evidence? who needs evidence?

Bob Herbert in the New York Times proves that race is still the key to this campaign:

There is no mystery here. Except for people who have been hiding in caves or living in denial, it’s pretty widely understood that a substantial number of those voters — in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere — will not vote for a black candidate for president.

Pennsylvanians themselves will tell you that racial attitudes in some parts of the state are, to be kind, less than enlightened.

'To be kind', Mr. Herbert, you should present evidence when you are accusing people of being less civilized, ignorant, primitive, fueled by hatred. "Everyone knows" is not good enough.

Why isn't it obvious by now that critical thinking skills matter? Why isn't everyone who feels had by Bush demanding that the media stop using these cheap devices? Where's the demand that we mark out the lines between gossip and fact, demanding a higher standard from those who influence opinions on such a scale as this?

And these elites who think us poor dumb hicks are too backwards to be trusted to think well enough to vote - are we really supposed to believe such people cannot see what's wrong with this sort of argument?