For some time now I’ve believed that racism is costing Barack Obama about five to ten percentage points in the polls, and that if Obama were white, this race would be a blow-out.

I can’t point to many tangible things as evidence of that, but I did agree with New York governor David Patterson that, when Sarah Palin repeatedly and sneeringly referred to Obama as a “community organizer,” at the RNC, everyone present knew exactly what she really meant: “scary black guy who hangs out in scary black inner cities.”

Here’s another little bit of evidence, from the Globe:

Activists at a conservative political forum snapped up boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing a turban-like headdress typically worn by Arabs, on its top flap.

Values Voter Summit organizers stopped sales of Obama Waffles boxes yesterday, saying they had not realized the boxes displayed “offensive material.”

Uh-huh. Sure they didn’t.

Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly….

Then again, now that I think about it, maybe they didn’t. I’m not sure which option is worse…