Fracture

by Joy-Ann Reid

  69 Butts, pastor of the storied Ibid.

  72 Thomas had triumphed “Americans’ Response to the Nomination of Clarence Thomas: At Every Point, The Public at Large, Women and Men, Blacks and Whites Backed Thomas’ Confirmation,” Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut, The Public Perspective, November/December 1991. Thomas’s nomination split the national NAACP, with its chief Washington hand, Wade Henderson, vehemently opposed, and other factions within the organization in support. It also roiled the black elite: black legal scholars like Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, who represented Hill, denounced Thomas, while luminaries like author and poet Maya Angelou rose in support, with Angelou even penning an August New York Times op-ed entitled “I Dare to Hope,” citing Thomas’s childhood in poverty in rural Georgia as a reason to give him a chance.

  The forty-seven women Adam Clymer, “The 1992 Elections: Congress—The New Congress; Democrats Promise Quick Action on a Clinton Plan,” New York Times, November 5, 1992.

  73 He tapped his friend Mike Espy Herman would become the secretary of labor in the second Clinton administration.

  76 The attacks built to such a fury President Bill Clinton, “Remarks on the Withdrawal of the Nomination of Lani Guinier to Be an Assistant Attorney General and an Exchange with Reporters,” June 3, 1993.

  77 That Clinton would accept that characterization A former White House staffer noted that Clinton was actually closer to Jocelyn Elders, his onetime Arkansas health secretary, whom he named as U.S. surgeon general, than he personally was to Guinier. But as the former aide noted, Clinton had no trouble cashiering Elders, too, in December 1994, over a controversy involving Elders’s statement during a Q&A following a speech on World AIDS Day, about perhaps teaching teens about masturbation as a way of curbing riskier sexual activity.

  New York congressman Charlie Rangel Clarence Page, “Who Says Congressional Blacks Have Nowhere to Go?” Chicago Sun Times, June 18, 1993.

  78 When the crime bill passed “Rare Bipartisanship Gives Clinton a Needed Victory,” Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 26, 1994.

  80 Just 45 percent of eligible voters U.S. Census Bureau.

  Now, for the first time, those voters Voter News Service, exit polls, 1994.

  Among white men and women U.S. Census Bureau.

  Just 37 percent of black voters Ibid.

  “Race was at the heart of this election” Isabel Wilkerson, “The 1994 Elections: Voters Minorities; Many Blacks See Betrayal in This Year’s Campaign,” New York Times, November 10, 1994.

  81 “It was absolute disgust” Ibid.

  Chapter 4: The “First Black President”

  82 Going into the 1994 midterms David A. Bositis, Ph.D., “Resegregation in Southern Politics?” Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, November 2011.

  84 The president’s January address State of the Union address by President Bill Clinton, January 24, 1995, transcript.

  86 The bill handed federal welfare funds Barbara Vobejda and Judith Havemann, “2 HHS Officials Quit Over Welfare Changes,” Washington Post, September 12, 1996, A01.

  88 Indeed, by the end of the president’s second term Center for American Progress.

  White House spokesman Joe Lockhart Thomas J. Brady, “Jesse Jackson to Be Roving Ambassador to Africa,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 10, 1997.

  91 But Hall’s idea unleashed Michael A. Fletcher, “Slavery Apology Idea Sparks Criticism,” Moscow Times, August 6, 1997.

  92 Even Jesse Jackson dismissed the idea Ibid.

  “Any American, I hope, feels badly” Sam Fulwood III, “Gingrich Rejects Apology for Slavery,” Los Angeles Times, June 14, 1997.

  93 “As an African American” R. W. Apple Jr., “Clinton’s Contrition,” New York Times, April 1, 1998.

  94 After all, Clinton displays Toni Morrison, “Clinton as the First Black President,” The New Yorker, October 1998.

  “No matter how smart you are” Ibid.

  102 The First Lady spent considerable time Moynihan and the Clintons shared a media consultant, Mandy Grunwald, who in addition to Bill Clinton’s 1992 race had previously worked on the New York senator’s campaigns.

  104 Soon, however, Hillary’s campaign The Street Crimes Unit was disbanded one month later, on March 27, 1999, by then New York police commissioner Howard Safir, with the officers ordered back into uniform.

  106 “I know most people in America” “Diallo Case Draws More Scrutiny,” Associated Press, March 5, 2000.

  “Even President Clinton, following” Michael R. Blood, “Giuliani Says She Counts on Sharpton,” Daily News, March 10, 2000.

  “The mayor knows that Hillary Clinton” Ibid.

  Despite the reticence of her spokesman “Mrs. Clinton Lambasts Giuliani,” Associated Press, March 24, 2000.

  By April, polls showed voters Adam Nagourney with Marjorie Connelly, “Giuliani’s Ratings Drop over Actions in Dorismond Case,” New York Times, April 7, 2000.

  107 Giuliani’s rambling exit Elisabeth Bumiller, “Giuliani Quits Race for Senate, and G.O.P. Rallies Around Lazio,” New York Times, May 20, 2000.

  111 “We have more in common” Ted Kleine, “Is Bobby Rush in Trouble?” Chicago Reader, March 17, 2000.

  Rush, along with the third candidate Ibid.

  113 The soon-to-be senator’s call Keynote speech by Illinois senate candidate Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2004, transcript.

  115 “People are really hurting” “Illinois Senate Race Offers Historic Opportunity,” People’s World, February 27, 2004.

  116 “I want to be elected” Jack Germond and Jules Witcover, “Feeling Left Out in Massachusetts,” Chicago Tribune, September 1, 1978.

  Chapter 5: Kanye

  120 Myers later told GQ magazine Chris Heath, “Mike Myers’s Comeback Is Groovy, Baby,” GQ, June 2014.

  121 “We associate a person charging racism” John McWhorter, “Kanye West: Bard or Bully?” The New Republic, November 16, 2010.

  122 He was traveling overseas Lynne Sweet, “To Obama, Tragedy More About Class than Race,” Chicago Sun-Times, September 5, 2005.

  123 No, the failed federal response Ibid.

  Obama told Sweet that Katrina Ibid.

  123 “What I think is that we as a society” Ibid.

  124 In every sense, it was clear “Blacks Blast Bush for Katrina Response,” Gallup News Service, September 14, 2005.

  125 Bush’s approval ratings Dan Froomkin, “Was Kanye West Right?” White House Watch blog, washingtonpost.com, September 13, 2005.

  In many of the races National exit poll, 2006.

  Surging black turnout David A. Bositis, “Blacks and the 2006 Midterm Elections,” Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

  Nationally, Democrats triumphed National exit polls, 2002 and 2006.

  126 “some Republicans gave up on winning” Mike Allen, “RNC Chief to Say It Was ‘Wrong’ to Exploit Racial Conflict for Votes,” Washington Post, July 14, 2005.

  Steele, the affable Maryland lieutenant governor Ibid.

  127 And brochures distributed in several states In December 2006, the Bush administration would fire seven U.S. attorneys, and allegations would arise that many of them were dismissed for insufficient vigor in finding and bringing cases of voter fraud.

  An October 2006 Pew poll found Pew Research poll, October 11, 2006.

  131 “The question is, is Barack Obama” Denise Watson Batts, “Tavis Smiley to Hold Annual ‘State of the Black Union 2007’ This Weekend,” Virginian-Pilot, February 6, 2007.

  132 Chisholm had positioned herself Shirley Chisholm, campaign announcement, transcribed from video of January 25, 1972, news broadcast, ABC News archives.

  133 The decision followed the publication Benjamin Wallace Wells, “Destiny’s Child: The Radical Roots of Barack Obama,” Rolling Stone, February 22, 2007.

  134 “The question is: Will this generation” Peter Wallsten, “Would Obama Be ‘Black President’?” Los
Angeles Times, February 10, 2007.

  137 “It’s a slim possibility” David Miller, “2 Key Black Politicians Endorse Clinton,” Associated Press, February 13, 2007.

  “I’m a gambling man” Ibid.

  “Black Americans in the South” Perry Bacon Jr., “Can Obama Count on the Black Vote?” Time, January 23, 2007.

  138 On CNN, weeks after the State of the Black Union Tony Harris interview with Radio One founder Cathy Hughes, CNN, February 23, 2007, transcript.

  139 “Can’t have a black man” John Dickerson, “Obama’s South Carolina Debut: Feeling the Love in Columbia,” Slate, February 17, 2007.

  142 “If I were a candidate” Roddie A. Burns, “Jackson Slams Obama for ‘Acting White,’ ” State, September 19, 2007.

  Jackson later reiterated his support Ibid.

  Jackson took another, more veiled swipe “Jesse Jackson: For Obama, but Maybe Also Clinton,” interview with Los Angeles Times editorial board, October 8, 2007.

  “I’ve said I would vote for Barack” Ibid.

  143 Afterward, Obama headed for a fund-raiser Jason Horowitz, “Obama, Celeb Supporters, Upstage ‘White Lady’ Hillary in Harlem,” New York Observer, November 30, 2007.

  The two events couldn’t have been Ibid.

  144 “You’d be really embarrassed” Ibid.

  Chapter 6: Hope and Change

  146 “We can’t have false hopes” Claudia Parsons, “After Obama Win, Clinton Warns of ‘False Hopes,’ ” Reuters, January 4, 2008.

  147 “I would,” Senator Clinton said Major Garrett interview with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, January 7, 2008, Nashua, New Hampshire, Fox News, transcribed by the author.

  149 “[S]ince you raised the judgment issue” Bill Clinton town hall at Dartmouth College, January 7, 2008, transcribed by the author from video courtesy of ABC News.

  “It’s wrong that Obama” Ibid.

  Clinton ended his tirade Ibid.

  150 “It’s not easy” Hillary Clinton campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, January 7, 2011. Transcribed by the author from video courtesy of ABC News and Talking Points Memo.

  “This is very personal for me” Ibid.

  New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd Maureen Dowd, “Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?” New York Times, January 9, 2008.

  151 “When we’ve been told we’re not ready” Senator Barack Obama, New Hampshire Primary concession speech, January 8, 2008, Nashua, New Hampshire, transcript from American Rhetoric.

  He derided the spectacle Bob Herbert, “Of Hope and Politics,” New York Times, January 12, 2008.

  153 “We have to be very, very careful” Carl Hulse, “Civil Rights Tone Prompts Talk of an Endorsement,” New York Times, January 11, 2008.

  “To call that dream a fairy tale” Ibid.

  The campaign quickly scheduled “Aftermath: Clinton’s ‘Unfortunate’ MLK Remark,” Associated Press TV package by Ted Shaffrey, January 14, 2008.

  154 “There’s nothing fairy tale” Katharine Q. Seelye and Kate Phillips, “Bill Clinton Tries to Tamp Down ‘Fairy-Tale’ Remark About Obama,” Caucus blog, newyorktimes.com, January 11, 2008.

  A memo went out Sam Stein, “Obama Camp’s Memo on Clinton’s Politicizing Race,” Huffington Post, January 12, 2008.

  155 Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Ibid.

  “But I also said that” Ibid.

  156 The attempts at damage control Katharine Q. Seelye, “BET Founder Slams Obama in South Carolina,” Caucus blog, newyorktimes.com, January 13, 2008.

  “We may differ on minor matters” Patrick Healy, “Clinton and Obama Call for Truce Over Dr. King Dispute,” New York Times, January 15, 2008.

  157 “How race got into this thing” Interview with Representative Charlie Rangel by Dominic Carter, NY1, Inside City Hall, January 14, 2008, transcript.

  “Our party and our nation is bigger” “Statement of Hillary Rodham Clinton,” January 14, 2008, American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara.

  “I don’t want the campaign at this stage” Jeff Zeleny, “Obama Tries to Stop the ‘Silliness,’ ” New York Times, January 14, 2008.

  Obama called the Clintons Ibid.

  158 “There are still two people around” CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin interview with President Bill Clinton, Charleston, South Carolina, January 23, 2008, transcript.

  159 Asked if he was proud Jake Tapper and Jennifer Parker interview with Bill Clinton, Columbia, South Carolina, January 28, 2008, ABC News, transcript.

  “That’s just bait” Ibid.

  164 “In recent days, there is a sense” Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healey, “Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama,” New York Times, February 15, 2008.

  164 Lewis made it official Statement from the office of Congressman John Lewis, February 27, 2008.

  165 “It was easier to walk across that bridge” “John Lewis Switches Support to Obama,” interview with reporter Monica Pearson, WSB-TV 2, Atlanta, February 28, 2008.

  “To me, there’s a historical consideration” Quote from Representative John Conyers in Noam Scheiber, “The Morning After,” The New Republic, February 27, 2008.

  167 During that time, a steady stream Factcheck.org.

  173 Smiley questioned Joy-Ann Reid, “Smiley Takes On Obama at Florida Memorial,” South Florida Times, March 15, 2008.

  174 “If you’re asking for black folks’ support” Ibid.

  175 “I have already condemned” “A More Perfect Union,” speech by Senator Barack Obama, March 18, 2008.

  Obama called Wright’s words Ibid.

  “I can no more disown him” Ibid.

  176 “These people are a part of me” Ibid.

  Chapter 7: Father’s Day

  180 “We’re not electing him to be Perry Bacon Jr., “Jackson Incident Revives Some Blacks’ Concerns About Obama,” Washington Post, July 11, 2008.

  181 “By choosing that moment to castigate” “Eric Easter of Ebony/Jet magazines on Jackson’s Obama remarks,” Deadline USA blog, Guardian, July 10, 2008.

  “On father’s day [sic], when Barack Obama” Michael Eric Dyson, “Obama’s Rebuke of Absentee Black Fathers May Score Politically, but It Won’t Help Solve the Problem,” Time, June 19, 2008.

  182 one of two black students The second student, James Hood, left the University of Alabama two months after the dramatic standoff, citing “a complete mental and physical breakdown” brought on by racist abuse and isolation. He returned to earn his doctorate in 1997.

  184 Sharpton did the interview Interview with Rev. Al Sharpton on Hannity & Colmes, Fox News, July 9, 2008, transcript.

  189 That night, Bill Clinton lauded “Democratic Convention: Extracts from Bill Clinton’s Speech,” Telegraph, August 28, 2008.

  192 And the Clintons, Bill Clinton in particular U.S. Census Bureau.

  194 He got just 10 percent “Election 2008: Did Southern Whites Vote for Obama?” Institute for Southern Studies, Facing South, November 10, 2008.

  195 Indeed, in the four years since U.S. Census Bureau, 2008.

  Obama’s campaign also benefited Exit poll data from Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International for the National Election Pool, including NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, Associated Press, CNN, and Fox News.

  And despite all of the hand-wringing “The Gender Gap: Voting Choices in Presidential Elections (1980–2012),” Center for the American Woman and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University, December 2012.

  Chapter 8: Post-Racial

  206 “our ticket to coming back” Michael Grunwald, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012).

  207 “That boy’s finger” Caucus blog, newyorktimes.com, April 14, 2008.

  “All the hunters gather up” Joseph Duarte, “Longhorn’s Expulsion Shows Need for Caution on Facebook,” Houston Chronicle, November 11, 2008.

  208 Even Mrs. Obama’s mother Greg Toppo, “In-laws in White House
May Add New Meaning to Domestic Policy,” USA Today, December 4, 2008.

  210 “we, average Americans” Attorney General Eric Holder, speech at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program, February 18, 2009.

  211 Asked about Holder’s comments Helene Cooper, “Attorney General Chided for Language on Race,” New York Times, March 7, 2009.

  214 “Now, I don’t know” Obama prime-time news conference, July 22, 2009, CQ transcriptions.

  216 The Pew poll also found “Section 2: Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s Arrest,” Pew Research Center for People and the Press, July 30, 2009.

  218 Back in February, radio host The Rush Limbaugh Show, February 22, 2010, Media Matters for America.

  On September 9, President Obama Nielsen Media Research.

  218 But as the president sought Dana Milbank, “Washington Sketch: Republicans Behaving Badly at Obama Speech,” Washington Post, September 10, 2009.

  219 On the balconies overhead Philip Rucker, “Lawmakers Concerned as Health-Care Overhaul Foes Resort to Violence,” Washington Post, March 25, 2010.

  220 Barney Frank of Massachusetts Ibid.

  When a brick was through into Ibid.

  “You’re dead. We know where you live” Ibid.

  221 “Violence and threats are unacceptable” Statement by House Minority Leader John Boehner, March 24, 2010.

  Chapter 9: Backlash

  225 “I’m here like most of you” Ta-Nehisi Coates, “The Trials of Benjamin Jealous,” The Nation, July 1, 2009.

  227 “I think he [Obama] was very clear” Michael A. Fletcher, “Obama, Civil Rights Leaders Discuss Improving Conditions for Black America,” Washington Post, February 10, 2010.

  233 The fact that Congress Sam Youngman, “White House Unloads Anger over Criticism from ‘Professional Left,’ ” Hill, August 10, 2010.

  234 “We are the ones that must stand” Kate Zernike, “Where Dr. King Stood, Tea Party Claims His Mantle,” New York Times, August 27, 2010.

  “a lot of people may not be feeling” Remarks by President Barack Obama at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards Dinner, September 18, 2010.