A Party of Firsts

So Bill Richardson has just announced for the 2008 Democratic nomination, in hopes of becoming the “first Hispanic president.” He joins frontrunners Barack Obama, “first African-American president,” and Hillary Clinton, “first woman president.”

You’d think the Democrats were vying for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, rather than for the presidency itself.

But actually, each one’s claim is flawed; Guinness might have reason to refuse them the title even if elected. Richardson is not a particularly Hispanic name. His father, William Blaney Richardson, was the scion of a prominent Boston family. His mother and grandmother are Hispanic.

Barack Obama’s name sounds pretty African American; but his father, from whom he inherited it, left the family when Obama was two. His mother was from Wichita, Kansas, and he was raised by his maternal grandparents. His upbringing, in other words, must have been more or less identical to that of a white child. If he is “African-American,” it is purely on the basis of having the blood of a father who was racially African.

But if that standard holds, Richardson must be considered white, from his father’s blood. Conversely, if Richardson is to be considered Hispanic, then Obama must be considered white, following his mother.

Hillary Clinton, by contrast, is fairly obviously a woman. On the other hand, she fairly obviously arrives at her present political prominence through her husband. Any feminist ought to cringe at the thought that one should attain high office through their spouse; this is simply the position of “First Ladies,” and wives, throughout history. This is what feminism rose against. George Wallace’s wife also followed him as Alabama governor; Juan Peron’s wife followed him as Argentine president. Were these “progressive” regimes? Were these breakthroughs for women?

All this illustrates that the Democrats are, in the pure sense of the word, still deeply racist, as they have been for much of their history. They see people as members of a particular race even when it is perfectly arbitrary to do so. They refuse to see people as unique individuals even when it is almost necessary to do so, as with Richardson and Obama. And they can be appealed to and counted on to vote on the basis of sex, class or race.