Will Obama be President of USA?
Sep 05, 2006
US Senator Barack Obama was hailed by supporters all over Kenya when he visited the country recently; people who didn't know much more than the fact that he was an appealing American politician with familial roots in Kenya came out in droves to greet the leader. Obama tends to have that effect on pe
By Alexis Okeowo
US Senator Barack Obama was hailed by supporters all over Kenya when he visited the country recently; people who didn't know much more than the fact that he was an appealing American politician with familial roots in Kenya came out in droves to greet the leader. Obama tends to have that effect on people, whether in Kenya or in the United States.
Rising to fame during the American presidential elections in 2004, Obama gave the now-almost legendary keynote address at the Democratic Party Convention urging a reunification of the American people across racial, class and political lines. A simple, oft-repeated theme to be sure, but it was one that was movingly delivered by a charismatic persona. And that charisma has made all the difference.
The morning after the speech, Democrats fell to their knees in awe. Black and white Americans alike shared in their praise of the political newcomer who had arrived out of thin air. A son of an African immigrant and an all-American white woman, Obama has the perfect credentials of a mainstream, but diverse new face of the Democratic Party. This perfect background was stressed by his new followers. Biracial and from a middle-class background, how could we as the American people not identify with him, they asked earnestly.
Perhaps even more importantly, Obama is a moderate man, the Party emphasised, one who did not favour extreme or racial politics. He is black, but he is no Reverend Alan Sharpton. Sharpton, who ran for the presidency in the Democratic primaries in 2004, was the other black liberal politician in the public eye. But unlike Obama, Sharpton was no media darling. Outspoken but also eloquent, the reverend was perhaps the only presidential candidate to take strong, progressive stances on the U.S.'s war in Iraq and Bush's foreign policy. His only problem, however, was that he never shied away from racial politics. Indeed, Sharpton's name has nearly become synonymous, along with Rev. Jesse Jackson's (another former black presidential candidate), with racial politics in America. And for any potential U.S. president, such a comparison is equivalent to political suicide.
For if there's one issue that Americans, whether liberal or conservative, hate to discuss or acknowledge, it is race. Problems of discrimination are forgotten under benignly-named policies that wage "wars" on poverty and continually reform welfare. We in the U.S. like to pretend that we are colour-blind, and idolizing Obama helps us to maintain that façade. While I am sure that the Senator has serious stances on political issues, it certainly seems difficult to attain those opinions. Ask most why they like Obama, and they nearly always refer to his personality and famous speech, and never to his senatorial voting record.
In fact, I wonder exactly how many politically liberal Americans would still unwaveringly support the leader if he ever did happen to talk about the race problem in the country. In a nation that appears to be growing more conservative by the minute due to, among other things, an overblown "war on terror," would this black potential presidential candidate be any different from his predecessors? Despite his multiracial background, in a place that is still ruled by institutional racism and personal prejudices, Obama would have a tenuous, if not impossible, journey to the presidency.
It is possible that Obama could have a chance at the presidency if he made sure to never rock the proverbial boat. But as we can see during his trip to Kenya, that technique is easier said than done. Kenyan MPs reacted sharply when Obama criticised graft and corruption in the government. Obama should stick to his image-focused tours and stay away from real politics, they essentially said.
For all the "liberal" rhetoric of Americans, I can't help but be suspicious that they feel the same way, too. Obama is the polished figurehead of our falsely perfect multiracial democracy - and one that will stay polished if it doesn't crack by saying the wrong thing.
US Senator Barack Obama was hailed by supporters all over Kenya when he visited the country recently; people who didn't know much more than the fact that he was an appealing American politician with familial roots in Kenya came out in droves to greet the leader. Obama tends to have that effect on people, whether in Kenya or in the United States.
Rising to fame during the American presidential elections in 2004, Obama gave the now-almost legendary keynote address at the Democratic Party Convention urging a reunification of the American people across racial, class and political lines. A simple, oft-repeated theme to be sure, but it was one that was movingly delivered by a charismatic persona. And that charisma has made all the difference.
The morning after the speech, Democrats fell to their knees in awe. Black and white Americans alike shared in their praise of the political newcomer who had arrived out of thin air. A son of an African immigrant and an all-American white woman, Obama has the perfect credentials of a mainstream, but diverse new face of the Democratic Party. This perfect background was stressed by his new followers. Biracial and from a middle-class background, how could we as the American people not identify with him, they asked earnestly.
Perhaps even more importantly, Obama is a moderate man, the Party emphasised, one who did not favour extreme or racial politics. He is black, but he is no Reverend Alan Sharpton. Sharpton, who ran for the presidency in the Democratic primaries in 2004, was the other black liberal politician in the public eye. But unlike Obama, Sharpton was no media darling. Outspoken but also eloquent, the reverend was perhaps the only presidential candidate to take strong, progressive stances on the U.S.'s war in Iraq and Bush's foreign policy. His only problem, however, was that he never shied away from racial politics. Indeed, Sharpton's name has nearly become synonymous, along with Rev. Jesse Jackson's (another former black presidential candidate), with racial politics in America. And for any potential U.S. president, such a comparison is equivalent to political suicide.
For if there's one issue that Americans, whether liberal or conservative, hate to discuss or acknowledge, it is race. Problems of discrimination are forgotten under benignly-named policies that wage "wars" on poverty and continually reform welfare. We in the U.S. like to pretend that we are colour-blind, and idolizing Obama helps us to maintain that façade. While I am sure that the Senator has serious stances on political issues, it certainly seems difficult to attain those opinions. Ask most why they like Obama, and they nearly always refer to his personality and famous speech, and never to his senatorial voting record.
In fact, I wonder exactly how many politically liberal Americans would still unwaveringly support the leader if he ever did happen to talk about the race problem in the country. In a nation that appears to be growing more conservative by the minute due to, among other things, an overblown "war on terror," would this black potential presidential candidate be any different from his predecessors? Despite his multiracial background, in a place that is still ruled by institutional racism and personal prejudices, Obama would have a tenuous, if not impossible, journey to the presidency.
It is possible that Obama could have a chance at the presidency if he made sure to never rock the proverbial boat. But as we can see during his trip to Kenya, that technique is easier said than done. Kenyan MPs reacted sharply when Obama criticised graft and corruption in the government. Obama should stick to his image-focused tours and stay away from real politics, they essentially said.
For all the "liberal" rhetoric of Americans, I can't help but be suspicious that they feel the same way, too. Obama is the polished figurehead of our falsely perfect multiracial democracy - and one that will stay polished if it doesn't crack by saying the wrong thing.