Sunday, January 11, 2009

Liberal fantasies and racial elections

Did you see the exchange between Harry Smith and Ann Coulter? (Smith was incredibly rude, and I was disappointed that she didn't cut him down to size.) One of the topics they discussed especially caught my interest: liberals like Smith are truly worried that Obama will be assassinated because he is black.

Really, some people need to get out more and experience the real America. I know they travel around reporting, but perhaps they are insulated by groupthink, surrounded by their news team members and liberal buddies. Anyway, for those who have never taken off the left-wing hypnoglasses for aeons, here's an update: the horrible tragedy of slavery in America ended in 1865 under our first Republican president, and lingering racism was dealt a blow in the 1960s despite the stubborn opposition of many Democrats in Congress. Maybe it's different where the elite liberals hang out, but in normal America where I live, I don't see a lot of people driven by racial hatred. As Coulter pointed out, much of the violence in our society is acted out by socialists and leftists.

It's funny how "progressives" are all so far behind the times. When they were still busy calling Clinton the "first black president" (how ridiculous is that?) some conservatives were already rooting for Alan Keyes, my favorite during recent elections and the man I think should have been our country's first African-American president, the man I wish were preparing to take office...but that leads me to an important point.

I don't like Keyes primarily because he's black. I like him because he's intelligent, he's moral, and he cares about this country. Unlike some presidents-elect we could mention, he's unquestionably qualified to serve (and presumably descended from slaves). Unfortunately, most Americans didn't notice Keyes--and the liberal media certainly didn't try to draw attention to him.

But here's where I differ from liberals, and here's the idea that many on the Left just can't understand. I like Keyes because he's a good man that happens to be black, not because he's a black man that happens to be running for president. And on the other hand, if a good white or Hispanic or Asian American had won, I wouldn't feel bad because some imaginary Oval Office quota system wasn't met. (I just feel bad because we have Obama.) Conservatives have largely stopped thinking about race, while it seems that liberals can't stop being obsessed with it.

I wonder whether they really understand, after all this time, that there's so much more to people beyond skin color. Can they really understand the concept of ignoring the superficial? At first Democrats were famous for discriminating against blacks, and now they try to be in the spotlight for favoring minority races over whites. Many people voted for Obama because they hated Bush, or they believed in Hope and Change, or they liked his smooth talking, or they wanted his far-left support on social issues. But a substantial number of others voted for him because of his race, and given the fairly close popular vote, that means the popular victory and perhaps even the electoral victory of this election could have been due to racial attitudes. Is this truly progressive? Is it wise? Is it a good thing for America?

Racism is preference or prejudice based on race--whether its manifestation towards a person is opposition or support. And here's the second thing many liberals haven't realized yet, being "progressive" and behind the times--that racism is ugly and wrong either way. Racism is never positive--favoring one group is not only unfair to others, it also hurts the very group that is supposed to be helped. I know, it'll take time--give the progressives about 50 years and they may catch up with the rest of us and finally "get" it.

Before and during the election, liberals were worrying about Obama losing because of racism. Now that he won, partly due to racism, they're worried that he will be assassinated due to racism. In reality, Obama probably has a lower chance of assassination than white presidents due to racial considerations; any attacker would be labeled a racist and sport that legacy in history.

The final part of this issue that liberals have difficulty comprehending is why anyone out there in fly-over land (the derogatory way elite coastal lefties have traditionally viewed the regions that hold some of America's more sensible citizens) might oppose the Anointed One in the first place. In their inability to grasp what the liberal establishment never spoonfed them, they turn to desperate explanations such as racism. And since liberals have control of the biggest part of our mass communications system, unfortunately they can effectively spread such ridiculous notions.

But making it ubiquitous doesn't make it true, of course. Just for the record, the actual reasons that people oppose Obama include his radical stance on abortion and other social issues, the government policies he favors, the ideology and viewpoint suggested by his background, the political party he represents, his level of experience, his behavior in the Senate, and even his Constitutional eligibility.

But liberals have to live out their fantasies--and unfortunately, we'll have to live in them too for a few years. Better play to win in 2010 and 2012!

(Updated 1/11/2009 7:25 PM)