Why Obama Won't Heal America's Racial Problems

Barack Obama's main pitch to voters is that he's the guy who can heal America's racial problems. He comes from a bi-racial background and presents himself as a reasonable, non-confrontational person. As author Shelby Steele puts it, Obama "gives whites the benefit of the doubt," as opposed to abrasive loudmouths like Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, who "assume whites are racist until they prove otherwise."

But the revelation that Obama's "spiritual advisor" -- Jeremiah Wright -- is a race-baiting, America-hating conspiracy nut has cast considerable doubt on his ability to bring the races together. Pastor Wright's numerous incindiary remarks, coupled with Michelle Obama's comments admitting her lack of pride in America, are a big headache for the Illinois Senator. His speech on Tuesday in Philadelphia was designed to allay the fears that those comments aroused, and it seems to have worked, at least among liberals who were predisposed to support him anyway.

But don't be fooled: Obama will do nothing to help bridge the racial divide in this country, and the controversies involving his pastor and his wife are the proof.

If you think about it, there are only two ways to bring rival factions together. One way is to convince a given side in a dispute that they are wrong and the other side is right. Those who are in the wrong will then give up their position and join the other side, thereby creating unity.

But if neither side will concede that their position is entirely wrong, then the only way to resolve the dispute is for each side to compromise. Both sides move toward the center, giving up something they want in return for a concession from the other side. The resulting agreement may be imperfect, but still good enough to ameliorate even the most serious impasse.

How does this apply to our national politics?

Well, obviously, whites and conservatives are not going to agree with the positions espoused by Pastor Wright or Mrs. Obama. The idea that the U.S. government created AIDS to kill black people, or that America deserved 9/11, or that there was no reason to be proud of this country until Barack Obama seemed likely to win the Democratic nomination for president -- these are not ideas that will unite the country. They are radical, extreme left-wing positions that do not provide a reasonable starting point for negotiating our differences.

And if Mr. Obama can't even convince his own wife and pastor -- two of the people closest to him -- to move away from the kook fringe toward the political center, how on earth is he going to convince the rest of the nation to do it?