January 21, 2008 — In recent days, the issue of race has threatened to consume the 2008 presidential campaign.

Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were caught in a huge debate on Monday, and at some stages in this U.S. presidential campaign debate it got a little personal.

"No one is a better advocate for change," Daschle said of Obama. He represents the "future – not the past". "He's the person who can bring us together and end this great divide," Daschle said.

“There is something happening in America!! America needs a change and Obama is for change. Let us vote for his dream and change the World. Whether you are an African-American, White American or African who needs change in this country, let us vote for the change---,“ Ojullu Oballa (Sioux Falls, SD) said

When Sen. Hillary Clinton referred to President Lyndon Johnson as the shepherd of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Sen. Barack Obama's supporters accused Clinton of minimizing the work of Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrate today.

It became a "he said-she said" discussion that brought finger-pointing from Clinton and Obama, with their staffers absorbing some of the blame.

What are the ramifications of race tainting an already spirited and sometimes nasty campaign on both sides?

Some in Sioux Falls and across South Dakota offered a variety of views of the latest controversy.

"It doesn't bother me at all," says Porter Williams, a Valley Springs contractor. "I think Hillary and Obama both played the race card. Obama knows the Clintons have a lot of power when it comes to support from black people ... Whether Obama or Clinton are the nominee, then the Republicans will bring up the race issue."

There is also another party fanning the flames, Williams said.

"A lot of black commentators (are) making a big deal out of it, and it is not a big deal," he said.

Emma Armstrong of Sioux Falls has followed politics most of her life from the days when it was difficult for her to vote in Georgia because of her race.

"We had a hard time voting. That was hard for me. They a were tough on black people."

She greeted Dr. King when he visited Sioux Falls in 1961. She knows some people in her community that make their decision because of color. She doesn't agree with that attitude.

"I say, I have confidence in a person, I will vote for them," Armstrong said. "But I know a lot of people who think color is color. People tell me who I ought to vote for. I know what I will do," she said.

It is time people start looking for ways to resolve it, says Adam Yafya, a native of Sudan now living in Sioux Falls.

"Sure, I follow politics. In a situation like this, for me, it is time that people should face it, find a solution," he said. "People should air their views. It needs handling. But I don't feel the race issue is a problem here."

You don't have to look too hard to find racism in politics here in South Dakota, says Bill Walsh, who has led the state's Democratic Party delegation to the national convention.

"Race has always been an issue here, and you and I know that. It has been used here for ... political gain. I think you will see this continue after these presidential primaries, and it will be used in the general election," Walsh said.

"Everyone thought Hillary was going to run away with this election. This has scared the Clinton camp. But I'm not surprised that the racial overtones ... showed up."

In the end, a lot can be harmed, he said.

"Generally, it hurts democracy, hurts all of us. I thank God we have a woman, a black (candidate), running for president and an Hispanic candidate running," he said.

Walsh, an Obama backer, says he thinks his candidate has set the tone and talked about change from the beginning, giving delegates a clear vision of what he represents. State Rep. Joni Cutler of Sioux Falls, chairwoman of the legislative Judiciary Committee, says the issue of race in the primary tells people something.

"The fact that you asked me the question says we still have a ways to go. We ask how far have we come? How far do we still have to go?"

A conference attended last week by Cutler at the University of South Dakota touched on a controversy driven not by race but by gender - Hillary Clinton, to cry or not to cry? And what's the difference between Clinton and a man such as Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, who cried while running for president?

"When a man cries, we still draw differences," Cutler said. "A woman crying brings stereotypes different from a man crying."

Someday, Cutler hopes for a time when campaigns are not defined by the simple fact that a woman and a black person are running for office. Someday, she said, that could be a common occurrence. Cutler found one example in recent American history in which race and gender played no part.

"The one event in recent past for us is that we didn't seen much dissection of someone as being black, being female, and that was 9-11," Cutler said. "People all came running out of those towers with no discussion of black or white, man or woman. The discussion was about how many Americans were killed."

David Kranz's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Call him at 331-2302 or write to him at the Argus Leader, Box 5034, Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5034.

(Argus Leader)