Americans have been ready for some time...

I believe as an independent, that one of the worst things that can happen in an election is someone not voting their heart or their beliefs because they believe it would be a "wasted" vote. In elections past, I'm sure we've all come across a candidate (or non-candidate) who we thought would be the best person for the job, but stood absolutely no chance of winning. Some people vote on principle, but it seems like an awful lot of people are just as concerned with picking the winner as picking someone they want to win.

One of my fears, and maybe this is my own midwest linolium life coming through, is many people who think Barack Obama would make a great president would be afraid that more ignorant voters would never consider electing a black president. Because of that, they too might change their vote to a more "electable" candidate for fear of the "wasted" vote. Or sadly, so they won't be someone who picks a loser. I also fear that Obama's electibility will probably come up again and again as this election progresses, for these arcane and ignorant reasons. As for statistics though, a very healthy poll conducted by CBS back in 1996 suggests that this is the nonissue that it should be, and many Americans were ready for a black president 10 years ago. Check out this article in the New York Times, Ready for Obama Already.