The Race Card

Race plays an influential and impactful role in many aspects of life, including politics. The affect that race has on politics is evident in the House race in Pennsylvania’s Sixth Congressional District. This House race is between the Republican incumbent, Representative Jim Gerlach and the Democratic challenger, Manan Trivedi. The racial controversy here comes from the spokesman’s of the Republican incumbent, Representative Jim Gerlach accusing Mr. Trivedi of playing “the race card”. Mr. Campell, the accuser and spokesman, said that because the Democratic challenger Manan Trivedi was an Indian American and had been “going to Indian-American groups to raise money”, he was playing “the race card”. Mr. Campell complained that Mr. Trivedi’s use of his race to associate with and gain support from others of the same ethnicity as him was wrong. Mr. Campell’s statement was quoted in an article in The Hill newspaper and he drew outraged responses from a number of Democratic representatives. Mr. Trivedi see’s Mr. Trivedi’s words and actions as downplaying the Indian-Americans who have donated to his campaign. Mr. Trivedi explains, “I’m so proud of my heritage and grateful for all of the support I’ve received” and “believe absolutely no one, for any reason, should ever feel shut out of the democratic process.”

This issue brings up a very interesting question, “Is it wrong for a politician to use his or her ethnicity to connect with a group of people that share that same ethnicity?” I think that it is perfectly acceptable for politicians to use their ethnicity to relate to the people whose votes they are campaigning for. Although in all situations in which one is dealing with ethnicity and race one should be extremely careful because sometimes an attempt to reach out to relate can be misunderstood as an attempt to separate from the many other groups who are not part of that race. However in most cases, this misunderstanding does not take place. Representative Michael M. Honda, Democrat of California shares the same beliefs as I. As a Japanese-American and chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus he sees Mr. Trivedi’s actions in a far different light than Mr. Campell. Mr. Honda’s sees tremendous fault in Mr. Gerlach suggestion “that political fund-raising within an ethnic community is somehow illegitimate”. Mr. Honda points out, “Our great democracy promises many fundamental freedoms”. These freedoms include our “freedom of speech and association” and our “right to equally participate in our electoral process.” These freedoms are all valid points which refute any ideas that Mr. Trivedi’s was in any way playing “the race card”.