[Marxism] The appeal of Obama: "class will be the new problem"

["Ruthless Critic of All that Exists" <ok.president+marxml@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21171

The Appeal of Obama
By Norman Ravitch, Reply by Darryl Pinckney

In response to Dreams from Obama (March 6, 2008)

To the Editors:

Neither Darryl Pinckney nor Shelby Steele really understands the
appeal of Barack Obama [NYR, March 6]. Obama is the Great White (or
Black) Hope. He allows us to think that we are really capable of
overcoming the curse of racism in America. And he is right. Whites,
even those not particularly favorable to blacks, are voting and will
continue to vote for Obama because his victory puts aside race as a
problem. The new problem will be class—black and white underclasses
will continue to be a problem—but it is easier to deal with, or to
endure, class than race.

The New Testament assures us that the poor we will always have with
us. It says nothing about race. Not really, despite Paul's meanderings
about Jews and Greeks.

Norman Ravitch
 Professor of History Emeritus
 University of California, Riverside
 Savannah, Georgia

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21171

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