Abstract
Barack obama’s successful run for the presidency of the United states begs the question of what role race now plays in America. Some commentators and pundits contend that the election shows that American society has moved beyond race. Others argue that it proves nothing and that racism remains as much an entrenched part of American society as ever. In light of the 2008 election, however, others have begun to articulate a more nuanced analysis of race in America—that being the presence of racial bias is mostly subtle and unconscious.1 In this chapter, we address the role that the ugliest aspect of the 2008 presidential election plays in this debate—the threats to and attempts on President Obama’s life.
Why would they try to make people hate us?
—A’lichelle Obama
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© 2009 Manning Marable and Kristen Clarke
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Parks, G.S., Rachlinski, J.J. (2009). Barack Obama’s Candidacy and the Collateral Consequences of the “Politics of Fear”. In: Marable, M., Clarke, K. (eds) Barack Obama and African American Empowerment. The Critical Black Studies Series. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230103290_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230103290_17
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