Obama victory will prolong US racial divide, says British equality chief (The Times, London)

[Apollo11]

THE TIMES - London, England - February 28, 2008

Obama victory will prolong US racial divide, says British equality chief

One of Britain’s most influential black figures today accused Barack Obama of cynically exploiting America’s racial divide and gave warning that he could prolong, rather than heal the rift.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, claimed that the Democratic front-runner would ultimately disappoint the African-American community and dismissed the notion that he would be "the harbinger of a post-racial America" if he becomes the country’s first black President.

Writing in Prospect, the monthly current affairs magazine, Mr Phillips suggested that guilt over transatlantic slavery was behind Mr Obama’s support from middle class whites.

"If Obama can succeed, then maybe they can imagine that King's post-racial nirvana has arrived. A vote for Obama is a pain-free negation of their own racism. So long as they don't have to live next door to him; Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities," he wrote.

Mr Phillips compared Mr Obama to Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey, prominent black “bargainers” – those who strike a deal with white America not to make an issue of historical racism if their own race is not used against them.

But, in a warning to the Democratic candidate, he added that Cosby now cut a “sad and lonely figure” because he had abandoned the moral weapon used by figures such as Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Jesse Jackson in insisting that “in the end, salvation for blacks won’t depend on the actions of whites.”

"In truth, Obama may be helping to postpone the arrival of a post-racial America and I think he knows it," Mr Phillips wrote. "If he wins, the cynicism may be worth it to him and his party. In the end he is a politician and a very good one: his job is to win elections."

He added: "If he fulfils the hopes of whites, he must disappoint blacks – and vice versa."

(...)

You can read the full TIMES article here:
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3451323.ece

You can read Trevor Phillips' article in Prospect here:
www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10043

Please also see the thread I started over in Editorials & Other Articles:
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x341386

[babylonsister]

1. How the hell would he know what

an Obama victory would do? None of us know, but I prefer optimism to pessimism.

This is a long-g-g stretch, but you did your job today. :thumbsup:

And PS, if this is any kind of insinuation, should Obama win the nod from Dems, that McCain is the more viable candidate, you are way off base.

[Apollo11]

17. Personally, I think Trevor Phillips comments are way off base.

Trevor Phillips is a well-known black British political commentator, and a long-time close friend and ally of Tony Blair and other senior figures in the leadership of the Labour Party.

Phillips has a track record of making controversial statement that provoke a negative reaction from folks on the left. Still I was kind of shocked to see him writing stuff like this. I made sure to read the whole article he wrote for Prospect magazine (you can find the link in the OP).

As a white guy, I'm not sure I am really qualified to dismiss Phillip's comments.

But my first reaction was: "Way to stab a brother in the back - dumbass!"

The fact that he expects Hillary to win the nomination shows that he is totally out of touch.

But then again - he does live in London. I don't know if he has ever visited the US.

[roguevalley]

76. what a buncha shit. he needs to fix his own tent before pissing in

ours.

[Cheeseburger Walrus]

81. Trevor Phillips...

has become VERY conservative since his youth as an activist. Here are a few links:

http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=614

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/apr/04/race.britishidentity

[skipos]

2. Yes, we need WHITE MEN running this country or we are DOOOOOOOMED!

Everyone else, get in the back of the bus please.

[Jersey Devil]

3. Pure rubbish

This guy sounds like a complete jerk.

[NeedleCast]

4. Not illegal to be a dumbass

[GodlessBiker]

24. He sounds like a racist.

"If he fulfils the hopes of whites, he must disappoint blacks – and vice versa."

What the fuck is that?

[Emit]

47. My guess is that with his connections with Blair, he is more about

pro New Labour's imperialism

[whatchamacallit]

5. I get it, we shouldn't have an African American president until the US is ready to elect Malcolm X..

Thanks for your lame perspective.

[zarath]

12. Trevor Phillips makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X n/t

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

30. No, he doesn't like Malcom X either.

Basically, he doesn't really like Americans in general. This is not a new theme for him.

[scheming daemons]

6. "If he fulfils the hopes of whites, he must disappoint blacks – and vice versa."

This kind of us-vs-them thinking is completely fucked up.

He's assuming that the hopes of whites and the hopes of blacks are not the same.

I think for those of us in this country under the age of 50, that is no longer true.



The author's kind of thinking is "groupism".... and it presupposes that there HAS to be a divide into "tribes". There doesn't have to be.


The author, I think, realizes that an Obama presidency makes the "victim politics" of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson no longer palatable.

Al & Jesse don't realize that Obama's win takes away from their own power.... either that, or they DO realize it and they are ready to let go and admit victory.

I'm hoping it's the latter.

[KittyWampus]

45. well. white folk want their kids safe & to grow up w/higher standard of living whereas black folk

want.... their kids to grow up as crack dealers who do 15 years in prison? :wtf:

[Adelante]

7. Blah blah blah nt

[cali]

8. LOL!

what angry rubbish. Love this:

Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities

[Apollo11]

20. It made me laugh out loud too!

That's the main reason I wanted to share it with the good folks here on DU.

It's not because I agree with any of the crazy talk in Trevor Phillips' statements.

As if electing a black President will postpone the healing of America's racial divide!

That has to be one of the funniest ideas I have heard for a very long time! B-)

[Occam Bandage]

28. Aw, man, I hoped I was the first to post that statement.

[NOLALady]

73. Does Louisiana count?

[Oleladylib]

9. If we can real here, there is a "population" that in both the black culture

and white culture that are on board with this thinking...Obama is an intelligent black male (not everyone is) Hillary is an intelligent white female(not everyone is) Because both are supposedly minority candidates..they are more subject to "scrutiny" than the great white male. There are less intelligent, more biased, rabblerousers who will make this into an extended prejudicial event!

[whatchamacallit]

14. I know there's a point in there somewhere, but after 3 readings, I'll be damned if I can find it

:shrug:

[KittyWampus]

51. sometimes exposing the prejudice to sunlight causes it to dry up quickest. Racism has become somwhat

veiled in last several decades. It's no longer appropriate to use overt racist language, for instance.

GOP uses code words that intimate their racist positions.

The GOP also use strategies that don't immediately appear on the surface to be racist, like requiring an official, state-issued identity card to vote.

So if in this GE, the GOP throws out overt or even coded racist crap, they WILL get called on it. People will have to examine what they're hearing a bit more closely.

[Catherine Vincent]

10. He has a point.

This is worth reading.

[ingac70]

15. What point is that?

That blacks think Obama's election is all about them? Because that is what this dumbass is saying.

[Guava Jelly]

11. And monkeys might fly out of my ass

:eyes:

[ingac70]

13. This guy is full of shit.

He makes the assumption that blacks think Obama's being Pres. is going to be all about them. He acts as though blacks have never voted Dem before.

[Teaser]

Uh, brit boy, you've got a job working for the UK

Shouldn't you spend your time worrying about that country?

[WHAT]

77. like Blair and his ilk being blackmailed by the Saudi's...

(uh-huh, sure)

BBC is tsk, tsking over everyone these days...Kenya, Russia, Uganda, East Timore...ETC.

It's not like the wealthiest people aren't making money one way or another on conflict that they demure and drool over. to the detriment of their own country.

anyway

[HereSince1628]

16. Well now we know why equal rights is working out so well for the Britons

[mrreowwr_kittty]

18. Shut up, Trevor. nt

[mckeown1128]

19. Total BS and here is why:

So long as they don't have to live next door to him; Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities," he wrote.

Here in Augusta GA is the perfect example of just such a thing. Richmond Count(Augusta) Is a large, African American community. Most people here are black. On one side of Richmond County is Columbia county. Which is a middle class and upper class white population. There is (unfortunately) a really clear black white divide between the two County's. And they are right up against each other. Guess what? Both went strongly for Obama.


This guy is full of it. His argument reminds me of that idiot with the book titled "stupid black men", that is on Fox ALL the time talking about how Obama is a sell out and that AA's should vote for Republicans or some other BS.

[Arkansas Granny]

21. I think he is totally out of touch with what's happening in this primary.

[Apollo11]

23. Maybe because Trevor lives in London?

Still he gets paid for sharing his thoughts on the racial divide in America.

Plus he borrows all his ideas from this black conservative - Shelby Steele.

You could almost say that this guy has a nerve! B-)

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

22. It figures that he's a Shelby Steele fan.

Read the Prospect piece. Jesus fucking christ.

[BeyondGeography]

25. As opposed to the Clintons or the Republicans, who would bring us all together

:crazy:

Stick to your backyard, Trevor. We Murkins just might know what we're doing.

[jasmine621]

31. How dare you accuse the Clintons of promoting the racial divide?

This is the reason I am beginning to judge Obama by his supporters. Every chance they get they attempt to demean fellow Dems who do not agree with them and support Obama.

[Raffi Ella]

37. amen,and thanks for saying so.

As for the article,very interesting.If people weren't so blinded by their 'faith' in Obama they might see the point being made here.I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.


One point that needs to be made is how eager Obama and Co. were to level the racism charge against their white opponent(s) in S.C.

Not only is it unfounded and dispicable that that was used agaisnt two of our Finest but the fact that he and his camp were so eager to exploit the very real guilt of Our History in this manner tells me Obama is not about Hope & Change;Obama is about getting elected and if that means exploiting the race card so be it says Obama.

Dispicable.Wrong.Bad for America.Obama is a walking contradiction.

This is article is right on point and I think you for posting this valuable information.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

26. Hey Trevor, what's the weather like up your own ass?

Just wondering.

[Occam Bandage]

27. "Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities"

Apparently the only votes that count now are those of white people who live no fewer than two, but no more than 10, miles away from black people.

[bunnies]

29. Dear Trevor Phillips: Piss off. nt

[Emit]

32. I read somewhere that he is a "Tony Blair toady" n/t

[Johnny__Motown]

33. Lets not take racial advise from Europe. they clearly don't have a clue

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

34. grasping at straws! This should be in Lampoon or Onion

:rofl:

[anonymous171]

35. What the hell is this shit!?

Seriously, I don't get where he's coming from.

[redstate_democrat]

36. You know

This person's opinion is really irrelevant. I've thought about this myself and I had to reexamine my support for Barack. Was it because of his race? Would I be able to deal with disappointment from his administration (or if he doesn't get the nomination) by not internalizing it as some personal assault to my identity? Could I just react to him and hold his feet to the fire like any other politician? Should his race even matter? I decided that his race was not the REASON why I support him, but it does make me marvel at just the sheer AUDACITY of it and the wide base of support he is getting. It is an historic and amazing event. I never thought I would ever see an African American become president in my lifetime. Just his presence in the White House would speak volumes and really just do so much for not only America, but the world. He is connected to everyone and every place and EVERYONE can see a little of themselves in him. If the cynics had it their way, we would never get from A to B. Steps have to be taken. People need to let go of the fear and just go with it.

[whatchamacallit]

39. Good post

:thumbsup:

[Raffi Ella]

58. .

Well since Obama has made his race an integral part of this campaign it would be hard not to focus on that.

The sad fact that Obama has exploited race in such a clever and evil way during this campaign is becoming very clear.
And it makes me sad and very angry to see The Clinton's the victim of that exploitation and to realize how easily people are silenced when racism is charged.And will jump on board with the black person charging racism before even examining the facts;"if a black person says it,it must be true".

I question why he belongs to a church that adheres to a black ethics code whose Minister Obama claims to be his mentor and that that 'mentor' gave Farrakhan an award and said he is epitome of greatness.You can't tell me that that doctrine doesn't affect Obama's perspective.

Sorry but I question Obama's integrity and motives behind leveling the race card at The Clinton's.Just because he is black doesn't make him beyond character flaws or above questioning.I have no qualms asking of him the same that I would ask of any politician.

I think race is such a sensitive issue that the msm and the public at large is still un easy even discussing it;Obama exploits that as well.His wife goes around the country demanding the black vote as if people owe it to her husband,and it is quietly understood that blacks will vote for Obama.Their almost 100% backing of him is not questioned.

Jesse Jackson strong armed Rep. Lewis by saying "do you want to be the one to keep a black man from office" and went on to threaten that his job would be in jeopardy if he didn't back Obama.

There are too many instances where race is indeed an integral part of Obama's campaign and it is being ignored by the msm.And by his follower's.

Well,this article and the many that are to come for History's sake will reveal that there is a lot more going on here than is being acknowledged at present.

Let it be known that I stand with The Clinton's against those unfounded and unwarranted charges of racism leveled at them by the Obama Campaign.Let it not be said that all of the people stood by and let 'this' happen without protest.

[SeaLyons]

68. Excellent Post

If Obama is to be the President, then he must be held accountable, and he has indeed played the race card in the most evil way. Those of us that don't have a drop of racism in our heart are able to see it and call it.

[ProSense]

70. "Obama has exploited race in such a clever and evil way"? You expect that to be taken seriously? n/t

[Raffi Ella]

38. .

came back to K&R so more people will see this.

[workinclasszero]

40. What an idiot!

Who does this jackass think he is? He hasn't got a clue as to why white americans support Obama.

My wife and myself are white and we are sold-out Hope-mongers for Obama. And guess what?

It has ZERO to do with guilt over transatlantic slavery!! Jeez what a dumbass idea, Mr Phillips!:rofl:

We are voting for the best person for the job and that is Barack Obama!

[BenDavid]

41. It may strike some as ironic that the racializing should be coming

from a black candidate's campaign and its supporters. But this is an American presidential campaign--and there is a long history of candidates who are willing to inflame the most deadly passions in our national life in order to get elected. Sadly, it is what Barack Obama and his campaign gurus have been doing for months--with the aid of their media helpers on the news and op-ed pages and on cable television, mocked by "SNL" as in the tank for Obama. They promise to continue until they win the nomination, by any means necessary.

[Emit]

42. ?

I fail to see the logic in your post, BenDavid.

[SoxFan]

54. There is no logic in his post

Just more knee-jerk Obama bashing from BD

[Emit]

64. BenDavid is one DUer that commonly refers to Obama as 'barack hussein obama.'

No logic in his posts, perhaps, but they often reek of something else and that something else ain't pretty, IMHO.

[psychopomp]

53. I disagree with your premise

Sen. Obama has run a campaign based on inclusion, which is what makes it such a fun, exciting run. People are enthusiastic and optimistic for the first time since--ever, for many of the people who have rallied around the campaign.

I think you will agree that the only candidate who was deemed to have the nomination "in the tank" was Sen. Clinton. Sen. Obama has run a campaign uphill all along the way and has passed the presumed nominee.

As for the subject of the OP, racism will continue to exist in the United States for some time to come. There is no way that Sen. Obama's Presidency will heal that wound completely. Certainly, he cannot make it worse.

[whatchamacallit]

59. BD, why do I get the feeling your fixation with race is not rooted in a desire for equality?

[Forkboy]

80. Notice that, too, huh?

[Raffi Ella]

61. well said.

Thank you for daring to say outloud what so many believe to be true.

[NorthernSpy]

67. eg Trevor Phillips, it's Obama's detractors who just won't shut the fuck up about his race...

In the eyes of some, just being black equals "playing the race card", and while stumping for the black vote is perfectly fine for a white candidate, it's somehow a wrong and dangerous behavior for black candidate such as Obama.


One problem is that some people's threat threshold re blacks in political life is so ridiculously low that they can't even contemplate the prospect of blacks looking forward to the first black president without it getting their hackles up.


Another problem is the opportunists who are determined to exploit such insecurities in hopes of limiting Obama's appeal.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

43. "A vote for Obama is a pain-free negation of their own racism.........

So long as they don't have to live next door to him; Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities," he wrote.

"In truth, Obama may be helping to postpone the arrival of a post-racial America and I think he knows it," Mr Phillips wrote. "If he wins, the cynicism may be worth it to him and his party. In the end he is a politician and a very good one: his job is to win elections."

He added: "If he fulfils the hopes of whites, he must disappoint blacks – and vice versa."

<snip>

By the time the Obama campaign backed off from agitating the King-Johnson pseudo-scandal, it had already trained its sights on Bill Clinton--by far the most popular U.S. president among African Americans over the past quarter-century. Not only were Bill and Hillary supposedly ganging up on Obama in South Carolina--"I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama complained during the South Carolina debate--the former president was supposedly off on a race-baiting tear of his own. Yet, once again, the charges were either distortions or outright inventions.

The Obama campaign's "fairy tale" gambit was particularly transparent. Commenting on Obama's explanation of why he is more against the war in Iraq than Hillary Clinton, and disturbed by the news media's failure to report Obama's actual voting record on Iraq in the Senate, the former president referred to what had become the conventional wisdom as a "fairy tale" concocted by Obama and his supporters. Time to play the race-baiter card! One of Obama's most prominent backers, the mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin, stretched Clinton's remarks and implied that he had called Obama's entire candidacy a fairy tale. (The mayor later coyly told a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she had not intended to criticize Clinton: "Surely you don't mean he's the only one who can use the phrase 'fairy tale,'" Franklin said, in a tone that the reporter described as "mock indignation.") Appearing on CNN, one of its pundits, Donna Brazile, hurled the wild charge that Clinton had likened Obama to a child. "And I will tell you," she concluded, "as an African American I find his words and his tone to be very depressing." With those kinds of remarks--"as an African American"--the race card and the race-baiter card both came back into play. Although Brazile is formally not part of Obama's campaign, her comments made their way to the South Carolina memo, offered as evidence that Clinton's comment was racially insensitive.

[Emit]

44. Wha?

What does that mean?

[babylonsister]

46. Holy smokes. I cannot even believe you typed that. So now we're all

racists and are solely voting for Obama to counter our hidden racism? Must have taken you awhile to come up with that gem. Maybe self-examination got you part way there?

[meow mix]

49. um, please elaborate..

only the racists can think like this..

most dems these days especially the youngest; really dont see the race its not a factor.

[NorthernSpy]

55. Society's racism must be taken into account and accommodated; sexism -- never.

Yeah, we get it -- we get it, already.


:eyes:


(edit: accommodated needs two ms -- and I need two more cups of :donut: )

[workinclasszero]

56. True story...

Just the other day I was sayin to my wife:

"Honey you know lately I've been feeling really guilty about transatlantic slavery that happened 200 years ago."

"Isn't there a black man running for President named Obama?" she said.

I said "You're right honey! Golly gee wiz, heres our chance to assuage our collective guilt over things done 200 years ago by people long dead that we weren't even related to!"

So there you have it. That Phillips guy is really on the ball, eh?:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[babylonsister]

57. You are so dishonest; you just changed your whole post. Got it. nt

[whatchamacallit]

62. Poor Einstein...

Maybe if I use a picture of Bill Gates in my posts, people will think I'm rich.

[meow mix]

48. this is the "equality chief" ?! wtf why is a racist asshole in this position..

:puke:

[Hissyspit]

50. I just sent this to the Greatest Page so that people can marvel at the nonsense. n/t

[Harry Monroe]

52. "And this commentary bought and paid for by the Republican Party"

"We now return to our regular broadcasting"

[Mooney]

60. So... electing a white man will end the racial divide in America?

I smell bullshit.

[ecstatic]

63. We just want a Democrat to win

Nobody expects Obama to be a messiah of some sort; true, he will be an important symbol if he wins. But Phillips doesn't seem to understand what is happening here and he underestimates the intelligence/common sense of american blacks.

[NOLALady]

75. He's also

underestimating the intelligence/common sense of american whites who support Obama.

[jeffrey_X]

65. Yea...let's just burying the issue and keep sticking our heads in the sand

This campaign is MAKING people talk about race, which is a good thing.

[smiley_glad_hands]

66. Were all in the same boat.

To quote JFK, a rising tide lifts all boats.

On edit: I am a white middle classer. I have no guilt about the past, only guilt about the present state of our govt even though i didnt vote for the bastards. This guy is so way off base its pathetic.

[Eurobabe]

69. Please, from UK, the home of racial equality

:eyes:

[Orsino]

71. No, but prolonging the racial divide could prevent Obama's election...

...as was apparently the intention.

[backscatter712]

72. I think he's completely wrong.

I'm no expert in race relations. I'm probably about as clueless as Stephen Colbert, who claims to be race-blind, and says he thinks he's white because people tell him he's white.

But if people claim that America is not ready for a black President, maybe that's exactly why America needs a black President.

What would this mean? It would mean that every American with a TV would see Obama on an almost daily basis, using his formidable speaking talents and his intelligence, and that would be a continual contrast Americans would see to the usual stereotypes that many harbor about black people - the Stepin Fetchit mentality that says black people are lazy, shiftless, dumb, angry, violent. It's a nasty stereotype, one that we would hope nobody harbors anymore, but unfortunately, many still do think such things.

Every day, for four, maybe eight years, Barack Obama would be making speeches, press conferences and appearances that would be breaking that stereotype. Maybe that's just the thing America needs to bring us to the next level in dealing with our differences.

Of course, that's just MHO.

[George_Bonanza]

74. Racism won't end until every White flagellates themselves

Certainly, electing Obama won't be the end of racism, but how is NOT having a Black president beneficial to racial progress?

[Raine]

78. Oh yeah continue the way we have been

with old white men running things. We all know how well that has worked to close the racial divide. :sarcasm:

What a bunch of BULLSHIT, if anything this is going to go a long way in lessening that horrid divide.

[LoZoccolo]

79. "Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities"

I don't know for sure, but it seems that there is no way that that could be true in Chicago.