Is Race an Issue in Politics?

It was an historical era for the United States of America in the year 2008-09 when the 44^th President holds the Office of the President. President Barack Obama is the first African American to achieve this designation in the United States. The slogan ‘Change- we can believe in’ truly did the trick for the democrats and they eventually received massive support from the whole nation.

The indirect arguments that took place in between Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain during the presidential campaign are not hidden from anybody. The remarks that Barack Obama made during the presidential campaign infuriated John McCain to such an extent that he issued the comment that Obama is using his race as a weapon to win support from the whole nation.

Well, as far as the political history of America is concerned then we can say that the concept of racial slur and accusation is over 200 years old. The race and politics are closely interrelated with each other. According to a renowned professor of history in the University of South Carolina, “the plan of keeping Obama in the news on the basis of his race was not anyhow an ideal policy for the democrats. This is the reason why they never gone for it. It is an undeniable fact that the majority out of the people who may be compassionate regarding such issues will never accept it as a premier strength of a person who is fighting for the most powerful position of the world”.

“You have to involve the people and discuss the issues they are concerned about. This is what he (Obama) did. He not only stressed on the foreign policies but also on the domestic policies related to the economy and healthcare”, said the professor who is involved in extensive research on the ‘role of race in the politics’ from the past many years.

It is basically the judgment of the people, which will decide whether someone is eligible for a particular position, or not. It is true that the ‘Obama issues is not receiving a great media coverage these days because it was a plot with no base in it. The opposition certainly tried to highlight the unusual name of the current president at the time of the electoral campaign and also raised various questions on his patriotism.

Beyond US

If we discuss about the role of race in politics then it would be easier for us to find some good examples beyond the political borders of the United States. The race and politics issue came into existence in the country of Brazil due to a great racial difference among the population of the country. In order to preserve the unique national identity, from the year 1968-1971 three considerable questions were created by Bolívar Lamounier and Amaury de Souza.

These questions were as follows-

Do black and white politicians display diverse political approach?

• Do blacks carry an integrated political behavior in order to express their racial cohesion?
• If an integrated political behavior exists among the people then how the political system requires operating in order to disband the same.

It is true that even after the establishment of racial democracy in Brazil with the contribution of renowned political scientists and sociologists, these questions are still in debate within the country.