The street remark that stunned me: "Getting rid of the nigger president"
It is still possible to be shocked by the ferocity of American politics. Scratch an angry voter, and shocking racism can come to the surface. In a conversation with friends and neighbours in the street the other day, a heated discussion arose over the relentless attacks of Republican candidate Scott Brown, fighting to retain Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat , on the Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren.
Scott Brown: Fighting to keep Ted Kennedy's old seat
One of those arguing for Brown , said eventually, "It doesn't matter as long as we get rid of this nigger president!"
I was stunned . The F Word is common in everyday conversation. I had never heard the N word used before.
Only then did I realise the enormous hidden mountain that Obama had climbed in getting elected in the first place. And how recent and raw racial prejudice was still in the US.
Warren, a college professor, has an exemplary record as an achiever in the Obama administration. She was the driver behind the establishment of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
When she was a child she learned how her parents were forced to elope after their parents objected to the American Indian heritage of Warren's mother. At one point, Warren included her American Indian link in her bio.
And that is the subject of Brown's attacks, in commercial after commercial, night after night., claiming that Warren had use her heritage to gain career advantage and that this was a reflection on her character. Warren refutes that, also in commercial after commercial .
At one point, Brown supporters staged a demo waving tomahawks and chanting war chants. Brown ordered the attack dogs to desist - but the point had been made. I found myself wondering if there weren't other issues worthy of discussion in this campaign.
Tonight we have the first presidential TV debate in Denver. Obama faces up to Romney , desperate now to secure an advantage with polls suggesting tha Obama is ahead . I am sure it will be civil . Contentious is fine, but civil. I still can't get that yelled remark out of my head.