The Politics of Cynicism

Putting aside Obama's unhesitating willingness to meet with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea (no word yet on whether Robert Mugabe and Omar al-Bashir feel left out) without expecting a thing in return from those leaders, let's turn to this comment from Obama in the YouTube debate

COOPER: Senator Obama, how do you address those who say you're not authentically black enough?

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Well...

COOPER: Not my question; Jordan's question.

OBAMA: You know, when I'm catching a cab in Manhattan -- in the past, I think I've given my credentials.

So Obama couldn't get a cab because the New York City taxi drivers are racist? According to this website, 95% of New York City cab drivers are immigrants, and 70% of all drivers are South Asian. Are the Pakistani cabbies racist? I don't know what he means by "in the past" but I get the feeling that even when he's not running for president Obama usually dresses pretty well. So the cab driver would rather forgo a fare from a well dressed man, with the possibility of a good tip, because that man is black?

It doesn't really matter though, because it was just Obama pandering to the Al Sharpton race-hustler crowd, who claim he's not black enough. So he had to prove his bona fides, by giving an instance of where he was the victim of racism. But then he continues:

But I do believe in the core decency of the American people, and I think they want to get beyond some of our racial divisions.

Here, he's talking to everyone else in the country. Even though he just disparaged all hard-working New York City cabbies as racist, he's sure we're good people and want to get beyond race. The seems to me to be rather, well, cynical.

If Obama were smart, his example of when he was the victim of racism (and I don't doubt that he has been) for him to pull out in later debates to pander to Sharpton and his ilk would be a time when he was targeted by one person, not an entire group that consists of 40,000 people.