Obama’s SOTU : Racing Past Race

As usual, analysis of the President’s State of the Union address focused on what he said and proposed.  But it is what Barack Obama did not say on arguably the most significant domestic issue of our day which should be one of the major storylines.  In fact, the President glossing over the issue with hollow, poll-tested political rhetoric was arguably more insulting than saying nothing.

Addressing the increasingly explosive racial divide laid bare in recent months, the president said, “We may have different takes on the events of Ferguson and New York. But surely we can understand a father who fears his son can’t walk home without being harassed,” Obama then continued with, “Surely, we can understand the wife who won’t rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift.”

Is that all there is?  With no more elections to win, and the bully pulpit and the historical nature of his presidency positioning him perfectly to address substantively the full spectrum of race issues – from the militarization of police to the grand jury system to the cozy relationship between police and prosecutors to race hustlers using these events for their own political gain  – Obama gives us nothing more than…no one should be hurt.

He had plenty of time to discuss economic growth, Obamacare, climate change, income inequality, foreign policy, terrorism, Gitmo, Cuba, Putin, trade and free college for everyone, but saw fit to devote two measly, throw-away sentences to an issue which has festered since the nation’s founding, has recently torn apart two great cities and is likely to further metastasize?

While Obama has tried to steer clear of direct or pointed references to his race or race in general, it is now his responsibility as our first black president to demonstrate genuine leadership by tackling this issue head-on, especially since it is now clear that the broad mass of Americans actually believe race relations are worse than when we elected him.  In fact, 90% of those polled believe race relations have stayed the same or gotten worse since he became president, a troubling indictment of a president elected in significant measure because of the hope of a post-racial America.