Two things can be true at the same time.
Yes, there's still racism in America — by one new measure, more than there was four years ago.
That is deeply disappointing.
No, this is not going to determine the outcome of next week's election. The economy, health care, foreign policy and so much more will. Americans will, by and large, assess the performance and plans of the President and the critique and ideas offered by his opponent, Mitt Romney. A sudden surge of racist sentiment will not rule the day.
When America's first black President took the oath of office on that January day in 2009, there was lots of talk: Had America finally, officially, gotten past race?
It was silly from the start. While Obama's election was a mark of vast progress, racial attitudes have always been deeply entrenched. They don't wash away in a day or a year or even a generation.
Still, one would hope that after nearly four years under America's first African-American commander-in-chief, things would at least be trending in the right direction.
Not so, says a new Associated Press poll: In a survey conducted by the news agency, 51 percent of Americans now express explicit anti-black attitudes, a slight if not statistically significant jump over the 48 percent measured in a similar 2008 study.
How did they gauge what is often kept private, what is often considered shameful?
Computerized surveys asked respondents for their opinions on a series of broadly generalizing statements about black and Hispanic people. They also asked how well respondents thought certain words, including "violent," ''friendly," ''lazy," and "hardworking" described blacks, whites, and Hispanics.
(There was also a more complex measure of implicit, not explicit, racial bias, too.)
Sadly, a narrow majority of Americans still harbor positive or negative views of Americans on the basis of skin color.
But — and this is a crucial but — this doesn't suddenly mean that if the President is denied a second term, the defeat will be at the hands of hordes of hatemongers.
Obama won strong majorities of the vote and the Electoral College in 2008 despite race. It was the content of his campaign and his character.
If he loses in 2012, race will be a footnote. Not the story.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press