Would President Barack Obama Support Reparations For African-Americans Due To Slavery?

RFFM.org Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza, Executive Director 

If former Republican Congressman J.C. Watts, who is himself an African-American, were running for the presidency of the United States, I would not be asking this question.  Watts was and continues to be a conservative who believes in reasonable-sized government and fair taxation.  However, I think it is a more than fair question that must be put to Democratic presidential frontrunner Barack Obama.  After all, Obama did address the issue during his Senatorial campaign against former Ambassador Alan Keyes.  Combine this with the fact it has been reported members of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, of which Obama is a member, are involved in the reparations movement and its pastor Jeremiah Wright, the junior senator from Illinois' spiritual advisor for 20 years, has been outspoken about the government's enslavement of the black community and the question seems even more appropriate.

During the Senatorial race with opponent Keyes, Obama said reparations for blacks would be appropriate in funding education [http://video.aol.com/video-detail/edwards-against-reparations-obama-suggest-money-for-education-instead/3126999430].  But, if reparations were suitable for educational purposes, what about blacks who were beyond the age--where extending their education would be impractical?  Would Obama favor these reparations for African-Americans up to the age of 18 or 22 or 50?

I suppose there would be blacks who would claim, because they were too old to return to school, they still should be entitled to a cash payout.  In fact, I agree.  Why should one segment of the African-American community receive "damages" when another segment of the same population would not be entitled to reparations for slavery which existed in the American south nearly 150 years ago?

Let me make this perfectly clear.  I would be in full support of reparations for any former slave still alive in America today.  But there are no former slaves alive in America today and I would not favor any form of reparations for blacks, even those who can confirm a direct lineage to a former slave.

In reality, more than 360,000 Union soldiers died during the Civil War and 275,200 Union soldiers were wounded.  I think this is blood enough to compensate for the tragedy of slavery.  I seriously doubt the leaders of the reparations movement are including the families of these casualties into their plans to receive a cash reward for something which happened with the help of many guilty parties.

What other guilty parties?  Well, there were African tribes themselves who assisted Arab traders in the rounding up of unfortunate men, women and children on the African continent.  Therefore, any plans for reparations must include individual tribes in Africa who must take responsibility for their actions.  Then, we could include probably the entire Arab world itself and it would be interesting how that collection process would be undertaken.  Next, we would have to include the Portuguese and English who played significant roles in the early slave trade.

But this is ridiculous, isn't it?  So, let's get back to the original question.  Would President Barack Obama support reparations for African-Americans because of slavery?  The answer to that question seems to be "yes."  Certainly such a program would rip America apart along racial lines, besides bankrupting an already fiscally-depleted government.  Indeed a trillion dollars worth of reparations might well throw the American economy into a deep depression from which it could not recover.

Why hasn't the dominant media asked Barack Obama about the subject of reparations?  The answer is simple.  Such a query would put Obama in a political bind.  He would have to admit to favoring such a program or explain why he changed his position on the issue.  But, more important, the issue of reparations for blacks would drop on other Americans like an atomic bomb.  The controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright would seem miniscule to the effect slavery reparations would have on Obama's presidential aspirations.

But it is still a legitimate question.  People like myself would like to know the answer.  Will Sen. Obama jeopardize the future of the United States and set back race relations forty years in the process, in order to please some blacks who hold radical views?  Or would Obama tell individuals, like Jeremiah Wright, his country's future was much too important to be tampered with for the sake of political expedience?

One day, someone will ask this question of Sen. Barack Obama.  Hillary Clinton won't have the courage to do it.  John McCain won't either.  It's going to take someone in the dominant media who has the juice to withstand the pressure that would soon follow.  Will someone get me a press pass?

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Comments

[Rev. L. Dowell]

It appears the assumptions you've made about Obama and his possibly trying to make reparations available to black Americans is correct, especially since Obama has announced at one of his primary stops that he intends to bring African students (i.e., from the continent of Africa) to this country and enroll them in universities to study at taxpayer's expense. He is clearly telling and showing us alarming things about his judgment, which leads to questions about his (yes) personal patriotism (or not). It appears Obama is not being taken serious by the citizenship much less the press. But who among us has given thought to America having a "White House Mosque" where terrorists will have ready access? God forbid!

[Joe L.]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
For pointing out that the first link in the slave trade was/is blacks in Africa selling other blacks to Arab slave traders. For some reason all that gets taught in our schools is that Americans bought slaves in Africa. No mention of who sold them. And little mention that most of those buying them were New Englanders.

Likewise, there is no mention of the 'free men of color' who enlisted, put on the grey or butternut, and fought shoulder to shoulder with the white soldiers of the Confederacy (it took our federal government almost another hundred years to integrate our military). There are some accounts of them saying that they wanted to fight for the freedom of their nation, the Confederate States.

[payingattention]

You guys should really listen to the video more closely. Barack was dipping and dodging in the video.

He said "I think the reparations we need right here in South Carolina is investments in our schools." He then went on to talk about some of the schools in South Carolina that are in terrible condition--some of which are largely white students.

He then ended by saying "if we make the investments and understand that those are our children those are the kinds of reparations that are going to make a difference."

Pay attention to what he actually said. He said that the schools all around the nation are in bad condition, and he aims to fix those schools.

In fact it has nothing to do with reparations, it was a simple technique of "dipping and dodging", and a really good response to such a loaded question for an African American candidate to answer.

(as an educator in South Carolina I can tell you that at least around here there is a big need to overcome economic divisions and racial divisions in our schools. However, by fixing the schools the future will have ample opportunities and "reparations" will not be necessary, which is really what Obama seemed to be getting at.)

[Dave Abercrombie]

Thanks for the info on Barack and reparations. I wondered about this (again) this morning (Item #7 below) after hearing him infer all Republicans are racist, which I wrote about to many friends in this e-mail called "Barack did the ultimate"...

I heard him speak the words this morning ~~The Republicans will come after me because "I'm Black". This is the ultimate in using "the race card". We cannot even speak now.

As I silence myself, I would say I would have "come after him" because:

1) He has no plans to defend our country against another 9-11.

2) He is for partial birth abortion, sucking the brains out of a baby as it emerges from the mother, where minutes later it would have been suckling at her breast.

3) He is for illegal aliens getting all the benefits of being born here.

4) He is for having WA D.C. decide on what medical procedures we and our children get.

5) He is for nationalizing the oil refineries and all other Marxist/Communist principals (including "class envy" and hatred of business.

5) Oh yeah, he and his wife are racists, hate "Whitey", and lie about it. (I am a "typical White person", just like his Grandmother.) Isn't he half White? Heard anything about his Mom? Oh, she married two Muslims, ummmmm, and he was given a Muslim name, ummm.

6) He, his wife and his friends hate the USA, one of them blew up bombs!

7) At least he is trying something new to get the Black vote; instead of promising a "hand out instead of a hand up" he is unleashing reverse-racism. Has anyone heard how he feels on reparations? The last proposal would have cost each taxpayer over $30K.

8) He (non-Presidentially) stutters and babbles when he doesn't have a teleprompter.

9) He is either naive about our enemies, or, ummmmmm.

10) He is for giving terrorists OUR Constitutional rights, thus clogging our courts.

11) He is for a wind-fall profits tax to what, increase gasoline prices? He will probably follow with price controls which will cause shortages. No drilling, right?

I could go on, but must silence myself, as all Republicans must now. To vote for this man you must be either an ignorant fool or Un-American. PERIOD. Please feel free to send this to anyone voting for Barack and give them my phone number.

Dave (Racist-in-Training, thanks Barack) 702-994-0485

[Will]

The question is: What reparations does President Obama personally deserve for being black?

[shathesleekman]

I guess none of your comments seem to matter, because now you have to address him as MR. President Barack Obama; whether you like it or not. It always seems to amaze me in this Country when there is a mention of a possible gain for an African- American. There is a tone of hatred or dismay at the very thought of an African American gaining anything of value at the behest of his white-counterparts. If you ask me that smells like racism. Whether it is in the school system or in employment or any other bureaucracy in America, there are always a chosen few who can't let go of the pre-civil war ideals and Aerican culture. The jewish people were given 8 billion dollars of reparations with the help of the American Government. I wonder why? Hasn't African Aericans been through enough in America from generation to generation; there is no comparison.