Over Obama’s objections, Supreme Court pushes view of ‘post-racial’ America
Being black did not prevent Barack Obama’s rise to the White House, and some heralded his victory as a sign the country is moving toward a post-racial future. But not the president himself. Instead, he has emphasized the importance of naming women and minorities to key posts, even if some critics rightly argue his inner circle is full of men. His administration has strongly defended affirmative action and fought against “voter ID” laws, arguing they could limit the franchise for voters of color. The president has made intentional, pointed appeals that invoke race, mostly memorably when he suggested Trayvon Martin could have been his son.
But the five conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court seem determined to use their power to eliminate consideration of race as a factor in American life wherever they can, no matter the president’s disagreement. In oral arguments on the constitutionality of affirmative action in October and the Voting Rights Act this week, they have blunted suggested race matters less than ever before in America, most memorably when Chief Justice John Roberts said on Wednesday, “is it the government’s submission that the citizens in the South are more racist than citizens in the North?”
That question, part of Roberts’ suggestion the Voting Rights Act is unfair because its Section 5 requires some states in the South to clear their voting laws with the federal government, would have been laughable a few decades ago, when the South was known for a history of racial discriminatory voting laws. Now, with that kind of explicit racism no longer part of America, the Court’s conservatives, who in 2007 ruled school integration plans should not consider color, could move even further in their post-racial vision, as they are expected to issue rulings this summer that eliminate the consideration of race in college admissions and hiring and suggest the South no longer needs to undergo special scrutiny because of its racial discrimination in the past.
And Obama, more influential than ever in dealing with congressional Republicans, has veto power with the conservatives on the Court.
The Court is taking this post-racial approach despite strong opposition many Americans, particularly minorities themselves, who don’t see the country this way. During the 2012 campaign, liberals of all races, but particularly blacks, suggested that a bloc of states, many of which are in the South, had written laws specifically designed to make it harder for people of color to vote and therefore prevent President Obama from winning reelection. The Justice Department Act invoked Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, the part Roberts criticized in the hearing, to block “voter ID” laws in Texas and South Carolina from going into effect before Election Day.
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Even with his appointments to the high court he has not an ounce of control over it. Thank goodness!
Frankly most all of his appointments and nomines have been quite disapointing.
Vice President
Homeland Security
DOD
Tresurer
To name a few.
Obama’s election back in 2008 was a shock to many of the extremist white racist types and even to some Conservatives. They have been trying to get him out…or block his proposals…and do whatever they can to bring him down…because he is BLACK LIBERAL.
Bush/Cheney got us into 2 expensive wars on the credit card…wiped out the surplus left by Clinton…and the were in charge when the entire economy crashed. And the U.S.A. has not been “back to normal” since Bush left office.
The Highest Court in America has a bunch of mostly white, all of them grew up during Jim Crow, none did anything to thwart racism and they have a sitting black justice who won’t open his mouth and they think we live in a post-racial society. Have they seen the racial rhetoric and heard the talk and yet they harbor the classic “spook who may as well sit by the door”. The white right wing justices talk loud and this negroe says nothing. How ideal for a Supreme Court akin to the one that predided over the Dred Scott decision to show its generational likeness.
Where’s our black Supreme when he’s most needed??? Sitting quietly with a self imposed silence afraid to ask a question or raise an issue!! What a waste of Black!!!!
As a man or woman thinks, so is she and he. As long as black folks think we are Still so called minorities, we have claimed inferiority. The fact the issue of the voting rights act is being considered by the supreme Court shows we really haven’t progressed at all.
Until our wealthy black people stop being greedy and selfish, and build foundations for their people, we will continue to be mired in economic sinkhole.