With all the excitement on Barack Obama tonight I had to google him and found an article that identified to a sinking feeling I had by Benjamin Wallace-Wells "The Great Black Hope". He goes into similar stories of ivy league, presidential aspirant Cory Booker and his rise in popularity among whites and his disappointing loss at New Jersey mayor. Similar to Obama he served as a sign for white America that things are changed and everyone favored and loved the guy. The New York Times to CBS news couldn't stop discussing him as a potential presidential candiadate. Like Obama he was a neophyte, like Obama he was charasmatic, and like Obama he was infectious in the media. He was a great speaker and was a smoothest fundraiser seen. With all the promise in him there was still one major issue. He was black. He always ws going to be black. No matter how the media wants to hype up Obama, there will always be that same issue. Booker lost by 3000 votes and was proclaimed afterwards of being too young, brainy, and inexperienced. Furthermore, Wallace- Wells added:
"For this small group of black politicians, race has been an advantage because whites see in them confirmation that America, finally, is working. Blacks, after all, aren't just any minority, the moral equivalent of Asian-Pacific Islanders but six times the size. They are the victims of much of our country's most vicious oppression, the cause of our deepest historical divisions, the stubborn counter-example that suggests our system isn't as fair or just as we would like it to be. The act of redressing these injustices has absorbed much of the political and emotional energy in America for 150 years. And while all Americans can take some pride in what racial progress African Americans have made in recent years, what whites—and indeed blacks—really want is for the whole awful nightmare behind them. The ultimate proof that we have finally done so would be for a black person to be elected president of the United States. In Barack Obama or Colin Powell, whites, giddily, begin to see not only figures who can command both white and black votes but also the promise of a real racial unity. Their candidacies are thrilling because they carry with them the notion that the symbolic gap between the races may be beginning to close."
The problem is in essence that these talented individuals are elevated too high way too fast. I've read the "Audacity of Hope" and it is high on inspiration but low on policy. The media is looking at him as president and we have no idea what he even stands for. With the media's track record, they will send you into orbit in one moment and plan your demise in the same breath. So far all what I've seen, in terms of voting record is: Yes to GOP initiative of limits on class action lawsuits and the confirmation of Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State and yes to just about everything else his colleagues voted for (which sounds a little scary considering the left wing of the party's track record), No to the Consumer Bankruptcy Abuse Act, but has done nothing really "knee jerking".
Nathaniel Peete Jr.
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4 comments:
Corey Booker was elected Mayor this summer.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-30-newark-mayor_x.htm?csp=24&POE=click-refer
He's a lot more conservative than obama. I'd take Oba,a over Clinton any day though. Even if its just symbolic his presidency would be better than 4 more years of left v right visiousness.
I mean if Hillary were Prez. New Rule. No Clintons no bushes.
I will be honest; yes Obama has potential, if only he can show results. Though, I still acknowledge his leadership with a grain of salt. Then again his party is not results-oriented; that tends towards being left up to our party...the whole backing up what we say with actual results, not emotions.
I hold with limited regard the potential for a man to positively influence upward social mobility for the black community when he pledges his allegiance to the very party that proactively fights to reverse societal progression for his people. By 'reversing societal progression'--well, I am certain you all know to what I am referring...efforts to implement murderous legislation determined to wipe out a generation of potential leaders (abortion), the encouragement of broken home situations through tolerance of single-parent and illegitimate childbirth (and the press for loose sex talk on high school and college campuses does nothing to contribute to this? my foot!), the encouragement of financial dependency (the welfare crutch) and though my list could go on, I will spare you any further rant.
Long story short, until Obama can acknowledge this horrid track record and its devastation to black morale and progress, his rhetoric means little more to me than an inspirational speech when I am feeling blue.
I'm wondering if we as black people should vote for someone who doesn't support our views just because they're black. As far as I understand the majority of black people are pretty socially conservative, but yet vote for those who don't appeal to that. Does what you believe in matter anymore or do people just vote because we've become conditioned to vote a certain way?
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