Racial Issues With The U.S election

With the U.S election right around the corner it seems like Race is one of the major issues being talked about and is playing a large factor when it comes to discussing what party to vote for. In CNN’s article, “Last white House Democratic congressman in the Deep South fights for political survival” This article goes on to describe how that if John Barrow, the Democratic congressman for Georgia loses his seat in the upcoming elections then, “every Democratic congressman from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia will be black.” http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/02/last-white-house-democrat-in-the-deep-south-fights-for-political-survival/?hpt=hp_c1
 My question is why should the color of one’s skin determine who is a better candidate to run any political party? United States like Canada is a nation that relies heavily on immigration, white dominated politics really has no place in the 21st century, this is an example of white privilege because it seems many people do not like the idea that there will be no more “white” congressmen running for the democrats in the deep south. I think this idea is frightening the vast majority of the upper echelon of white society in that it threatens their position of power. The end of this news article goes on to say, “Barrow has a way with people, Greenbaum says. And that's why a white Democratic congressman from the Deep South could still have an office in Washington after November.” This is saying out of desperation that John Barrow can still win even if he’s white because he has a way with people. Honestly, a person from any other race can have a way with people as well, so why is it necessary to point that out on the national news?
In class we read an article by Peggy McIntosh  called, “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies,” This article relates to what she talks about in her article in that, “ whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege.” Whites are unaware of the things that they take for granted such as not getting a job due to skin colour, and white children will be taught in school about their race as McIntosh points out, but the media is also one way in which whites take advantage of white privilege in that the news never marginalizes that one group of people because they are the dominant group within North American society and European society.  Whites are seldom viewed in the media as criminals unless it is a high profile crime.  It is a difficult subject to talk to about for many white people, but what would be some ways in which we could discuss and better understand white privilege? It is something that is rooted within western culture, and I feel that it is important to recognize what whites take for advantage, and how we can perhaps move away from white privilege and towards a more egalitarian society.