Conservatives and the Professional Black Friend

Jelani Cobb at The New Yorker criticizes the “Rickett’s Plan,” a proposal for a Republican Super PAC ad, news of which broke last week. The ad, which would have exploited Obama’s connection with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, made use of what Cobb sees as an out-of-date tool: “the Professional Black Friend.” By suggesting the ad employ an  “extremely literate, conservative African American” as a spokesperson, the proposal shows its “myopic perspective on race.” Cobb writes: “In an age in which cynicism is the default setting for much of the public, the belief that a single black spokesperson can offer insulation from charges of racism is less than tenable.”

Read at The New Yorker

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