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Pulitzer Prize winner Clarence Page began his career in journalism as editor for the Middletown Journal and Cincinnati Inquirer, and received his ...
Read more about By Clarence Page, Tribune Media Services.
Pulitzer Prize winner Clarence Page began his career in journalism as editor for the Middletown Journal and Cincinnati Inquirer, and received his ...
Read more about By Clarence Page, Tribune Media Services.
Obama's Critics and Racial Denial
By Clarence Page, Tribune Media Services
People are asking, but President Obama's White House team denies that
racism has anything to do with recent Tea Party rallies and other
protests against his health care policies. That's smart. The same
approach worked in last year's presidential campaign. In public, team
Obama constantly said that race didn't matter, while in private they
never forgot that it mattered a lot.
Race still matters, although it's not always easy to say how much. Why do some people think, for example, that the"9/12 Project" Tea Party protests on the Washington Mall were racially tinged? Maybe it was the sign that television networks photographed that said, as I remember the quote, "The zoo has an African lion; The US has a lyin'African"?
Other signs promoted the idea that Obama is not really a naturally born citizen or that maybe he should just die.
But, in fairness, most of the signs weren't like that. I'm sure most of the folks who showed up in the Mall didn't have race first and foremost on their minds. Yet their efforts to appear racism-free seemed downright poignant at times.
For example, somebody made the effort to produce some pre-printed signs that offered helpfully: "Not a race issue, not a party issue, just an old American freedom issue." Dear sign carriers: I'm sure you mean well, but every time a black American of my generation hears someone say, "It's not a race issue," I immediately think, yup, it's a race issue.
The great success of the civil rights revolution was to illegalize discrimination under the law and make any sign of racism a taboo in decent society. Yet as serious racism recedes, suspicions of racism rush in to fill the gap. People are afraid to talk about race for fear of offending someone or of being accused of "playing the race card."
Yet one of the byproducts of having a black president, it seems, is the unexpected lesson some of the white people I know are receiving in how it feels like to be black. Specifically, they are learning how it feels to hear that something is not a race issue when you plainly and clearly think that it is.
For example, my column-writing colleague Maureen Dowd arched many eyebrows with this bit of mind-reading after Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, rudely blurted out, "You lie!" during Obama's health care address to Congress: "Wilson clearly did not like being lectured and even rebuked by the brainy black president presiding over the majestic chamber. ... Wilson's shocking disrespect for the office of the president -- no Democrat ever shouted 'liar' at W. when he was hawking a fake case for war in Iraq -- convinced me: Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it."
My response: Welcome to my world. Judging by the polls, about 15 percent or so of the country was in shock and even ran to their gun shops to stock up, according to news reports, when they heard Obama won. Some of them naturally show up at protests like the 9/12 march or buy "I'm with Joe Wilson" T-shirts.
Yet on a more cheerful note, a scene you probably did not see on TV happened after the protests as the mostly white protesters wandered home through the nearby Black Family Reunion, an annual two-day street fair on the Mall. Although it sounds like a set-up for a zany Hollywood movie, everyone was civil and courteous. Some of the protesters mingled and bought some lunch. That's the Washington way: Never let political differences get in the way of a good meal.
In judging Obama's performance it would be wrong to make too much of the role played by race, although it would be foolish to make too little of it. Team Obama came into office with a lot of defensive boasting about the big jobs they had to do with two wars, economic catastrophe and a broken health care system. How do you separate the racial backlash against him as the first black president from the political backlash against his being the first to take on so many problems on Day One?
Still, I am amused by the conservatives like Rush Limbaugh who insist that racism has absolutely nothing to do with Obama's problems. Only a few months ago they were blaming white guilt for his success. Folks, you can't have it both ways.
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E-mail Clarence Page at cpage(at)tribune.com, or write to him c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.
(c) 2008 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
This news arrived on: 09/16/2009
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Posted Comments:
09-20-2009 17:06
JCE wrote:
A big part of the reason many southern states are poor is a punishment from the federal republican government for the civil war. But the irony and tragedy is, they need the health care reform, and economic reform, and other reforms, would benefit the most from them, and have been tricked into fighting it. As far as auto insurance, if people drove, and couldn't afford to pay when they caused an accident, then the person who didn't cause the accident has to pay, or do without the health care of vehicle. And that would be wrong. A driver who is safe and doesn't cause accidents should not have to go bankrupt or die because of someone else. It may not be the perfect system, but at least from the fairness to the majority of the drivers, it is the best we can do. It is the exact same thing with health care. We give people health care for free, and the taxpayer pays for it. We have no regulations on the insurance companies, and those who pay end up paying way too much, and still, those who have coverage end up not having coverage. So reform is necessary, in all areas. It just happens that right now the fight is between Obama and the insurance companies, with the politicians mostly on the side of the insurance companies (Duh), and the people split over the whole thing. Most want reform, many are afraid of the costs. Well, as long as the politicians do business as usual, it will cost the taxpayers an arm and a leg every time a politician even wipes himself. Let alone does some legislation. Knowing that people won't be responsible, drive safe, and have enough money to pay for what they do to their own family, or others families when they drive irresponsibly, the government wisely gave us universal coverage. Then they let the insurance companies do as they pleased.
09-20-2009 11:05
ssssssssss wrote:
Those southern states are the poor states, maybe they just cant afford it. People dont want to pay for it, its simple. People want to pay for their own and have others pay for their own. Maybe instead of champion universal coverage we should start telling people they will have to pay for their own health and bills. Work in that direction, that everyone pays instead of it all falling on the working man. I think if you drive without insurance and have a accident you risk being sued and having to pay out of your own pocket, lose your house, ect. ect. Insurance was suppose to be their for when you needed it, to protect you and your assests. If you choose not to have it then you should pay out of pocket. The choice should be yours. Should we have universal car insurance? We all throw money into a pile so poor people can drive cars? We have to get back to buying our own stuff, not depending on others to take care of things you should take care of for yourself.
09-18-2009 12:37
JCE wrote:
ssssssss
Don't for a minute make the mistake of assuming that there are no republican racists, or that the republicans don't use that trick. Look closely at the republican states. Look at the southern states. Look where the health care is the worst, has the most not covered. Look where job losses were pretty rough. Look at the states with the highest teen pregnancy, the lowest support for sex education and birth control. Look where abstinence is taught the most. Look where people are so angry at the government. Then look at where the opposition for health care is the strongest. Same states. Obvious that the most effort and money by the industry and right wing propaganda machine is being put. Obvious that it is working very well. Ironic, and tragic. Those who need it most have been conned into believing it is some Marxist plot, to take over health care, so they are dead set against it. And they need it the most. Go ahead, do the research.
All this talk of force coverage. I truly wonder where we would be if car insurance and health insurance were the same. If you didn't have to have some auto insurance. Who would pay then for the accidents and damage? The insurance companies say that the worst drivers are males, 18 to 35. And they would not have insurance unless forced to by the government. I would use public transportation or walk if they were not insured.
All this talk of force coverage. I truly wonder where we would be if car insurance and health insurance were the same. If you didn't have to have some auto insurance. Who would pay then for the accidents and damage? The insurance companies say that the worst drivers are males, 18 to 35. And they would not have insurance unless forced to by the government. I would use public transportation or walk if they were not insured.
09-18-2009 10:18
sssssssss wrote:
Last post was me sorry for the no name
09-18-2009 10:17
wrote:
Quote "But racism is taught, and the ones who benefit the most from racism IS the special interests groups, and if one looks, they can see that they keep it alive, to divide us, and control us. So we must deal with the problem now. It is, after all, just social and human rights reform, carried to the next proper and logical step. If enough people want to. But too many, obviously, don't want to."
From your own words JCE and its the democrats that keep racism alive because its works to benefit them. They scream racism the minute you dont agree. They divide the haves and the have nots along the lines of race. They need to look at themselves and the blacks need to see that they use them for the dems own purpose. If they cared at all about blacks they would allow school choice and get them out of substandard schools that benefit no one but the teachers union.
From your own words JCE and its the democrats that keep racism alive because its works to benefit them. They scream racism the minute you dont agree. They divide the haves and the have nots along the lines of race. They need to look at themselves and the blacks need to see that they use them for the dems own purpose. If they cared at all about blacks they would allow school choice and get them out of substandard schools that benefit no one but the teachers union.
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