"Obama is Not Black Enough" and Other GOP Myths

Shelby Steele, right wing author and fellow of the conservative Hoover Institute was on our local Public Radio station today promoting his new book. “A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win" (Free Press, 2007) is the title and the host of the show failed to really describe the Hoover Institute in her interview. This was another of the old, “Obama is not black enough” propaganda that the right has been spewing now for months.

Steele divides successful black people into two groups, “bargainers” and “challengers”.

“Challengers never give whites the benefit of the doubt. They assume whites are racist until they prove otherwise.”

“Bargainers make a deal with white Americans that gives whites the benefit of the doubt: I will not rub America's history of racism in your face, if you will not hold my race against me.”

Though there may be some truth to these groupings, his rethoric is still the same argument that Obama won’t fly with black voters. This is part of the Republican disinformation campaign that is cranking up early just in case Obama gets the nomination. Republicans are afraid of him, since he defies the racial stereotypes and is not conveniently pigeonholed like some African American leaders. The author even brings up Hillary Clinton as being “more black than Obama”.

The bottom line is who cares? Black or white or grey, Obama is a reasonable and astute politician as well as something rare in this day and age, a statesman. That is what scares the Republicans and so they must try everything they can to “diss” him. So they have to attack his race. It’s still racism, and that is the strong suit of the GOP. Without it, they have nothing but a legacy of bolstering the rich at the expense of the poor.