Andrew Sullivan and James Taranto both write eloquently today on the way that the ongoing ascent of Condoleezza Rice has exasperated some on the left, and has drawn ugly racist reaction from other so-called liberals. Naturally, Bush is given no credit by them for elevating Powell and Rice to positions of power and influence unprecedented in American political history. In fact it apparently infuriates them to no end. By virtue of their party affiliations, Powell and even moreso Rice, are by definition "inauthentic" black people (one of the more civil descriptions of late, by the way). Here's Andrew's thought...
THE LEFT AND CONDI: I guess I should say that Condi Rice's race and gender are not the most important things about her career and abilities. But I'm still amazed at how little credit this president gets for promoting a black woman to such a position, and, more importantly, by his obvious respect and admiration for her. His management style is clearly post-racial, and his comfort with female peers is impressive. You know, Bill Clinton was celebrated for his progressiveness, and ease with African-Americans. But it's inconceivable that he would have given so much power and authority to a black female peer. Why does Bush get no respect on this score? I guess it reveals that much of the left's diversity mania is about the upholding of a certain political ideology, rather than ethnic or gender variety itself. Depressing.
Taranto links to three of the recent examples of demeaning racist caricatures in editorial cartoons carried by mainstream newspapers in recent days. Portrayals of Rice, for example that would be rightly condemned were they to appear under any conservative byline. As disgusted as Rush and Michelle Malkin are by the ugliness of it all, Taranto reminds that when the cartoonists are done cartooning and the public liberal hatefest abates, Rice will be the Secretary of State and George Bush will be the man who justifiably appointed her. And for four years they will be confronted with the daily, highly visible example set by Condi Rice that there are no contradictions in today's America in being brilliant, female, compassionate, black and conservative. And that I think, is what sticks in the liberal craw. And it is they who cannot get past her blackness in their opposition to her. Excerpts from Taranto (ellipses mine- Ed.)
...it strikes us that the outrage, while understandable, is perhaps a bit overwrought. It's not as if the works of Trudeau, Danziger and Oliphant are going to provoke an outbreak of lynching or cross-burning. These expressions of racial prejudice don't actually diminish Rice's accomplishments, and they are not going to prevent her from becoming one of the most powerful people in the world. These cartoonists have merely proved to the world that they are prejudiced against blacks who don't share their views--and that's good to know.The absence of outrage from the liberal sensitivity police, who would be up in arms if a conservative cartoonist committed a similar offense (cf the reaction to National Review's 1997 cover depicting the Clintons as Asians, second item), shows that liberals are hypocrites when it comes to race--and that, too, is useful to know...
...The charge of racism carries a certain sting because America has a long history of real racism. But the progress the country has made on race, especially over the past 40 years, has been nothing short of stunning. Here we have a president whose detractors describe him as a "radical conservative" appointing a black woman to replace a black man as the most senior member of his cabinet.
Even the liberals who attack Rice on racial grounds don't have anything against black people in positions of power per se. They're just desperately upset because those on their side of the political fence no longer have a monopoly on the belief in racial equality. They're lashing out in an ugly way because they've lost the moral high ground.
It's good for the country that no one occupies that high ground anymore--or, more precisely, that virtually everyone does. Secretary of State Rice will stand as an example of the greatness of America, a country where, after much struggle, people are judged not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character. We're confident that one day even liberals will appreciate this.
UPDATE 11/19: An AP Radio Host is under fire for calling Condoleezza Rice "Aunt Jemima". He accuses Bush of using Rice to promote "an illusion of inclusion" and says that the price of admittance to the Bush White House for blacks is "subservience". That's funny, I didn't think Bush asked Rice to give the illusion that she was Secretary of State. I thought he appointed her to actually be Secretary of State. In the only remark made by the radio guy that doesn't appear to be race-obsessed, he says he thinks Rice is incompetent to serve as Secretary of State. That's an fair and arguable opinion, and one with which a number of people agree. So why doesn't he just say that and leave her skin color out of it? Because he thinks that all black people who don't agree with him politically deserve to be smeared with racist epithets. As Taranto said, that's useful to know.
UPDATE 11/19: The FBLC denounces racist cartoons.
Posted by dan at November 18, 2004 06:39 PM