Philadelphia: A small, but influential, group of voters in the United States worries that if elected, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama would give blacks preferential treatment just when all of America needs help in financial hard times.

Some of Obama s success thus far against Republican challenger John McCain is due to his casting himself as a "post-racial" candidate who would fight for the middle class and represent everyone equally. The Democratic nominee also says that affirmative action should be extended to low-income whites and exclude privileged minorities like his two daughters.

But the collision between economic worries and fear of a black president most often occurs in middle- and lower-class swing voters, a coveted demographic in this tight election, polls show. The sentiment also hints at racial hurdles that would arise if Obama does become the first black US chief executive.

"I do think he has that minority thing probably in the back of his mind, deep down," said Charles Palmer of Lafayette, Louisiana, a retired oil company manager and registered Democrat who plans to vote for McCain. "He s not going to hurt em, let s put it that way."

"It s just the attitude blacks have toward the whites in this country," Palmer said. "It s very negative."

Palmer has lost about a third of his retirement savings in the stock market tumble, but at age 74 he s not scared of running out of money. Among those closer to the financial edge, however, fear is more stark.
Source : PTI