— President Obama did not get the majority of the white vote in 2008. Is that evidence of racism? No. This has been the case with Democrat candidates for years, including President Carter.

— President Obama did slightly better with the white vote in 2008 than John Kerry did in 2004.

— Before President Obama proposed a government takeover of the health care system, his approval rating with white voters was 57 percent.

— Between Election Day and the launch of Democrats’ health insurance reform efforts, President Obama did well with independent voters. But he has lost about 18 points with this demographic in the past two months. Most of these independent voters are white.

The data simply do not support President Carter’s claim.

Are there some people who didn’t vote for Obama because he’s black? Certainly. Just as there were some who opposed John McCain because he is white.