Why is it always the race card?

[pepper11]

Today Priorities put out a hard hitting ad on Bain and Romney put out a hard hitting ad on welfare reform. Both hard hitting. Both probably not completely true and probably unfair. Whatever, it's politics.  But why this recurring theme with Dems calling out race baiting on any ad they don't like. It is ridiculus. Just because Obama is black doesn't mean we can't talk about welfare (reform) for an entire election cycle.

[pepper11]

Well, campaigning on welfare is basically how the GOP played its southern strategy and stoked racist fears. Welfare and race are inherently intertwined in people's minds. That's why.

So because of something that may have happened 50 years ago, we cant have a civil and rational debate on the issue now? If a higher proportion of blacks are on welfare as is implied by the democratic response with the race card, it would be an injustice to them to not attempt to make the program better. But i guess that would just be silly, being rational and all.