9436: Republican’s Racial Rhetoric Report.

From The New York Daily News…

Herman Cain’s use of racial language is rhetoric we must refuse

By Ulli K. Ryder

By now, you’ve surely heard of Herman Cain, the latest phenom in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Cain, a black businessman, has ridden the popularity among conservatives of his 9-9-9 tax plan to surge in national polls; he leads both former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Iowa and is neck-and-neck with the erstwhile frontrunner in Florida.

Some people see in Cain simply a charismatic former Godfather’s Pizza CEO (“The Pizza You Can’t Refuse”). I see something else: a troubling statement about the role of race in our politics.

Recently, the New York Times ran a story suggesting that Cain’s use of humor and choice of words might not be so funny. At issue was Cain’s announcement that his Secret Service codename should be “Cornbread” and his use, often before white audiences, of phrases like “shucky-ducky.” He also claims that he likes to wear gold because it looks good against his “beautiful dark skin,” and he likens himself to Haagen-Dazs black walnut ice cream because he is, he claims, not just a flavor of the month.

For some people, these are nothing more than charming phrases; but for others, they raise the specter of race in ways that are unsettling. For example, “shucky-ducky” is a nonsensical phrase often associated with uneducated Southern blacks. Cain’s wish to be called “cornbread” is also troubling, since it can be viewed, like watermelon and fried chicken, as a stereotype applied to blacks.

Yes, Cain is himself a Southern-born black man who grew up in a lower-income family, so it would be unfair to insist he’s being inauthentic. But what is at issue here is how Cain uses these verbal tactics in front of white audiences; what Cain stands to gain from such strategies; and why these strategies seem to be working so well.

Let’s take a closer look. Cain holds a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is not an uneducated man. He is closely tied to the billionaire conservative Koch brothers, and his personal wealth is estimated at between $2.9 and $6.6 million.

So why the “cornbread” and “shuck-ducky” talk?

Here’s one reason: Black people have been the victims of stereotyping for the vast majority of our nation’s history.

Some of the most insidious prejudices are related to black achievement and education. President Obama has repeatedly been called some version of being an “articulate black man,” as if an articulate black man is so unusual a persona that it needs to be remarked upon.

Obama has been criticized as too elitist, Ivy League and—by Cain—not black enough. (“[Obama’s] never been a part of the black experience in America,” Cain said in a radio interview this month.)

Cain has chosen another path. In order to overcome these criticisms, it appears that he has gone in the opposite direction. His folksy, self-deprecating humor might be a serious attempt to put white audiences at ease.

Read the full column here.