When I read this story about Obama inviting the Republicans to Camp David for a weekend retreat, I can’t help but wonder about the emotional dynamics that are shaping these talks. Since Obama entered office, the Republicans have expressed nothing but rage, impertinence, and disrespect towards his presidency and his policies with some of them accusing him of being a socialist, a secret Muslim, and an enemy of the state. How are these charges coloring Obama’s exchange with the Republicans? How much might the implicit racism, sexism, and resentment that colors their worldview be impacting these discussions? It’s strange to think that the racism of the U.S.’s leaders is going ruin the anti-racist impulses on the part of its people that put Obama into office in the first place. It’s hard for me to think of another time in U.S. history when that’s happened (when the racist will of the leaders have trumped the anti-racism of the people; U.S. citizens are usually blithely racist), although perhaps my account of history is ideologically colored, filled with blind spots.
Tops and Bottoms
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