Clinton framed racial progress as a spiritual matter beyond politics or policy.

Evidence

But what really mattered was the way Clinton framed the initiative in the first place. In his commencement address at the University of California San Diego, Clinton gave voice to a view of race that sounded a lot like conservatives’ who were already misusing King’s legacy. He asked, “Can we fulfill the promise of America by embracing all our citizens of all races?” I am not sure who is doing the embracing here, but for Clinton, it could not be bought. Big government or more federal spending was not the answer. Nor could this “embrace” be imposed. As Clinton said, “Power cannot compel it, technology cannot create it. This is something that can come only from the human spirit.” — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 312

Categorization

• XREF: Clinton’s spiritual framing parallels conservative misuse of King’s colorblind legacy that the reader of this chapter would recognize.