Race, politics and the President with Harvard Professor Randall Kennedy

Hour 2

Harvard law professor and author Randall Kennedy

According to Harvard Law Professor RANDALL KENNEDY, when it comes to race, Barack Obama is in a predicament.  "He is a politician seeking to lead and govern a massive, complex, dysfunctional democracy that has long suppressed the racial group with which he is affiliated."  In his new book The Persistence of the Color Line:  Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency, Kennedy takes a critical look at how Barack Obama has tackled the challenges of being a black leader while walking the tightrope that accompanies charges that he is "not black enough." In eight essays Kennedy offers a look at how the President successfully calmed the fears of white voters while establishing himself as a "safe black candidate" who would be remain committed to the concerns of African Americans and other minorities.  Kennedy joins us in the studio to share his insights on race, politics and the President.

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