Race, politics and the President with Harvard Professor Randall Kennedy
ListenHour 1
[REBROADCAST] 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 recent 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.
Listen:
[audio: 120111_110630.mp3]
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