WSJ: 'Obama vs. Black People'

The Congressional Black Caucus met with President Obama yesterday, and an Associated Press story said its 43 members expressed “no hard feelings” toward him. Caucus chairwoman Marcia Fudge of Ohio, a Democrat like the other members, had “sharply criticized Obama earlier this year for a lack of diversity in his second-term Cabinet. But she said she thanked him Tuesday for nominating two black men to prominent posts—Anthony Foxx as transportation secretary and Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.”

That’s fine, but what about the hundreds of thousands who lack not only prominent posts but any posts at all? The Wall Street Journal’s website yesterday ran a provocatively titled Political Diary piece, “Obama vs. Black People.” Jason Riley, who is African-American, noted that the black jobless rate in June rose to 13.7 percent, and that a variety of administration policies are pushing the rate higher:

“Last month, the administration sued BMW and discount retailer Dollar General for the alleged use of unfair criminal background checks to screen workers. But empirical studies show that employers who check criminal backgrounds are more likely to hire blacks, and black men in particular. The president opposes school vouchers, even though they increase high school graduation rates. And he supports racial preferences in college admissions, which result in more black kids dropping out and fewer black scientists and engineers among those who earn a degree.”

Is the African-American community becoming a bipolar non-community, with a few in high office and many forgotten?