Belafonte: ‘A Lot of the Hurdles and the Problems’ Obama’s Facing Due to Racists

‘A lot of the hurdles and the problems that Obama has faced is really very much based upon the fact that there is a force in this country that no black man should ever be at the helm on this country’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

ZAKARIA: "What do you think of that? So I have friends in the entertainment industry who tell me, look, Hollywood is full of liberals. These guys have no problem nominating black people. This is just a couple of bad -- this is, you know, two bad years. This is not indicative of anything deeper." 
BELAFONTE: "I don't think it's just two bad years. I think if you look at the spectrum of race relations in this country on all fronts, there is a regression. There is a reversal. If you take a look at the way in which the right wing movement in this country, voting districts. Look at employment records. You look at a lot of practices, black people are once again at the doorstep of a new wave of racist definitions and racist practices." 
ZAKARIA: "So, you think things have gotten worse recently or kind of a backlash?" 
BELAFONTE: "I think what we achieved in the civil rights movement to what we are now practicing as a nation, there is a reversal." 
ZAKARIA: "Do you think that's because there's a black man in the White House?" 
BELAFONTE: "I man in the White House has awakened a lot of dichotomies here. I think on the one hand, America took great pride in the fact that to a world that's saw us as a powerful force but a very reactionary force, the election of Obama sent another signal. But, it also awakens a right-wing energy because nobody really expected that we would have ever elected a black man to be president and when that reality was established, I think it shocked a lot of racist forces in this country. I think a lot of the hurdles and the problems that Obama has faced is really very much based upon the fact that there is a force in this country that no black man should ever be at the helm on this country."

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