“Vote for Perry because he is White. Let’s not think about his qualifications; rather, let’s just think about our whiteness, and pride, and loyalty.” Needless to say, this statement comes across as racist and reactionary. And yet, this is precisely the message being pushed by a number of black leaders who are exhorting African Americans to vote for President Obama simply because he is Black. Tom Joyner, the radio host who has more than 8 million listeners, says black people should ignore “the facts” and re-elect Obama , for no other reason than he is a black man. The Rev. Al Sharpton has spread a similar message, telling Blacks to “shut-up” and refrain from criticizing Obama.
This call for unity, superficial as it may be, belittles Obama and the black electorate. It assumes black people place race above all else. It paints Blacks as mindless voters with a herd mentality. This call for unity plays the race game. Why? Because it is easy, convenient, and effective, at least some of the time.
Thankfully, all Blacks in the public eye are not in agreement. Erik Todd Dellums, Cornel West, and Tavis Smiley are just a few who have taken Obama to task for any number of reasons – broken promises, a jobs initiative that needs major surgery, and Obama’s indifference to the black community.
As a white male, I would like to hear leaders of every race denounce this kind of leadership. Certainly, I am well aware that racial prejudice is alive and well today. It is difficult to determine how many Blacks and Whites vote for a particular candidate because of his/her race, but the number is probably higher than most of us think. And I am not naive enough to believe we have entered a “post racial society.” But by the same token, we have made progress. These comments by Joyner, Sharpton, and others speak to a lack of progress, a step back from Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. And perhaps, it would give me more faith in Obama if he simply told Joyner and Sharpton to cool it and focus on the facts. Likewise, all candidates – both Black and White, should make it clear that they want nothing to do with support that is simply due to their race.