Race, Opportunity, and the YouTube/CNN Debate

Cross posted (with video) at State of Opportunity - a blog about human rights and the American Dream.

Monday night’s YouTube debate gave the "average Joes" of America the chance to ask the Democratic presidential candidates their own personal questions.  Between the filter of CNN’s production team, who chose which videos would air, and the stump speeches that still weeded their way into many candidates’ discourse, the debate was not as natural as it could have been, but still offered a new way for Americans to have their voices heard.  

So, how did CNN do in picking questions that deal with the tricky topic of race, and how did the candidates do in answering them?  

This is important.  As some have noted, the video submissions were dominated by white men – a demographic not representative of the diversity of America.  Whatever the reason – be it lack of broadband access or lack of savvy when it comes to New Media – CNN clearly made an effort to rectify that imbalance through their selection of questioners who were of color and questioners who  asked pertinent questions about race in America.  

Yet still, there were a lot of lost opportunities.  No one addressed the issue of racial disparities in health care, or recognized that equal access (through whatever insurance or universal health plan) does not necessarily guarantee equal treatment. Much more could have been said about equal access to and quality of education - especially in light of the recent school cases.  Next to nothing was said about comprehensive immigration reform.

Overall, we give CNN a "B."  They clearly tried to showcase diverse voices - especially tricky given the racial and gender imbalance in the questions submitted - yet they still failed to adequately address many topics.

In this post, we’ve compiled the questions which did touch on race, ethnicity and opportunity, as well as summarized (and occasionally commented on) the responses from the top tier candidates - Obama, Clinton, Edwards, and Richardson.  We hope this can be a useful little resource to bookmark for anyone who wants to talk about the debates in the context of race in America.

Check out the full transcript on CNN, and the video coverage on YouTube.  For a comprehensive summary of media responses on the debates, check out Jack Muse’s coverage on Huffington Post.

Question 6 - Should African Americans be given reparations for slavery?

View Question Here

Edwards: Immediately answering "no", Edwards explained that he would pursue other goals to create more equality, citing a recent study that in Charleston, black people were paying more than white people for mortgages at a higher rate, even when taking income into account.  Edwards reiterated that to have true equality means fighting the big companies: "we can’t trade our insiders for their insiders...what we need is someone who will take these people on...That’s the only way we’re going to bring about change."  

Obama: Responded to the question by choosing to focus on education, also focusing on South Carolina by profiling a low-income school in Florence, SC.  Focusing on education, Obama said, is "the kind of reparations that are really going to make a difference in America right now."

Question 7 - Did race play an issue in the response to Katrina?

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Richardson:  Richardson explained that in a future crisis, the government should work to "eliminate...any red tape" and "let those who live there come back first, instead of big moneyed interests."  While he didn’t respond directly to the "race" aspect of the question posed, he did express his disagreement to the way the administration reacted.

It should be noted that during this question, Senator Dodd spoke eloquently about economic opportunity in the Gulf in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Question 8 - How do you address being "black enough" or "woman enough"?

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Obama: Used this opportunity to explain how "race permeates our society."  He details the failures of the government in denying programs to overcome the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, and said that as president, "my commitment on issues like health care is to close the disparities and the gaps, because that’s what’s really going to solve the race problem in this country."  Obama’s comments were the only mention of racial disparities in any candidates’ answer, and put a strong emphasis on the fact that racism still exists in many parts of society.  Trying to force "colorblind" legislation is ignoring these disparities, and only perpetuating further inequalities.  

Clinton: Maintained that the (presidential) race should not be about Obama’s race or her gender, but about "what is best for you and your family."

Question 9 - Do you support gay marriage?

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In a question from the Reverend Reggie Longcrier, the candidates - particularly John Edwards were asked about religion as a weapon for discrimination - particularly as a justification for slavery in the past and a tool to rob GLBT people of their civil liberties today.  

Edwards: spoke in favor of equal rights and civil rights and his determination not to let his own faith beliefs - which are not in favor of gay marriage - to dictate public policy and limit the rights of American citizens.

Obama: Spoke about equality before the state in terms of marriage and the civil rights it confers, but wants to leave actual determinations about marriage up to individual religious denominations.

Question 27 - Why don't we have standardized voting?

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Richardson: Makes a brief mention of suppression of minority voters by the Republican Party.  No other candidate is allowed to respond.

Question 28 - Would you agree to be paid the minimum wage?

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No one specifically mentions people of color, but this question on the minimum wage touches on themes of economic mobility and security, and is highly relevant to millions of low-income families and people of color.

Obama: He's really the only one who hits this out of the park, noting that it's almost the wrong question.  Presidential candidates tend to be rich.  They can afford to work for the minimum wage.  It's everyday people who need to be given a living wage.

Question 34 - Does your health care plan cover undocumented workers?

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This question asks whether the candidate's health care plans would cover undocumented workers.  Only Dodd and Richardson are allowed to answer, and, while both answer yes, this was mostly a lost opportunity for a substantive discussion about two of the most important and hot issues facing our nation.