President-elect Barack Obama's darkness is accentuated next to the lily-white U.S. Capitol.

Days after Sen. Barack Obama’s historic presidential victory, millions of white voters are having second thoughts about electing a black man as their next leader.

“I watched him give that speech at Grant Park, and he’s a lot darker than I realized,” said University of Minnesota student Trevor Baldwin. “I mean, he’s black. For some reason, that didn’t occur to me when I voted for him.”

Jodi Krause, a La Jolla, Calif., legal secretary, admitted Obama’s captivating message of change enabled her to look past his skin color. But now that the glitz of the campaign has faded and the president-elect begins to build his administration in earnest, she’s coming to terms with reality.

“With his mother being white, I think I fooled myself into thinking he isn’t totally black,” Krause said, shaking her head. “But the picture in the paper today doesn’t lie. He’s black.”

Even African-Americans aren’t immune from what’s being dubbed “Bradley remorse.”

“I just wanted to send a message to the white power structure,” said Alan Crooks, a Richmond, Va., engineer. “I never for a second thought we were going to win. I thought somehow ‘the man’ or whatever would pull it out for McCain. Shit, does this brother actually know what he’s doing?”

Given that they cannot retract their ballots, “Bradley remorse” voters are steeling themselves for the inevitability of an Obama presidency in January.

“At least he’s not Al Sharpton or Don Cheadle black,” said Rockford, Ill., attorney Jackson Crawford. “But I would’ve preferred Colin Powell black, which is basically white. I’ve seen Greek people darker than that guy.”

Obama’s continued practice of the “safe,” culturally neutral mannerisms he demonstrated throughout the campaign are critical to soothing a jumpy electorate. But any deviation from the white-friendly persona he’s cultivated may find Americans’ Election Day suspension of historically pervasive racism fleeting as they struggle with the dawning realization that their new president is undeniably black.

“He seems harmless enough — he wears suits and talks regular English,”  said Crawford. “But I’ll be keeping my eye on him.”

Categories: 2008 Elections, News, Politics, Uncategorized
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