The Obama administration's string of legislative victories: a historic health care bill, reining in some of the egregious practices of banks, in particular removing them from the student loan process, and the recent bill to curb Wall Street excesses all may be smothered by their awkward handling of racial matters.
I fully understand that if we had a white president the Shirley Sherrod incident would never have happened. However, if it had, the white president may have been a little concerned about appearing racist if he abruptly fired a black employee without first investigating the matter thoroughly. The Obama administration, on the other hand, is so terrified of looking as if they are coddling blacks that they ignore, neglect, or as in the Sherrod case, act precipitously, and wind up alienating the people who put them in office.
President Obama's gut-level response to the ridiculous arrest of Henry Louis Gates was welcomed, but he backed down and staged a "beer summit" to allay the fears of his staff. During his campaign Axelrod and company advised him to steer clear of anything racial, but Obama, with the support of Valerie Jarrett, his only black senior advisor, gave a great speech on race in Philadelphia anyway. The world didn't fall apart and he was elected!
Barack Obama is the president of the entire country, including those who despise his very existence; however, that does not mean that his administration can assume the loyalty of one group and react like cowards to the other. That will only serve to leave them absolutely FRIENDLESS. Remember that the goal of bi-partisan support, while a worthy one, didn't work out in reality. I approve of reaching out to your enemies; however, it's dangerous to do so at the expense of your friends.
WARNING Obama advisors: check with Valerie Jarrett before you run off into the wilderness of racial issues; she's more experienced in these matters than most of you. Otherwise blacks and those idealistic people of all races who put you in office may decide not to come out and vote next time.
Unfortunately, staggering blunders like the firing of Shirley Sherrod have a more lasting resonance than our gratitude for those great legislative achievements.
2 comments:
Race is still an 'elephant in the room' that most white people can't or won't talk about. Shirley Sherrod was run out by the news media who didn't bother taking a few minutes to search for the context of her remarks. We've lost our ability to look at each other's humanity and be tolerant of differences and even ASK, I wonder why you feel that way? Johann Mesherle's attorney says Oscar Grant's family isn't very kind, in refusing to accept Mesherle's apology (given to the public, NOT Grant's family), as though the balance of an unaccepted half-apology could ever equal the loss of a son, nephew, cousin. Race problems haunt America. But we keep trying to hear each other, and that is the stepping stone to fairness and kindness. Poor Ms. Sherrod, run over by the right-wing fear steamroller, and her own President who didn't bother to hear alternate voices before passing judgment...
Comments in Chinese(?)on a blog by an African-American woman... diverse, yet somewhat perverse...
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