shameful that as Democrats , they agree with him on various political issues , but because of his skin color , they are refusing to cast ballots for him . `` We have gone to our black brothers and sisters for years to support our -LSB- white -RSB- candidates , and it 's wrong for us to stand here and not support one of their own , even though we 're Democrats , '' he barked . There is nothing more in-your-face than to hear someone speak truthfully to the inherent racism that is at play in this election . For all the talk about inclusion and the historic nature of this campaign , the true tribal feelings of so many people will come into play , whether we want to admit it or not . We are seeing remarkable bias playing strongly in this election . Exit-polling data in the primaries showed some evidence of bias when it came to age , race and gender , but the great concern is whether people are as honest in talking to pollsters as they are in the voting booth . Because Sen. John McCain is 72 and would be the oldest
Editor 's Note : Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday . If you 're passionate about politics , he wants to hear from you . A nationally syndicated columnist and Chicago-based radio host , he is the author of `` Listening to the Spirit Within : 50 Perspectives on Faith '' and `` Speak , Brother ! A Black Man 's View of America . '' Please visit his Web site . Roland Martin says Americans need to rise above issues of race , age and gender when they vote . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- One of the most intriguing conversations I had at either the Democratic or Republican convention was with a white labor leader from Ohio . I ca n't remember his name , but he made it clear that he is going all around the Rust Belt state looking his white union brothers and sisters in the eye and essentially shaming them into supporting Sen. Barack Obama for president . No , he 's not saying vote for the black man for president because he 's black . He said he 's telling them that it 's