President Obama chastised America’s racial history during an appearance Tuesday night at Rice University’s Baker Center, saying the founders created “identity politics” with the “3/5ths clause,” which was then perpetuated with Jim Crow laws.
“It is important to remember that identity politics does not just apply when it is black people, gay people, women, no,” Obama told the crowd. “The folks are really originated identity politics were the folks who said, 3/5 clause, all that stuff. That was identity politics. That is still out there. Maybe that was a little too controversial for Houston, but — Jim Crow was identity politics. That is where it started.”
The comments came during a conversation with author Jon Meacham and former White House chief of staff, James Baker.
Here’s a rush excerpt:
OBAMA: "I consider myself to be a part of-- and still believe it -- that we did not adapt quickly enough to the fact that there were people being left behind. And that frustrations were going to flare up. That all of these changes that were happening were happening really quick, and you had to address them and speak to them. In those environments, you start getting a different kind of politics. You start getting politics based on, that person is not like me. It must be their fault. You start getting the politics based on a nationalism that is not pride and country, but hatred for somebody on the other side of the border. And you start getting --
[applause] The kind of politics that does not allow for compromise because it is based on passions and emotions."
BAKER: "Identity politics."
OBAMA: "Which is why, by the way, when I hear people say they don't like identity politics, I think it is important to remember that identity politics does not just apply when it is black people, gay people, women, no. The folks are really originated identity politics were the folks who said, 3/5 clause, all that stuff. That was identity politics. That is still out there. Maybe that was a little too controversial for Houston, but-- [laughter] Jim crow was identity politics. That is where it started. So part of what is happened is that when people feel their status is being threatened, they react. What I would agree with is that the Washington consensus, whatever you want to call it, got a little too comfortable with -- there are only looking at gdp numbers and looking at the Internet, and everything is looking pretty great, particularly after the Cold War. After what you guys engineered, Jim, you had this period of great smugness on the part of America and American elites thinking, we have this figured out. You remember the book that came out?"