Bush answered his own question about race

October 5, 2005

At yesterday’s press conference, Bush was asked for his thoughts on why African Americans overwhelmingly voted against him and against Republicans in general.

“I was disappointed, frankly, in the vote I got in the African American community. I was. I’ve done my best to elevate people to positions of authority and responsibility — not just positions, but positions where they can actually make a difference in the lives of people. I put people in my Cabinet; I put people in my sub-Cabinet. I’ve elevated people from all walks of life, because I believe there’s a responsibility for the President to reach out.”

I should know better than to be surprised by Bush’s confusion about race, but even by this president’s standards, it’s amazing that he’s puzzled by this. In fact, ironically, Bush’s answer helps underscore part of Bush’s problem.

As the president sees it, he’s surrounded himself with Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and other African-American members of his cabinet, which necessarily means, in his mind, that he has a strong record that should appeal to African-American voters.

As Think Progress noted, Bush might be less confused if he considered the effect of his presidency on much of the African-American community.

* Today, 33% of black children live in families under the poverty level.

* Last year, African American households had the lowest median income of any racial group ($30134), down a full percentage point from the year before.

* The unemployment rate for African-Americans is double the rate for white Americans. Over the past six months, the average unemployment rate for white Americans was 4.39 percent; for black Americans, it was 10.06 percent.

* President Bush’s political appointees in the Department of Health and Human Services doctored a report about racial disparities in healthcare. The department deleted a key section detailing racial ”inequalities” and ”disparities” in health care from its findings. Deleted: conclusion by HHS scientists that healthcare disparities are “national problems.” Deleted: key examples of health care disparities, including findings that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, die of HIV and be subjected to physical restraints in nursing homes.

* When a racial profiling report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed African Americans were more likely than whites to have their cars searched or be threatened with force after being pulled over in traffic stops, political supervisors at the bureau ordered the findings deleted. When the study’s author refused, he was fired.

A racially-diverse cabinet is a poor substitute for a policy agenda.

Back in the 1960s I attended a lecture by a Black sociologist, John Howard, who said the rule of thumb for social statistics of a wide variety (education, housing, employment, health) was: Take the number given for Whites, multiply or divide it by 2, and you can come pretty close to the number for Blacks. Forty years and god knows how much money and how many programs later, the rule still applies.

Bush wouldn’t know about this because (1) he doesn’t know anything and (2) he doesn’t give a damn about “much of the African-American community” (or “much” of any community for that matter). There are those of extreme wealth and privilege – the real people, those who matter – and then all the rest. Like members of elite noble families (which the Bushes are not), or ordinary crime families (which the Bushes are), the rest of us are simply there to be used.

  • I personally do not think that Dub is racist. I believe it has to do with economics. Dub thinks he reaches out to the African-American Community via Powell, Rice et al, but these people are basically his economic class peers, if you will. The people referred to in your post, C.B., are not his class peers, as you pointed out. Until the GOP can relate to the economic conditions of many African-Americans, I cannot see how they will ever make great inroads into that Community. Having said that, I also see Dems kinda losing touch with the Community also. I can’t show it with statistics, but anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that many of the Nation’s impoverished are still African-American. As America continues to divide into have and have-nots with a decreasing middle class, I think we are all getting out of touch.

  • I love how the GOP likes to say that the Democrats appoint of African-Americans is not a good indicator for party’s committment to African-Americans but when it is a GOP president this is how they show their committment.

    Of course I don’t expect Bush personally and most of the GOP as a whole to understand many concerns of African-Americans – most of them (party structure people) have no frame of reference especially Bush. Of course I don’t think they understand the things that I am interested in and I am a single white female in my 30’s working a civil service job.

  • I don’t know if Bush is a racist or not. I suspect not,
    but could easily be wrong. But the larger point
    is that his policies are not directed against blacks.
    The Republicans in general, and the Bush
    administration in particular, are committed to
    policies which aid business and the wealthy which,
    they insist, in some magic trickle down fashion,
    lift the ordinary people up as well by giving them
    jobs and other opportunities. Philosophically,
    they believe that people at the bottom, black
    white or whatever, are there because of their
    own personal frailties, and not because of any
    failure of society or government in general.

    I do not believe the Bush administration is any
    more indifferent toward the plight of poor
    or sinking middle class blacks than they are
    toward whites in the same strata. They are simply
    not concerned with ordinary people.

  • Typical Bush narcissism. He figures it’s about him–and the people of color he’s appointed to the cabinet–rather than about “reg’lar folks” and how his policies have absolutely pounded them. The momental self-obsession of this imbecile would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.

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