What underlies the racial polarization in the Democratic primaries is income inequality. The disparity in income between rich and poor is now, as both Obama and Hillary have noted, greater than at any time since the Republican heyday in the Roaring Twenties. We all know that the Haves and the Have Mores, as George W. Bush once called his supporters, have done fabulously in recent decades, with particularly generous treatment under the administration of President Hereditary-Have-More himself.

Unfortunately, focusing a Democratic primary campaign explicitly on the needs and fears of white Have Nots inevitably awakens that group's tendency to fall for the Republican line that blames the plight of white Have Nots on powerless black Have Nots who are even worse off. Any program designed to increase economic opportunity for blacks is presumed to exist at the expense of aid needed by white Have Nots in places like the Appalachians.  Intentionally or not, the effort in Ohio to pin responsibility for NAFTA and the offshoring of traditional union jobs on a black candidate, Obama, played into this narrative.  Since whites hold most good union jobs, the  narrative wrote itself: a black candidate would be less concerned about preserving the jobs of whites than creating jobs for blacks. Comments we hear now in Kentucky about how white politicians look out for whites and black politicians look out for blacks have likely surfaced in greater numbers as a consequence of trying to associate the black candidate in Ohio with policies that exported jobs. Even the fact that a black candidate is competing with a white candidate for a single very important job reinforces the narrative.

The feelings that Hillary tapped into in blue-collar neighborhoods and regions like the Appalachians are so powerful because the white working class and other white Have Nots have truly suffered under Bush. If economic conditions for white Have Nots had been improving, there would not have been such a wellspring of white anger available to direct at blacks and a black candidate.

It is important in the remainder of the campaign to remind all Democrats that the suffering has been shared by all Have Nots and the whole middle class of all races. Somehow the message must come through that the division that has worsened the lives of most Americans in the last eight years is between the very rich, who have enjoyed near total political power, and everybody else. Polarization within the middle class and the class of Have Nots will only perpetuate this - whether based on race, religion, gender or anything else.

As Democrats, we need to ensure that the discussion in the general
election brings everybody together to redress the economic injustice that has hurt all but a very few. The
healthcare issue is just one manifestation - care is rationed based
on the ability to pay. The war has its economic dimension - it has enriched the few at the expense of the people who serve and those who will inherit the debt and the costs of long-term care for wounded veterans. Our distorted economy underlies every issue.

This is obvious, but it has been lost in the din of racial discussions. Republicans will play up racial divisions, same-sex marriage and God knows what else to divert voters from the economic realities their policies have created. Democrats must united and focus this election on the economy and its ability to serve a broad spectrum of the American people, white and black, male and female, rural and urban. The whole economy has been turned into one giant golden parachute to protect wealthy Republicans from the disaster their policies created. The Democratic campaign must not allow the Republicans to distract voters from this reality.