Posted by
This Guy on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 10:48:33 AM
Dennis Haysbert (a.k.a. President David Palmer) recently commented that he feels his role as President David Palmer on '24' may have given Sen. Barack Obama a boost, by "help[ing] open the eyes of the American people", saying it helped "... to prove the possibility there could be an African-American president, a female president, any type of president that puts the people first". He told of enjoying dinner in a "very wealthy, very white, and very Republican" town, and having a woman approach him and say she wanted to vote for him.
I understand the sentiment of Mr. Haysbert's statement ... i.e., introducing the General Populace to the idea of a "different" President in an entertainment arena helps lower potential resistance to that same idea when it appears in the Real World. But the underlying theme is one that seems to be recurring in this particular election cycle; namely, "I'M not racist, but I think other people probably are".
Mr. Haysbert's comment sheds light on his own assumptions about "very wealthy, very white, and very Republican" people, as if it is a new phenomenon that such a person might actually consider voting for an African-American, or a woman. This of course, ignores the important fact that President David Palmer was portrayed as a man of intense personal character and integrity, who was willing to put politics and personal ambition aside for the sake of the American people. In that light, it is not at all surprising that someone from what is probably considered a "traditionally conservative demographic" would support such an individual for President. The fact that this isn't obvious to Mr. Haysbert, and likely many others in our nation, shows how much work conservatives still have to do to break through certain prejudices and stereotypes.