|
Is an Obama win the result of more tolerant attitudes towards people of color in the US – an example of improved race relations? Or did he win by default because of the many factors—the economy, Sarah Palin, and Bush—that made the selection of a Republican candidate unviable? The answer lies somewhere in between.
By now, most of us have received just about every angle of reaction imaginable on the historic selection the first African American man, Barack Obama, as president of the United States. Most of it has been of a highly congratulatory nature. And with good reason, too, since we are less than 150 years since the abolishment of slavery and less than 50 years since the elimination of legalized segregation. A few political commentators have pointed out that Obama’s parents would not have been able to get married had they lived in one of the states that prohibited miscegenation.
There is no doubt that great strides have been made. Older Americans, of all races, have openly stated that they never thought they’d live to see the day when a black man would be voted in as president. Yet this year, a half White, half African-American man won the Democratic nomination, beating out a political veteran in Hillary Clinton in the process, he beat a Republican (white man) for the presidency. Racism is almost over. Right?
There’s been much speculation about the supposedly drastic changes in White American voting practices. CNN and other news networks have shown that in 2004 41% of white voters voted for Democratic nominee John Kerry while in this year’s race 43% voted for Obama. However, while an improvement, a 2% increase is hardly tide changing. What’s more, that number reveals that a majority of whites didn’t choose Obama as president. In the overall popular vote, Obama won by a slim 52 to 47% margin, with the high voter turnout among blacks and Latinos playing a big factor.
On the other hand, mainstream media has largely ignored the incredible set of circumstances that worked in favor of Obama. First, coming off 8 years of what many are considering the worst presidency in the history of the US, the election of another Republican as president seemed unlikely. Second, John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin, a bizarrely unqualified and unprepared politician who quickly gained fame more as cannon fodder for comedians than anything else, also severely handicapped Republicans’ chances of a win. Third, the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression began two months before the election. A high degree of uncertainty and fear wrapped the country with most Americans attributing this meltdown to the current Republican administration, creating another hurdle for a possible McCain presidency.
So, while the notion that racism is ending, or close to ending, may entice us, the truth is, maybe we should explore that second perspective further.
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
