In that Joe Klein rant I linked to below, Klein writes:
Finally, I should say that the things that scare the teabaggers–the renewed sense of public purpose and government activism, the burgeoning racial diversity, urbanity and cosmopolitanism–are among the things I find most precious and exhilarating about this country. And even though the teabaggers’ pinched , paranoid sensibilities are now being stoked by Boss Rush and the leaders of the Republican party, I take comfort in this: the racists and nativists have always been with us, and they have always lost. They will lose this time, too.
A friend emails:
Jonah,
If Joe Klein wants to go down the “racism” road, let’s ask where he lives.
Pelham, NY. Demographics: 87.33 percent white. 4.57 percent black.
Pelham borders the Bronx, New Rochelle, and Mt. Vernon, all with much
greater “diversity” that Joe loves. Why did he not choose to live in those
places? Someone like Joe Klein might argue that this is a form a racism.
Pelham is a very nice town and I don’t begrudge anyone living there. I think
people should be free to live where they want to live. But if people want to
start throwing around the race card, let’s put all the cards on the table,
so to speak.