calls. >> guest: i think president obama has satisfied realistic expectations. some people truly did have unrealrealistic expectations. some people who, you know, were really sort of swept up and had some sort of hopes. ..n end. >> host: they thought he was a savior. >> absolutely. the sense that the day after he was sworn and there would be a new blank page in everybody would be completely different. as he filled that? no. but that was not even expectation if we talk about black america, i think most black americans actually had

a more realistic notion to recognize number one that what he was inheriting was tremendous difficulties especially with the economy. they recognized that as a black politician he would be scrutinized more than a white politician with respect to racial policies. >> host: aides and blacks and whites the one absolutely every aspect of american life. i don't care if we talk about why the expectancy zero or access to medical attention or employment housing, incarceration you

name it and we still have but ratio hierarchy where people of color get the short end of the stick by and large white americans are getting a better deal. that is the case before barack obama and now and frankly after barack obama leaves the white house. most black americans had an inkling of that. they understood that and also understood with respect to racial equality the detractors of the president that said they would be waiting for anything to jump on to say he is showing favoritism to black america, but that is a dilemma. are there people looking for any and every opportunity to

accuse the president of racial favoritism? yes. there are. and to combat that the president is very careful around racial issues and tiptoes because of that. some blacks think the president has not been forthright enough for forthcoming enough with respect to racial issues. doo i think they have a point*? yes. is an arguable proposition. but i say he has a special dilemma facing him. he will be criticized this way or if he goes this way. black people recognize the special dilemma barack obama

faces a in in light of that dilemma by people are showing that they are being her realistic, extremely patient, and giving him the way with the special circumstances. >> somebody the white house told me racial politics will always follow the president so why does the tiptoe around race? >> because if you mentioned the famous mehmet you may recall one of my colleagues from harvard university of very well known academic, he comes back from china trying to get into town the neighbor sees two black men trying to push the door and

a neighbor calls the police i don't know they are trying to break in but maybe they are. check it out by the time the police come henry is in his house and police officers check it out and he shows id. the police officer is still skeptical. one thing leads to another they have words professor gates it is quite upset thinking racial discrimination had something to do with that. >> host: but specifically? >> guest: may be. let's say for the sake of argument that henry louis gates was short tempered and was deferential what's even suppose he was being fought -- eric and is that the crime? i don't think so. i hope not and i would also hope that will trade police officers would be trained to

look with this is a sense and not arrest people simply because for the sake of argument being arrogant. in any event the officer event the the the profs showed this was him. this is a firestorm, a press conference, the president is asked his views and the president, barack obama says, first of all, i don't know the facts but given what i do know, will i say this is racial discrimination? no. but he does say that it does appear it was a stupid action that the professor had given proof this was his house. he said it was stupid. stupid.

there are people who immediately went on the attack to accuse the president of the gauging playing of the race card to mention in glenn beck a well-known tv personality said he showed barack obama has a problem with white culture the president did not say anything about race to the rest did not accuse the police officer engaging in racial discrimination but a black professor, why police officer and the immediate jump aim of the conclusion the president of the united states would show racial favoritism. that and did very badly. the president had to retreat , had to have the

summit to invite the police officer to the white house and henry louis gates to the white house and that showed how all wallets i'll race is. remember the representative that shouted you lie to the president? the representative yelled you lie. >> host: now was viewed as an attack on the presidency. you don't have that and people of all political stripes republicans as well as democrats condemn this was out in out to rude and representative wilson himself apologized. question. was this ratio? former president jimmy carter made no bones to say

yes. another instance of racial resistance. the president barack obama was asked do you agree? what did he say? representative will send disagrees with me. he should not have shouted out but he has apologized. let's move on. barack obama does not want to be mired in a racial discussion but distance himself and he did. that is the obama way to distance himself from race. >> host: we are back and joining us here on the set is harvard law professor randall kennedy talking about his book "the persistence of the color line" radical politics and

the obama presidency" . professor kennedy you write in your book obama won the white house does not mean that racial prejudice is no longer a force in american politics. david sears argues persuasively the election of 2008 was anything but post ratio. instead the racial hopes and fears and roped by a the of what days of all the potential to become the first black president sharply divided racial conservatives for racial liver debt-- the roles behavior was considerably more polarized by racial attitudes than any other time on record. >> guest: yes. the race line is still the devil. of course, the election of the first black president was a landmark that shows a tremendous change on racial attitudes. had there not then that change there is no hope of prevailing. at the same time it is also

clear he had to overcome the his blackness to prevail sell race still matters. >> host: you have a chapter why can't they all be like king. >> guest: that is about barack obama interactions with white america. one of the things that barack obama had to do to win the warehouse to assuage the anxieties of the non black americans. in doing that, he was actually like electoral politicians, said john f. kennedy had to assuage the anxiety of the nine catholic americans to become the first catholic president. one of the things the bombing had to do was overcome negative stereotypes, he had to calm the fears of the nonblack.

>> host: 202 is the area code if you'd like to talk with professor kennedy. >> host: dr. kennedy you write about affirmative action in barack obama positioning toward affirmative action. you say it is a dangerous land mine for him? >> sure it is. frankly, all racial controversy is a land mine for barack obama and that is why he tries to stay far away from racial controversy and affirmative action and is no different. to say is less as he could come as some people were very critical of in for avoiding ratio controversy. i am not.

he is the electoral politician and has to be attentive to public opinion and he wants to stay away from issues that be an electoral losers 410 and avoid controversy there will be the electoral loser. >> talk about politics talk about the african-american and republicans allen west and tim scott and you write to race still matters african americans must overcome there blackness in the eyes of their supporters. >> guest: they must. one of the most remarkable elections of 2010 was the election of south carolina. in the republican in context of black man beat out strom

thurmond, jr.. the legendary dixiecrats senator, that was quite remarkable. my politics are very far away to tim scott however the negative show that conservative white republicans chose him over a white candidate and it shows in my view a change of racial attitudes and a good change. that is part and parcel of the obama philosophy. >> host: what do teach? >> guest: most of the people in my 27 years of harvard is my contract class i used to teach criminal law. i don't any longer it was

too emotionally draining to teach. every day was a tragedy. every class, every subject come in every case the matter what the issue out there is a tragedy and i found it is just too much. with contracts i could make it people's names and find a hypothetical is. you could have fun and games as some of the time but criminal law that was never possible. >> host: are you teaching this semester? >> guest: i am not. i am research leave this semester and next i also teach courses on race-- race relations and most of what i write has been operation law but this particular book does not have much what did it but typically my books do. >> host: harvard law professor randall kennedy author of several books including sellout and the

end lourdes book that he wrote and this is his most recent, "the persistence of the color line" radical politics and the obama presidency" here is the black cover and the white cover. what is this? >> of publisher always asks if they are okay in pantheon books has wonderful people working in the art department and i thought this was an interesting way to capture my subject it. >> host: the first caller comes from new jersey. you are on booktv. go ahead with your question. >> caller: thank you for taking my call and foresees band. i am an older white woman. i live in the east coast in

areas that is much more conservative listening to tv a lot but at a time when everything is so volatile, the voices like oprah winfrey and david appel and other media people are not there to stand by my president and help them and be with him and to speak with him. the own democratic party is not there. with the media is viciousness and allies. we have laws if you say a curse word you get a fine but if you tell the untruths that does not cost you.

there is no consequence. >> host: we got the point* think you. dr. kennedy there was something a wanted to pick up on that you can answer whatever you want but talk about the democratic party not being fair to support her president. >> a couple of things. first of all, the job of the president of the united states is incredibly difficult. the president of the united states can expect to be criticized all over the spectrum from all sorts of people. the top person and a rambunctious democracy will be subject to criticism and that is a lot of barack obama and that is to be expected. there is something extra

with barack obama, the first black president and as the first black president, he will be under special scrutiny and he is probably going some unfair criticism that is frankly to be expected and that is part of what has happened. i want to read the i am not saying all opposition to barack obama is ratio and base is. people are against him from the left and the rights even for religious reasons or ideological reasons for partisan reasons. there are all sorts of reasons why people are against barack obama of the one important source of the opposition is race and i talk about that in my book. >> host: dr. kennedy, the birth certificate

dustup, was that racial? >> parts of it. the very few things are all about raised. i am sure some of the people who thought barack obama was ineligible to be president because the constitution requires the president bn native born. i am sure people who believe that. on the other hand, i am sure there are people who were using as a pretext basis felt they could not say i am against him because he is black so they come up with other reasons in some people who got the real basis of the opposition from the cells. there are all sorts of things going on by the way with respect to the question of the president being eligible because people claimed he was not

native-born, in my view that is one of the places the constitution that should be reformed i think that is a very bad part of the constitution. there are 700 people who have won the medal of honor many of whom have been killed in defense of the country but ineligible to be president simply because they were not born here that is a bad part of the constitution and we should revise the constitution that there are so many wonderful people or so the sins of the united states to come from abroad. >> host: you're on with author randall kennedy. >> caller: good afternoon. the question and i have to ask you am a professor i think you appreciate the idea the language is our most powerful two

but -- tool but what i don't understand when it comes to the color line with linguistics is the use of black english by barack obama and people as strange as hillary clinton i don't know to look to their point* of view? as an i italian-american i would be incredibly insulted of rudy giuliano -- rudy guiliani are mario cuomo used an italian accent to appeal to my a better nature. professor cornell west don't use black english or tavis smiley except for emphasis would you address that issue by the mechanism is so popular and in use? >> guest: that is a fine question. when the president of the united states when they get before an audience they try

to figure out how to connect with the audience. that is pretty typical in terms of people trying to be persuasive. when black politicians are more predominantly black church or the naacp or another organization, they will often speak in a way or make allusions a reference is they think that will connect with the audience. there is a fine line between doing that and engaging in unattractive pandering. it is a fine line in sometimes people go over the line, but by and large when the president changes his diction and a little bit, what he is doing is

what politicians typically do. not just politicians. if i am speaking to my audience at harvard law school i will often speak in a somewhat different way they and a more general audience. i will make certain assumptions about the audience, what they know or what they are interested in in the effort to grab there attention. i think that is mainly what they are doing. but you are right. sometimes they probably do engage in a sort of stereotyping and sometimes talk down to their audience teeseventeen booktv live from miami book fair randall kennedy is our guest austin, texas is our next caller. go-ahead. >> caller: professor kennedy relating to the war on drugs which is so similar to the war on which is and

the propaganda so my question is this by the way, i am a white man, why has it obama allow the war nine drugs continue to arrest prosecute convicted and sent to prison so-called drug criminals just for marijuana that 75% going to prison is black. for those who are sent to prison just as did 1972 i am talking about 2008 the most recent figures i have of the imprisonment. >> host: we have got the point* he won a couple of things. first of all, i did agree

with the callers general skepticism of. it is not antagonism i think it is misleading and ultimately destructive policy. however, i think it is still popular and the president of the united states says he seems to largely believe in it. it would be politically dangerous for him to take the position that you want him to take and he has other policy fish to fry. the united states is in the middle still of an economic downturn and have foreign policy problems and a president of united states has to make very difficult

calls in terms of his priorities and the war on drugs is clearly not one of them. even if he wanted to and i am not sure that he does, it probably would not be high on his list and there will not be much change. >> host: professor kennedy we have taken three calls to of them have felt the need to identify there ethnicity. is that significant? >> sure. that underscores the title of my book the fact of the matter is that race is all around us. i don't care our racial background, when you say barack obama tellme the first thing that comes to mind, people would say first black president.

that is the nature of things and that will be the way things will be probably for a long time. >> host: is that bad? >> it is good and bad. it is bad to the extent that it is habitual and you often tend to be under questioning. for example,, a journalist is often the case they will make the racial identification of a person and not feel the need to explain. for instance, randall kennedy black professor at harvard law school. what did my raise have to do with that? sometimes it does. fine. explained that i don't think it should be randall kennedy, a black%, professor at harvard law school.

if it is relevant, say why it is relevant. if you are not prepared to say why it is relevant then they should not mention the fact that i am black. >> host: one of your colleagues just died u.s. the professor 21 derek bell. the first black member of the harvard law school. >> host: is that fair to say the first black professor at? >> guest: it is if you are writing a story and you talk about his place in the legal academia or harvard law school, then the fact he was the first member of harvard law school faculty is relevant. but on the other hand, if we simply talk about a subj