July 28, 2009
A Post-Racial President?
By
Thomas Sowell
Many people hoped that the election of a black President of the United States would mark ourentering a "post-racial" era, when we could finally put some ugly aspects of our history behindus.That is quite understandable. But it takes two to tango. Those of us who want to see racism onits way out need to realize that others benefit greatly from crying racism. They benefitpolitically, financially, and socially.Barack Obama has been allied with suchpeople for decades. He found it expedient toappeal to a wider electorate as a post-racialcandidate, just as he has found it expedientto say a lot of other popularthings-- about campaign finance, abouttransparency in government, about notrushing legislation through Congress without having it first posted on the Internetlong enough to be studied-- all of whichturned to be the direct opposite of what heactually did after getting elected.Those who were shocked at PresidentObama's cheap shot at the Cambridge policefor being "stupid" in arresting Henry Louis Gates must have been among those who let their wishes prevail over the obvious implications of Obama's 20 years of association with theReverend Jeremiah Wright. Anyone who can believe that Obama did not understand what theracist rants of Jeremiah Wright meant can believe anything. With race-- as with campaign finance, transparency and therest-- Barack Obama knows what the public wants to hear and that is what he has said. But hispolicies as president have been the opposite of his rhetoric, with race as with other issues. As a state senator in Illinois, Obama pushed the "racial profiling" issue, so it is hardly surprising that he jumped to the conclusion that a policeman was racial profiling when in factthe cop was investigating a report received from a neighbor that someone seemed to be breaking into the house that Professor Gates was renting in Cambridge.For those who are interested in facts-- and these obviously do not include President Obama--there has been a serious study of racial profiling in a book titled "Are Cops Racist?" by HeatherMac Donald. Her analysis of the data shows how this issue has long been distorted beyondrecognition by politics.The racial profiling issue is a great vote-getter. And if it polarizes the society, that is a price thatpoliticians are willing to pay in order to get votes. Academics who run black studies
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