Matt Bai wrote this piece a few months back where he makes the argument that Obama’s candidacy signals the end of black politics. he references a new ethos among post civil-rights era African-American politicians that resist being pigeonholed as “simply” black. These younger African-American politicians, like Artur Davis (U.S. Rep. Alabama), Harold Ford (former U.S. Rep. Tennessee), Corey Booker (Mayor Newark, NJ), Deval patrick (Governor – Massachusetts), tend to be Ivy League educated and, to use the language of diversity, effective at “cultural switching” – the ability to be conversant in a diverse number of cultural settings.
This “vanguard” of Black politician doesn’t see their rise to power as uniquely tied to the black community so they don’t feel obligated to serve that community’s interests exclusively. As Corey Booker explains in the Bai piece:
“I don’t want to be pigeonholed,” he said. “I don’t want people to expect me to speak about those issues.” By this, presumably, he meant issues that revolve around race: profiling by police, incarceration rates, flagging urban economies. “I want people to ask me about nonproliferation. I want them to run to me to speak about the situation in the Middle East.” Since the mayor of Newark is rarely called upon to discuss such topics, I got the feeling that Booker does not see himself staying in his current job for anything close to 20 years. “I don’t want to be the person that’s turned to when CNN talks about black leaders,” he said.
Politicians like Booker aren’t intending to deny their race. Rather they are challenging what it means to be “raced” in fundamental ways. In this passage, he seems to suggest that “blackness,” at least for middle-class blacks, is becoming what Mary Waters famously called an “optional ethnicity”
Even so, Booker told me that his goal wasn’t really to “transcend race.” Rather, he says that for his generation of black politicians it’s all right to show the part of themselves that is culturally black — to play basketball with friends and belong to a black church, the way Obama has. There is a universality now to the middle-class black experience, he told me, that should be instantly recognizable to Jews or Italians or any other white ethnic bloc that has struggled to assimilate. And that means, at least theoretically, that a black politician shouldn’t have to obscure his racial identity.
In Booker’s first run for Newark mayor against Sharpe James, his “in between-ness” for lack of a better term was a major obstacle in his election. This excerpt from Streetfight, a wonderful film chronicling the first Booker-James mayor’s race highlights the contradistinction between “old” and “new” politics.
It does say something revealing that Booker lost this bid to be mayor of Newark (although he won his second). Similarly, is says something that Obama lost his first Congressional race in Chicago to Bobby Rush, a former Black Panther. In both cases, the “new politics” candidate was painted as an ivy-league outsider who didn’t understand the predominantly African-American community they were running to represent.
I don’t agree with Bai that we’re at an end in identity politics. What I think it means is that identity politics will have to be employed in more sophisticated, less transparent ways to be effective. Bill Clinton serves as an object lesson in how not to play identity politics.
This ham-handed effort to racialize Obama only allowed him to portray himself as “above” the old politics of racial division. If you recall, his gauzy South Carolina primary victory speech, the subject of the celebratory Wil-I-Am song, is what sling-shot him into Super Tuesday. This here’s good identity politics.
This “new” identity politics is defined by pivoting from identity to talk about transcending identity. “We are one America” only has resonance if you’re speaking from the experience of someone who has historically been viewed as part of the “other” America. This speech wouldn’t work very well if it was John McCain making it.
What do you think about Bai’s argument?
Comments 45
tyler straeter — November 11, 2008
I dont think that this is the end of "black politics". I believe it is a start and he has the correct mind set in moving forward. I also think he will not be able to convince people that it is the actually end to "Black politics". If you look at it from one side you could say he is really emphasizing on this to eliminate the thought in peoples heads that he will just be focusing on the black community and their needs. I believe if we are truly post racial then he wouldnt have to convince us there is no black politics, that people would just let him do his job and prove that he has an open mind set and will focus on whatever the real important problem might be.
Wilson Reuter — November 12, 2008
I'm not sure if I would consider this the end of black politics. However I do feel that as our society becomes less and less focused on race, that there will be no need for terms such as "black politics". The reason that I think Obama's presedential campaign was so effective is because he appealed to the whites without making them feel guilty of their racist past. I know that as a first time voter, Obama's race ment less to me than it did for many elderly voters. To me that means the term black politics may soon be coming to an end and it will all just simply be politics.
Edward Bedigian — November 12, 2008
I strongly disagree with Matt Bai argument that Obama is the end of black politics. As we can see from recent studies as each new generation comes it bring with it an even stronger feeling of color blindness then the prior generation. With this being said I don’t feel that America as a whole was ready for Obama to be our next president. Even thought Obama won with huge numbers in the electoral vote, when it comes to the popular vote the race was much closer. To me this means that the majority was ready, but there are still a huge number of people that voted for McCain. This could be linked either to policy issues or race related issues. I fell that Matt Bai has the mindset of the older generation that’s not ready to move forward was one America
Sammi — November 12, 2008
I don't think that Barack Obama is the end to "black politics." I think that yes, we are moving forward into a life where there may be an end to this "black politics," Obama states about Iowa, "Our time for change has come." I believe that this is absolutely true. Think about it, I never in my life thought that I would see someone who is not white in Office. I assumed that it would be attempted, but I honestly never truly believe that someone of another race would get past the primaries, but I'm sure glad Obama did. Obama struck the U.S. by speaking to us as a whole, not as separate people, separate types, or separate groups. He speaks about change as a country, working together and helping those in need, so I believe that change will come. Change has already started to form, we have a half African-American President Elect, and that is definitely a start.
andrew m. lindner — November 12, 2008
To me, the key phrase here is "tend to be Ivy-league educated." These black politicians are able to transcend blackness via their elite class status. "Black politics" aren't over because there will still be the grassroots organizing through black churches and black politicians like Jesse Jackson, Jr. who tend to represent the concerns of the black community. I do think that black politicians *on the national stage* will increasingly consider following in the successful paradigm of those black politicians who try to "move past race." But I view that as a tactic and not reflective of genuine social and political commitments.
As long as we have vast, structural inequalities between blacks and, well, everybody else, we're still going to have some form of black politics. So, they'll be around for a very long time.
King Politics — November 12, 2008
As long as there are Rush Limbaugh's in the world who believe they can truthfully assert that Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama was "all about race," there will always be "black politics." Besides, the future will never erase what happened in the past. But, to assume no black politics means to assume there's no racism, which despite last Tuesday, we are far from actually achieving.
Rochelle — November 12, 2008
I think that black politics is over for the most part, but there are always going to be people who bring it up. As it has been proven, our generation of people are increasingly more accepting of other races. More and more young people are proving to be virtually "color blind." There are a lot of older people who will keep bringing up "black politics" and race issues, but in 50 years I think America will be completely different and ALMOST free of black politics. But, like I said, there will always be someone who keeps bringing it up. So we are mostly "one America," but I don't think we will ever be completely there.
Grant Berg — November 12, 2008
Politics that runs off of or is based in a racial or ethnic context is bound to persist is one way or another well into the future. As long as there is the designation of political in-groups around the traditionally important identity of race, forces like black politics will continue to have a say. Yet the way such politics are viewed and who they cater to within an ethnic bloc is definitely changing in the present. This is thanks to the lessening of explicit and constant racial discrimination in the society of America.
Young black politicians with social mobility are mostly free from the blatant institutionalized racism of the past. Their perspectives have developed outside of the political mental hold of the Segregation-era black politician. During the repression of the Jim Crow era, black identity for black politicians was everything to them because of the needed solidarity of the African-American bloc in the face of vicious racism. Thus black politics needed to be unilateral and monolithic for basic survival needs.
Today, the "post-racial" society of America has made young blacks free from the black-and-white political standoff paradigm that was fastened to the consciousnesses of their predecessors. Indeed, the ambition and perspective of young black leaders like Cory Booker and Barack Obama is telling evidence of this change. They have broken from the "them versus us" trend of black politics and to the surprise of many Americans, succeeded. These young persons are the representatives of post-racial, post-modern politics; they can retain their Africa-American identity while still attracting non-black support. And while not living up to the traditional standards of "blackness", they are becoming more successful than their partisan forebears. The old black political authority ought to take note of this changing face of 21st century politics.
Bai is not completely correct in his title proclaiming the end to black politics. But considering the attention-grabbing purpose of such topic-oriented articles, I wouldn't doubt that he is aware of this. Rather, Bai has a very valuable point showing how the political landscape of black politics is undergoing a major revolution. Even though the list of disparities between blacks and other races persists today, these young black politicians are breaking into the mainstream of politics in a way unseen before. Black politics haven't died, but they are changing rapidly and are finally breaking out of the bonds of purely racial appeal into the 21st century. Who knows where the trend will go?
derek martinez — November 12, 2008
I think that black politcs is coming to an end. but there will always be people who bring up this. We are on our way to post racism. My generation and future generation are starting to look past race. For example my generation is more tolerant to interracial couple and satire towards race. You can tell that there is a difference between generation on race. Another example would be jesse jackson on his view on Barack Obama. We are vastly improving to a new society without race. but the problem is i dont think racism will ever die. It may be put in the rear view mirror but is bred into our genes.
Emily — November 13, 2008
I don't think black politics is coming to an end, but I do think it is lessening somewhat. To speak about racism and our generation again, I do believe that we are entering into a more colorblind society which affects everything from day to day encounters all the way up to politics. Can this end black politics? Not completely. An end to racism would. But the reality of that happening is unfortunately grim. Black politics are still around,albeit lesser than before, however they are not ending. I mean when will Obama stop being referred to as the "first black president-elect" and just be referred to as "the president-elect"?
McKenzie — November 13, 2008
I do not think that Barack Obama is going to completely change the issue of black politics. It is definitely a turning point in America's history and a major step in the right direction, but many people who have lived through the discrimination that occurred in the 60's. Many African American's have bitterness that remains from those times, so the fact that a black man is now our President may make the bitterness less severe, but it will not erase the past. If people were over "black politics," this question would not still come up and the arguments that come up in the media day after day would not exist either. Therefore, the issue still exists, but Obama being elected President may be the starting poing of a new mind-set for America.
Katelyn — November 13, 2008
I don't think that black politics is coming to an end. I think that people in our generation don't really pay much attention to race as the older generations do. To me a "black" politician has no impact on me because I listen more to the issues than to how people look. I think that Bai is somewhat right, and that we are slowly inching towards the end of "black politics," but it might not happen for a while. Obama winning definitely can be a major impact to people. Now maybe everyone will understand that he is a good candidate, whether he is black or white or whatever. But the reality is that racism still occurs, and can't be totally ended. People have their own opinions, and you can't tell them what to think.
John — November 13, 2008
I dont think that just because Obama won means that black politics is over, i think that statement is very irrational. I think that it is a step towards that but i dont believe that everyone can say that black politics has come to an end due to one event. I think one day that it will get as close to it as you can be but that day is not today. As long as it keeps getting better we are moving in the right direction.
Noelle — November 13, 2008
I definitely don't believe this is an end to black politics. I think Obama winning the presidency was an indication that we are definitely moving in that direction. However, the idea of a black president still doesn't settle well with a lot of people so we aren't quite at the point of black politics being over. Bill Clinton also related Obama's success in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson's success as if indicating that Obama only did well because he got the black vote. I think this statement from Clinton is also proof that black politics isn't over. I think what Bai may have been getting at is that as a colored candidate, you are going to have to be more subtle about "race" to get the approval of people. Obama was successful because he related to individuals of all walks of life. He made it where people could see him as a candidate, and not just a black candidate. I think people are definitely more open to having individuals of other races in politics, and I think that's even evident in the video with Sharpe James. The people were so excited that they were even dancing. He had said that he was once a poor Harlem boy and now he was running for reelection. This also is some evidence that we have improved a lot with black politics. A black candidate winning an office is not just a dream anymore--it's very possible. I think Obama got a lot of people interested in that he preached change.. People are so eager to see improvement. Bush has the lowest approval rating, and after Bush's terms, a candidate who is different than what we have had before is in some sense a breath of fresh air.
Greg Wallis — November 13, 2008
"Black politics" is not over just because the United States elected a black man as President. People like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and over radicals will always be calling for something more to happen and for things to "progress". An Obama presidency is a step in the right direction for these activists, but it is not enough and it never will for these people and for other people who feel that they were personally wronged. Now that the United States has elected a black man as President we are going to see a much greater number of black politicians who aren't involved in "black politics", but we will still have the few people who feel that they are called to join "black politics". We as a country are making steps in the right direction, but there are always individuals who will be striving for change so we will never see an end to "black politics".
Tyler Lee — November 13, 2008
I feel that as long as we still use the term "black politics" and talk about leaders overcoming racial barriers, then we are not in a post-racial society in relation to politics. If we still categorize African-Americans as members involved in "black politics" then we are still engaged in "race politics". I also think that electing a president doesn't mean an end to Black Politics. This just means that we have progressed and taken one step towards moving past racial politics. We are moving in the right direction at this point in our political era but we still have room to go.
Ryan — November 13, 2008
It seems to me that the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is not the end of “Black Politics.” I say this because I think to an extent, identity politics will always exist in some form. He could have been red, yellow, or green; the fact he was black did not matter in the end. America was ready and Obama sailed to victory on the tide of change. That being said, I think “black politics” has shifted in the sense that the politics employed by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, will no longer pack the same punch it used to. It goes back to the argument between challenger and bargainer statuses in “black politics”
Adam Lotspike — November 13, 2008
I think Bai has a valid claim that many of the young, ivy-league educated black politicians have a disconnect with the lower and middle class black communities. Obama had lived a life that not a lot of other African Americans have lived. I'm sure that many African American voters in the United States voted for Obama based off race, which is understandable. Many African Americans do believe that Obama isn't in the same field as Jesse Jackson when it comes to traditional "black" politics, however, the barrier that was broken last Tuesday was much more important to African Americans. Regardless of Obama's educational background, and his views on African American culture, he is the first African American president in the United States.
I think that "black" politicians have a hard time appealing to whites and other minorities because much of what they fight for is within their own communities. African American politicians, or other minority politicians, can appeal more to the general public by expanding past the "black" norms, and taking advantage of what this country has to offer, regardless of race. We are in no way near the end of "black politics," but the steps that we are taking to get to that point have been in the right direction; a direction in which the racial boundaries dissolve, and we can truly be in a post racial society.
zachary sipos — November 14, 2008
I don't believe this is an end to black politics. I feel its a begging to a point where a lot of people may not of been ready for a black politician, but a lot of people sill voted for Obama because he's black. Still, many blacks don't even see Obama as black. He has lived a far better life than many african americans and many don't see him as a representation of there race.
Deanna — November 14, 2008
I don't think "black politics" has come to an end or even close to being over. We have begun the process to eliminate "black politics" by having newer generations that are colorblind. We aren't completely post racial because we still have people who automatically think that an African American president will only care about African Americans. Obama separates himself from this stereotypical idea by relating to all people as one. I don't think that electing a black president will end "black politics". Some people may have voted for him because of his race which shows how we are still a racial society. But others may have voted for him because of what he believed in or stood for and that is a step towards accepting other races and being a colorblind society.
Cameron Chandler — November 14, 2008
I disagree with Bai, I do not think that we are at an end of identity politics. Part of the reason I think that we are not is because Obama felt that is was necessary to reveal almost none of his actual character, he only revealed things about himself when absolutely necessary. Although he was very smart to do so because he was considered in high regard by many Americans at the end of the election, but if he had revealed much about himself during the election then he would have lost many supporters. When the Will-I-Am song came out many people set their status on Facebook to the Youtube link of it, not just Californians nor just Americans, but people all around the world, when the vote got to other states people would remember that video and remember his message and, often, vote for him. The phrase "We are One America" is made to make people think that EVERYONE agrees that everyone is on an equal playing field, but many people are not on the same playing field, as an example, Bill Gates and people from the hood are definitely not on the same field. Not all Americans even want to be on the same field, fanatical Christians and proud gays, or the people who have lived in poverty their entire lives and have been building resentment for the rich and Donald Trump, but I am being far to closed minded, what about the skin heads and white supremacy groups? They not only do not want to be on the same field, but many of them are willing to take matters into their own hands and use violent action to attain their goals, which in this case is not being on the same level as a black person especially a black United States President.
Maria S. — November 14, 2008
Is this the end of “Black Politics”, both sides of this issue can be strongly debatable. If we look at one side of it Obama winning the Presidency has definitely brought the nation towards the direction that its not over. By looking back at our history, we can tell that Obama is not the typical image of the president we have been having. By Obama winning Black Politics is going to grow along with it, more Africa Americans and the young community are going to get more involved in the political views. In the other of the issue, our nation is said to be growing in a multicultural society. The generation today is more open to change than other nations before. Looking at today’s young society and how they have grown with different races and learn about different points of views, the idea of Black Politics doesn’t become an issue and instead it will just will be put aside and forgotten. Bai’s argument states that he wants Black Politics to end he doesn’t want to be answering questions about “incarceration rates, flagging urban economies” he wants to be able to be able to speak about issue in another country. I don’t fully agree with Bai’s argument I believe there should be a balance of black politics it doesn’t fully have to go away but it also doesn’t have to become the main topic.
michael azhocar — November 14, 2008
I do not think that this the end of black politics. Just because we elected a black president to lead our country it doesn't mean that "black politics" are over. if you are me no matter where you go in the united states we are not completely anti-racist and because of that some people voted for Brock Obama due to the fact that he was black and vise versa some didn't vote for him because of his race. Bia says that “I don’t want to be the person that’s turned to when CNN talks about black leaders" even though as a society we want black politics to be over there are always gonna be people looking to put someone that represents them and what they want. So i would have to disagree though this was a huge step with Obama being elected president i am not totally convinced we have witnessed the end of "black politics"
Jordan Cox — November 14, 2008
I don't think this is the end of black politics. We are living in a post-racial time and Barack Obama being elected as president showed how far we have come today. It was interesting to learn about Obama's first congressional race and how he lost to Bobby Rush who was a former black panther. Obama was portrayed as an outsider who did not know the people as well as Bobby Rush did. The "new" identity politics as Bai's argument explains that Obama is black, therefore he can make ties and talk about "We are one America." This may help him out, but to look at Obama winning the election is only the beginning for black politics.
Tadd — November 14, 2008
I don't think that "Black Politics" will ever go away. I think there will always be a large number of voters who vote for a candidate just because they are apart of their "in group" and therefore believe that that candidate will use his power to help them out. I think Black politics is one of the huge contributing factors why obama got elected. People got caught up in the idea of a black president and making history that they forgot about the issues and voted for him. I believe that if obama was white or Hilary won the candidacy this race would have been a completely different race. obama made a lot of mistakes in his campain that were never brought up and I think that is becasue a lot of people were scared of being called a racist. If race politics ever goes away I think it will be a while before we see that happen.
Lizzy Schmitter — November 14, 2008
I agree with most of the responses that this is not the END of black politics and identity politics, however, I think it is definitely a step (or leap) in that direction. It is a HUGE deal that Obama is the first African-American in history to be elected as President. The fact that it's a huge deal proves that we're not at the end of black politics. It was the topic of nearly every conversation during the campaign, and he was targeted on many level because of his race. However, he did prove to many that this is not what he wanted to be running for. I think that it's fairly obvious that he wanted to be elected on the basis of his character, his policies, and his ability to do the job well. He didn't try to connect with only the minority populations because that wouldn't have gotten him the presidency and he is representing ALL of America so it's an understandable way to run a campaign.
I believe that Obama's election last Tuesday made huge progress towards the end of black politics, although not ending it completely. In the future, more African-American leaders will most likely have to complete what Obama has progressed so greatly.
Kelly How — November 14, 2008
Like i mentioned before, i believe that it is not the end of black politics. We are more accepting and more willing to adapt to changes but things will never change just like that. I disagree when he says that it is the end of black politics just because there will always be a group that will be discriminated against, and always a group that will find it unfair. We are post racial but definitely not over black politics. We have made a step forward , an African-American is now the President of the United States. We will make history as long as we are free people. We will make history as long as are willing to change. It is progress, it is change but its far fetched when Bai talks about the "end" of black politics
Kristiann Lopez — November 14, 2008
I think that for some “black politics” is over, but for others it isn’t even close. I feel that there will always be some people that think about race too much and will always see that before anything else. Along with that I think some black people will focus on race just as much as whites. It is mostly the older generation that focuses on race so in the future I feel that it will become less and less of an issue. Although there will always be a few people that see someone’s identity based according to their race.
Our society is becoming more and more “colorblind”, our generation being very close. The next generation will be even more so because racial diversity is much more prevalent and they will be much more exposed to it and they won’t think anything of people of different races. As the country becomes less white and more racially diverse race will become a smaller issue to most people.
I don’t think that race based politics will ever completely go away while there is still racism and there will always be racist people even if they aren’t the majority.
Jon-Erik — November 14, 2008
Like many people have said before me, I dont think Obama is the end of Black Politics, but rather the start. Dont get me wrong, Obama has made a huge advancement in Black Politics but like "King Politics" said before me, "believing that the only reason that Collin Powell endorsed Obama because he was Black." Im sure that there are any people out there who believe this too. I believe that there will be an end to Black politics when everyone votes for a person not on their race, but rather on their belief.
Teresa Salazar — November 14, 2008
I believe that is a new phase of "black Politics", Barack obama is bringing another perspective to black politics, where there is a difference yet it tries to integrate others into the issues. Its not going to go away, right now is just going to be eembraced in a different light, because we are looking for all the accomplishments of "black politics" for instance that we have our first african american president, and so on.
I personally think that there is nothing wrong from addressing issues that might put u in pigeonhold, i believe that Booker should try to represent his community and along with it be able to put into perspective that there is more to it, than just race issues. And its because people avoid it that those issues still affect us, if politicians took the time to address them, then they probably would go away and everyone else wouldnt have otherwise but to talk about other issues.
Forrest Hunt — November 14, 2008
"Black politics" as it is defined in these various cases has definitely changed between the younger and older generations involved in politics. Those that lived through the discrimination of the Civil Rights Movement (such as Jesse Jackson) have a different view of what politics should be used. They hold for a lack of a better word, a "grudge" about these past actions and look for politics to not only provide reparations for these injustices, but also to protect them institutionally from these issues in the future. These generalized views are reflected in their more "extreme" policies if they hold political office. As well, this older generation uses race as a identification tool to create a formidable in-group of constituents.
On the other hand, the new generation of "black politicians" in this context do not have this first-hand experience with the Civil Rights Movement. They are not physically "scarred" like those within the older generation and know of the Civil Rights Movement from hearsay (possibly within the family) and through historical texts. This aloofness from their past have caused these new-generation black politicians to view politics as a more contemporary way of allocating resources through policy as opposed to racially-charged politics of the previous generation. This is not to say that they are ignorant to their past or that they do not care to progress black equality, but that this have taken a backseat to a more conventional perspective of global issues (such as nuclear proliferation, or Iraq). This distinction allows them to transcend race and appeal to those that want to move past historically racially-charged politics (such as the post-racial generation). However, they have to increasingly convince those older black voters that they do remember and that they do care, but that they are also cognizant of other political issues (as Obama has done).
Khoa Nguyen — November 14, 2008
I also don't agree with Bai. It is true that we are now in a society where racism is not so obvious anymore, "post-racial" society. Although certain African Americans have a very positive attitude facing all the challenges they have, they don't care about the issue of race, they care about what is really going on the worl and so on, I still think they are still facing racist challenges. May be just a comment from his or her colleague that has a fain hint of it, may be the attitude of the people he represents for. Racism will still exist there. It will take longer than a century, I think, for all of that to completely go away.
Kelly Porter — November 14, 2008
I do not think that Obama's campaign and victory is the end of "black politics," because as long as our society is still having discussions about race, as we had about Obama with people wondering whether his race would have a large impact on voters, there will still be such a thing as "black politics." As long as people still feel race is an important issue, "black politics" will not die.
tim cozine — November 14, 2008
The end of "black politics" goes two ways for me. One aspect i think that it is the end of black politics, atleast in an explicit matter. However there is still a side to society that views race before they view anything else. This habit will keep the sense of "black politics" alive as to the fact that it will remain at the forefront of their thoughts. I would like to think that we are all moving towards the end of race and that we are a "post-racial" generation, but i still think that race is still a big factor in our everyday views, beliefs, and lives (atleast in a diverse setting). As far as the aspect of being "one America" i think that we are two Americas, the old and the new.
Bri Aleman — November 14, 2008
When Obama recieved the title of president-elect, a wave of relief washed over America. Is it for real? Is our society truly post-racist and ready to move on from a past of discrimination? I believe the only thing that could disrupt our euphoria of good feelings would be an assasination. Not only would this be a tragic event, but it would also show the rest of the world the types of people that make up American society. Whether democrat or republican, white or black, or any other color for that matter, Obama will be running the most powerful nation of the world come next year, and whether we claim support or not, it is time to participate in democracy and respect our executive branch of government.
Romero — November 14, 2008
I definately wouldn't consider Obama's victory as a symbol to the end of "black politics". There are so many different things that could happen during his presidency that only time will tell. Don't get me wrong, America has come a long way from not allowing African-Americans to vote, and having an African-American President in the same century. It is a piece of history that we are experienceing, and its awesome. Obama's victory very well may reverse all of the progress we have made over the years, as it could bring up groups of racist that have a mission to Assaninate Obama, and this could show that america is still infact racist and that black politics isn't over. Or on the other hand Obama culd do greast things for our country, and show people that race doesn't matter, and this could help bing an end to black politics. As i said before, only time can tell, and we jjust need to hope for the best.
Erin Kim — November 14, 2008
I do not agree with Matt Bai’s argument because I do not believe that Obama is the ending note to “black politics”. However, I do believe that Obama is the beginning to the future end of black politics, but I also think that we have to remember that the presidency of Obama is impermanent. After his term(s), who will be the next president? And if the next president is white, will we still see black politics disappearing? A thing such as this takes time and I do not think that the majority of America is ready to be blinded totally from it. The scars of America’s history still burns deeply inside some citizens and based from the material read in this course and outside experience, there is still racism and because there is still racism the black community will continue to have representatives to reflect their concerns. I think it is going to take a few more generations until we can firmly say that black politics is disappearing because with each new generation the colorblindness is getting greater and greater.
Juan — November 14, 2008
I do not think this change in the mindset of the new African American politicians in comparison to that of the previous African American leaders will mark an end to black politics because the issue of race will always be present in society in some way or another. it is a change, and a significant one in the way they are carried out but still this is not the end but rather an evolution that is changing the platform from one of "being repressed" to one of equality with white politicians.
Danika — November 14, 2008
I do not believe that black politics has come to an end, but may soon reach that level. This was a very important election, especially since many never thought they would live to see the first black president. Although it is a historic event, I feel that it means more overall to those of older generations. Since it is assumed that people were not only focused on the political aspect of the candidates while voting gives me reason to believe that black politics has not ended even though Obama won. With the upcoming colorblind generations, I think that people will eventually focus solely on the political asepct and disregard any race factor. Once an election like this occurs, black politics will no longer exist.
greg r — November 14, 2008
It is not the end. It is the exception that proves the rule. They will continue to use it until it is proven time and time again that it does not work
Jessica Forsythe — November 14, 2008
The idea that "black politics" is completely over seems to have become a more realistic idea in recent weeks. Much is shown by the fact that America now has an African-American in the highest political power. I think that this is a very commendable step that the United States has taken to become a truly color-blind nation. However, I do not think that Obama's presidency makes "black politics" completely go away. I think that America as a nation will be able to give equal, if not more respect, to Obama during his presidency. However, I do not think that "black politics" will diminish because of his presidency. The ideologies behind "black politics" are engrained in people's heads to such an extent that it will take more than one monumental event to bring a complete end to "black politics". This end seems closer not that we have looked beyond race and social diversity enough to elect a president based on his political intentions.
Kendra Carter — November 14, 2008
I don't think that this is the end of black politics. It may be slowly diminshing, but it will never be completely gone because race will always be present. Rather than looking at Obama's victory as an end to black poltics, it can be seen as the beginning of a colorblind nation. With each new generation, there will be a step towards greater equality.
Kjrstin — November 14, 2008
I dont believe this is the end of "black politics", nor do I believe there will ever be an end to identity politics. Just the fact that we keep referring to many politicians by their race is proof enough that we are not there yet. We are moving in the right direction and we are making great progress, but we are not there yet. And when "black politics" (or any other kind of race politics) are no more, then there will develop politics focussed on other identities. There will be "homosexual politics" or the politics of some other minority group. Humans tend to put things into categories, and I dont foresee the whole idea of identity politics ever coming to an end, even if race is no longer a factor.
neelix — November 17, 2008
He has the right idea i think about moving forward and out of this so called "black politics". Although I do not think we have actually made the transition to a post racial society because of his argument. It is important though for these upcoming and few current politicians to continue to not want to focus on issues mainly concerning color, but rather concerning the real issues with the world and society as a whole to which they represent. Obama's speech in particular is prime example of moving away from the focus on black politics as a subject line, but into a more multicultural view of the current issues. Post racial is at the top but we are still submerged in the issues surrounding race.
mwerring — December 3, 2008
I believe that Barack is holding the reins to the most important presidency in a long time. His decisions and the things that happen during his presidency will be under the finest tooth comb we have ever seen. History books will be written just for his time in office, full books. I dont believe that he has changed black politics, I believe he can. I believe that he can change not only America - but the inter workings of it.. which I believe is the most important. Obama avoided black politics on purpose - people do not want to hear it. He shared his unbelievable ability to speak, and intertwined all races and classes, and republicans and age - between 8:00 and 9:00 minutes. By making ties with more than one race, he opened up his chances to share his voice with everyone.