Obama as a Front-Runner

I just watched a CNN segment labeling the Presidential race "Obama's to lose?" and questioning why he doesn't have a bigger lead in the polls. The piece brought up three reasons -- he's relatively unknown, "race," and his "inexperience." The piece mentioned that Obama has a five-point lead but didn't dwell on that fact, rather viewing the lead as too small. The "chattering class" seem to think that Obama won't win unless he gets above 50% RIGHT NOW. I think the problem is that Obama is now the front-runner, and the media is starting to turn its attention to the "underdog" campaign of John McCain. The "inexperience" reason could have been lifted straight out of McCain's playbook, and "the issue of race" and the way it was framed -- everybody talked about it in very general terms -- is code for racism or bigotry. The fact that they danced around it is fairly ominous. These white talking heads seemed to think that "race" is an "issue," so they can talk about it without really addressing it head-on. The fact is that racISM is the issue, but if they just say "race," they don't have to put a label on the ignorance and bigotry that they are really talking about. The "unknown" factor is the one the Obama campaign is working on correcting right now, and will hopefully get to present their version of Obama to the country in the conventions and through advertisements. I just hope Americans are paying attention to the Republican attack machine and the way it is gearing up for a negative campaign.