Ed Kilgore of the Democratic Strategist has a fascinating post up about Barack Obama’‘s perceived unelectability among African Americans, particularly among black South Carolinians. Their cynicism may be disheartening, but is it really unwarranted?

The core truth here is that only the election of an African American will prove to African Americans than one of their own can actually win the White House. Until then, their cynicism remains totally justified. But, given how significant the black vote is in Democratic presidential primaries, don’’t their doubts merely create a self-fulfilling prophecy? Maybe this is further reason to believe that the first black president will have to be a
Republican.

Nevertheless, I still think Obama can win the primary and the general though, as I wrote earlier today, time for him to make a move is running out. The doubts among black South Carolina Democrats simply may not much matter by the time the primary season reaches the Palmetto State.

–Tom Schaller

Ann Friedman is a columnist for New York magazine’s website and for the Columbia Journalism Review. She also makes pie charts for The Hairpin and Los Angeles magazine. Her work has appeared in ELLE, Esquire, Newsweek, The Observer, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and many other outlets. She lives in Los Angeles, but travels so often the best place to find her is online at annfriedman.com. Follow @annfriedman