You can’t swing a dead cat these days without hitting some prominent African-American claiming race relations have worsened since Barack Obama became president.
Count MSNBC political and legal analyst Michelle Bernard among them, for on PBS’s McLaughlin Group Friday, she said, “The country has become more race conscious in terms of color and in terms of ethnicity since he was elected” (video follows with transcript and commentary):
MICHELLE BERNARD, MSNBC POLITICAL AND LEGAL ANALYST: Quite frankly, the election of Barack Obama I think was one of the greatest political events I will ever see in my lifetime, but the country has become more race conscious in terms of color and in terms of ethnicity since he was elected. The national debate on race in light of the jury verdict in the Trayvon Martin case absolutely demonstrated it. Our discussions about immigration reform and the place of Hispanics in American culture absolutely that when it comes to race, when it comes to ethnicity and people of color, we have a long way to go.
Are black men lynched every day like they were in 1963, in the 1960s and 1950s? No. Is Alabama now still Bombingham? No. In that sense, things have changed, and that change is wonderful, and so many of us, myself included, still believe in America and America’s promise. But we’ve got a race problem here.
Her sentiments seem to be shared by many African-Americans.
The question is why?
Is it because he, his entire administration, and his entire Party have injected race into virtually every discussion the nation has had in the past four and a half years?
And that the liberal media have backed their play participating in the despicable race-baiting every step of the way?
Regardless of the answers, not only hasn’t the post-racial society we were promised Obama would usher in materialized, many people think it’s gotten worse.
In fact, later in the program, syndicated columnist Pat Buchanan said that in the wake of the thrill-killing of Chris Lane in Oklahoma last week, racial tensions are going to deepen.
Unfortunately, I think Buchanan is right, and Obama, his party, and his media minions are responsible.
