Race and Politics in 2008 Thesis

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Obama famously referred to his white grandmother during the campaign who tragically passed away the night before he was elected, as a woman of tolerance, yet who still was subject to the prejudices of society enough to feel uncomfortable when she saw an African-American walking across the street. Although this remark was criticized, Obama's point was that in America, race was inescapable, and prejudice must be dealt with through voicing concerns, rather than pretending racial divides did not exist. At times, America's unspoken discourse about race seemed to harm Obama, as in his difficulty wresting the nomination from Clinton in states like Pennsylvania, states with large, older, white working-class populations. But the desire for change and the ability to cross barriers and humanize himself seemed to counteract this: The Obama generation "has been knocked for putting all of their personal stuff on full display...But there is an upside, too, which is a willingness to communicate with large numbers of people in your network about what's important" (Cave 2008). Even McCain was forced to condemn a woman who insisted that Obama must be a Muslim at a Republican rally, in deference to how unpopular it had become for a Republican to play the 'race card.'

Of course the fact that prejudice against Muslims is still validated, that there is a fear of black anger as manifested in Obama's former pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and the praise of Obama as 'cool' rather than emotional and angry like black leaders of the past shows that prejudice and lingering racial discomfort has not been overcome with the election.

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But the election has been a profound revelation about the extent to which what constitutes the discourse of race and class in America has shifted. As a result of the economic crisis, Americans have been forced to reconsider their political alliances and cherished dreams like the presumed necessity of home ownership for all, and that conspicuous, capitalist consumption breeds happiness and security (Lands 2008, p.12). America has been forced to wear a new face, even though it may have been pressed to do so by dueling and overwhelming concerns regarding the economy and the war in Iraq that caused white Americans to put aside their reservations (Parkinson 2008, p.21). The senator who opposed deregulation and involvement in the Iraqi conflict from the beginning, who text-messaged his choice of a vice-presidential candidate to his supporters won the day, against all historical odds about America's inability to look beyond color at the character of a man.

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