Race Doesn't matter

     It does and it doesn't.
      It matters that a partly African-American man is being taken seriously as a candidate for president. I am not being facetious when I say it would be uplifting for the American public to elect someone for the content of his character. Mr. Obama's character seems at least as good as any president I've seen in action.

     I'm not sure how much it would really matter geopolitically, but it would seem advantageous if the US were represented on the world stage by someone with whom people in other nations could identify. It would surely entitle America to some claim of authentic moral high ground -- of real fidelity to our stated principles of fairness -- at a time when our international credibility is in a slough.

     I'm satisfied that Mr. Obama is comfortable with his own persona. He doesn't appear to be either hung up on his racial background or disregardful of its subtler meanings. Of course in a better world, where the old "one drop rule" didn't apply (the mentality that one drop of black blood makes someone "black"), Mr. Obama would would be justified in calling himself black or white. In any case, his own apparent comfort has allowed other Americans to feel comfortable with him, and about the better angels of our nature as a people.

      Lately, I have been reading Niall Ferguson's history of World War Two (War of the World). Though I have heard, seen, and read other versions of the story a zillion times, Ferguson freshly emphasizes the importance of the racialist ideas that motivated both the German Nazis and the Japanese in launching the war. These ideas appear  to be utterly insane in a fresh new way, and the cruelty and carnage that grew out of them was so exorbitant that it comes close to negating any claim the human race ever might have made previously, through twenty-five-hundred years of history, to a moral standing above the dogs and crocodiles. The behavior of the Nazis themselves was bad enough, but they somehow managed to inspire nearly every other European nation, or ethnic group, or pseudo ethnic group to behavior so grotesque that one truly wonders how these groups recovered their bearings later on in the 20th century. Their demoralization should have been complete. Instead of just Herman Goring committing suicide in his jail cell at Nuremberg in 1945, one concludes after reading Ferguson, all German survivors of the Third Reich should have just marched off a cliff somewhere. The Japanese treatment of the Chinese, Malays, and every other Asian sub-group wasn't any better.

     The world can't afford to repeat that kind of thing. But the world is heading into a stressful situation that could provoke another wave of worldwide conflict -- not to mention the kind of internal conflicts that induce ethnic cleansings and genocides within nations. So, from my point of view, the further America removes itself explicitly from a collective racialist mentality, the better off we would be. But there is a catch: if perhaps Mr. Obama wins the Democratic Party's nomination, and goes on to win the White House, and the nation enters the socioeconomic convulsions I call The Long Emergency, and Mr. Obama is overwhelmed by its overwhelming problems... would he be singled out for blame? Surely there will be a lot of finger-pointing and scapegoating. Would Barack Obama become a tragic figure? The answer may be that anyone who occupies that office during the next term could end up a tragic figure.

      Anyway, Hillary was back out on the stump yesterday, in the pulpit of a black Baptist church in Memphis, sounding as phony as the day is long, and it was gratifying to know that she had just been beaten. She sounded and looked discouraged, her voice lingering in that lower-register monotone that makes her come off like a regional director of the State Department of Motor Vehicles. Mr. Edwards, who I have supported and continue to support, could not shake the look of a whipped dog, too, after losing badly in his birth state. But he swore to continue on further through the primaries, and his pluck seemed genuine enough.

     The night before, when the returns in South Carolina were final, Mr. Obama made a speech before his supporters, who were chanting "race doesn't matter! race doesn't matter!" as if to convince themselves as much as the TV viewing audience. The higher truth might be that it would matter if it didn't matter. But it does in many ways.

     The winning candidate concluded his remarks that night by invoking the slogan "Yes we can!" It was stirring to hear, and of course it projected the simple message that his campaign would remain "positive," in the current popular therapeutic sense. But at some point, Mr. Obama will have to rise above the platitudes and generalities and answer some questions as to yes we can... do... what....? The candidates all yammer about "change," but I suspect they don't quite know how much change this nation is really in for.  

Comments

[StephenB]

More than being black, what might hurt Obama is all this constant murmuring about him being Islamic/Muslim. It's untrue, but his organization has spent considerable time debunking all those sneaky phone calls and emails going around spreading the mud anyhow.

As to whether somebody of color could better represent us on the world stage, perhaps, but we've had an African-American woman as secretary of state, and if that has impressed anybody internationally, I have yet to read about it.

[bud4wiser]

"Mr. Obama's character seems at least as good as any president I've seen in action." Yes, Mr. K - the US electorate has lowered the bar for the presidency - hell, what bar?

[David Mathews]

I like Obama & I was pleased to see him win & I do hope that he becomes president.

George W. Bush is the real tragic figure in American politics. I bet he prays every night that the economy doesn't collapse until after January 9, 2009.

I wouldn't vote for Hillary even if she was the only person on the ballot in November. John McCain is a warmonger who supported the Iraq war, the surge and the occupation for another century ... so he's out of the question.

None of the other candidates matter.

I mentioned Barack Obama to a woman yesterday and she had heard the lies, "Isn't he a Muslim? Couldn't he have sympathy for the terrorists?"

I responded, "The terrorists killed 3,000 people on 9/11. America has killed 150,000 civilians in Iraq. Who are the terrorists?"

Ignorant people are fearful people. George W. Bush is the best friend the terrorists could ever have.

[FARfetched]

JHK, I have to agree with you about the "tragic figure." I thought that would be true for whoever took over in 2001, although I'll have to say Bush-league has done a fantastic job of proactively screwing up everything he touches… far beyond the ability of normal events to do it for him.

Actually, Stephen8, I don't think the "murmuring" has hurt Obama — they're directed at the people who wouldn't have voted for him anyway (whether because he's black or Democratic, either way). SOP for the far-right: smear early, smear often, and see what sticks. Obama seems to have learned the lesson that Kerry didn't, and debunks it all as it comes.

JHK again, I also agree that Obama needs to start going beyond feel-good and getting down to specifics… OTOH, feel-good without specifics worked for Raygun. In Raygun's case, though, he would have killed himself politically if he laid out what he intended to do to us all.

[LaughingAsRomeWasBurningDown]

David, no kidding on GWB being the best friend the terrorists could have:

http://www.gurus.com/dougdeb/politics/TS101.html

[PhyllisY]

I worry about some psycho KKK type who simply won't accept a black man as president. I hope he's got extensive security, because a trip through the south could be deadly.

[jp]

It seems to me that Kucinich was the only "dem" who even started to address the ramifications of the Long Emergency.

Locally, in the Illinois 14th congressional district, there's an open battle to replace Fat Boy (hastert). It mirrors the presidential..frick and frack repugs trying to convince their followers that they are the more Kompassionate Konservative, while over in Demland, we have 4 people trying to get the nod..including a "businessman/scientist" who jabbers on about the "energy challenge" but is clueless about things most people here take as old news. There is one guy (Laesch) who has the right ideas however.
He is now being labeled a "socialist".

[Johnny Rico]

"America has killed 150,000 civilians in Iraq."

C'mon, Dave. Didn't you read the NYT this week? 5,000,000 Congolese. Where do you guys get such round numbers?

But who cares, right? Just more room for Dolphins. There is going to be a die-off, but it matters whether people "starve to death, kill each other, or are killed by America?"

[ziggy]

It is true that Obama has been short on specifics. It is also true that the problems facing the next president will be monumental. Nonetheless, I'm supporting Obama because I believe that he is smart enough to recognize that it will require tough corrective action to address the nation's long term problems. And he's the one candidate with enough charisma and oratory skills to have a fighting chance of persuading the American public of the sacrifices and lifestyle changes that will be necessary.

[umass82]

I think the fix is already in for Mrs. Clinton, the way the Dems have set up the nomination process is totally skewed to help her.

The super delegates system is a disgrace, it and super Tuesday were set up for her benefit.

Also the whole Michigan debacle, first they force Obama and Edwards of the ballot, but not HRC. The election is held with HRC as the only major candidate on the ballot and now she wants those delegates seated, if she had lost that primary you can be sure she would be pushing for the opposite.

Only half of he NY delegates are to come from the primary results, the rest are appointed by the state party. If HRC gets half the vote she splits half those delegates and she will most likely get all the appointed delegates so even with a %50 vote she will end up with about %75 of the NY delegation.

If the delegate count is close after the last primary, you can bet there will be a huge bloody battle over seating the Mich and Fla. delegates.

If the dems nominate HRC they will face a tough test against the GOP, while it is true the the polls show HRC with a lead against the GOP it is because she has blow away leads in places like NY and MA, not in swing states, also Bill is succeeding in alienating enough people that if HRC is the nominee many people who would vote dem will stay home,

Obama is the stronger candidate,

For the GOP all they need to do to beat HRC is nominate McCain or Romney and nominate Condi Rice as VP, this would put California in play, and Condi would be a constant reminder of Billary's race baiting.

[David Mathews]

Hello Johnny,

> "There is going to be a die-off, but it matters whether people "starve to death, kill each other, or are killed by America?"

Yeah ... 9/11 wasn't so bad after all, was it?

[asoka]

What does Obama have that none of the other candidates have, what does he have that will enable him to deal with the Long Emergency?

I think Toni Morrison said it most elegantly in her endorsement of Obama:

"In addition to keen intelligence, integrity and a rare authenticity, you exhibit something that has nothing to do with age, experience, race or gender and something I don't see in other candidates. That something is a creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom. It is too bad if we associate it only with gray hair and old age. Or if we call searing vision naivete. Or if we believe cunning is insight. Or if we settle for finessing cures tailored for each ravaged tree in the forest while ignoring the poisonous landscape that feeds and surrounds it.

Wisdom is a gift; you can't train for it, inherit it, learn it in a class, or earn it in the workplace — that access can foster the acquisition of knowledge, but not wisdom."

---Toni Morrison

[tstreet]

While it would be nice if this country, or any country, would not filter its decisions through a racial lens, the media is making sure that people will not be able to do that.

While it is arguable that some of Bill Clinton's criticisms of Obama have not been fully valid, these criticisms have been used by the media and others to suggest that the Clintons are running a racist campaign. While one is free to speculate about their motives, their is no evidence that they are race based. The same criticisms would have been made of any opposing candidate, regardless of color.

The media, with a few exceptions, is incapable of acknowledging their own role in a campaign that has become characterized by incessant discussions of race. When we can criticize persons, regardless of color without being accused of being racist, then we will know that we have reached MLK's idea of judging people based upon the content of their character.

Sadly, the media, has guaranteed that their will be dissension within the Democratic party regardless of the outcome. There are those who have announced that they will not be able to support Hillary if she wins because of Bill Clinton's behavior. Unfortunately, there will also be those who will be unenthusiastic about Obama if he is nominated.

Obama says that this race is not about black or white. The numbers in South Carolina do not bear that out. The voters, goaded by the media, are now filtering all this through a racial lens.

Henceforth, we will not be able to have an honest discussion of differences for fear that we will be accused of making a race an issue.

JHK referred to something that I have thought about as well. We will know that we have advanced in this country when a half white, half black person announces that he/she is neither black not white. Calling Obama a black candidate is, in itself, a legacy of past racism.

[LaughingAsRomeWasBurningDown]

asoka, quite the endorsement. I'm pretty cynical about politics, basically believing that real change won't occur until our backs are against the wall, ala FDR and the Depression etc. Can you or anyone point to something he's done, or would do, that would inspire that kind of praise? He seems like he's been groomed by the machine (remember the '04 Democratic Convention speech?) and looks and sounds good on TV, but other than that, what? I'd love to be proven wrong, but basically believe that if voting could change things, it'd be against the law.

[Cymon Dendu]

Just returned from a week in Ft Lauderdale. What an ugly place. Flat, no vistas, roads on a grid, boring architecture, shopping mall, shopping mall, Red Lobster, etc. No wonder folks like my native New England. I can’t help but view these places I visit through the prism of JHK’s commentary. Florida, Las Vegas, SoCal, all the same thoughts: What will these folks do when they can’t drive all the time, everywhere? Where are they gonna get the water for their growing populations? I see new construction from the air every time I fly in, farther and farther out. With swimming pools, of course!.

Cy

[umass82]

Toni Morrison lost her cred when she said Bill C. was the first black president.

The same Bill who so unsuccessfully race baited in SC, who as a teenager used to drive his convertible to his segregated country club then went on to Yale and Oxford, (on a scholarship started by perhaps the biggest racist who ever lived Cecil Rhodes). Hardly the average black experience of the time.

[Riddick]

The History Channel yesterday night was full of "End of Oil" programming. Ironically, it was airing on the "history" channel when the real history of despair has yet to be recorded as the woe lies in our futures. One cannot simply fast forward beyond the impending time of grief and turmoil to the era of blessing and peace beyond should we actually arrive there (even with a DVR).

In one show Matthew Simmons stated that it will be PO and not GW that will begin to dominate the news. I have no predictions as to when that might occur but I agree it will. When that does happen and people discover PO then we know that TSHTF moments are on their way both subtlety and directly. I suppose it will take a major event such as the nuking of Ghawar or Ras Tanura to instantly disrupt things all at once and then *POOF* everyone will be reporting on PO and speculating and the Bush or predecessor machine will roll into action on cue.

The Washington Post has an interesting column today by Rahm Emanuel concerning the Bush legacy. The slide is amazing. If we had a further 8 years of this Neocon fantasy then I predict PO would be the least of our problems.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/27/AR2008012701615.html

[Uncle Remus]

F*ck the Clintons and the socialist horseshit they espouse.

[asoka]

"Can you or anyone point to something he's done, or would do, that would inspire that kind of praise?"

Hmmm.... Morrison is talking about creative imagination combined with wisdom... about poetry and being and inspiration... and you want a utilitarian laundry list relating to doing? Poetry and being and inspiration will take Obama to the White House, not laundry lists.

In the realm of being things get done with there being any individual "doer"...

Or, as Obama says: "We are one"

I can see this is going to be a real paradigm shift... from doing to being. Especially for realists and cynics. According to them Obama should not have gotten this far.

He is not being groomed by the machine. The machine has no control over him. The machine (both Clintons and their ilk) are running against him and trying to nuke him with race baiting... and going crazy because he keeps winning.

As Morrison says what we are witnessing is beyond race and gender, age and experience... machine or no machine. Obama is unstoppable.

Or as Bob Dylan sang: There is something happening here, and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?

[Dave]

i agree with ricco. dieoff is happening right now. the specific mechanisms are up for grabs, and are somewhat immaterial. except big boombooms would be bad. but hey, WTFDIK?

[LaughingAsRomeWasBurningDown]

asoka, I will grant that he is charismatic, and all that. But the rest of what you just wrote could have (and probably was) said about Mr. Clinton in 1992, and we see how well that worked out.

Just wondered what he had done as a Senator to inspire that kind of praise -- what creative visionary things he had done beyond give good speech. If that be a laundry list, then it should be an easy one to provide etc.

And speaking of Bob,

While some on principles baptized
To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God bless him.

[Dave]

http://www.nyc-tower.com/

don't know if anyone's interested, but i spent some time walking around NYC yesterday. somepeople were talking about this as if it's acctually going to be built. now that would be something to talk about.

[Dave]

anyhoo, i'm still betting on gulianni/lieberman 2008.

[Dave]

hillary is kind of hot though, for an older woman anyways. that's a plus.

[Dave]

ok, 1.5 million live on manhattan. about 20 million live within a 75 mile radius of times square. that must mean that something like 80 million live on the atlantic seaboard between boston and dc. that's a big daily dose of twinkies and poop.