One of America's best-known
racists, David Duke, says
he would probably vote for Ralph Nader for president this fall.
The former Klansman's admission he would back a
candidate who embraces affirmative action shows just how confusing it's
gotten for white supremacists this election,
said Leonard Zeskind, author of the upcoming book, Blood and Politics: History of the White Nationalist Movement From
the Margins to the Mainstream.
In the past, they've
traditionally backed Pat Buchanan, first as a Republican presidential
candidate and later as a third-party candidate. Without him, they feel they
have no campaign voice, Zeskind said. "To compound the confusion, you
have a Republican Party campaign that is pro-war while they're anti-war,
and the Democratic Party is putting forward their
worst nightmare."
While Barack Obama
remains a target of hate for racists, a
number of white supremacist leaders are
quietly pulling for Obama to win, believing his victory would send whites
back into their fold.
White
supremacists'
support for an Obama win has been reported by both Esquire magazine and the
Southern Poverty Law Center, which has noted hundreds of postings on Web
sites by Klansmen, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists on the subject.
In a recent
"informal survey" by Esquire, three of four white supremacists preferred Obama, while McCain
was the clear favorite among black nationalists. The magazine lists five
responses but doesn't say how many were interviewed.
White
supremacists
"think a black man in the Oval Office would drive millions of whites
into their movement and possibly even set off the
race war they have dreamed of for so many years," said Mark
Potok, editor of the center's Hatewatch blog.
"Logic
and sense do not go hand in hand with these folks," laughed former Gov. Ray Mabus, who
co-chairs Obama's campaign in Mississippi.
In the 1960s, the Ku Klux Klan swelled in membership up to 10,000
strong in Mississippi. Today, Mabus said, "these
guys don't have enough support to organize a three-car parade."
Jim Herring, chairman
of the Mississippi Republican Party, would not comment on the matter.
Despite his African
lineage, Obama has not proved an easy target, said Leslie Burl McLemore,
political science professor at Jackson State University. "It's hard
for the hard-core racists to make him out
to be the bogeyman. He's trying to bring a level of civility and
thoughtfulness to the conversation of race that no one else has."
In a telephone
interview from Italy, Duke
called Obama a "black racist" endorsed by communists and
predicted if Obama wins "it will absolutely change politics forever.
European Americans will realize we've lost the foundation of our
country."
The former
Klansman said he'd
been told by others that if Obama becomes president it "paves the way
for David Duke as president."
Asked if he'll vote for
McCain, Duke replied, "No way. I'm not going to vote for somebody I
consider a traitor to our American heritage."
Duke cited McCain's
support for the war and immigration as reasons he opposes him. "If I
were going to vote, it would probably be third party," he said.
"I would probably vote for Ralph Nader."
August Kreis of
Lexington, S.C., national director for the Aryan Nations, supports Obama. "I'm not a stereotypical race hater,"
he said.
Aryan Nations went
bankrupt in 2000 after being linked to violence,
which in 1984 included the $3.6 million heist of an armored car and the
assassination of Denver radio talk-show host Alan Berg. Kreis
insists the organization is different now.
Those of African, Asian
and Hispanic descent have visited his home, he said. "They know my
beliefs, but I treat everybody like I want to be treated."
He called Nazi leader
Adolf Hitler, who authorized the extermination of
6 million Jews and others, "a man before his time, a great white man."
Kreis plans to vote for
Obama over McCain because "I don't want some old guy starting a war
with Iran."
He described Obama as a
half-white, half-black "wild card. You don't know what he's going to
do. He either fixes things, or they stay the same. If they get worse, he'll
racially polarize the nation, which will bring more people to our
side."
White
supremacist Richard
Barrett, who heads the Nationalist Movement in Mississippi, is keeping his
own presidential preference close to his vest. He did vote in Mississippi's
Democratic primary last March, but all he would say afterward was he was
against Hillary Clinton.
Barrett is predicting
Obama will win, saying it will spawn "the greatest wake-up call in a
generation."
Zeskind said a similar
scenario played out in 1987 when members of the Klan
attacked a group of rights activists marching in Forsyth County in Georgia.
A week later, a second march took place. A group of Klansmen waited for these marchers.
But when the integrated
group of about 20,000 rounded the corner, the Klansmen
seemed stunned, one of them remarking, "Oh, my God, we've lost this
country. Look at all the white people."
White
supremacists today
remain baffled "by the number of white people supporting Obama,"
Zeskind said. "They cannot understand large numbers of white people
supporting someone who is black."
These
racists remain
divided on how to deal with Obama, he said. "Some think Obama's
election will help their cause because it will push white people in their
direction. Others are thinking, 'Oh, my God, we've lost.' "
To comment on
this story, call Jerry Mitchell at (601) 961-7064.