John Sununu, Colin Powell, and the racialization of Black American politicans

In this news article on CBS.com from October 26, the writers state that John Sununu, a Mitt Romney surrogate, said that Colin Powell, a Black American Republican political official, was supporting President Obama for re-election because Colin Powell and President Obama are both Black. Sununu said, "When you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to look at whether that's an endorsement based on issues or he's got a slightly different reason for endorsing President Obama."

Link to story: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-34222_162-57541013/sununu-suggests-colin-powells-obama-endorsement-racially-driven/

This statement is an example of racialization, the process by which non-racial things (like supporting a candidate for president) are understood to be racial issues: because of Colin Powell's skin color, and that of the President, Powell's endorsement was understood to be about skin color, rather than politics. Although it is true that race and racialization invariably play some part in politics, it is clear here that Black American politicians are held to different standards and expectations because of their perceived race. Sununu himself, for example, is never accused of (or has implied about him) that he is supporting Mitt Romney because they are both white.

Welcome to the blog for Intro to AMS, Fall 2012, for Hilary's sections! Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and you will), is as follows: During weeks 7, 8, 9, and 10 you will be responsible for posting to a class blog. The entire section will be split into two groups – either A or B. During the week that your group is assigned to post, the other group will be assigned to comment on your posts. Your posts and comments are expected to be at least four sentences long. We expect these posts to engage current events taking place during Fall 2012 because they are meant to be real-world extrapolations of the course materials. You can pick a current news item and then think about it in terms of the course concepts or the course readings. If you want to apply the course concepts to popular culture then feel free to do so (believe me, I have lots to say about hip hop, and am conversant in both Bieber fever and NBA trades.) Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!