A new book quotes Reid, D-Nevada, as saying privately in 2008 that Obama could be successful as a black candidate in part because of his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/11/reid.obama/index.html
Here is some interesting commentary on his remarks:
Obama's rise to the American presidency is a complicated and unlikely story full of smart strategy, extraordinary execution and inspiring coalition building. It feels tacky and false to reduce these accomplishments to a mere assessment of skin color. It degrades the strength of sacrifice and commitment that so many white voters, volunteers and donors made to the Obama candidacy.
Still, the primaries were hard-fought, and every little factor mattered. Reid was awkward but not wholly inaccurate that complexion may have helped Obama with white voters.
Once the furor dies down, there will be a few lessons that future politicos can learn from Reid. First, it offends white voters when you suggest their support of a black candidate was determined by his complexion. Second, referring to African-Americans as "Negroes" in the 21st century is an exceedingly bad idea. Finally, for a candidate of any race to be viable in our complicated, diverse nation, that candidate better be multilingual.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/11/harris.lacewell.reid.wrong/index.html
OK, so he shouldn't have said that. To his credit, the majority leader issued a statement apologizing for "offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans, for my improper comments."
African-Americans, like everyone else, are more concerned with what politicians do than with what they say. And on that measure, Harry Reid is second to none.
When it comes to issues that matter -- affordable, quality health care; good-paying jobs with benefits; safe schools and communities; more middle-class tax cuts; less government waste -- Reid gets it right.
He has a 100 percent rating on the NAACP's legislative report card. As for Jon Kyl and John Cornyn, the two Republican senators who have called for his head? An F for each of the past six years.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/11/coley.reid.gop.reaction/index.html
What do you think? Which comments do you agree or disagree with?
Senator Reid's word usage was obviously unacceptable but there is definitely some truth behind what he said. There are much better ways to say what I think he meant but what Prof. Boyce Watkins mentioned about the Senator's age has a lot to do with his misguided comment. Older people grew up in a time where the word "Negro" was a common description of Africa-Americans. I feel that he has probably learned his lesson in what words to not say but I feel that his description of the President's capability to speak to different crowds and cater to what they want to hear is more what he meant by it. The President certainly knows how to speak to certain people in a way that makes them feel confident and comfortable with his abilties.
ReplyDeleteSenator Reid has learned his lesson and as he keeps on being the type of noteworthy senator that he is, I don't think this comment will be a setback for him.
I believe Prof. Boyce Watkins' remarks are accurate. It's interesting that fellow whites would condemn Sen. Reid and then here's a black man standing up for him in many senses.
ReplyDeleteWatkin's did a great job in using this experience as a door to address real issues. Really, that's what America needs! Less superficial talking, and more of addressing things that are pertinent. Not, "Well, some other person said this one thing that could be seen as controversial," but more along the lines of, "How can we decrease the disparity that exists between equally competent blacks and whites getting a job?"
I really appreciated Professor Boyce Watkins expounding upon Harry Reid's statements and pointing out the truth behind them. I found his focus on what Reid was saying, instead of the political implications of it, far more beneficial than the attacks of many others. After sifting through the hype I found I agreed with Reid's comments. If Obama had been darker in skin color and sported a "negro dialect" I doubt he would have been elected. America was ready for change, but not that much change. I feel like Watkins summed it up when he said, "You'll notice the President was very careful all throughout the election not to be perceived as being too black."
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