Why do Democrats need to talk about race in the south openly, honestly, and gently? Just compare
The Washington Post story on Strom Thurmond's illegitimate daughter with
the South Carolina State:
The Washington Post:
Thurmond Paternity Claim Valid, Family Says; L.A. Schoolteacher Is Acknowledged as Late Senator's Child
After decades of denials, the family of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) acknowledged yesterday a claim made by a 78-year-old Los Angeles schoolteacher that she is the senator's mixed-race daughter, a charge that had dogged her throughout her otherwise quiet life and shadowed Thurmond during his public career as a leading voice of racial segregation.
The State:
Thurmond's family accepts black woman's claim as daughter
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The oldest son of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond says he is ready to meet the mixed-race illegitimate half-sister his father kept secret for nearly eight decades.
Strom Thurmond Jr., the U.S. attorney for South Carolina, says his family will not contest the claim of Essie Mae Washington-Williams, a 78-year-old retired teacher who lives in Los Angeles.
The State's emphasis on "mixed-race, illegitimacy" demonstrates the long coattails of race in the South, and why candidates like Howard Dean can't simply wish away the South's historical race polarization with a simple plea to elevate the economic over the emotional. We need candidates who can speak subtlely about race, with passion and conviction. Who that is, I can't tell you. (Bill Clinton, where are you when we need you?) But, I can say that it requires more thought than we've given it so far.
[Posted simultaneously at Bureaucrat by Day.]