Possible demographic ramifications of the upcoming election

Perhaps the most obvious controversy that could result from the elections is one of race. As is well known, if Barack Obama is elected for president he will be the first African American president in American history. For most, this merely adds to the gravity and historical significance of the election, but for others it may represent a more personal significance. As may or may not be widely known, racism is a fact of life in many regions of the country, as we as a class were shown in the assigned chapter "Dying for Dixie". How the discriminatory beliefs of some might manifest as a result of the possible election of an African American remains to be seen, though racism is almost never a polite and respectful conviction. On the other hand, there may be certain demographic groups that associate more strongly with a candidate, resulting in bias of varying degrees. An example of this could be Sarah Palin and her constant allusions to "hockey moms", or John McCains venerable age and combat experiences, or even, as mentioned above, Barack Obama's race. It is perhaps inevitable that presidential candidates will garner sympathy from different slices of the American demographic pie graph, but this election deserves special consideration due to the strength of people's emotions and the tense atmosphere surrounding this "fork in the road" of economic, local, and foreign policy.