The Obama presidency is nearing the end of its eight year run. During his time in office we have seen many good things. We have seen the passing of the Affordable Healthcare Act, economic recovery and growth, and a reduction in the number of soldiers we have deployed overseas. However, we have also seen a greater divide in our political environment at home. Congress is more partisan today than at any time in recent history, with the Republicans, who are in the majority in both houses, fighting everything President Obama attempts to accomplish. Since President Obama is the nation’s first Afro-American president, there has been a lot of speculation that some of his opposition stems more from racial prejudices than political differences. How much does race contribute to the current state of political affairs in the United States?
In a study conducted in 2010, Tesler and Sears determined that Obama’s presidency had increased the polarization of partisanship by race and racial attitudes . This means that more African-Americans are affiliating with the Democratic Party while whites are affiliating more with the Republican Party. The authors of the report use the terms “old fashioned racism” and “anti-black affect” to describe some of the racial prejudices that may be in effect today (7). They also point out that the Republican leadership switched to Southerners during the 1980’s and 1990s, which put more Republicans in leadership position who may decidedly have a stronger anti-black sentiment (6). The results of their study show that since Obama’s election as president, the racial divide in the country has actually widened. The question that is raised from this study is, does this divide actually manifest as prejudice against President Obama?
According to Samuel Ward in an article in Liberals Unite, yes it does. Warde claims that “The president has been forced to endure racism, hatred and malicious lies and rumors like no other American president” (Warde). As proof, he quotes a Sarah Palin tweet where she says “Obama’s Shuck and Jive Ends With Benghazi Lies”, and a Newt Gingrich comment about “Obama’s ‘Kenya, anti-Colonial’ worldview” (Warde). He points out that these are obviously racially charged comments from Republican party leaders. Warde also mentions some comments made by current congressional members that show racial bias in their thinking such as Rick Santorum, who said, “I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, ‘We’re going to decide who are people and who are not people’”, and Tom Coburn, who once said, “As an African American male, coming through the progress of everything he experienced, he [Obama] got tremendous benefit through a lot of these programs. So he believes in them” (Warde) when referring to entitlement programs.
In another article, in The Grio, Perry Bacon Jr. asks “How much is race driving opposition to Obama?” (Bacon). In this report, Bacon remarks that there are several studies that show that some people dislike Obama and his policies because he is black. These studies were conducted as exit polls during the 2008 elections where voters were asked how much race was a factor in their decision. Another study was conducted by researching the number of times racial terms were searched on Google by state and comparing these results to how well Obama did in those areas. The results showed a correlation between a high number of searches and low Obama results. There seems to be plenty of evidence indicating that prejudices are a factor in President Obama’s administration. But what is the cause of this prejudice?
In reviewing Parrillo’s Causes of Prejudice, we see that prejudices have a Psychological basis and a Sociological basis. Considering the scope of the prejudice against Obama and the fact that some of it is “old fashioned racism”, it is easy to conclude that much of this prejudice is Sociological. According to Blumer, prejudice can include “beliefs, feelings, and a predisposition to action, thus motivating behavior that derives from the social hierarchy” (qtd. In Parrillo 512). Parrillo explains that individuals acquire their values and beliefs as children, usually from their parents. In other words, prejudice is learned, therefore it is developed through socialization. He also points out that certain prejudices may be learned because of their pervasiveness (513). Considering that the leadership base of the Republican party is largely from the South, it is conceivable that many of the Republican leaders developed their prejudices growing up in the South. The Jim Crow laws that were prevalent in the South through the early part of the twentieth century may be etched in their minds, and sub-consciously, they may be following these prejudices.
The social norm of the South was that blacks were inferior to whites was in place for so long that it may have created a situation where individuals automatically accept the prevailing prejudices of the South. The theory around social norms is that there is a direct relationship between degree of conformity and degree of prejudice . This means that being around a group of people with a certain prejudicial leaning can influence others to believe the same way. This way of thinking may have influenced the Republican congress in such a way as to make more members prejudicial against President Obama.
In conclusion, there is no denying the fact that the partisanship currently being displayed in our Congress is greater than at any time in recent history. The animosity between Republicans and Democrats is stronger now than it has been in decades, and it is more apparent now, during the presidential campaign. While much of the current animosity can be attributed to the differences of the political parties, studies, surveys, and polls indicate that racial differences played a role in recent elections and play a major role in the views and ratings of President Obama.
References
Bacon, P. Jr. "How much is race driving opposition to Obama?" The Grio 9 April 2014. Online. <http://thegrio.com/2014/04/09/is-race-the-story-of-barack-obamas-presidency/>.
Parrillo, V. "Causes of Prejudice." Colombo, G., Cullen, R., & Lisle, B. Rereading America. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 504-516. Textbook.
Tesler, M. & Sears, D. President Obama and the Growing Polarization of Partisan Attachment by Racial Attitudes and Race. Research Report. Washington D.C.: American Political Science Association, 2010. Online. <http://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=11807109408110200412408101202200612005100202203303003412011602010912006400510203010600202802905502203501112209009108111900611705708303805007400909109501111708002910902507600311109200000608812202008210112008100510>.
Warde, S. "Proof Republicans Are Racists When It Comes To President Obama." Liberals Unite 7 December 2014. Online. <http://samuel-warde.com/2014/12/proof-republicans-racists-comes-president-obama/>.
