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Can Black Americans Afford Obama?
Townhall.com ^ | June 9, 2010 | Walther E. Williams

Posted on 06/09/2010 7:49:46 AM PDT by Kaslin

My March 2008 column "Is Obama Ready for America?" started out: "Some pundits ask whether America is ready for Obama. The much more important question is whether Obama is ready for America and even more important is whether black people can afford Obama." Let's look at this.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson, in signing a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, broke the color bar in Major League Baseball. In 1950, three blacks broke the color bar in the National Basketball Association (NBA): Earl Lloyd (Washington Capitals), Chuck Cooper (Boston Celtics) and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton (New York Knicks). Their highly successful performances opened the way for other blacks to follow -- peaking at 27 percent in Major League Baseball and 80 percent in the NBA.

Without a question, the first blacks, relative to their white peers, in professional sports were exceptional. There's no sense of justice that should require that these players be as good as they were in order to get a job. But the fact of business, in order to deal with racial hostility and stereotypes of incompetence, they had to be first rate and possess character beyond question. It was not only important for their careers, it was important for their fellow blacks. At the time the sports color bar was being broken, black people could ill afford stumblebums. Today, black people can afford stumblebums in several sports. In fact, black people can afford for the Philadelphia Sixers to put Williams in their starting lineup. Any person watching me mess up royally would have to be a lunatic to say, "Those blacks can't play basketball." The bottom line is that whether we like it or not, whether for good reason or bad reason, whether it's fair or unfair, people make stereotypes, and stereotypes can have effects.

In that March 2008 column, I said, "For the nation and for black people, the first black president should be the caliber of a Jackie Robinson and Barack Obama is not. Barack Obama has charisma and charm but in terms of character, values and understanding, he is no Jackie Robinson." Obama's electoral success was truly remarkable. It's a testament to the essential goodness of the American people. A June 6-9, 2008 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reported "that 17 percent were enthusiastic about Obama being the first African American President, 70 percent were comfortable or indifferent, and 13 percent had reservations or were uncomfortable."

President Obama, with the assistance of devious House and Senate leadership, has gotten a health care law enacted that the majority of American voters are against. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 58 percent of voters support repeal of the health care law. Under the president's leadership, the 2010 budget deficit will reach more than $1.5 trillion, about 10 percent of gross domestic product, the largest deficit since the end of World War II. We're not that far behind the troubled nation of Greece, which has a current budget deficit of nearly 13 percent of GDP. Our national debt at $13 trillion is about 90 percent of GDP and budgeted to grow by $9 trillion over the next decade. On the diplomatic front, the Obama team is not doing much better, showing every sign of permitting a terrorist nation like Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.

Early indications suggest that the Barack Obama presidency might turn out to be similar to the failed presidency of Jimmy Carter. That's bad news for the nation but especially bad news for black Americans. No white presidential candidate had to live down the disgraced presidency of Carter but I'm all too fearful that a future black presidential candidate will find himself carrying the heavy baggage of a failed black president. That's not a problem for white liberals who voted for Obama who received their one-time guilt-relieving dose from voting for a black man to be president, but it is a problem for future generations of black Americans.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: walterewilliams; walterwilliams; whyhecare; williams
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To: newfreep

Davis today and then Belling, I think for Thursday and Friday. Don’t know who is covering Monday.


61 posted on 06/09/2010 9:40:28 AM PDT by GatorGirl (Eschew Socialism!)
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To: Kaslin
That's not a problem for white liberals who voted for Obama who received their one-time guilt-relieving dose from voting for a black man to be president, but it is a problem for future generations of black Americans.

Sadly, this is all too true.

62 posted on 06/09/2010 10:40:07 AM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: mikelets456

Whereas that’s true, as Mr.(Dr.?) Williams argues, it’s especially true for black Americans.


63 posted on 06/09/2010 10:42:51 AM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: Pollster1

I disagree. I think there are enough Americans who, though they may not even admit it to themselves, would be very, very wary to vote for another black candidate for the U.S. Presidency. I’m not saying that skin color would necessarily be the only reason. Just as most voters have at least a few areas of disagreement with any presidential candidate, these areas would become amplified with a black candidate. I believe the candidate being black would tip the scale further against him/her.


64 posted on 06/09/2010 10:57:06 AM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: Pollster1
I usually agree with Williams, but this time I think he’s wrong. If the next serious black candidate is qualified, he (she?) will have support from the color-blind right.

Once bitten twice shy. Can America afford another affirmative action president? No we cannot. Any black would have to be so overwhelmingly superior to any other raced candidate as to be the only sane choice. (We are talkin Ronald Reagan compared to Jimmy Carter levels of dominance here). Unfortunately, people of that leevl of strength and capability only come along once every century or so. (if that often).

Even though we are color blind, we are not stupid.

If the next black is unqualified, then with luck having survived Obama will be enough to keep the racist left from voting for another token based on skin color alone.

The racist left will vote exactly as they did this time. "He's black do he must be better". They will only learn when they die off and smarter people follow them.

Obama is no worse for black Americans than for the rest of America. While that’s a horrible thing for black Americans too, it’s no worse than for the rest of us.

Actually he is worse for them. He is single-handedly reinvigorating anti-black prejudice in this country by openly being the enemy of these united States. Every black person has to bear the suspicion of being another moslem, kenyan obama until they prove otherwise. They didn't have to face that before.

65 posted on 06/09/2010 11:16:56 AM PDT by John O (God Save America (Please))
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Remember Marxine Waters wanting ebonics to be taught in CA schools.

The Lord help these people with the leaders they choose.


66 posted on 06/09/2010 11:32:40 AM PDT by Carley (For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.)
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To: Kaslin

These are perilous times for America and we need conservative, fiscally responsible, assertive leadership without falling into the trap of “historic firsts or seconds” based on race or gender.
We can’t afford to lose another presidential election because we put forward color/gender instead of a winner.
No, I have no idea who that would be...of any “color”.


67 posted on 06/09/2010 12:20:21 PM PDT by two23 (Everything About Them Is a Lie)
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To: BubbaBasher; FreeAtlanta; FourPeas; John O; Kaslin
Kaslin said, "I would not have a problem voting for a conservative black candidate."

Imagine that Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, or some other familiar conservative intellectual somehow decided to become governor of his (her?) state, ran the state with substantial success for 8 years, and then ran for president. Do you think a lot of republicans would be less willing to vote for that conservative (with executive experience) because he was black like Obama, or only that racist democrats would be even less likely to vote for a qualified conservative black than for a qualified conservative white after seeing Obama's epic failure?

68 posted on 06/09/2010 12:32:23 PM PDT by Pollster1 (Natural born citizen of the USA, with the birth certificate to prove it)
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To: Pollster1

Blacks still love 0bama and hate Justice Thomas. End of story.


69 posted on 06/09/2010 1:05:38 PM PDT by BubbaBasher ("Liberty will not long survive the total extinction of morals" - Sam Adams)
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To: FourPeas

I always thought that the first black US president would either be really GOOD or really BAD for America. Turns out it is really bad for America. I thought we would get a good guy who wanted to make things better for all Americans, or we would get an immature jerk with a chip on his shoulder. we got the latter.


70 posted on 06/09/2010 1:18:39 PM PDT by buffyt (Abortion is the ultimate CHILD ABUSE!)
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To: Pollster1
While it's true that most racists I've met are liberals and/or Democrats, over the years I've been sadly surprised by the subtle racism that exists even with many conservatives I know. Perhaps it's because of their age or a southern thing. Perhaps it's because in the MSM, most of the black Americans that are put up as leaders are the likes of Al Sharpton and his ilk. Whatever it is, I think the next black candidate for the US presidency faces even more of an uphill battle because of the frequent and overwhelming errors made by the current administration.
71 posted on 06/09/2010 1:34:24 PM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: buffyt
we got the latter.

Yup.

72 posted on 06/09/2010 1:35:07 PM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: John O
He is single-handedly reinvigorating anti-black prejudice in this country

Those were the words I was searching for.

73 posted on 06/09/2010 1:37:35 PM PDT by FourPeas (God Save America)
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To: Kaslin

As usual, Williams is right on the mark. It is natural for blacks to want to see a black president. After more than 140 years, they have every right to feel so.

It is a shame that the leader of the pack turns out to be a rabid anti-american marxist/globalist/progressive.

Williams is right. Future black candidates will have to overcome Obama’s example, rather than profit from it.


74 posted on 06/09/2010 2:02:05 PM PDT by LoneStarC
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To: Kaslin
Well, considering that Black Americans seem to be a solid bloc of pro-gay, environmentalist, evolutionist, secularist, pointy headed intellectuals--how could they not afford him?

You never know who's hiding under all that "bumpkin," do you?

75 posted on 06/09/2010 2:35:26 PM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (Vatiftach ha'aretz 'et-piyha vativla` 'otam ve'et-bateyhem; ve'et kol-ha'adam 'asher leQorach . . .)
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To: Pollster1
I am frustrated. I would love to have any of those men or Condi as president over Juan McCain or Obama. I am hurt deeply over the support for the Marxist Destroyer who is masquerading as president by my black friends and over 95% of the nations blacks.

At what point do you resist a devil that looks like you and side with good people who don't?

76 posted on 06/09/2010 3:07:39 PM PDT by FreeAtlanta (Hey, Barack "Hubris" Obama, $10 is all it would take, why spend millions to cover it up?)
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