Posted on October 10, 2011

Cain: Racism Doesn’t Hold Blacks Back

Gautham Nagesh, The Hill, October 9, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain argued that racism is not a professional barrier for African-Americans on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

His answer came in response to a question in which host Candy Crowley suggested that Cain, who grew up poor and black, had been the benefit of some luck and was superimposing his success on his entire race.

“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity,” Cain responded. “I don’t believe racism in this country holds anybody back in a big way.”

Cain acknowledged that there are still elements of racism in American society but argued the best way to help blacks is to enact policies that raise the entire economy, an argument often used by President Obama. {snip}

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“People sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as an excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve,” Cain said.

When asked why African-Americans have been hit especially hard from the recession, Cain pointed to a deficit in education levels and the concentration of blacks in cities like Detroit that have been ravaged by the recession. {snip}

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