President Barack Obama this month launched “African Americans For Obama.” This video shows Obama with an articulate and moving message tied to African American month, but is it the right message? There is no question this is a direct appeal to race as a unifying theme with supporters — a move that would be denounced if tried by his white opponents. In the video, Obama states “I don’t think there’s a better time than Black History Month” for this effort, but some view this as the worst time for an open injection of race as a motivating factor in politics. I am frankly divided on the issue because I can see the justified pride of this community in President Obama. However, I remain uneasy over a direct appeal from the President on race — just as I have criticized past appeal to sectarian religious groups by presidential candidates.
It has long been a touchstone of American politics that appeals to race are dangerous and divisive. That certainly does not mean that race is not a factor in politics. However, the common open references to race that marred prior elections in the sixties and even the seventies were considered things of the past. If African Americans are united by their racial bond with Obama, does that mean that other candidates can appeal openly to white communities? Clearly other communities organize around their common identities from Cubans to Koreans to Italians. However, organizing solely on the basis for skin color should raise some legitimate concerns and objections, in my view. Indeed, we have strongly condemned past candidates who made even veiled references to race.
One answer could be that blacks have a shared history of oppression that whites lack. This history gives them a special bond not found in other communities. I do believe that argument has merit. Yet, this is a significant change in the long-standing aversion to open appeal to race as a unifying theme.
It is an interesting issue that is worthy of debate among people of good faith. It is not just limited to politics (though that tends to be the most unnerving). There is a growing movement toward incorporating race and gender distinctions in public policies. I have previously written about how we have reinforced segregation principles in our schools and prisons (here and here and here). I do see the distinction drawn by those who see a clear distinction for African Americans and I find aspects of that argument quite compelling. However, in the long struggle to remove race from politics, this troubles some of us.
On the social level, there is also a growing trend toward voluntary segregation. There is an array of race-based dating sites, the most prominent being BlackPeopleMeet which advertises widely. Once again, the question is the likely response to a dating date for white people. Unlike religious dating sites which deal with communities with established religious practices and limitations in dating, a race-based dating site offers a form of voluntary segregation.
It creates an interesting contrast in how our laws treat real and virtual meeting spaces. The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. Thus, a public restaurant cannot adopt the exclusionary practices as the place “where Black people eat” or “where White people eat.” Yet, presumably these sites are restricted to members of particular races. These are perfectly legal as associations, of course.
I also realize that associations have long been defined on exclusionary groups from Italian-Americans to Irish-Americans to share cultural norms and practices. Moreover, I do not question the right of people to choose racially exclusive associations — as much as I abhor them. I understand that people feel that they need the shared experiences and culture in such sites. I support the right to have such sites and association regardless of my dislike for racial exclusionary practices. However, I believe this trend — particularly in politics — undermines rather than advances the cause of men like Martin Luther King and the successes highlighted during Black History month. To that end, I think that the President is being a bit irresponsible in organizing part of his campaign along racial lines. I have leveled similar criticism on this blog and in columns over candidates making sectarian appeals to their own faith groups. A reference to a candidate’s own faith can have the same divisive (if unintended) impact on our political discussion.
More than anyone else, a president should be a unifying figure in our country. I did not vote for Obama because he was black and I do not believe that people should support or oppose him on that basis now. What is fascinating is that Obama doesn’t even need to organize along race. He has always received overwhelming support in the black community. Yet, his campaign has decided to take this step despite the inevitable criticism for “playing the race card.” While race will continue to play a role for many citizens in their voting, the President should stick to “Americans For Obama” rather than organize citizens according to their race in my view.
What do you think?
Jill,
A simple question, if we forget Obama. Who’s your candidate then?
Anybody?
“Do you think the majority of blacks would have voted for Cain”
Bdaman,
I trust the intelligence of the majority of Black people enough that I believe they wouldn’t have voted for Cain. I’ll go one step further and say that give the utterances from his own mouth and his policy positions, I think anyone voting for him would be a moron. I’ll go even further and say that Cain was a set up from the beginning to present a caricature of a Black man to feed the racist undertone that coalesces the Republican Party.
Jill, Who is your candidate now that Paul has faltered?
Bda,
See what I mean … “Because you are a loyal Democrat you are willing to overlook Obama’s actions.” (Jill to SwM)
An assumption that is so far off the mark as to be meaningless yet stated as fact.
S.M., It is no less an act of self sabotage to vote for Obama. Actions speak the truth. Membership in race, class, sex, sexual orientation or gender cannot erase actions. I listed only a few reasons why it would be self sabotage to vote for Obama. There are many more. Because you are a loyal Democrat you are willing to overlook Obama’s actions. I suggest to you that that is as much of a mistake as the overlooking of actions by Republican candidates/former presidents done by loyal Republicans.
Bdaman
Do you think the majority of blacks would have voted for Cain because he was a black man if he ran against a white opponent ?
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Beats me, but I sure as hell would never ask any of my friends if they voted for someone based solely on that candidate’s race or gender … nor would I be fool enough to assume so.
(btw … I have missed your presence and am glad to be dialoguing with you again)
Why would a minority or a woman want to vote for these republican candidates and that includes Herman Cain and Allen West? It seems like an act of self sabotage.
John,
Again, you are mixing up issues. First to claim that oppression has only fallen on people who are black is certainly untrue. However, it would also be untrue to claim that people are not oppressed due to race in America. This isn’t a contest to see whose oppression is worse. All oppression is wrong and should be ended. An ethical society would work towards this.
The issue here is the use of being in an oppressed class by Obama as a reason to support him as president and as a candidate. His status as a member of an oppressed group is not a reason to support his candidacy or his actions as president.
BTW the guy’s wife she was sold into bondage to died, so he ended up marrying her…
Do you think the majority of blacks would have voted for Cain because he was a black man if he ran against a white opponent ?
Yeah … she did.
By the way … I going to have to vote for Michele Bachmann … she’s white and a woman … just like me.
I, as usual, have not read the other posts, but will make a blind entry; other than having read what JT wrote.
Will not make excuses for Obama. His expressions, collected by someone who opposes him, and posted on News and Observer, which I’ve noted by a link on Georgia, speak well for his strivings to calm the troubled waters around the islam versus christianity conflict. Read them and realize this is the true Obama. Pluralism, separation of State and Releigion from both sides of the wall, our common goals and humanity, etc.; all are his words as quoted.
Whereof this gaffe. One man, not Obama, but his campaign manager.
Hopeless type. Makes jokes that might be acceptable from a private person, but not from him on Twitter, he who did the catastropha. launce video in October last, etc. etc.
What have I done? I’ve given specific criticism on him to Obama; and written the man himself email via campaign site.
He is the idiot who attached his signature to publicizing why they must also have a Super PAC, in spite of Obama having the biggest campaign chest; and also has the the best amall contributions percent of all.
Thus divorcing Obama from his pledge to not let the biggies control him; it was to be us, the small guys who would carry him to victory.
So what’s this campaign manager’s name. He signed the email to us who’ve signed up for email with Jim Messina.
And know as I do, my suggestion to fire him wouldn’t play well. It would get a big play, for the whole campaign.
So I feel if we take Obama in toto, he’s not a divider , but appealing to the Blacks to not desert him. They are dissapointed in him, and perhaps disheartened by his not doing more for them. I mean Lyndon Johnson did more at this stage of counting.
Nuff said.
PS If you’re interested in the Obama quotes, will fish out the link.
As wise men say, you see what you are looking for, ie depending on your POV.
QUOTE “One answer could be that blacks have a shared history of oppression that whites lack.”
REALLY?!?! Who were the first people over here from debtors prisons? And it didn’t stop there…they have nothing on me, my great grandmother was a slave, but no one ever hears about those…she immigrated with her parents to Ellis Island, but a flu epidemic killed her parents. Her brother was taken by relation in New York & she was taken by an aunt in Illinois & sold into bondage.
Yeah, WHITE people too….
I wish Erykah would comment but then again she left.
I was responding to this
People of color will make their decisions based on who they feel will govern well … Obama or Romney … Obama or Santorum … Obama or Paul …
It appears that the paint brush was too big and not all people will.
Bdaman,
But come on … Obama still looks like Harry Alford, doesn’t he … or maybe not … after all, it is the Chamber of Commerce, Black.
I know white people who voted for Obama because he was black and fell for the “hope” thing too … I wonder why
Joyner went even further on his blog, writes Thompson: “Let’s not deal with the facts right now,” he said. “Let’s deal with just our blackness and pride — and loyalty. We have the chance to re-elect the first African-American president, and that’s what we ought to be doing. And I’m not afraid or ashamed to say that as black people, we should do it because he’s a black man.”
Krissah Thompson of The Washington Post reports that on “The Tom Joyner Morning Show,” which has an estimated 8 million radio listeners, Joyner, who is black, said, “Stick together, black people.” The show reaches one in four African-American adults.
Rev. Al Sharpton, who also has a radio show and a gig on MSNBC, admonished blacks who have been critical of the president, “I’m not telling you to shut up. I’m telling you: Don’t make some of us have to speak up.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/can-obama-hold-on-to-african-american-voters-in-2012/2011/09/30/gIQA1IeisL_story.html
Bdaman,
From your link to huff… “I voted for Barack because he was black. Cause that’s why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them,” …
I guess I won’t be able to vote for any of the men running for office ’cause none of ’em look like me.
Laura Ingraham interviewed National Black Chamber of Commerce CEO Harry Alford this morning on her radio show and it was an amazing interview. In one of the most honest answers I’ve ever heard to the question of ‘why did you vote for Obama’,
Alford said he voted for Obama because he was black and that it was the worst mistake of his life and a lesson he’ll take to his grave.
Wow! He added that ‘hope’ was part of the reason he voted for Obama, but then referring to Obama’s policies he said what I think would be a great campaign slogan:
http://www.therightscoop.com/voting-for-obama-because-he-was-black-was-biggest-mistake-of-my-life/
People of all colors, genders, sexual orientation, class, etc. need to think deeply about our situation. A person who claims to be worthy of our support simply by virtue of belonging to an oppressed group of one kind or another is using us. Belonging to a group which has been historically and presently oppressed is a victim who is owed the elimination of that oppression. What they cannot claim is they automatically deserves support in a political race.
To take this to a related oppression for a moment–most people here would probably agree that there is severe economic oppression in our nation. This oppression effects poor, working class and middle class people while it does not effect, say, an executive from GS. The is a factual statement. What is not factual or logical to conclude from this original truth is that every person who is oppressed by the economic policies in place is a good person. However, in the interest of social justice, even a very bad person who is economically oppressed should have this oppression ended.
Obama tries to conflate these two ideas. He is a member of a group which is historically and presently oppressed by this society. Like every other person in this group he is absolutely owed the end of that oppression. Social justice demands racism must end.
What Obama is not owed is the idea that because he is a member of an oppressed group he is automatically worthy of our support as a candidate. Obama himself is a racist. His economic policies have hit the black community hard. These policies are deliberate and they involve illegalities.
Women of every color who are the poorest and sickest have been denied the ability to purchase coverage for abortion. Women of color have been killed and their fertility ruined by the Obama govt.’s use of DU in his many wars of choice. Glenn Greenwald talks about the illegal spying on Muslims who are black in New York. Nothing is being done to stop the FBI from doing this.
I can go on with one example after another of actions which profoundly effect people of color, gender and sexual orientation. We must get out of our minds the propaganda that being a member of an oppressed group is reason enough to give someone our support. It isn’t. Only actions are worthy of support in a political candidate. Obama’s actions are not worthy of anyone’s support.