America’s increasing polarization along racial and ideological lines is seriously undermining democratic ideals and principles. The fringes of the political left and the political right are putting power, privilege and prejudice over civility, community and commonality. The result is a country that values acerbic rhetoric over intelligent discourse, suppression of speech over freedom of speech and mudslinging over truth telling. Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina is comfortable calling the president a liar and Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida is comfortable calling all Republicans killers. Is America a Democratic Republic or a banana republic?
The ongoing debate on health care demonstrates with laser clarity the racial polarization that is the new normal in America. “I guess we’ll probably have folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside, intimidating people,” Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said. “Magically, the alchemic powers of Obama’s black skin transmogrify the same arguments and the same rhetoric into racism. Saying ‘you’re wrong’ to a White politician is a disagreement; saying it to a Black politician is like shouting through Bull Connor’s megaphone,” wrote columnist Jonah Goldberg.
For many on the left, any criticism of President Obama is cloaked in race while many on the right simply refuse to acknowledge that there are some people in this country who will not accept a Black president and some people are members of the political right. To be sure, the left levels charges of racism as a political anvil as if its racial hands are clean. For example, former President Jimmy Carter said, “I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a Black man, that he’s African-American.” However, as president, Carter did not appoint Blacks to his cabinet in record numbers. It is thus somewhat curious that he believes that he has the moral clarity to paint dissension as racism in such broad strokes.
Whether they wish to admit it or not, many on the right understand and accept that there are some in their base for whom the election of a Black president means the destruction of “American values.” This is not to suggest that President Obama cannot be criticized because of his race; in fact, the opposite is true. The problem is when the criticism is used as code for racial prejudice and in the place of racial pejorative.
