Racism in Politics: Does it Exist? Whose Fault Is It?

I read a posting on the AARP Community discussion boards and was a little unsure of where the author was coming from about an email he sent to the Whitehouse regarding racism because as he stated in the post he did not include the original email, only his second email which more or less said he was disappointed because he had received no reply about such an important topic that could help unify America. It appeared that indirectly he was trying to call Obama to task for not unifying America over the issue of racism which was such an important topic.


A condensed version although somewhat ruder version of his email complaining about having receive no reply could be, "Hey Obama, we all agree that racism is an important issue. You promised to unify America over this. What happened Obama? You didn't even answer my first email."


So I wrote a reply stating how I felt about racism and how it relates to Obama.


I am unsure as to the intent of your posting because you did not include the original email. However for me the subject of racism was one of several reasons that I was more than happy to vote for President Obama. I wasn't just happy, I was ecstatic. I saw this as the last best hope for America to become "one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all", as was originally intended. America was so, so deeply divided along racial lines. There was virtually no communication and hostility more often than not simmered below the surface.

In that regard, Obama, or as a result of his election, has made great strides in unifying America over the issue of racism. We, as a nation, have symbolically anyway, repudiated racism by the election of Obama. I feel actual warmth and a welcoming openness amongst many African-Americans now, that would never have even said hello at the Walmart checkout or waiting in line at Starbucks in the past. We smile at each other, we are happier and there is a wanting by both white and black to communicate openly and I do.

I know that seems so ridiculous to so many skeptics but it is the possibilities beyond that smile and the conversation that excite me. This is the beginning! Where will we, Blacks and Whites together, find ourselves in a year, 5 years or a decade? I hope and dream that we will be unified, equal and enjoy the company of those of any race. I would love to see my grandchildren bring home all school friends without suspicion or doubt by their parents. The election of Obama was a huge step forward but only the beginning.

Unfortunately the election of Obama has on the one hand made a huge step toward a unity and fellowship of the diverse population of our country never before realized but it has also isolated and created a deeper divide between the small minority of Whites, who never changed in their attitudes towards people of other races and find themselves horrified by the actual election of a Black man. They are cornered, circling their wagons and seeking a means to vent their anger, hatred and bile. I saw them in West Virginia where in the Democratic Primary they denounced Obama and fled to Hillary Clinton in huge numbers. That says nothing bad about Hillary; she will make a fine candidate and President down the pike. But it revealed the dark underside of working class America and showed that bigotry and ignorance still was there and there in large numbers. It showed again in the Republican Primary when people at Sarah Palin rallies carried racist signs and told a Black security officer that he should "get his N A out of there." Those were a couple of the more obvious evidence showing that the small minority harboring racist views was out there still.

What Party will these people gravitate to and what will that Party do with them? How many white collared closet racists are there in this minority of haters? When we ask ourselves why does an otherwise well educated and seemingly friendly person working beside us get so bitter and angry when talking about any issue involving Obama, what is the answer and is an undertone of racial bitterness part of it? I am not going to go around saying, "You, you and you are racists." They will reveal themselves as that corner they snarl from becomes smaller and smaller, when they no longer feel anything in common other than skin color even within their own racial group. They are alone. They are angry. They are dangerous and I would advise and warn any Party that to welcome these types of people into your numbers and plan and strategize as to how to use them will endanger the existence and survival of that Party. They must stay isolated until their very exiled and solitary existence drives them back to society seeking to be part of the whole; part of the unity of mankind.