My reply was that maybe the election outcome was a reflection of Kentucky's culture and not just race. How else could one explain the exit polls and the results in Kentucky, as compared to the election results from Oregon on the same day? The exit polls speak for themselves, and the many editorials written since the election speak even louder.

After thinking about it, (let's say it together) much of Kentucky’s culture is deeply rooted in racist values going back before the Civil War. Kentucky was a border state whose history includes slavery, slave auction blocks, favorite sons Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, and towns with more statues to the Confederacy in its town squares than statues to the Union cause. Even today, there are counties in our state with zero black populations. So, there is reason to believe that racism in politics is reflected as part of Kentucky's culture, like it or not. If the shoe fits, throw it away.

In 2008, Kentucky's failure to confront racism and the ignorance that accompanies it does not serve the state well. I find no efforts by our news media, KET or our universities to foster frank conversations about race, and I find that to be discouraging. One expert says it's because of the fear that nothing will change in our daily lives as a result of such conversations. So The Courier-Journal at least deserves credit for trying to address these issues or make us discuss them.

Mrs. Clinton's win should not be attributed solely to racism. She, her husband and her daughter campaigned effectively all across the state while Mr. Obama barely made it to Louisville. There is nothing wrong with women having pride in Mrs. Clinton, just as blacks do for Mr. Obama. For many African Americans, who never thought that they would see a black person with a legitimate chance at the White House in there lifetimes, voting for Barack Obama was no different than cheering for Tiger Woods, applauding Hank Aaron, roaring for Joe Lewis or praying for Jackie Robinson. It's about pride not race. You would hardly see the same black turnout for Jesse Jackson as you would for a Harvard-educated U.S. senator who has as much experience to run for President as past Governors from Georgia, California, Arkansas and Texas.

It is interesting to me that so many Democrats would vote for Clinton when they know that statistically the race is over and that there is so little difference between Obama and Clinton on the issues. I find it hard to believe that if the phone rang at 3 a.m. voters don't believe that Bill would say, "Honey, I got it." And I thought it interesting to hear Mrs. Clinton refer to the change people are looking for to mean her gender. I can assure you Obama does not mean race when he referred to changing Washington.

Let's face it, women or minorities who have struggled to make it to the top in their chosen fields usually make tremendous leaders. If Clinton supporters feel somehow cheated playing by the rules only to lose, then all I can say is welcome to the club.