I'm semi-pissed/not really all that surprised (political)

Ok... so the election is really bringing out the crazy in some people. I have to admit that I was a little amused at first by that Ashley Todd story. You know by now... the McCain supporter/volunteer who claimed that she was robbed at knife point by a black man who became infuriated when he saw the McCain sticker on her car, which led him to carve a "B" on her face (which was backwards, wouldn't an "O" for Obama have been a better choice?). But, then I thought about it and it scared me a little. The racially charged response to the campaign is out of control both in the media and in my real life. I have heard several people recently speculating that people are voting for Obama because he is black. It forced me to try and reach that mindset. I thought to myself, "Am I voting for Obama because he is black?" The answer of course is no. I really like his thoughts on education, the economy, and the war in Iraq coupled with his overall demeanor. For a moment, though, let's take a look strictly at the racial side of the election. Let's say that there are people out there who are only voting for Obama because he is black. Let's look at the potential benefits of having a black man in the country's highest office. First of all, when Obama gets in office and does a bang up job, maybe that will force some ignorant folks within this country, who are afraid of powerful minorities, to rethink their views. His presence in the White House alone may help foster a new era of tolerance. This could change the global view of the United States as well. Wow! The US was open minded enough to look past the color of this man's skin and his foreign, Muslim-sounding name and put him in charge of the nation's best interests? Maybe they aren't the ignorant, racist, elitist bullies that we thought they were. I think that the United States has a very bad rep in the global community right now due mostly to our current administration and their foreign policy. Electing Obama to the presidency will be a signal to the rest of the world that we are willing to change.