Dr. Thomas Sowell is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. He is the author of numerous books and articles.
Dr. Walter E. Williams is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. Like Dr. Sowell, Dr. Williams is the author of numerous books and articles.
Michael Steele is the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003 through 2007. Mr. Steele spent three years as a seminarian in the Order of St. Augustine in preparation for the priesthood. He later received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from John Hopkins University and a law degree from Georgetown University.
Herman Cain is a successful businessman, a motivational speaker, a radio talk show host, and a former candidate for the United States Senate from Georgia. He was the recipient of the 1996 Horatio Alger Award. He is the author of several books, including They Think You’re Stupid.
What do these four men have in common?
First, all four men are black. If you don’t believe me, type their names into Google and quickly find a picture of each one. The pictures speak for themselves.
Second, all four men have expressed opposition to the way President Obama plans to reform the nation’s health care system. Dr. Sowell has written, “To tell us, with a straight face, that he [President Obama] can insure millions more people without adding to the already skyrocketing deficit, is world-class chutzpa and an insult to anyone’s intelligence.” Dr. Williams has written, “President Obama and congressional supporters estimate that his health care plan will cost between $50 and $65 billion a year. Such cost estimates are lies whether they come from a Democratic president or Congress, or a Republican president and Congress.” Mr. Steele has referred to President Obama’s health care plan as a “dangerous experiment” and a “reckless experiment” and as “a risk our country cannot afford.” Mr. Cain has observed that the health care reform legislation sponsored by the Democrats, or H.R. 3200, would create 53 new government programs, offices and bureaucracies. Mr. Cain adds, “Liberal logic says those 53 new bureaucracies will be deficit neutral, will not lead to long wait times for medical services, will be cost-effective, and will not lead to health care rationing. Common sense and history say none of that would happen. When dealers have to wait to be reimbursed for clunker car sales, they lose money. When people have to wait to get medical services, they lose their lives.”
Finally, according to many liberals, including former President Jimmy Carter, all four men are racists. In an amazing display of utter stupidity and arrogance, former President Carter, a man for whom I once had great respect, has alleged on several different occasions during the last week that those who oppose President Obama’s health care plans are racists. President Carter apparently believes approximately 55% of the country’s citizens, including Dr. Sowell, Dr. Williams, Mr. Steele, and Mr. Cain, are racists.
President Carter first made his charge of racism after Congressman Joe Wilson rudely and inappropriately yelled, “You lie,” during President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress. Even after Congressman Wilson had apologized to President Obama, President Carter said, “I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many people in this country that an African-American ought not to be president and ought not to be given the same respect as if he were white.” President Carter has since repeated his comments on several occasions, and many liberal journalists and commentators have expressed their agreement and have applauded him for doing so.
There are, no doubt, some people who do not like President Obama because he is black. It is absurd, however, for President Carter and other liberals to imply that many of those who disagree with President Obama are racists.
Liberals for years have used the charge of racism as a way to stifle political debate. If you oppose or disagree with a black politician, you are, by definition, a racist. No one wants to be called a racist, so most people who are accused of being a racist tend to back off and stay quiet. This is the reason to make the charge. It’s a lot easier to charge someone with being a racist than it is to debate the substance of policy issues with him or her.
It is common for a black politician who is accused of wrongdoing to claim the charges against him are racially motivated. The black politician, of course, always claims he did nothing wrong and that his accusers are racists. Several years ago, numerous charges, including racketeering, bribery, and tax evasion, were brought against former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell. Even after being convicted of tax evasion by a predominately black jury, Mayor Campbell continued to claim he did nothing wrong and was a victim of racism. More recently, Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson was found guilty of 11 of 16 corruption counts. Congressman Jefferson followed the usual script by claiming he was innocent and that those who brought the charges against him were racists. Congressman Charlie Rangel, who is facing numerous charges of corruption and tax evasion, is always quick to use the race card. There are numerous other examples too many to mention.
To his credit, President Obama has tried to distance himself from the comments of President Carter and others and has made it clear he does not believe those who disagree with his policies are racists. I applaud President Obama for his comments on this issue. I would applaud him even more, however, if he would ask his liberal supporters, including President Carter, to back off their charges of racism as a defense against policy differences. I believe President Obama is pretending to take the high road while letting his surrogates fan the flames of racism.
Racism is still a problem in this country. A bigger problem exists, however, when liberal politicians use the race card when there is no evidence of racism. They are devaluing and watering down the meaning of racism. Sooner or later, no one will pay any attention to charges of racism, even when those charges are legitimate.
Although I did not support President Obama during his campaign for the Presidency, I was very proud of our country when we elected our first black President. If a mostly white country can elect a black President, then maybe we have finally arrived at the stage where we can move past charges of racism. We took a great step forward with President Obama’s election. It is now clear, however, that liberals do not want progress on the issue of race because progress means they will lose their most powerful weapon—the ability to accuse those who disagree with them of being racists.
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