The “Racial card”, how long Politicians still want to play?

種族這張牌政客們還要打多久？

The general election just like playing a card game, when no candidate is perfect (let’s be realistic, do we really expect a perfect candidate?), who has the most powerful cards left on their deck will most likely to win the final race. There are many types of cards each candidate could play: vision for the country, economy, strategies to defeat ISIS, solutions for income inequality, international relation etc. All of them are valid cards that will definitely help voters to make their clear decision on whom they will vote for.

As an Asian immigrant, a card that I especially don’t want to see the candidates to play is the racial card.  This might be a big surprise to many of you. But let me tell you why I don’t want to see the racial card played by candidates.

As an immigration country, except aboriginals, all Americans came from somewhere else, either this generation or the father, grand father, grand grand father generation. The only difference, if any, is the time arrived on this land.

In the mind of myself and many other immigrants, this land is a melting pot: a melting pot with freedom, a melting pot with law and order, a melting port that will generate endless opportunities, a melting pot will nurture American dreams. However, right after landed in this country, immigrants were labelled as hyphen –American, such as Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans etc. The labeling of African-American is even more ridiculous,  I bet, many African-Americans even never been in Africa.  Ironically, when we traveled in other countries, we were called Americans. Yes, just plain Americans, no hyphen in front of it. What a surprise!

The racial labeling in this country serves one purpose, only one purpose, it is a card for politicians to play. Racial politics, together with other identity politics are played by politicians in this country to serve as their card to be elected, to be re-elected and to serve as their card to make them career politicians.

When racial card  and other identity politics were used as tools by politicians, average Americans are often clouded in determining the most important issues behind the election: to elect a candidate that can bring this country a common good. Voters often instigated by the racial narratives of the campaign and often forgot other merits determining the electability. Skin color became, sometimes the only, consideration to cast the votes.

It became a new norm that politicians took votes from minorities as granted just because of the shared ethnicity. They felt they own the votes rather they need to earn the votes.

I am disappointed about President Obama’s speech at Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on Sept.17.2016. He mentioned that it is a “personal insult to him” if black voters failed to vote for the candidate that likely to carry his legacy.

I respect President Obama dearly. When He was elected eight years ago, I was over joyed because he is the President of the United States of America elected by all ethnic groups and he is happened to be black. Because his ethnicity, I was confident that he will bring the racial unity of this country to a level that no one had done before.

Eight years later, this country is more racially divided. More African Americans on food stamps and less African American in labor force participation. Unfortunate police shooting incidences rapidly evolved into violence and rioting in Ferguson, Baltimore, Milwaukee and Charlotte. The patience for an open dialogue from all sides completely evaporated and replaced by name calling and smearing. Calling “Racist” became a weapon to our attack fellow citizens who happened to have different opinions.  

To me, President Obama’s remarks sound like he took the votes from African American communities as granted and he will be disappointed if they try to run away from voting the candidate he endorsed. He probably overlooked one basic fact: democracy is about the free expression of opinions for every citizen including the expression of their own will during election.

A great president’s legacy are not built on the party affiliation but their actual deed. Kennedy is a democrat and Reagan is a republican. Their legacies are regarded as the legacy of this great nation rather than a specific party.

When politicians stop to play racial card to gain votes, we will be a real “United” states of America.