A Very Sad Story

When I sat down to compose this article I was angry. Having heard David Gergen declare incipient racism the only possible thing that could elect John McCain and then James Carville all but threaten widespread race riots should Barack Obama lose, I wanted to call on white voters to behave exactly as expected by these cynics and vote en block against Obama. Not because Obama is black but in answer to this sort of extortion and intimidation by the left. But as I began to write, a different story emerged, a very sad story.

Americans are a generous loving people willing to go to great lengths to live in harmony with one another. We despise lies and injustice. We extol fair play. Our ancient Christian heritage, notwithstanding the blubbering of the neo-atheist, has led us for the most part to love our neighbors and to seek his well being. It is also the foundation of white guilt. Americans are ashamed of racism and we hate it. Real racism, the mean spirited kind that seeks to hurt and the cynical, self serving kind that seeks to use race as a means to quite different ends. This is the kind of racism that is becoming an important part of this election campaign.

Because Americans hate racism and want an end to identity politics, we are anxious to elect a black president. We want to take this ultimate step in proving ourselves to be the greatest people the earth has ever known. We are tired of the constant sound of discontent running in the background of virtually every issue. We are tired of being barred from honestly discussing our feelings and attitudes - a condition perfecting race as the impossible problem. We want this to go away so bad we are willing to suspend intelligence and risk catastrophe to make it so. Enter Barack Obama.

The more I see of him the more I like Barack Obama. I despise everything he stands for politically but I like him. I am convinced that he is a gentle and sincere family man and that he actually believes the policies of Marx and Lenin will – despite 100 years of proof to the contrary – create a better society. I believe he wants badly to be the first President of The United States of African descent. And why shouldn't he? I also feel very sad for him.

Barack Obama has never lived outside the shadow of Marxist teachers, mentors and handlers. Hard left Democrats having lost the last two elections to a lightweight son of privilege have seen in Obama a way to tap the longing within white America for a St. George to slay the dragon of racial politics. Presented as such Obama it is believed, can lead Democrats not just into The Oval Office but to unassailable majorities in Congress. Past associations having gainsaid his being “post-racial” the success of this plan hinges now on portraying the candidate as black but not very black; authentic but not threatening.

Obama is not in any way racially threatening. Articulate, handsome, likable and cool under fire he might be called the Jackie Robinson of presidential politics. If that were the end of the story, Obama breaking the presidential color barrier just for the rightness of the cause there should be no sadness, for his foes, win or lose. But that is not the case. The Maoist left, dominated by white elites seeks to use Obama not to advance the cause of race relations or even of African Americans but to achieve its own ends in power. In this purpose the left makes of Barack Hussein Obama, not a Jackie Robinson but its own Uncle Tom and that is very, very sad.