The latest public opinion polls show that, not only is approval of Barack Obama’s job performance declining, larger percentages of the public doubt his honesty. As Thomas Lifson notes, “it is clear that Obama is underwater, and that a public reassessment of him is well underway.”
Does that mean racism is staging a comeback?
From the time Obama emerged on the national scene till now, a meme of his backers has been that racism is a — maybe the (!) — major reason why people disapprove of him and his policies. Oprah Winfrey’s assertion that Obama is disrespected because of race is the most recent illustration of this mindset.
Before dismissing this as hogwash, we need to look at public opinion polls on the matter.
Let us begin with a bit of historical context. White Americans’ racial attitudes have changed tremendously since the end of World War II. A Rasmussen Reports poll in late August, 2013 found that nearly 70% of likely voters believe race relations have improved in the U.S. during the last 50 years. The same poll found that nearly 90% believed race relations had deteriorated since Obama became president.
When Obama first emerged as a presidential candidate, many people hoped that, if he were elected, it would signify that the U.S. had entered a “post-racial” epoch. By voting for Obama, many Americans believed they were proving they weren’t bigoted. (Obama and his handlers adeptly played on that hope for change.)