At a recent candidate forum, a not-so-happy white gentleman said he was switching from Mallahan to McGinn because he thought Mallahan was race baiting.

Exhibit A, as told to me: “Joe [Mallahan] says all the youth violence is in the 37th!  Can you believe that? ‘No, it’s not up here where I live, it’s down there in the 37th District.'"

The man was clearly not happy about the correlation.

Exhibit B, as told to me: “And then he went on with that "self hatred" talk—you heard it, right?  When he was talking about the gang members?  Pff! Yeah, self hatred.”

Again, not happy.

But are those examples of race baiting?

Let’s start with an accepted definition of race baiting:  The making of a verbal attack against members of a racial group

Seems pretty cut and dry.  I can only speak for me, but I haven’t heard or read anything where I am led to believe that Joe Mallahan or his camp have made any verbal attacks against members of a racial group.  I’m just sayin’.

Another working definition and one which I particularly appreciate:

Race baiting is an act of using racially derisive language, actions or other forms of communication, to anger, intimidate or incite a person or groups of people, or to make those persons behave in ways that are inimical, and often harmful to their personal or group interests.

This can also be accomplished by implying that there is an underlying race-based motive in the actions of others towards the group baited, where none in fact exists. The term “race” in this context can be construed very broadly to include the social constructs which define race or racial difference, as well as ethnic, religious, gender and economic differences.

Thus the use of any language or actions perceived to be for the purpose of exploiting weaknesses in persons who can be identified as members of certain groups, or to reinforce a group’s perceived victimhood, can be contained within the concept of “race baiting.” Many people who practice race baiting often believe in racism, or have an interest in making the group believe that racism is what motivates the actions of others.

You can decide for yourself if you think that describes what Mallahan was doing. I, for one, don't think Mallahan implied that gang violence happens because of race.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  Are we calling Mallahan a racist?  Is that what his motivation is, that he has inherent, derogatory beliefs about red, yellow, brown and Black people?  On the flip, are we saying that Mallahan believes these races of people believe that racism is the cause of every other person’s actions?

That’s like jumping from the private option to Obama wants to pull the plug on nanna—how the hell do you get there?

Maybe the guy at the forum got uncomfortable with Mallahan's statements about race and he was just reacting the only way he knew how.

Joe first found himself in this sticky situation when he made comments about the Department of Neighborhoods under Nickels leadership.  Mallahan accused Nickels of abandoning effective management to pursue a racial agenda—of which, Mallahan said he saw no quantifiable results.

Perhaps the safest thing to do as a candidate would be to never utter the word “race” again.  Stick to the safe, PC words like “equity” and “social justice.”  While we have heard that rhetoric from Mallahan, he continues to use the word race—and by extension—point it out to the we-are-the-world-I-don’t-see-race Seattleites.

Was it politically savvy of Mallahan to point out that gang murders happen in the 37th?  No.  But I have news for the 37th district, they do.

Was it convenient for him to highlight a not-often-discussed reality of why youths join gangs.  Was it convenient for him to point out that it’s not because they are inherently bad?  Obviously that’s a no.

But how ironic.

Yes, race is a factor in this election.  The first reason is because the minority vote is strong (hello, Gregoire, ‘04)—in fact, stronger than ever—it will likely decide the winner.

Everyone knows it—the media, the candidates, and the voters themselves.

One thing I do find interesting, is that no red, yellow, brown or Black people have come to me to ask me about a single statement Joe Mallahan made about race.  Oh we’ve talked about the candidates, we’ve talked about the issues, but anyone who has called, tweeted, emailed or SMS’d me about any of the above referenced Mallahan statements have all been White people.  All of these White friends spoke in a tone of “aren’t you offended,” and “don’t you wonder what he’s getting at?”  I find it interesting, and I don’t pretend to know why that is.  Maybe it’s just a coincidence.

Maybe it’s that minorities are more comfortable talking about and hearing other people talk about the realities they face.

One thing my friends of color do say about both candidates, is that neither of them even begins to understand just what those realities are, and how (in this case) city government plays a huge role.

When it comes time to vote, folks will be casting their ballot for the one with the ability to recover. After screwing it all up.