Even I Wasn't Saying This

one more from Andrew S:

You can definitely be sure from my e-mail address I'm not an Obama staffer, but I have a similar story to that of your earlier e-mailer. My dad grew up in Macon, Georgia in an all-white school he describes consistently as having gone to hell thanks to integration. He has never been personally racist to anyone of any background in his life, but he really thinks the world went to hell starting about 1960 and that civil rights went too far too fast. His dislike for the Sharptons and Jacksons of the world couldn't be fiercer. The N-word is pretty much the standard noun many of his family members use to describe black people. His only vote for a Democrat in his lifetime was for Carter, out of Georgia patriotism.

I had the fun experience of watching Obama's electrifying 2004 convention speech with him. My dad, who hadn't heard of him, just said "He's good." As in, "ok, I liked this guy, but he's a Democrat, so he must be a huckster. But he's a talented one."

Then, late last year, his updated view on Obama: "I think I could vote for him." I could only turn around and smirk, once I'd picked my jaw up from the floor.