What Biases Still Persist?

Today's Daily News prominently features a story on the role PA could play deciding the Democratic candidate for this year's Presidential election. Two thoughts spring to mind as I ponder the possibility:

1. Finally - The first election in my memory where a Presidential primary vote in PA might actually have national implications!
2. I wonder which of the two Democratic contenders, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, has the most bias to overcome in the Keystone state.

While it would be nice for Pennsylvania to matter in national politics, it's the second idea that really captures my thoughts.

Society may have come a long way over the years in resolving both gender and racial issues, but how much progress has really been made? So many pundits have played the game of comparing the issues, with those who support Clinton often claiming society remains more sexist than racist, and those who tout Obama often claim the opposite. Aside from the observation that pundits on both sides trying to claim enhanced victim status seems connected to the candidates themselves vying for the distinction of being the underdog, who really does bear that burden, if anyone?

As a white male, I have the dubious privilege of hearing both racist and sexist rants from others around me - people who view me, as a result of my skin color and gender, as a friendly audience. Sure, it's usually in thinly-veiled code, and few of the people who share these views seem ready to admit their own prejudice, but I assure you, it's there. Too often, the dead giveaway for the oncoming code is, "I'm not (sexist/racist), but..."

However far we may have come over the years, there are still many men who view women as weak and good for little more than procreation, and there are still white folks who view black people through stereotypical lenses, too.

Having seen so much of this from people who seem otherwise normal and tolerant, I wonder if anyone else out there has the same observation. Do you think there has been enough progress made that Hillary's gender or Barack's racial identity won't be a hurdle to a significant subset of PA voters? Do you think either of them has an advantage in this regard?