FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2008 Shelby Steele on Obama and the Politics of Race: Chapter 5 of 5 Why can’t Obama win? Steele says it’s because he’s a bound man who can’t serve the aspirations of one race without betraying those of another. “The black American identity,” says Steele, “is still for the most part grounded in challenging. You never give white people the benefit of the doubt; that’s our power.” And that puts Obama in a tenuous position. If he gives white people the benefit of the doubt, he’ll lose black support; if he challenges white people in a nod to the black community, he’ll lose white support. PERMALINK About Shelby Steele Shelby Steele is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution whose research examines the role of race in American society and the consequences of contemporary social programs on race relations.  Steele has written extensively for major publications including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.   He is also the author of several books including, most recently, A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win.

Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson
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