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a candidate. My money is on chatshow hosts and media tycoons backing Hilary. Why? Its a brand you can sell, and she looks like she's got the nomination and the white house tied up already. Oprah, Maury and co will want to back either winners or martyrs and thats what Clinton looks like. Whats more, people really know who she is and her husband, when president, was as popular as any celebrity. Brand power will sell this white woman to the American people and they will buy it.

What we forget is that for the most part, the identity of these candidates in terms of gender and colour is inconsequential to most voters. Of the 59% of eligible voters who turn out, a large proportion are not swayed by candidate. They are the people who call themselves "Republicans" or "Democrats" and will generally vote for their parties candidate just as they always root for the same local team at football games. People will vote for a black man or white woman, simply because they are Democrats. Just like Colin Powell might have beaten Clinton in '96 had he run instead of Dole. Race wouldn't have mattered, because he was a Republican party mandarin.

What will really matter to these candidates is if they can get the apathetic vote. whether a white woman or black man can drag that extra 41% of the electorate to the polls, to vote for them or against them, remains to be seen.

Learn more about this author, Tom Magill.
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