Thursday 18 September 2008

Barack Obama and Racism

Daniel Johnson in The New York Sun has a great article about the heads-I-win-tails-you-lose situation that American voters are in.

The only reason that Barack Obama can not win the presidency is due to racism.

The only reason.

America will be harshly judged if McCain wins.

Because, of course, America is not harshly judged now.
Are American voters susceptible to blackmail? Ever since Sarah Palin lifted John McCain's campaign, it is becoming increasingly clear that America will be branded racist if Europe does not wake up on November 5 to find that Barack Obama has been elected.

Here is what Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian had to say last week: "If [the election] is deemed to have been about race — that Obama was rejected because of his colour — the world's verdict will be harsh."

His view is that the anti-Americanism that has demonized President Bush will be as nothing to the global wrath that will greet a McCain presidency. "Suddenly Europeans and others will conclude that their dispute is with not only one ruling clique, but Americans themselves."

Such self-fulfilling prophecies are to be heard at all the most elegant dinner tables in London. This week's crash on Wall Street is already evoking a new round of gloating among those who always wanted to believe that the free market was ultimately doomed.

Now both American democracy and American capitalism are on trial in the court of European public opinion. And the only plea that the court will accept from America is: guilty.
Let's parse the supposed logic of the media elites and Euro-left.

1) If Barack Obama does not win then it is due to racism.
2) Republican voters are
never going to vote for Mr Obama because he's a Democrat
3) Blacks in America are voting for Mr Obama at a 9:1 rate over John McCain
4) Therefore, the
only way that Barack Obama can lose and thus prove that America is a racist country is if white Democratic Party and Independent voters do not vote for him.

Get that?

It's the Democratic Party's and Independents' white voters who will determine whether America is a racist country.

Republican voters could care less about the colour of a candidate's skin. They care about the content of their character and values held.

The left has long been the gathering place for racism and the horrible policies that have negatively affected black Americans.

But Republicans will still get the blame for the United States being a racist nation on November 5 if McCain wins the election.

(Nothing Follows)

4 comments:

Unknown said...

"Are American voters susceptible to blackmail?"

Uhm, no. And I might add -- no doubt this will be attributed to "American arrogance" -- that we couldn't care less who the frogs think we should elect, or who would be "better" for Europe. We're electing the President of the United States, not the Coordinator of the Join Hands and Sing Kumbayah with the Euroweenies Club.

Anonymous said...

Forget couldn't, we shouldn't. No country should decide their leader based on what the neighbors will think.

Anonymous said...

This discussion actually reminds me of what happened to a friend of mine.

He was part of a college group visiting Europe and they happened to be visiting during the 2004 US election. While visiting the Louvre, the docent told the group that everyone in the world should be allowed to vote for the US President!

I wish I could have been there to give a response.

Unknown said...

When non-US citizens pay taxes to the US, I'll worry about their opinion. Otherwise, if Europeans think highly of Obama, elect him as head of the European Union. Except that Europe gives new meaning to the word racism. And Obama doesn't exactly fit their ideals.