It's a Different Country?

Paul Krugman discusses in his New York Times editorial “It’s a Different Country” how racial division has faded from a tool used by the Right to gain power in Washington and that its fall has opened the doors for Sen. Obama to gain his position as the Democratic nominee.

Krugman argues that Obama’s election would be a sign that national change has already begun as opposed to the belief among most of Obama’s followers that his election would initiate change. This idea is based on Krugman’s point that the racial division of the country has finally faded enough to allow for a candidate that breaks the traditional mold. He goes on to suggest that Obama’s nomination due to racial division’s fall corresponds with the weakening of the Right. Using Rick Pearlstein’s new book “Nixonland” as a reference, Krugman points out that the Right used the fear brought about by urban violence and racial division to propel them into the White House. However, after Bill Clinton’s presidency, urban violence dropped substantially. This combined with the baby boomers distaste for crude racism, Krugman says, are what has lead to racial division’s drop. He ends with a note that even if Obama loses, the country has still turned out for the better because racism is no longer a huge factor in our politics. But I am still inclined to think that racism is and always will be a major decider in Washington. The idea that electing a black president or a woman president and this whole belief that another white male in office would be bad for the country is hypocritical. To suggest that a black man could do a better job than a white man as president is a racist idea and goes against what the president is. The president is supposed to be a person who has the best intentions of the country in mind and they should be voted upon for their ideals. Krugman’s argument that racial division is retreating is, in my opinion, countered when he says that Obama running changes the country away from racism. As long as Obama is tagged as a black candidate, race will always be a factor. And since I can’t see that going away any time soon, I have a feeling that race and politics will continue to go hand in hand.