Why Would I Defend Bill Clinton?

William Jefferson ‘Bill’ Clinton, 42nd president of the United States
(Photo by Gage Skidmore) (CC BY-SA) (Resized/Cropped)
Some friends have objected to my recent post, extolling the political good sense of former President Clinton after his recent controversial rebuke of black protesters who interrupted a speech he was giving in Philadelphia last week. Here, FYI, is my reply to these objections.
Dear Friends:
As you may know, I was an early voice (years before Michelle Alexander) decrying the racial injustice of mass incarceration: namely, that a punitive anti-crime regime disproportionately enforced against black communities was allowed to expand beyond any reasonable bounds, mainly because those most adversely affected were non-whites. The scale of human suffering attendant to this injustice was described vividly by me, and at length, in that argument from 2007 (!), which you can find here.
I stand by what I said there.
But, I also stand by my (and Bill Clinton’s) criticisms of #BlackLivesMatter. This movement employs the wrong tactics on behalf of what are largely the wrong objectives, in my view. But, it is not too late to change course. The carnage unfolding daily on the streets of the communities where black people (including some of my children and grandchildren) are living is an avoidable, tragic, and absolutely despicable aspect of urban black life today. I believe that this killing is in no sensible way understandable as the inevitable consequence of white racism; that in the near term, greater cooperation between community leaders and (reformed) law enforcement authorities — working together to secure the safety of the (black) people living in such communities — ought to be a top priority of those concerned with the integrity of black lives; and, that the only feasible long-term solution to these problems lies in expanding the structure of social provision in this country — in education, health care, employment, housing, family income support, and other policies, so as to create real opportunity for ALL disadvantaged Americans, regardless of their race.
Finally, I think that unless black thinkers like myself, who love our people and our communities, are willing to speak out and express the truths we think we have learned about this country after decades of study — unless we have the courage of our convictions — we will have betrayed our people and ourselves. This is not a popularity contest. I’m not looking to get applause from the crowd, or to be heralded with the snapping fingers of my students as a “loyal” race-man. I’ve been at this for nearly a half-century. I don’t want my grandchildren, another half-century from now, to have to confront the same BS when they turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper. So, I’m going to continue to call ’em as I see ’em, and I am willing to let the chips fall as they may.
Reprinted from Glenn Loury’s Facebook postings.
Glenn Loury’s homepage and videoblog.
Glenn C. Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences, Brown University
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Sorry. No data so far.
The Affluent Mix
Biden Oblivious To Illegal Immigration Issues... August 2, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Rob Arnott On Bubbles, Inflation, And Once-In-A-Generation Investment Opportunit... August 2, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

The Federal Reserve’s Massive Theft Of Stability... August 2, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

What To Do About This Difficult Market? August 2, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Letter On The Politicization Of Corporations... July 26, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Peak Of The Fake Bull Market July 26, 2021 | Michael Pento

Woodrow Wilson’s Administrative State vs. Gold... July 26, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Dividends, Energy, And Crypto July 26, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Whose Side Are You On? July 26, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Media, Left Ignore These Dangers July 19, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Mark Skousen On FreedomFest And How To Measure The Whole Economy... July 19, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Quantifying The Quantitative, Or Making Easy The Easing... July 19, 2021 | David Bahnsen

The Gold Standard Means A Rising Standard Of Living... July 19, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Book Review: Brian Domitrovic Reveals The Monetary Genius Of Arthur Laffer... July 19, 2021 | John Tamny

Steve Forbes: Time To Worry About Inflation, Not Hyperinflation... July 12, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

UFOs Rescue Biden July 12, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Read This Classical Economist’s 200 Year Old Warning About Paper Money... July 12, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

How Central Banks Murdered The Markets July 12, 2021 | Michael Pento

Everything There Is To Know About The Stock Market... July 12, 2021 | David Bahnsen

AT&T CEO: We’re Ill Equipped For Politics, And We’re Spending A Lot Of ... July 6, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Internet Bias Distorts National Conversation... July 6, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

The Halfway Point Of 2021 July 6, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.