I agree with former president Carter when he says that, “racism inclination still exists”. America was built on the backs of African-American slaves who were considered to be below the caucasian race. These racist views have carried on throughout the history of America as seen with the Jim Crow Laws, and Segregation in the early 1900’s and they are still present in todays society. I do not, however, agree with Carter when he says that, "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African American,". I do not believe that when Senator Joe Wilson shouted, “You Lie” during President Obama’s Speech on health-care reform that it was based off of racism. Although he interjected in an unorthodox way, his statement was not rooted in racism but rather his disagreement with the policy in itself. The animosity shown towards Obama is not from the color of his skin, but rather a difference in opinion based off of a political party. Many republicans, like Joe Wilson, do not agree with the comments made from President Obama concerning illegal immigrants not being eligible for health care, and though it is their right to disagree with the Presidents policies, it should have been done so in a more respectful manner. Obama is the head of State, the leader of our country and he should certainly be treated with the upmost respect from all parties in agreement or disagreement with his policies.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, also disapproves of the statements made by former President Carter on racism toward President Barack Obama. Issued in a statement on the subject Gibbs stated that, “The president does not believe that criticism comes based on the color of his skin. We understand that people have disagreements with some of the decisions that we’ve made and some of the extraordinary actions that had to be undertaken by both this administration and previous administrations to stabilize our financial system, to ensure viability of our domestic auto industry.” Furthermore, the President has accepted Senator Joe Wilson’s apology for his outburst at the joint session of Congress.
It would be a lie to say that racist views are non existent, but that does not mean that America has not come a long way from the extreme racism of the past. The election of the First African-American President Obama is evidence of this statement. Senator Joe Wilson’s comment to Barack Obama was very brusque, but it was certainly not one based off of racist views like former President Carter would seem to think. The comment was rooted from the difference in political party and their political views on an issue.
"White House Deflects Charges of Racism Leveled at Opponents - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com." Politics and Government - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com. Web. 26 Sept. 2009. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/white-house-deflects-charges-of-racism-leveled-at-opponents/?scp=4&sq=obama%20on%20racism&st=cse
"'You Lie!' Jars Washington but Resonates Back Home - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com. Web. 26 Sept. 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125258756088899359.html.
I would like to begin by saying that this response is extremely convincing and well-written. Before reading Kayla's post, I read the other responses to the prompt. While I admired and supported statements made by my other classmates, this was by far the most diplomatic response. I especially admired the fact that she recognizes that there is still racism in our country, while that may not be the root of the issue. The mention of the Jim Crow Laws in the opening paragraph reaffirms that the country is based on a racist foundation, and many of those beliefs remain today. Although this is true, the larger issue is the lack of respect between the two leading political parties. Many people have referred to Senator Joe Wilson’s disrespectful outburst directed towards Obama. As a side note, this only proves another point: the media has over-dramatized the whole “race card” issue. If President Obama himself stated that he did not feel as though he was interrupted because he is black, why should the rest of the country be in such heated debate over the incident? While we may have the right to freedom of press in this country, that should not give the media license to overexcite people over issues such as one comment made in a Congressional meeting. This type of “racism” has been consistent through President Obama’s campaign and first few months in office. In my opinion, the main issue is not racism, but the overexposure of seemingly racist incidents.
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