When Have White Voters Ever Not Mattered?

Claims that white voters are not courted as aggressively as minority voters are baseless

Allow me to play the world’s tiniest violin for anyone bemoaning the hardships of being white, working class and male during presidential elections in America. Not only have most white voters become increasingly racist over the last four years, according to a new Associated Press poll, the men among them aren’t warming up to that “Kenyan Muslim” occupying the White House either.

(That’s President Barack Obama, if you weren’t up to date on your racial politics trivia.)

It’s not for a lack of trying on Obama’s part. The president has gone deep into the Caucasian enclaves, drinking beers and touring manufacturing plants, to win over the coveted independent, undecided, or right-leaning voters in swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Still, the white voter gap between Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney is more than 20 points at 37 percent to 60 percent, according to the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll.

Last week, Politico suggested a Romney victory on Nov. 6 would teach Obama and the Democrats that “white voters still matter.”  I’m finding it hard to believe that white voters have ever not been a priority for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office.

[ALSO READ: GOP Avoids Discussion of Race]