Race, Politics and Easter
It’s Easter Sunday and the topic du jour is race. The old ad used to say “You don’t have to be Jewish to like Levy’s Rye Bread” (maybe it was a New York thing), so perhaps you don’t have to be Christian to appreciate the irony of the moment.
Barack Obama was forced to deliver a speech on the subject of race because he has been buffeted by charges of poor judgment for maintaining a relationship with his preacher, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Radio, television and YouTube listeners and viewers have been barraged by clips of Wright railing against the inequities of our white-dominated society and even asserting that our nation brought 9/11 on ourselves through our actions around the world.
I thought Obama was faced with a “Sister Souljah” moment, similar to when Bill Clinton needed to repudiate one of his core constituencies in order to prove his independence and character.
But once again Obama proved that he is possessed of a remarkable intelligence and sophisticated appreciation of the powerful tensions tearing at our divided nation. He delivered a speech in Philadelphia last Tuesday that rejected Wright’s words but placed them in the context of our nation’s great but imperfect history. We should not forget or ignore that history, he said, but neither should we be poisoned by it.
It is a history that has left scars on many people of many colors, faiths and bckgrounds but it has also taught us that we have the means, through our system of government and the power it bestows on “We, the People,” to right wrongs and continue the process of constructing a “more perfect union.”
It remains to be seen how this election year will play out. But once again former President Bill Clinton revealed himself to be more interested in exploiting race for political advantage than in serving as one of the nation’s and his party’s senior statesmen. His comment that he hoped the nation would have two candidates in the general election able to focus on important things and not be distracted by the ugly and divisive issue of race was a transparent and shameful attack on Obama.
Obama went on to deliver speeches on the economy and foreign affairs but the Wright controversy continues to dog him. Conservative talk show hosts are gleeful that they have been provided with ammo to challenge Obama’s patriotism by associating him with Wright. It’s ridiculous and offensive but it’s a free country.
Race has also made an unfortunate appearance in the campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Challenger Michael Gableman is running an ad that is being compared to the Willie Horton ad of George H.W. Bush and Lee Atwater. The ad accuses incumbent Justice Louis Butler of working to free a criminal and juxtaposes the pictures of Butler and the defendant, both African American.
Of course, Butler was a defense attorney at the time and every schoolchild knows that our Constitution guarantees everyone charged with a crime with competent defense. You’d think that a candidate for judge would know that.
Whether it’s racist or not, Gableman’s ad is dishonest and repulsive and it is leading to the defection of supporters who feel he crossed a line they cannot condone.
It is unfortunate that such issues must dominate the news at a time when Christians celebrate the miracle of the Resurrection. But perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing for us to be reminded of the teachings of Jesus about loving our neighbors and helping the less fortunate among us.
Do you have to wonder what the Prince of Peace would have said about the leaders of the WMC and other business leaders who are spending millions to install Gableman on the court? Something about a camel squeezing through the eye of a needle, perhaps?
