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
