NAACP: Obama Win Won't Fix Race Problems

Chairman Julian Bond Says Racial Disparity Will Remain In America Even If Obama Becomes President

(AP)  Racial disparity will remain an issue in America, regardless of whether Barack Obama is elected as the nation's first black president, the chairman of the NAACP told the organization's national convention Sunday night.

Julian Bond, a veteran civil rights leader, said Obama's candidacy doesn't "herald a post-civil rights America, any more than his victory in November will mean that race as an issue has been vanquished in America."

But he drew loud applause when he said the country, and "all of us here," are taking pride in the success in this year's campaign by a candidate who couldn't have stayed in some cities' hotels a few decades ago.

"We know that Obama's electoral success - even if he should win the ultimate prize - won't signal an end to racial discrimination, but it does mark the high point of an interracial movement that dates back to the Underground Railroad," Bond said, referring to Cincinnati's historical role in helping fleeing slaves reach freedom.

Obama plans to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's convention Monday night, and Republican presidential candidate John McCain will speak here Wednesday.

Bond said blacks are being hit hard by the nation's mortgage loan crisis, and he was sharply critical of the Bush administration, saying it has undermined constitutional rights, failed to oppose racial discrimination, supported voter identification laws that suppress black voters and thrived on "politics of divide and conquer."

A Justice Department spokesman said in response that it has vigorously enforced voting laws.

"One of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice and its Civil Rights Division is to protect voting rights and enforce specific federal laws that help to ensure that all qualified voters have an opportunity to cast their ballots and have them counted," spokesman Dean Boyd said.

Bond noted that a 2004 speech in which he criticized President Bush led to an IRS review of NAACP's tax-exempt status.

"The NAACP will continue to speak truth to power until this administration leaves town," he said Sunday night.

He detailed racial failures by past presidents of both parties, then took a verbal swing at former President Bill Clinton, who made critical comments about Obama while campaigning for his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton during Democratic primaries.

"We fared much better under the man who liked to be called 'the first black president,' but then we watched him try to bring down the man who would be the real first black president," Bond said.

Obama recently called Clinton, and the former president has offered to campaign for him.

[just-another-sweetie]

Judging by Obama%u2019s brush off the shoulders,condescending %u201Csweetie%u201D, silent approval of Senator Hillary Clinton being bashed by sexist media, on and on%u2026 ad nauseam.

But Obama say%u2019s the New Yorker cover of him and his unpleasant wife %u201Cinsulted Muslim Americans.%u201D I wish he had that much concern for the women of America.

No Bama. Never. Just Say No Deal. PUMA

[just-another-sweetie]

Julian Bond threw President Bill Clinton under the bus when they didn''t need him anymore.Oh they all did love the former President till Obama came alone,then they had to get Bill out of the way.That is the way Obama operates.

A taxpayer voting for Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.

Hillary Supporter for McCain 08

[wardoglrs]

IndyVet66
Your a fool

[indyvet66]

I am a 52-year old white man, and I think that Senator Obama%u2019s ability to capture the essence of race relations in America is truly amazing and inspiring.

Unfortunately, too many people want to use our racial, ethnic or religious differences to divide us.

Unfortunately, many of the articles and blogs about Obama have a racial overtone. Some of these articles and blogs are outright racist, and I wish that the writers would reflect before they publish or post to consider if they are simply advocating a position or if they are actually being racist.

At all events, I am hopeful that the ongoing angst over race will force racial issues to into the open where we can address and resolve them.

Earlier this year, Senator Obama eloquently articulated the essence of race relations in America. Obama%u2019s speech really got to the heart of race relations and he did a superb job of trying to re-focus Americans to get beyond race and to focus on the important issues that face us.

Regardless of our differences, it is clear that many of us have arrived at the viewpoint expressed by Senator Obama, as a result of a willingness to learn and grow as civilized people.

I believe Senator Obama is going to be a thoughtful and superb leader as President of the United States. I am voting for and supporting Senator Obama in 2008 and beyond.

What a man...what a great leader!

[obama8years]

The National Association Of White People.

How does that Sound???

[johnmcsame]

Hussein is more interested in helping muslims than blacks.

[johnmcsame]

Hussein is more interested in helping muslims than blacks.

[johnmcsame]

Hussein is more interested in helping muslims than blacks.

[johnmcsame]

Blacks are now the news racists. The are voting for Obama because he is black and not because they all like his policies.

[denialator]

Posted by GrammaWhamma at 03:42 AM : Jul 15, 2008
(I read an article that blacks will support Obama...but he is not black enough to truely represent blacks because he doesn''''t have any "slave blood".)

GrammaWhamma...let me try to run this down for you. The "slave blood" mentality indicates a false sense of victimhood rampant among ignorant black liberation / raparation bigots who exploit the good natures of Americans who would rather see them get over such hypocrisy and assimilate into American society in lieu of fleshing out their true nature and pretending this country owes them what they don''t deserve to start with. This is just their collective bargaining tool for getting more hand-outs.

This is also a form of excuse to nurse selfish, hypocritical attitudes as a mistreated group because their great grandfathers were given citizenship to this great democratic republic, not ownership. The part that galls these slothful black hypocrites is that they were not given or guaranteed a free ride.

We did not, however invent slavery or promote it originally, therefore we do not owe anyone compensation for it. On the contrary...the white man brought them out of slavery which was chiefly practiced by Barack Hussein Obama''s heritage. That''s right...the Arab-African Muslim slave owners and traders from which he came.

Ever hear an expression..."biting the hand that feeds you"?

We should send them all back to their most familiar surroundings and call it quits.