The wife of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama admonished those who question her biracial husband's credentials as a black man, calling the issue "nonsense." She added that raising the specter of whether her husband - whose mother was white and whose father was Kenyan - was sufficiently black sent a confusing message to kids. "We're still playing around with the question: Is he black enough?" "Stop that nonsense." I mentioned as an offshoot note, Mrs. Michelle Obama’s words in my previous article relating to the Illinois Senator. The truth is maybe, that is why the general Black populace have not warmed up to the reality of a Barack Obama presidency just yet.
With the exception of my girl Oprah Winfrey(yes I said my girl), not many public figures are sticking their necks out to endorse the Obama parade, and whether it is a logical fear of strategic alignment or a case of needing more convincing, the Obama campaign has their work cut out for them. I am yet to see prominent Black leaders or social activist jump aboard the Obama trailer to make serious waves about his potential to change the course of history forever. From another angle, it may very well be a good thing; maybe the people will take him serious after New Hampshire and Iowa, but maybe never. In casual conversations a cross section African Americans (especially comedians) believe that Bill Clinton was the closest the Black race will get to the White House and perhaps it will take a few more years for Clinton fever to fade away. This is often to illicit laughter, but recent history shows the power of laughter and if indeed the comedians like Jay Leno and David Letterman have the ability to tilt the presidential campaign scales, certainly it makes sense to express humor with some thought.
On a very realistic note, a President Barack Obama can not solve all the issues in Black America, so maybe whether ‘he is or is not Black enough’, is an irrelevant piece of the puzzle.
Just a thought. . .
17 comments:
I know I am going to hate myself for responding, but it absolutely,positively, boggles my mind, when I hear or read that Bill Clinton is as close as our race will get to President or he was the first black President. WHY? Is that suppose to be a compliment to Black folk. Why is he as close as we will get? So are we(black folk) supposed to identify with him because he cheated on his wife and smoked marijuana?
Is that in any way supposed to be uplifting to black folk? So are we just a bunch of adulterous potheads? It often puzzles me when I hear people say that so proudly. Obama's problem has nothing to do with his blackness. He has three problems as I see it. The Clinton machine, The Democratic party, and last but certainly not least he does good until he starts talking, after that it is all downhill.
If indeed we ever have a black president, it will not come from the Democrat Party. He will be an Republican. Democrats do not promote black candidates, and they tear down black candidates who have the nerve to be Republican. All Osama is to the Democrats is just a younger prettier version of Al and Jesse. They have him out there showing America how "diversified" they are. Look we have a woman and a Black man. Obama will never see the White House as an Democrat.
I believe he's Black enough. My way of thinking is if Blacks, and I mean all Blacks don't vote for him, I don't want to hear sh!t from us. We need to seize this opportunity.
I've been saying this all along...The Democrats are using Obama to keep the black vote from going Republican. Think about it most Hispanics are Republicans because they're behind immigration and big business are bringing them over the border and giving them jobs. Republicans nominated Powell and Rice to the highest position ever held by blacks. Hows that for Clinton who never nominated a black to such a high post for a supposed to be black president. Fearing losing the blacks after letting them down in the 2000 stolen election all whites Democrats went right on with business as usual when the black caucus walked out because the white didn't wanna hear it. Southern white democrats cow tow to the Republicans during the first four years of George Bush giving him untold and uncontested Executive Powers. And they where responsible for shunning anyone who opposed him in the Democratic party as weak on defense. So now that 2004 election showed a huge decline in black vote the white Democrats started thinking they needed a black man who can get blacks back interested in the voting. So now all of yall of running around with some great black hope that Obama will be president. Most of you have never even heard of Obama before they made him a star! Just shows how much media is still in control of what people think and what people do!
i just had this exact conversation with 2 young, black, socially conscious men last night....there were 3 arguments on the table...
1. we should vote for Obama simply BECAUSE he's black, hence he's got more insight on the plight of the black race than any other person running....
2. he's not black enough to truly get the black vote b/c he hasn't addressed any of the issues that primarily face blacks in this country
3. he should gain our votes based on his PLATFORM AND BELIEFS, not his race...b/c just b/c someone shares the same skin color doesn't mean they have your (collective) best interest in mind...
while i personally think argument 2 is absurd (where is there a "black" grading scale to determine what is "black enough"), i find myself torn between arguments 1 and 2...no one else running looks like me...no one else running has had to live with the knowledge that every 25 years, i run the risk of not being counted..being voiceless...has had organizations of hate formed to kill them, and those that look like them (i don't think there are jewish candidates this year - lieberman gave up)...so yes...his skin color DOES make me partial...i hate to say it but it does...HOWEVER...if his platform does not align with my convictions, beliefs, and social/economic/political ideals, i can not in good faith and conscience give him my vote.....MIND YOU...my covictions, beliefs and ideals are not confined strictly to the black race...child care, education, health care, women's health and reprodutive health issues..these things effect every race..now granted blacks and other minorities are disproportianately effected by these things in some areas...so it will be interesting to see where he stands....i am hopeful...i HOPE that his platform aligns with my social needs....i HOPE we see a black man in the white house...
Your website is very diverse. very interesting. . Let me add a few facts for the people who have lost touch with reality. There is no ranking of cabinet members. They all serve at the leisure of the president. There is a reason that the GOP always trot out the Powell/Rice show and always want to link them together. Powell, who make have been used by Bush was at least competent in his job, Rice failed as NSA and has also failed as secretary of state. But when you look past that veneer, you will find few black people part of this administration. Clinton's administration by far looked more like America that the same stiff white guys from the GOP. Hispanics do not give the GOP the majority of their vote. This is another one of those GOP lies that only the truly stupid fall for. While in south Florida cuban refugees may vote more GOP, when you look at other majority Hispanics congressional districts they all have democratic reps.
The democrats did not put a gun to Obama's head and tell him to run. He is running for the same reason that everyone else is running, because he thinks he can win. If the GOP and their followers truly believe their BS about a "colorblind" society, then why shouldn't he believe that he can win? Could it be because not very deep below the surface the GOP owes their power to appealing to southern white bigots? Check Phil Gramm's comments when a hispanic ran for governor and a black man ran for the senate. Gramm called them the "Affirmative Action" ticket.
First black president GOP????? LMAO don't make me laugh. In 1996 when Powell entertained the idea of running, the extreme right wing of the GOP went on the attack against him, before he even declared. The GOP don't even have a black face that has any mass appeal.
Obama's "blackness" is a distraction to those who choose to be distracted.
We've more substantive issues that need to be addressed by these candidates. Health Care, the wars in Afganistan & Iraq, our economy, our crumbling infrastructure, America's foreign policy- especially in the Middle East, media consolidation. The lists and needs are endless.
What I need to hear is what the likes of Obama and others are going to do that will improve the quality of American's lives and our status in the world-at-large.
Obama is a serious politician and it is time you give himn his credit and stop the nonesense
Between Iraq, Katrina, Voter cagging, and just 8 straight years of just screwing the average man, I don't think Dems need Obama to capsulate the black vote. The GOP is suffering from self inflicted gunshot wounds.
Most Hispanics may be Conservative via religion, but I really don't see how the GOPs animate stance of building a fence, hunting them down, and sending them back is helping them either.
Powell quit in disgust of Bush, Condi has virtually lost all respect from black voters, I don't see how this is by any means a plus for the GOP either.
In 2004 the number of black voters who voted for Bush increased 2% from 2000. That was of course the black evangelical vote, but I wouldn't call that a huge decline for the Dems.
Obama is a choice from what the GOP offers which is, less Ron Paul, the same middle aged white man clone with the same policies with the only difference being how many times these moral party candidates cheated on their wives or got divorced.
You have a unique way of looking at reality.
I am amazed at these wannabe politicians who seems to have all this broken down to a craft. Get a job 'anonymous' and be man enough to say who you are so we can at least put a name to the ridiculous analysis
It is amazing how one see's things based on what side of the aisle they sit on. However what is more amazing than that is how the right is labeled as always being the racists, when if the truth were told the left has just as many, if not more. Your first paragraph of your post proved my point. Condi failed? Let's see she was in office for all of 8 months when the attack happened. Frankly If Condi was able to find the cure for cancer, she would still be a failure in the eyes of you dems. Simply because she has the audacity to have an R in front of her name. If you are a Black Republican you are a sellout, however if you are a black democrat you are a civil rights leader?
Give me a break with that HORSE----! If Obama had blonde hair and blue eyes, he would have already been out of the race. The Dems are using him, the same way they use Al and Jesse. They want him so the black folk will once again foolishly vote for their useless asses. It is funny you mention Phil Gramm, without mentioning Robert KKK Byrd, DEMOCRAT congressman. It is also puzzling, that you did not mention Bill Clinton's mentor William Fullbright who was a Segregationalist, however that did not stop Bill from giving him the Congreesional Medal of FREEDOM!
Oh yea by the way, what have the dems done since they took over? They have investigated everybody, and raised minimum wage. Oprah's new best friend, has a snowball's chance in hell to be president. As I stated earlier, The Dems, and the Clinton machine will not allow it. Hell I am suprised that they don't have a homosexual and a Mexican candidate to show their wonderful "DIVERSITY"
Why does every black person have to come from a ghetto to be considered black? We all come from different walks of life but for some reason we love embracing a ghetto lifestyle even though those who live there want to get out. It is an insult to blacks to say Bill Clinton is the first black president. As much as I hated George W he has done a lot more for blacks than Clinton ever did. Can someone name 1 thing Clinton has done for blacks? Clintons mentor was also a Klan member. Obama would be a very good candidate but blacks will tear him down just like Jesse was torn down by Farrakhan in the 80s.
You hit the nail right on the head. But many new found black republicans seem to overlook the facts just so that they can be called "the good black folks" by the same people who threw bricks at MLK. So after being a dismal failure as NSA, she gets a promotion to secretary of state. She has continued on her great record of failure in that role by not having more conversations of putting pressure on Pakistan, our supposed ally that has allowed Bin Laden and the Taliban to regroup and attack US troops in Afganistan. She has also done little to work with our allies in Europe to assure them that the US Iraq policy is working. That is why the few who were there have now withdrew their troops. The US diplomatic statue is at it's worst in years.
Not a matter of Obama being black enough and also not a matter of party. i have not really looked at all the candidates and positions on issues they are taking. But bottom line I want to support the candidate whos positions and plans appeal to me. If Obama is that man, I will vote for him, I will not vote for him "just" cause he is black!
I hate to be a cynic but it won't be about how many of US vote in the lead up to the Democratic Primary next year. It will be about who the Democratic National Committee DECIDES who will receive the nomination for president.
This is about who the DNC will feel will best help them retake the White House.
The question of whether he is black enough is a silly one. One that is only entertained by those who buy into the black vs. white arguemnt. A few years ago my daughter told me that I don't act black. What I came to understand is that being intelligent, upstanding, strong are not traits that Africans should aspire to. She had bought into the popular definitions of what it means to be black - booty shak'n, poor and jobless. Who cares if the man is black or white, the real issue is whether or not he speaks to our issues. The truth is that he couldn't even hope to become president if he were perceived as being too black.
Why should all Africans in America, if any vote for Obama.... Because his father was black? That seems a little silly. Just to make it clear, I am of African Heritage but I do not currently back Obama. I've just not heard anything from him that addresses my issues. I don't know where his allegiances are. Are they to his party, to his people ( who are his people ? ) , to those who fund him. I just don't know. And I haven't found anything that tells me who this guy is. Yes it would be great to have a black president, but it would be better to have a president ( regardles of his heritage ) who actually addresses the issues of the African-American population, or who at the very least is willing to talk about issues that affect the African-American population as well as others.
I have pretty much always voted democratic. But this year, for the first time, I'm considering this guy Ron Paul. He's a republican who doesn't speak specifically to any issues of African Americans ( but neither does Obama ) but he does seem to have some good arguments.
We should be careful and educate ourselves. I am really beginning to believe that this whole republican vs. democrat , white vs. black argument is a divide and conquer tactic. and that the real battle is the Rich vs. Poor., The wealthy vs. the average worker.
Regardless of whether you vote for Obama or not, educate yourself on the candidate... Empower yourself, do not rely on the media to do your job for you. You will have to live with the next president for at least four years.
Was the question of him being black enough first raised by black constituents? I don't think it was. From him being "articulate" (insult to his intelligence), to being black enough, to being inexperienced are all the things that's thrown out there about Obama. Are any of the other candidates that are running really experienced to run the country then?
Many blacks want Obama to win, but at the same time they see it as not only being a momentous occasion for black America, but also they consider it to be one that would be detrimental. Why? Because many feel he would be assassinated by the individuals not ready to accept the leadership role of a black man in America. He's already travelling with secret service protection from idle threats already put out there.
Black leadership in the Bush administration is virtually non-existent and is only highlighted in the face of adversity to try and resolve problems that he has caused internationally. Clinton was and is still referred to as the first black president, because he was able to not only get the black constituent votes, but he was also able to communicate with not only the religious leaders, but also others in the community to help implement changes that affected everyone. His main focus wasn't on procuring another country's oil assets. Clinton was not perfect as a president and I don't think anyone should expect any president to be perfect.
But I can say that Obama going against the grain and speaking on different issues that many are calling his inexperience actually shows his leadership. A leader is not one that follows in everyone else’s footsteps, or doesn't allow others to dictate what, when, how, why, or where to do things that need to be done.
I know I'm gonna get flack for this, but oh well. So is he black enough? I say HECK YES he's black enough. Why? Because isn't everyone's problem with blacks that they are opinionated, and they do their own thing regardless of how things are done? All that question shows me is the fear others have with a black man taking charge doing what needs to be done because he knows it needs to be done, and doing it the way he seems fit to benefit the most. People are just scared of the possibilities
He's "black" enough for me. However, I'm not surprised a lot of us think this way. We actually have public debates and books devoted to the topic of calling ourselves a n****r. If the majority of us are prone to adapt the role created for us by another group...
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