There was an article in the May 28th New Yorker by George Packer called
"The Fall of Conservatism," and I'm sorry to say that I didn't read it
very carefully until this week's New Yorker arrived with three letters
to the editor about it. This time, I read all the way to the end, and
came upon the following paragraph concerning Martin County, Kentucky:
"John Preston, who is the county's circuit-court judge and also its
amateur historian, Harvard-educated, with a flag pin on his lapel,
said, "Obama is considered an elitist." He added, "There's a racial
component, obviously, to it. Thousands of people won't publicly say
it, but they won't vote for a black man--on both sides, Democrat and
Republican. It won't show up in the polls, because they won't admit
it. The elephant's in the room, but nobody will say it. Sad to say it,
but it's true." Later, I spoke with half a dozen men eating lunch at
the Pigeon Roost Dairy Bar outside town, and none of them had any
trouble saying it. They announced their refusal to vote for a black
man, without hesitation or apology."
After I read this, I mused for a while on this fact of American
politics that is apparently accepted without question or demur: there
are people in the US who, no matter what, would not consider voting
for a man with a black father and a white mother.
These people would rather that 4700 more American soldiers were
killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 32,000 more wounded than cast a
vote for a man of mixed race.
These people would rather that 90,000 more Iraqis die and hundreds of
thousands more be wounded and displaced than cast a vote for a man of
mixed race.
These people would rather that tens or hundreds of thousands of
Iranian civilians be killed or wounded than cast a vote for a man of
mixed race.
These people would rather that the economy continue to disintegrate
under the management of the Republican incompetents than vote for a
man of mixed race.
These people are willing to give up many more years of preparation
for climate change, and thereby put the world at greater and greater
risk, rather than vote for a man of mixed race.
These people would rather that the upper 1% of Americans be enabled
to control more and more American assets and income than vote for a
man of mixed race.
These people would rather that the world's respect for and friendship
toward the US continue its steep decline than vote for a man of mixed
race.
I know it is considered unacceptable for persons such as myself,
unrepentant howling liberals, never repentant know-it-all liberals,
to cast aspersions on such beliefs because, God forbid, those who
would kill or be killed rather than vote for a man of mixed race are
entitled to their opinion, and they resent being disparaged. We have
to respect them, we are told, even though we were right about the Bush
administration, right about the Iraq War, right about the criminality
of unregulated markets, right about global warming, and right about
the hypocrisy and greed of every Republican you can name, and quite a
few Quisling Democrats. We are told to keep our mouths shut, because
we don't know what we are talking about.
Okay, so I won't attack the rights of these people. However, let's
look at it this way. Four years ago, gay marriage was thought to be
the issue that would put the cherry on the Republican sundae. The more
gay people came out, spoke up, claimed their rights, and acted like
perfectly equal citizens, it was said, the more the issue would
inflame the Republican base. You could practically hear Karl Rove
cracking his simian knuckles in delight at the prospect.
But hey. Where's that issue now? Not even on the horizon. Old people
cling to homophobia, young people not so much. Same with racism. I
don't mind if some guy my age in Kentucky puts the lives and the
livings of his children and grandchildren on the line because he would
never vote for a man of mixed race. But I look forward to the day when
his grandchildren look him in the eye and say, "Gee, Grandpa. Can't
afford to keep you anymore. Maybe Grover Norquist will take over your
care."