Wilder: 'Racial missteps did not factor'

In his piece about the Wilder endorsement of Webb, Richmond Times-Dispatch political writer Tyler Whitley wrote:

"Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder endorsed Democrat Jim Webb in Virginia’s U.S. Senate race yesterday. With Webb at his side, Wilder said voters need to send a message to President Bush that they don’t like the war in Iraq, or the growing divide between the rich and the poor.

"...Wilder said Allen’s well-publicized racial missteps did not factor into his decision. He said Allen has never shown him that he has a racist attitude."

From here on George Allen is in much more trouble from his all-out backing of the Bush policy in Iraq than he will be from any more tired charges about racist conduct in decades past, as was indicated by Mayor Doug Wilder (pictured above) in his remarks during his press conference yesterday.

In my view, I was there, too, Wilder was clearly sending a signal to the Webb camp and supporters to say the attention getting racist angle won’t play in his efforts to support Webb’s bid. Wilder wants no part of that strategy and he said so emphatically. And, my reading of his remarks was that he wants to hear less of that talk. Perhaps that was even part of Wilder’s price for his endorsement this week, rather than at the end of next week.

It says here that if Wilder has convinced Webb’s strategists to stop using the Allen-was-a-racist-in-college stuff, then good for him. Webb’s busiest bloggers should read and heed. If you really want Mayor Wilder’s all-out effort in the next 12 days, bury the racist card.

Photo: SLANT