Joan Walsh interviewed Bob Somerby and John Heilemann about Barack Obama’s presidential run and the politics of race. Heilemann came up with the best advice yet:
Not surprisingly, since Heilemann thinks race is a big problem for Obama, while Somerby just isn’t sure, their prescriptions for what to do about it differ. Heilemann says “ignoring race is not an option for Obama. Nor is simply changing the subject.” Yet he doesn’t really have a clear approach. He thinks Obama has to elucidate his very American identity without focusing on race, “to talk about race, in other words, without talking about race.” It may be a measure of how tough this issue is for Obama and Democrats that I walked away from Heilemann’s provocative article having no idea how his vision translates into action for Obama in the real world.
Hmm, yes, I’m as confused as Joan. I can’t imagine why Obama and his campaign spokespeople haven’t figured this out yet. Or, maybe, you know, the fact that they’re not talking about it but everyone else is – maybe that’s talking about it without talking about it …… drifting off here ……
mirabile dictu 