Does Paul Ryan's Black Ex-Girlfriend Matter?
Source: The Root
Shortly after it was announced that Rep. Paul Ryan would join the Romney ticket as this year's Republican vice presidential candidate, I wrote a piece titled, "What We Know About Paul Ryan and Blacks."
Well, I recently learned of another significant addition to this list.
As reported on Twitter by CNN's Pete Hamby, Ryan said he has a black sister-in-law, but perhaps even more interesting, his "college sweetheart" was African American.
So here is the million-dollar question: Is the fact that Ryan has dated interracially a noteworthy detail to consider when analyzing his politics and policies?
Here's a well-known phrase that has virtually become a punch line: When someone finds himself on the ropes facing an allegation of racism, the go-to reflex defense is usually something along the lines of "But some of my best friends are black!" Translation: "I can't possibly be racist or racially insensitive because there are black people I like and they like me. So there." Many of us are so used to hearing this -- and, frankly, dismissing it (remember George Zimmerman's media-friendly pal Joe Oliver?) -- that we long ago stopped asking, What if it's actually true?
Read more: http://www.theroot.com/blogs/paul-ryan/does-paul-ryans-black-girlfriend-matter