What Happened To The Hope?
The election of America’s first black president was universally hailed as a turning point in race relations. Many Americans hoped Obama’s victory would be a victory for racial reconciliation. Last summer, according to one poll, 62% of Americans felt that race relations were improving.
But a recent Rasmussen poll finds that just 36% feel the same way now, while 27% believe race relations are getting worse. Astonishingly, only 13% of blacks think race relations are improving. What happened to the hope?
Rasmussen speculates that voters’ attitudes soured after liberals exploited racial fears for political reasons. Remember all the smears against the Tea Party and the town hall protestors last year?
There was this rant from comedian Janeane Garofalo on MSNBC: “Let’s be very honest about what this is about. …It’s not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea party was about. They don’t know their history at all. It’s about hating a black man in the White House.” Jimmy Carter joined in, saying, “I think [criticism of Obama is] based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”
These kinds of intolerant statements – demonizing legitimate differences over public policy as racism – have been repeated over and over again by liberal elites, politicians and media talking heads for over a year, dividing Americans and instilling fear and anger in various segments of the population. No wonder many folks are losing hope.
Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families
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