Today in Incongruity: Nader Accuses Obama of "Talking White"

Posted by , Pandagon at 3:58 PM on June 25, 2008.

By Jesse Taylor


Noted black man Ralph Nader accuses Obama of “talking white”. 

Much of this is, of course, attributable to John Edwards, but I remember Obama - and Clinton - spending a lot more time talking about poverty and urban issues than any other campaign in recent memory.  He even has specifically targeted poverty policies, while John McCain has, er...nothing.

“He wants to show that he is not a threatening ... another politically threatening African-American politician. He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he’s coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it’s corporate or whether it’s simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up.”

You know what’s really nonthreatening to white people?  Being a black dude running for president and writing two separate books about how you’re black.  Other things that are nonthreatening to white people: puppies.

Tagged as: race, obama, nader

Jesse Taylor is co-founder of Pandagon.