Excerpt:

While it’s hard to interpret the Newsweek polling on the issue of electing a female or black president as anything but encouraging, it and all other questions on the issue I have seen start with the innate assumption that being black or female can only be a disadvantage. Every poll question is either of the form “would you vote for a woman/African-American” or “do you think other people would vote for a woman/African-American.” This is silly.

I know plenty of people who would be MORE likely to vote for a woman or an African-American. I would be more likely to vote for a woman or an African-American. I’ll bet if the question were phrases as more/less/no difference, one or the other would be seen as a political asset rather than as a potential liability. I’ll bet it’d be an interesting question to ask Iowans and especially likely Democratic caucus-goers, too.

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