STAFF EDIT: Obama wins on race

President Barack Obama’s second televised press conference was focused almost solely on the economy, and for good reason. Americans have heard plenty of talking heads in the media and in Congress bloviate on the AIG bonus scandal and the bank bailout, and it was time for the public to hear from the one voice that matters the most: the president’s. But other topics did make their way into the press conference. Some were ones we have been hearing about recently, including the perilous situation on the Mexican border and the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. However, it was the topic of tackling racism that seemed to catch the president off-guard, and not surprisingly so, because Obama has hardly even mentioned the issue of race since taking office in January. His answer to the reporter’s question about whether the race issue was coming up in the White House agenda reflected a desire to move beyond this divisive issue. Obama said the economy is the issue that ‘[he’s] been spending [his] time thinking about,’ as opposed to worrying about how he is being perceived by Americans as the first black president. And the American public can’t be looking at Obama in terms of what he’s done as the first black president. As Obama said Tuesday night, the celebration over the historic achievement of electing a black president ‘lasted about a day.’ Now, he needs to be judged on how he is handling the economic crisis and the other problems the U.S. faces. Obama’s relative silence on the race issue doesn’t mean that this country has put its ugly history of racism behind it. It would be na’iuml;ve to suggest that his election eliminated the racist tensions that still exist in America today. Obama’s brilliant speech on race last year as a presidential candidate called for us to move toward ‘a more perfect union’ in regards to race, and he has been leading by example to make this happen. His improbable rise to the presidency and inclusive governing style has shown that race does not have to matter. By doing what is best for all Americans, no matter what color they are, Obama will do more for the cause of bringing about the end of racism then talking about it ever will.