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Edited on Sun Dec-02-07 06:52 PM by Kurt_and_Hunter
Obama knows that the second he attributes any campaign attack on him to racism his candidacy is over, because at that point he becomes a niche candidate, not a national candidate. When you run on the proposition that America is sufficiently color-blind to elect a black president, then if you succumb to invoking racism you are saying, "I have no chance to win."
The same goes for Clinton... she has to be extra tough, extra hawkish, extra hard. If she ever said overtly that "girls can't compete with these sexist men" it might be correct, but it would doom her candidacy.
This point seems lost among supporters sometimes, if not the candidates. If anyone thinks politically active Democrats who criticize Obama are probably closet racists, then what does that suggest about the rest of the nation? What, then, is the point of his candidacy?
This is not to say there is no racism and sexism in the Democratic party. I have never met a person wholly without prejudices, myself certainly included. But that is the water of human nature we all swim in. That is the reality in which elections must be won. (And, in reflection, I am rethinking some of my own comments about sexism directed at Hillary.)
If politically involved, committed Democrats who happen to favor other candidates are racists, then what hope is there for the 90% of Americans who are distinctly more racist than rank-and-file politically active Democrats? This suggests to me that we might need to recalibrate our racist/sexist radar. Obama's candidacy is predicated on the proposition that more than 50% of Americans are not racist. Thus, for Obama's purposes, we must define racism in a minimal way... so minimal that it is a minority view. Call it "practical racism."
So perhaps we ought to assume that dedicated Democrats who dislike Obama are nowhere near "practical racism" and are fully capable of disliking him as a man. If every over-parsed slight represents a meaningful instance of racism or sexism then we would be crazy, in practical terms, to nominate a woman or a person of color.
Take Hillary... there are people who will vote against her simply because she is a woman. There are people who will vote for her simply because she is a woman. But either way, if Hillary wasn't a woman she wouldn't be the front-runner. And if Obama wasn't black he wouldn't be a strong second place challenger. It cuts both ways.
(Parenthetical note: There is a slight double-standard insofar as Hillary can properly play on her gender more than Obama can play on race. That is not a matter of fairness, just a practical political reality; almost 30 million women voted Republican in 2004. Very few black people voted Republican in 2004. And women are the comfortable majority of voters... So there is an electoral upside to the gender card that is not shared by the race card. Hillary can pick up extra women to make up for men she loses. Obama can not pick up many extra black voters to make up for lost white racist votes because there just aren't enough black voters in play. And, in the final analysis, politics is only about counted votes. No moral victories.)
Jackie Robinson bit his tongue every day he was in the major leagues. He was chosen to break the color barrier (over more talented Negro League players) because of his intelligence and self control. He got bad calls and was subject to needlessly violent collisions because he was black. He was also among the most popular players in the National League because he was black. He was famous and adored, and reviled and put upon, all because he was black.
Being the man to break the MLB color bar was a burdensome trial, and also the greatest opportunity any baseball player has ever been offered. He was idolized far beyond his specific prowess on the diamond. He was one of the most famous men in America... a respected household name to millions who didn't even like baseball. It cuts both ways.
I don't feel sorry for Jackie Robinson having to face all that racism. I feel sorry for the thousands of great black players before him who didn't have the chance to face all that racism! And I don't feel sorry for Hillary facing all that sexism. I feel sorry for Margret Sanger living in exile, and Ira Craddock taking her life rather than report to federal prison.
If Obama or Clinton is to be the Jackie Robinson of American politics then supporters should try to adopt some of their candidates' own toughness. It is irrelevant whether something is "fair," because we are not running for Miss Congeniality, or beloved martyr. We are running to win the presidency.
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PS: I am intentionally not taking into account the handful of over-the-top comments on either side of any of these donny-brooks. DU should not be assessed in terms of the bottom 0.01% of posters. If something is grossly racist or grossly sexist it warrants condemnation. But if we need to argue all day over whether something is racist or sexist, then it probably isn't, at least not in the sense of "practical sexism/racism."
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