Obama and the Transformation of Youth

While it was thrilling for millions of Americans to have an African American sworn-in as president, there were probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people out there who were thoroughly disgusted at the thought of having a Black man in the White House. While most of us never dreamed that an African American (at least someone who is half African American) would ever be elected in our lifetime, we were excited and delighted by the thought. Some racists were not.

It seems that despite the urgent plight of our economy, there are some people out there who are hoping that President Obama will fail. Rush Limbaugh, who was fired from his job as a television sports commentator for making racist remarks about the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback, Donovan McNabb, said of Barack Obama: “I know what his politics are. I know what his plans are, as he has stated them. I don't want them to succeed….I hope he fails.” I’m sure Limbaugh spoke for many of his listeners. I wonder whether the motivation for such people is something more than anti-liberal ideology. I wonder whether it is a deep-seated bigotry that drives their spiteful feelings.

I realize that millions of dedicated Republicans voted against Obama on purely non-racial political grounds, but there are some white people who voted against him because they are mired in antipathy for the black race. I would be willing to bet, however, that the vast majority of those people are over 40 years of age. I would also bet that their children and grandchildren are far more enthusiastic about the new president than they are. That is what gives me hope.

The next generation does not understand racial hatred the way my generation did. It used to be a sign of racial insensitivity when people would say, “some of my best friends are Black.” But today, many young white people can honestly say it. When you look at the huge crowds that came out for Obama on election night and at the inauguration, you see tens of thousands of young white faces, smiling, cheering, and even crying.

This is the best thing that has happened to the Democratic Party since the election of John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy was elected, I was a Republican. My parents were conservative Republicans. Before Kennedy, it seemed to me that the Republican Party was the party of civil rights. The Democratic Party had too many southern segregationists like James O. Eastland and John Stennis of Mississippi, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, and Richard Russell of Virginia. Kennedy changed all that. He and his brother Robert stood-up to the racist George Wallace of Alabama and transformed the Democratic Party into a party that supported integration. I became a Democrat.

When Richard Nixon inaugurated the “Southern strategy,” the Republican Party, which had once proudly proclaimed the ideas of Nelson Rockefeller, Jacob Javits, and John Lindsay, now pandered to the racists of the unreconstructed South. Southern Democratic politicians began switching to the Republican Party. Many Republicans switched to the Democratic Party.

I believe that Barack Obama will do the same thing today as JFK did half a century ago. Many thousands of white youths whose parents are still encumbered by racism will see what a difference a brilliant, charismatic African American can make in America, and will become Obama’s living legacy to liberal Democratic policies.

I have another hope. I realize that it is not easy to cure the disease of racial bias. When Barack Obama is out of office there will probably still be many people who hate him for his race. But my hope is that during his administration, he will transform the hearts and minds of many that now hate him so that they come to appreciate what he means to America and the world. My hope is that he will so change this nation, restore its economy, improve healthcare, halt global warming, and promote peace, that those people who hate him will come to admire and respect him and his ideas.