Without weighing in on Dobbs’ character, appropriateness, or penchant for pin stripes, there is an instructive lesson to be learned about how America’s legacy of ethnic hatred has made discussing race or ethnicity a veritable minefield, which makes it very hard for us to talk about identity-related issues in the context of a broader political community, when discussing various groups, of which we’re not a part.

The only avenue really open is the trial lawyer approach. If you’re not part of a group the only safe comment one can really make is, “you’ve been wronged and/or I want you to get something for it.” Somewhat ironically, I felt this was Dobbs’ approach towards the ever-so-victimized American middle class.

I think Dobbs is largely responsible for his own image in this regard but I’m not sure his leaving CNN is anything more than a palliative Zozobra. To some degree, that we don’t have someone talking about immigration issues outside of a campaign seems like a step towards not dealing with race through omission or a ten-foot pole and calling it progress or postracial.