Are We Ready?

Chris Rock responding to a question about whether America is ready for an African-American president: "It's ready for a retarded president, why would it be ready for an African-American president?"

I've never thought that Bush was any less intelligent than Gore or Kerry, but there is something to the idea that Bush's presidency has helped prepare the country for an African-American or female presidency. Because Bush has worked so hard to project a sense of regular "white guyness," the failure of his administration has opened the door for Obama and Hillary to be taken seriously. The fact that Bush has also delegitimized appeals to "regular guy" white masculinity hampers white male candidates like Mitt Romney. It also tarnishes the ability of John McCain and Rudy Giuliani to bank on their reputations as "heroes."

By making it more difficult to appeal to symbols of white masculinity, Bush has levelled the playing field for female candidates like Hillary and African-Americans like Obamal.