Yesterday, the Grey Lady told us how evil it was to hold the first caucus in lilly white Iowa, ignoring the fact that Obama, who won on the Defeatocrat side, is, well, black. Devoid of any experience and plans to match his soundbites, but, still Black. Today, they continue their race baiting, as they are Daring to Believe, Blacks Savor Obama Victory
For Sadou Brown in a Los Angeles suburb, the decisive victory of Senator Barack Obama in Iowa was a moment to show his 14-year-old son what is possible.
For Mike Duncan in Maryland, it was a sign that Americans were moving beyond rigid thinking about race.
For Milton Washington in Harlem, it looked like the beginning of something he never thought that he would see. “It was like, ‘Oh, my God, we’re on the cusp of something big about to happen,’ ” Mr. Washington said.
This is what is called the politics of race. Obama, as mentioned, has little experience, a tiny political resume – what, exactly, has he done while in the Senate of substance? – and speaks in sound bites about “hope,” telling us all how much America sucks, and that he is going to change it all. He has no detail on how he will doing so many of all those hopeful things, instead, he lets his ability to speak well (no, that was not a dig ala Joe Biden) and patronize people bump him up.
“My goodness, has it ever happened before, a black man, in our life, in our country?†asked Edith Lambert, 60, a graduate student in theology who was having lunch at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston.
Yes, it has. Other race baiters such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have run before, and couldn’t get the time of day from Democrats. And let’s not forget the Blacks, such as Alan Keyes and Ken Blackwell, who were basically called Uncle Tom’s for running for office as Republicans. And how Blacks such as Condi Rice and Colin Powell, appointed by President Bush, who were treated the same. Democrats weren’t too positive about the first Black female National Security Advisor and Secretary of State.
“People across America, even in Iowa of all places, can look across the color line and see the person,†said Mr. Brown, 35, who was working at the reception desk at DK’s Hair Design near Ladera Heights, a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.
The very fact that the Times publishes a story on it with so many people commenting means that many people are looking simply at the color line, rather then the capabilities of the candidate.
“The psychological advantage of waking up knowing and seeing almost every day the leader of the free world as a member of your own tribe brings pride even to the most cynical critic,†said Michael Eric Dyson, 49, a professor at Georgetown Universityand an Obama supporter who has studied racial identity. “Maybe this psychic, internal emotional turmoil that black people struggle against will somehow be lessened by seeing the image of a black man in charge.â€
Like I said, it is about race, rather then competence. However, Mr. Brown, mentioned earlier, does make a good point
Describing himself as a “huge, huge supporter,†of Mr. Obama, Mr. Brown added: “So many times, our young people only have sports stars or musicians to look up to. But now, when we tell them to go to school, to aim high in life, they have a face to put with the ambition.â€
Which, despite Obama’s lack of experience or cohesive plans, makes his candidacy a good thing. At least for the moment. Once the primaries move into the very liberal areas, we will see if the lilly white party leadership and main supporters turn on him. I give it a 60% chance that they will.
Teach said: Like I said, it is about race, rather then competence.
Not according to the people of Iowa. I hope he wins the nomination of his party and I hope he wins the election – not because of the color of his skin but the content of his character. :-)
Two words: empty vessel. He’s likable, personable and well spoken. Granted I think there are plenty of intelligent individuals that can run this country better than most politicians. I take issue with his “blackness”. He’s Mulatto.
I think David Brooks and Peggy Noonan (two of the most conservative columnists today) said it best…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/opinion/04brooks.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/
For the first time, I see someone I want to actually vote for instead of vote against.
This something you and I can agree on Silke. I have to say, I have enjoyed how he’s run his campaign, and I’ve defended him at my page and other places regarding his drug history. That doesn’t bother me. It bothers me if they’re currently using. Heck, Pubs twice elected a recovering alcoholic to the executive office.
There are so many things that he could attack Hillary on, but has chosen not to. He has definitely taken the higher road and his numbers are a reflection of that. I can honestly say I have no ill feelings against him. His lack of experience is what concerns me. His record is mostly on a local level and it’s hard to translate that into what he would do in the Oval Office.
My .02
Stacy said: I can honestly say I have no ill feelings against him. His lack of experience is what concerns me.
I see your point and I think it’s a fair criticism, Stacy. But I also think judgment is just as important. Donald Rumsfeld had a lot of experience before he took the job for a second time as Secretary of Defense, but that didn’t translate into success for us in Iraq – quite the opposite actually. Robert Gates, however, had no experience (at least in the Defense Department) before taking over as Secretary of Defense but I think we can both agree he has had a tremendously positive impact. His judgment has made all the difference, not his experience. Again, I do see your point though.
And all of that is something I often take into consideration. Our “experienced” politicians often let us down. Are we better of with a CEO with an MBA from a highly accredited university and mountains of experience successfully dealing with all kinds of people?
This presidential election season is really making me reconsider many of my leanings.
Obama may be a nice guy, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a grasp or experience. As far as this racial hyping goes, I really could care less about all the whiners about racism. After all, anything that blacks do badly in is racist, like IQ tests or crime rates. It’s the mantra of the time: racism is the worst crime in the world and is responsible for all the problems that blacks face. It is a mantra, not a logical or moral belief.