The Barack Obama phenomenon has caught most people black and white by surprise. Many thought that he was a flash in the pan and that his appeal would not transcend into a viable national campaign. Iowa has done much to dispel those ideas and now those who previously regarded him as unelectable are starting to jump on the bandwagon. What has caught the pundits and many cynics by surprise is the degree to which many Americans want change. Barack Obama could not have existed prior to George W. Bush. If George Bush had not done such an awful job the past eight years, the country would not even have considered electing a black man no matter how much hope he inspired or how eloquently he spoke. Despite his enormous popularity there is still concern among many blacks, bloggers included about Mr. Obama’s agenda and if it will address the concerns of black Americans.
There are two main reasons for this concern in my opinion. The first is that during his campaign so far Mr. Obama has done little to highlight the issues that affect blacks specifically. His message has been from the start equality and justice for all Americans, with no special emphasis towards blacks. Now many have chalked this up to the American political landscape and how a black man has to run for national office in this country. He cannot appear too black; he can be black in appearance only. I read an interesting quote from General Colin Powell when I was researching this essay that I would like to share. When asked during his deliberation of running for the presidency in 1995 about his appeal to white voters, Mr. Powell had this to say.
No one was blunter about this than Powell himself. Asked in 1995 to explain his appeal to whites, he volunteered that “I speak reasonably well, like a white person,” and, visually, “I ain’t that black.” CBS News
The second reason and the one that I think has caused the greatest concern for blacks is the fact that Barack Obama is not a product of black America. To many this statement will be confusing so I will try to elaborate on its significance to blacks. First consider the black men who have run for President prior to Mr. Obama, there was Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Both of these men were creations of black America, their status as leader’s right or wrong were created by their perceived service to blacks. When running for President they spoke directly to the issues that blacks faced. They were in fact black candidates who were running grass-root campaigns that originated in the black communities. Neither man had ever held to my knowledge any prior elected office, let alone a statewide office like a Senator.
In my analysis, let me state that in my opinion Mr. Obama is black; I have no misgivings about his “blackness” or his ability to address the concerns of blacks. He will just do it in a way that is different from the way things have been done in the past. Mr. Obama will do it in the context of larger social issues that face all Americans in a certain class status. But to continue with the point at hand, while Mr. Obama came to fame as a community organizer in Chicago, he had little notoriety outside of Chicago. Mr. Obama went to Columbia and Harvard and was a civil rights lawyer, so unlike the others he was educated at prestigious white schools. There is also the fact that Mr. Obama does not share the direct history of American slavery with other black Americans.
Much has been made of his being the son of a black Kenyan and a white American, but to me this is a red herring. We have had many politicians and black leaders who were of mixed race and they did not receive the same scrutiny that Mr. Obama has received. To understand where a lot of this uneasiness is coming from I think we have to look at his history in politics. From the outset Mr. Obama has had the financial backing of white supporters and has always enjoyed the support of white voters. He did not ascend to his position as a result of the turbulent civil rights movement of the sixties and so he owes no allegiances to the past in that regard. Because Mr. Obama projects a non-confrontational style of discourse with whites, he has been labeled as not being black enough by many blacks.
With his Kenyan father and white American mother, his upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, and Ivy League education, Obama’s early life experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement. During his Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Congress in 2000, two rival candidates charged that Obama was not sufficiently rooted in Chicago’s black neighborhoods to represent constituents’ concerns. In January 2007, “The End of Blackness” author Debra Dickerson warned against drawing favorable cultural implications from Obama’s political rise. “Lumping us all together,” Dickerson wrote in Salon, “erases the significance of slavery and continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress.” Film critic David Ehrenstein, writing in a March 2007 Los Angeles Times article, compared the cultural sources of Obama’s favorable polling among whites to those of “magical negro” roles played by black actors in Hollywood movies. Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is “black enough,” Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that the debate is not about his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black voters. “What it really lays bare,” Obama offered, is that “we’re still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong. Wikipedia
The majority of black politicians and so-called leaders are and have been homegrown or products of the struggles of the civil rights movement. Mr. Obama represents a different type of black politician and leader in that he was created outside the community and came into the community to earn his stripes, for many blacks they are apprehensive of anyone black or white who wants to help that is not from the neighborhood or community. They are mistrustful of the motives of outsiders wanting to “help” due to the fact that many so-called outsiders have used them for their own nefarious purposes, especially concerning politics. The problem is that many of those same insiders have done equally as much damage as the outsiders, you would think it would be more damaging coming from insiders. Yet, we have always been more forgiving of the inside thieves and cons for some reason. Unfortunately for Mr. Obama rather than being cheered for his efforts, they are being met with aspersions. Instead of praise for giving up an opportunity to live a wealthy life based on his education and opportunities, he is getting derision for not being “black” enough.
The questions being asked by blacks concerning Barack Obama say more about the state of blacks in America than they do about Mr. Obama’s state. Have we become so petty and “institutionalized” by the past that when presented with an opportunity for changing the whole dynamics of America we get lost in “crab syndrome”? Barack Obama represents an opportunity for change not just in politics, but in America as a whole. As a nation we must move beyond the racial and class divides that have kept us fighting the civil war for over 140 years. If elected will Barack Obama solve all of America’s problems? No. Will he solve all of black America’s problems? No. What his election will do is be the first step towards changing the agenda and the tone in America. I want to say thank you to George W. Bush and all of his Neo-Con cronies, because of them we will possibly have our first black nominee for President from any major Party and for me as a black man that is something to cheer about. The question we as black Americans must ask ourselves is this, are we ready to divorce the strategies of the past that have lost their effectiveness or shall we continue to watch as our young people and our communities are devastated by those policies.
The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest — but the myth — persistent, persuasive and unrealistic – John F. Kennedy
My objections to Barack Obama has little to do with his “blackness.” Harping on this issue of blackness is not proven by the facts for some others.
The fact is that Obama is a corporatist who has very few divergent views from say, Hillary Clinton. His ethos favors the status quo. Maybe he’s a stealth candidate for progressivism, but I have seen very little of that during the campaign.
We need to shake up the system. Obama has reached an accommodation with it, to the point where I would not doubt that he would continue some odious BushCo policies. We need to clean house of corruption by both Repubs and Dems like Feinstein.
Would he do something about New Orleans? Maybe. But 12,000+ homeless need help now.
I know Obama is black. But he’s also something else. And this makes me very uncomfortable, regardless of any fourth-hand knowledge about how ‘real’ he is.
Obama has passed campaign finance reform, refuses to take PAC money, has passed veterans health care reform legislation and brought better health care to his home state.
I get a little tired of seeing people repeat things that are not facts as if they ARE facts.
Re this post, I know black people who do support Obama, because they like his policies and what he stands for.
I think we’ll know a lot more about how large groups of black people feel about Obama after South Carolina.
True, Obama does not allow firms or lobbyists to give DRIECTLY to his PAC. However, he has adopted his Mentor, Joe Lieberman’s trick of allowing other PACS to give to his PACX.
Here is a qucik short list as an example:
UBS, the second largest bank in Europe, has given over $165,000 to his campaign. The Exelon corporation, which is the nation’s largest nuclear plant operator, has donated almost $160,000. The investment Goliath, Goldman Sachs, has also fattened the pockets of Barack Inc. with over $143,000. Citigroup has given well over $50,000 with Morgan Stanley close behind at $40,000. Wall Street has Obama’s back.
Kirkland & Ellis, the conservative law firm that worked for the Democrats to limit ballot access of Ralph Nader’s campaign in 2004, also digs Obama, and have given his campaign over $70,000.
Selectively creaming the appearance of facts off the top, does not make for full disclosure or accuracy.
surely not All blacks!
He has been endorsed by blacks has he not? And not just Oprah.
I am not speaking for all blacks in my essay, I am merely stating a phenomenon that I have encountered in personal experience and in the blogging community. If you don’t believe it do some research…
Glad for your clarification. As for research, I’ve done mine. It’ll soon unfold.
Believe. Achieve.
What do you see as a lack of ‘trust’ or are you confusing the lack of wide-scale open show of support to denote a lack of trust?
Blacks have been reluctant to show openly their support for Obama, a reluctance buoyed by the history of race – the disbelief that a white person would ever vote for a black man to be president. See the Tiger Wood link below, there’s good reason for their belief.
Believe; blacks are on board: via Politico (h/t: Jack and Jll)
Achieve; no matter black achievements and demonstrative excellence, all count for zlich:
MSNBC noted, that just a few days ago, the suggestion was aired on Golf Channel that
the only way to beat Tiger Woods is to have him lynched in a back alley.
And Hillary’s surrogate in NH hinted…but JFK was assassinated. Hillary’s camp apologised.
See what I mean. It’s the year 2008 but as Obama said, “some would boil all hope out of us.”
There are those – a silent majority – who are proud to see black excellence rise to the top. Oh my, we shall succeed. Dare to believe.
I root for Obama, that he suceeds in beating Hillary. (But I wouldn’t wish the presidency for him. I digress b/c that’s another story).
Why do I want Obama to prevail? It’s the Clintons’ betrayal and hypocrisy.
The Clintons’ relied heavily on black support, especially during the impeachment process-(oh, how soon they forget). They’ve been using the race card ever so subtle in jokes and inouendos. Bill in campaigning for his wife forgets he’s a former president and “elder statesman.” Well, well. Mandela supported Bill then, now Bill says ‘Mandela achieved nothing, he spent time in jail.’ How about MLK Jr? Ditto. ‘It took a (white) president.’
But we are good at detecting and they’ll be very surprised at how much they’ve offended.
Bill Clinton also forgets one of his lead Attorneys at his impeachment trial in the Senate won the day for him. Black and eloquent. Who remembers her name. Where did she go?
‘she, a lawyer, is a girl’ and “Obama, the Harvard educated lawyer at 46yrs, is a kid”
Respect? None.
We shall overcome but we shall not forget.
Key Endorsements today:
Nevada’s 60,000 Culinary Workers Union
Altanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
John Kerry, for what it’s worth
who will Gore and Kennedy support? doesn’t matter.