In Seeking a Colorblind America, Obama Is No 'Bargainer'...Some Letters to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal...Printed in the March 24, 2008 edition of the paper:
I have always admired Shelby Steele's forthright and "conservative" approach to regressive racial attitudes, so his chilling cynicism about the Obama campaign was disconcerting ("The Obama Bargain," op-ed, March 18).
Anyone, black or white, who chooses to run for public office finds ways of "accommodating" those who do not share his or her beliefs, vision and cultural background. Those who are best able to walk the fine line between accommodation and integrity get elected. It is a reality of the political process.
Mr. Steele's suggestion that Barack Obama has subliminally bargained with whites to excuse their racial guilt in exchange for ignoring his race is presumptuous and damaging to any prospective minority candidate. It implies that such bargaining is manipulative or inauthentic, but offers no alternative for success in the political arena; it implies blindness to political realities.
Mr. Steele further argues that there is only a "tick" of policy difference between Sen. Obama and Hillary Clinton, but ignores the chasm between them when it comes to style of governance. The dogmatic authoritarianism that Sen. Clinton flashes in the debates is a clear indicator of how she would govern. The soft-spoken and reflective Sen. Obama invites consensus and collaboration; that is the basis for his enormous popularity.
As for Sen. Obama's association with the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the senator has condemned his pastor's intolerance, and explained the relationship as succinctly as could be expected. I am sure both men have changed significantly over the course of 20 years. Today, we should judge each of them independently, and not by their respectful association with one another.
William S. Hicks
Carpentersville, Ill.
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Shelby Steele doesn't get it. His concept of the "bargainer" black candidate who assuages white guilt is interesting and probably has some truth, but hardly is grounds for concluding that the force that has "pulled Obama forward . . . is about race and nothing else."
Many voters have been waiting a long time for someone who lives up to the biblical maxim of a soft answer turning away wrath; Sen. Obama's words and, yes, his actual politics, speak to a deep-seated belief in what is important for and about this country. If you don't happen to agree with his politics or approach, then you are likely to fixate on race or the peculiarities of the Illinois legislature's voting conventions and miss or misread the power of his candidacy. But it is a real power with the potential to yield progress on issues from international relations to economic competitiveness as well as the unfortunate encumbrance of racial division.
Steven Schultz
Princeton, N.J. |
