If Obama Had a Black Agenda, Would It Help Blacks?  Atlantic
magazine blogger Ta-Nehisi Coates examines Obama's claim that
targeting policies to specific groups is "not how America
works."  President Barack Obama (Getty Images)  Atlantic
magazine blogger Ta-Nehisi Coates weighs in on President Obama's
argument against focusing on the black community's economic
struggles. Coates agrees that a black agenda wouldn't
necessarily help the most vulnerable African Americans, but he
also says it's worth reviewing how interest groups influence
policy in America.  ...I think it's worth noting, in point of
fact, how America has worked throughout history, and how it
works now. Interest groups trade their votes (or their cash)
because they think you're going to pursue policy that's
favorable to them. I highly doubt that health insurance
companies, for instance, make political donations because they
improved their self-esteem. I doubt that Obama's stance in
Israel is wholly divorced from interested
domestic constituencies.