The Race About Race

So it appears we will be spared the potential terror of one more Clinton term in the White House.  (Those of you who know me are well aware that I am indeed infected with Hillary Derangement Syndrome.)  Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee.  This turn of events fills me with mixed emotions.

Oddly enough, Senator Clinton seems to have positions somewhat closer to my own than those of Senator Obama.  Nevertheless, I find Clinton so ethically challenged, so devoid of real caring for her nation than desire for power, that Obama is a clear preference for me as the Democrat's candidate of choice.  That being said - I do have a distinct preference for Senator McCain over Obama, and as such, will vote for the former.

Nevertheless, like a number of others, I am delighted to see a black person running for highest office.  To those who thought too much racism and too many barriers and too much hate still remained among us, we can say:  "You were wrong."  To young people of color, wondering if the same opportunities are available to them as there are to those with paler complexions, we can say "Yes there are" - and they can have far more reason to believe it.  If people from all over America are willing to support a black guy over a white former First Lady, far more seems possible.

I'm no Pollyana.  Racism still exists in our country.  Sadly, I'm of the opinion that the "isms" (racism, sexism, anti-semitism and the like) cannot be cut out from us completely.  But, I am hopeful that with an Obama candidacy, most will see that the petty and ugly racism that still exists - the racism outside of our laws and our Constitution - can be fought and overcome.  Whoever you are, you need not have the support of everyone to be successful.

Yet, make no mistake.  Much of this coming battle between Obama and McCain will involve race.  Inevitably, should McCain win, the Obama supporters will cry that Obama's loss is due to the racist heart of our nation.  And will these people be correct that some won't vote for Obama because of his race?  Sure they are right.  Still, I hope that far more will focus on the positions and personalities and record and judgment of these two men, rather than their skin color, their age - or what kind of teeth they have.  

I also hope that a more positive future for racial discussion will come out of this political race.  Juan Williams writes an impassioned column today about his hopes.

The heart of Mr. Obama's problem is that he risks being defined by Rev. Wright and Father Pfleger. Most American voters know him only as a fresh face with an Ivy League education, an outstanding credential – editor of the Harvard Law Review – an exciting speaker, and a man who stands for much-desired change. Beyond that he is a political mystery with a thin legislative record. But when voters look at his past for clues to the core of his character, they find religious leaders calling for God to damn America and concluding that America is the greatest sin against God.

To deal with this controversy effectively, Mr. Obama needs to give another speech. This time he has to admit to sins of using race for political expediency – by knowingly buying into divisive, mean messages being delivered from the pulpit. He has to say that, as a biracial young man with no community roots, attaching himself to Rev. Wright and the Trinity congregation was a shortcut to move up the ladder in the Chicago political scene. He has to call race-baiting what it is, whether it comes from a pulpit or calls itself progressive politics. And he has to challenge his supporters, especially his black base, to be honest about real problems at the heart of today's racial divide – including out-of-wedlock births, crime, drugs and a culture that devalues education while glorifying the gangster life.

Mr. Obama also has to raise the bar for how political criticism is handled in his camp. Step one is to acknowledge that not every critic is a racist. His very liberal record and his limited experience, like his association with Rev. Wright, is a fact, not the work of white racists. Just as he calls for the GOP not to engage in the politics of fear over terrorism, Mr. Obama needs to declare that he will refrain from playing the racial victim, because he understands such tactics will paralyze political debate and damage race relations.

Only by admitting to his own sins can Mr. Obama credibly claim that he has seen the promise of our country, in which Americans of all colors work together. Only then can he convince dubious white voters that he is ready to move beyond racial antagonism and be their president.

If Senator Obama wants to receive votes based upon his beliefs and his convictions, then he must acknowledge that good people can vote against him, based upon his beliefs and his convictions - and not because he is a black man.  He will help our nation tremendously if he admits, as Bill Cosby and others have, that at least part of the problems associated with today's ghettos are not the fault of white racism, but the result of poor choices and values.  Obama can do a great service for all of us if he convinces some that they can do well today, despite the color of their skin, if they choose to engage in the sorts of activites that lead one toward progress and success rather than despair and failure.

Will Obama ever give such a speech?  I have my doubts; it seems outside the "world view" of too many Democrats that I know.  Still, this has been a campaign of surprises.  So, I hope the Senator pulls off one more.  Irrespective of the final tally in the election, I am certain this would be something fine.

Comments

[jammen]

The only issue will be how Mccain (read Rove) uses race-baiting in his campaign. I hope that you will wise up and reject Mccain when you see how dirty his campaign becomes. Yes Peg, this is a prediction. I will remind you of it later.

[Greg]

Wow, it is amazing how you can make a post such as this, and have it be as off the point as it is. First of all, I cannot recall Obama ever speaking that good people could not vote against him. I cannot recall him ever saying anything about his race or being half black has held him back at all. I know you cannot find any quote like this, so I guess you are just spinning a falsehood, or just simply making stuff up. In fact, he has on many times has said "only in America can his story be told". So where do you come up with this accusation you are making? I would guess out of the air thin air, because you cannot and will not provide me with anything that he has said that would make any of your points valid. I guess you totally went clueless on his speech on race. A speech that was hailed by many, aand simply ridiculed by those on the Right.

As for the Cosby moment, and your false issue of values, did you not watch his 2004 Democratic Convention Speech? If you did, and if you did more that just watch a speech, and if you took the time to comprehend what he said, you might recall he said the following

"Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet -- in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks -- they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go in -- Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things."

It seems like he addressed the Cosby issue you spoke about, and he spent a great deal of his life working with these youth. So I ask you, where did he miss the point, and if he did not, why did you not pick up what he said?

Obama addressed all you said in 2004, and has been consistently talking about these issues the whole campaign. Perhaps you failed to listen to any of these things because he was a Democrat, but these issues have been consistently addressed. For those who have not heard any of this, then please look into what he has been saying, and not being naive enough to only assume that what Rush and Fox News says is correct. Below is a short highlight of what he said back in 2004, tell me what did he say that you find so unbearable or incorrect?

Here is a clip of the speech, please tell me as to where he went far off course as to what this country is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3mOyuJvX8U

[Peg]

Gee, Greg. Find one statement - just one - where I actually said what you assert that I did - that Obama made this claim.

Afraid I did not. I said some of his supporters have - which they have.

Nice straw man. Just won't fly, however.

[Greg]

Peg, you wrote

"Will Obama ever give such a speech? I have my doubts; it seems outside the "world view" of too many Democrats that I know."

As I have pointed out, he has done so on many occasions. Turn off Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and you might get a little more informed. I am constantly amazed that the viewers of these shows are the least informed on the topics of today, but below are some links to clue you in.

http://www.oliverwillis.com/index.php/2007/03/04/obama-08-video-of-barack-obama-in-selma/

Let us not forget yesterdays speech;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj1hCDjwG6M

Last but not least her is another and a somewhat more credible view of the Juan Williams op-ed you posted.

http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2008/06/crabby-mccrab-show-starring-juan.html