"Bradley Effect and Cause"

A "guest" blog by my son who lives and works in New York City...

"Bradley Effect and Cause"

If you've tuned into the news during the past week, you've probably heard about the "Bradley Effect." This term refers to the alleged behavior by white people to say in polls that they're voting for a black candidate to avoid the appearance of racism, but then to vote for a white candidate in the privacy of the polling booth. The term takes its name from the 1982 California governor's race, when Tom Bradley appeared to have the edge over George Deukmejian in pre-election polls, only to lose the election by a narrow margin.

It angers me to see the media throwing this term around in reference to the current McCain-Obama race. It serves no useful purpose, and fans the flames of racism. Setting aside the question of whether this is even a real phenomenon, I can't imagine it has much strength left now. This country has made great progress since 1982 in terms of race issues, and most reasonable Americans can judge a political candidate based on his or her qualifications, not skin color.

Though, if anything, the pendulum may have swung to the other side, and we may see a "Reverse Bradley Effect" (Obama Effect?), where a percentage of Americans do vote preferentially based on the skin color of the candidate -- but in this case for the black candidate, not against him. The Bradley Effect holds that white voters may be ashamed to admit they're not voting for a black candidate; in this election, we're seeing many white voters proclaiming their support for Obama because he's black, because his very skin color symbolizes "change."

It's that perceived shame of not voting for a black candidate that sickens me about the Bradley Effect. Voters may have perfectly valid reasons to vote against a black candidate (such as qualifications, stances on issues, etc.), but in the climate of political correctness that has taken over our country since the 1980s, these voters might be accused of racism if they were to admit they were not voting for a black candidate. In the world of the sound bite, the reasons why white Americans are not voting for a black candidate would not be the story; the simple fact that they are not voting for the black candidate would be the story, with the implicit suggestion that it is because of race.

Finally, in a time in which the issue of race, while still important, is not what it was in the 1980s -- and in an election where, if anything, race will work for the minority candidate -- it's disingenuous and irresponsible to report on the Bradley Effect when there's no evidence that it's even in play. To people who have never heard of the obscure term, it gives the appearance that the phenomenon is alive and well, and working against Obama in this election.

More importantly, it reinforces the false stereotype in the minds of blacks that all white people are against them. While I waited for the subway today, I overheard a black man talking to his friend about the Bradley Effect and the election in general. In his opinion, the Bradley Effect was real and a big factor, and that no white person would ever vote for a black man. He didn't seem to be much of an Obama fan, though, commenting that Obama and McCain are the same: "one dicks you with a frown, one dicks you with a smile, but they all keep us [black people] down".

I certainly don't think this guy represents the average black voter (I hope not), but it makes me wonder if media reports of the Bradley Effect are feeding the fears of racism surrounding this election -- or, rather, creating fears of racism that don't really exist outside the fringe.

Michael Strickland
Guest contributor and son of Chuckie D