Michael Eric Dyson tells Der Spiegel that Barack Obama’s race is actually a hindrence to him. I’d laugh, but I think he’s serious.

SPIEGEL: Professor Dyson, the polls show Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama clearly ahead of Republican candidate John McCain. The Republican Party’s standing in the polls seems to have hit rock bottom, and the financial crisis is helping Obama. Has he already won the election?

Michael Eric Dyson: Certainly. If he were a white man, he’d be up by 15 to 20 points in the polls. But there are many Americans who — regardless of the intelligence or the profound political persuasion of a figure like Barack Obama — will never vote for a black man. Not all of them are racists; some are skeptical, and some are suspicious.

Let’s get something straight: If Barack Obama were a white man, he would never have made it past the Democratic primary. In fact, it’s quite likely that he would’ve been one of the “also-rans” that people would remember in between rooting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Don’t fool yourself.

Via Hot Air.