Racism And American Politics

It's early in the day. Too early for serious thinking, yet some things just won't wait for the best possible moment.  Obama supporters, as expected, are starting to use the "race card" to counter opposition to his ultra-liberal agenda. They accuse the TEA party people of racisim, but offer little or no proof. On both sides of any political argument there has always been fringe elements who promote ugly extremisim that is not shared by the central concepts of the majority. In American history this radical extremism has resulted in, at worst, assasination.

There is no place in American politics for the promotion of physical violence. We must, as an example for the world, always limit our citizens to competitive mental presentations of political philosophies. That is, peaceful but spirited arguments. 

Ideally, the color of Mr. Obama's skin is of no matter contention at all. The way American's see each other does however, assign meaning to his racial background. A few mis-guided souls attack by inuendo and substance, how racial considerations are reflected in his presidency and politic agenda. Race and ethnic background have been a feature of American politics from the day the settlers arrived. Society was not as sophisticated then, and divisions among people provided reasons for tribal clustering. There is a natural attraction of like minded and familiar people, one to the other.

Those days are far behind us now. In most of our society, racial factors are of no consequence. Most, but not all. Various racial, ethnic,  and religious considerations still exist in America. While most of us believe they have no place in our politics, the fact is that they do, but they have diminished to (almost) insignificance. I do not believe Mr. Obama was elected because of his race. He campaigned on an ultra-liberal Democrat ticket and he won. That case is closed. 

After one year in office Mr. Obama has done exactly what he promised during his campaign. The perceived problem now is that the un-intended consequences of his agenda have caused the electorate to withdraw their support. He no longer enjoys the support of the majority. In fact, his approval rating, as polled recently, has dropped to about 35%. If accurate, it is the lowest approval rating in the history of the American presidency. Even if it is not accurate, it assuredly suggests that the Obama agenda is not supported by the majority of American voters, and that fact has nothing to do with racial considerations.

After serving one year of his four year term the citizens of America have judged his agenda to be a complete failure.   

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