Cultural experiences are multigenerational perspective is based on alot of what your parents instill into you his parent's experiences are vastly different that those of the Black American Parents his perspect . .the lens in which he sees things is different not good. . not bad. . . just different and it is ignorant and stupid to not acknowledge that difference I'm on the record of holding judgement on Obama until I hear more that being said I find it rather disturbing the atmosphere that any black person on his team is some Neurotic Self Hating somethingorother I find it rather disturbing that once again white folx are telling black folx who they should like and why Obama . . . seems to be pushed down our throat because he LOOKs like us I don't support Alan Keyes . . why should I support Obama Until i know his thoughts intentions and plans .. . i won't guess what Same with Bill Clinton, G. Bush or any poilitician I'm amazed who on the one hand .. folx say black people shouldn't vote in a block . .. lock step with the Company line. . then . ..we are thrown a company line to follow and get critisized for not following and voting for it Obama's perspectice on America and how it works are Unique Acknowledge .. . move on Rocket River
And I find it disturbing that you've once again made it your priority to out-black Obama. i've seen you do this before and find it uninteresting. Vote for whoever you want. Go ahead and vote for John McCain or Ralph Nader or whoever if you don't like Obama.
Yep, stupid Dems will either nominate this guy or Hill and both of them will get torn up by McCain. If the Dems were smart (they are not) they would pump up John Edwards and push Gore and Kerry off to the side. Yes Edwards was on the ticket with Kerry but I think he can overcome that. Still when push come to shove the top dems are just not that likeable and in addition if they refuse to break away from the extream left ie. Moore, Jimmy Carter, Franken (sp) etc. etc. they have zero shot.
I understand the different viewpoints expressed so far. I'm not claiming Barack shares the heritage of American blacks nor should blacks vote for him because of his skin color. But it's sad that because he's educated, and well-spoken that some blacks may be turned off. That's what that quote is talking about. Apparently he's too 'white' for some blacks, which is what I believe Pouhe was referencing to as 'self hating'. Correct me if I'm wrong...
I love McCain as a person, but he's got an uphill battle for sure. If anyone collapsed under pressure it was McCain during the 2000 presidential primaries. He'll struggle to find support that middle ground between the ultra-conservative base and moderate voters, and his unrelenting support of Mr. Bush will undoubtedly come up. It will be very hard for the Dems to screw this one up.
If elected, McCain will be the Republican's Jimmy Carter. He's a nice guy, he's generally pretty likable, but he's terribly incompetent.
Out-Black *chuckle* Excellent You sure are funny SamFisher Rocket River . . one for the Ages cause he definately Fishing
Educated and Well Spoken does *not* 'turn off' most blacks Some of us just like to see what he about . . . Rocket River
I agree that politics should be judged by the issues, but I don't think that's what the quote in the article was implying. When I hear that black voters are turned off by a black politician because white people like him so much then it sounds more like he's being dubbed a potential sell out. I'm just affraid that his support from white voters pins him too closely to that stereotypical view. Instead of a 'turn off', why not a role model?
Make no Mistake. I does happen. There is always a concern that Clarence Thomas types getting into offices and cause more harm than good Rocket RIver
Ok, granted but my problem is that he's already been crucified in the court of public opinion because of his association with white voters. I'm fine with finding out what he's about, but lets not pass judgement on the man. I suppose that shows how little faith some African-Americans have in politicians period, or any black in a position of power for that matter. RR, would you classify Condi as a "Clarence Thomas" type?
Pretty Much She is a Good Soldier . . willing to fall on the sword for her president Moreso than even Colin [who is not a Clarence Thomas Type but is a Good Soldier . . not breaking rank etc] Condi is a bright lady . . perhaps even brilliant but she seems to defer to the ridiculousness of 'her' president and their party. In that, I don't see her as a leader. . she is the ultimate follower. She is Smithers. She will use all of her might ad brilliance in pursuit of what ever ridiculousness is assigned to her. Condi is Scary. Her support of this admin . . seems to reach Zealot Levels. Rocket River
I think the point we need to get to, and I think Obama will, is that it doesn't make a sh*t what you're heritige is, it's about what kind of leader you can be. We are a nation of mongrols, but every one knows mongrols make the best dogs.
This might be largely a duplicate of the first article but there was an article in a Canadian magazine about this too. December 04, 2006 Black Enough? White mother, Kenyan father: is Barack Obama African American? LUIZA CH. SAVAGE Appearing alongside African American icons such as Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou, at last week's groundbreaking ceremony on the National Mall for the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, Barack Obama spoke of "healing the festering wounds of a nation's original sin." The sin, of course, was slavery. The junior Democratic senator from Illinois is the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. The man who many Democrats believe could be the first black president stands as a potential symbol of a nation's yearned-for racial healing. But throughout his political career, the 45-year-old former civil rights lawyer and first black president of the Harvard Law Review has been dogged by a surprising question: is he black enough? ... But with his potential presidential candidacy, the "black enough" issue is re-emerging. "Other than colour, Obama did not -- does not -- share a heritage with the majority of black Americans, who are descendants of plantation slaves," columnist Stanley Crouch wrote this month in the New York Daily News. "So when black Americans refer to Obama as 'one of us,' I do not know what they are talking about." While Obama has said he has experienced typical racial stereotyping, "he cannot claim those problems as his own -- nor has he lived the life of a black American," wrote Crouch. Far from signifying a post-racial era in American politics, Crouch concluded that if Obama were elected president, a black man would have arrived at the White House through "a side door -- which might, at this point, be the only one that's open." It is true that immigrants from Africa and the West Indies, like Obama and former secretary of state Colin Powell, whose family came from Jamaica, have had greater success in the U.S. than descendants of American slaves. And the implications of that success are the subject of debate. New Yorker writer and author Malcolm Gladwell, the son of a Jamaican immigrant mother, suggested in an autobiographical essay that the success of immigrant blacks falsely suggests to some people that "racism does not really exist at all." "It implies," he went on to say, "that when the conservatives in Congress say the responsibility for ending urban poverty lies not with collective action but with the poor themselves they are right." Could an Obama candidacy, let alone a presidency, send that message even more strongly? "There is no question that a black president -- similarly to two black secretaries of state -- makes it easier to claim that structural inequalities are less important, and it's simply a matter of individual decision-making and individual effort," says Harris-Lacewell. The issue has caused a fair amount of anxiety in recent years on top American campuses where affirmative action programs appear to have disproportionately benefited children of Africans and West Indians. In 2004, African American alumni of Harvard University raised concerns that an estimated half to two-thirds of the incoming black freshmen were immigrants from Africa or the West Indies or the children of such immigrants, not the descendants of American slaves. Descendants of slaves began to describe themselves as "descendants" to distinguish themselves from the rest... http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/article.jsp?content=20061204_137546_137546 As a white Canadian this is all news to me and I don’t have a lot to say about it, other than it seems to pose a question that is almost the exact opposite of the one posed in the title of this article. It suggests that the “race issue” in the US is not really one of race but of culture. The question seems to be about whether Obama part of a certain cultural group, the group that is descended from slaves, and not whether or not he’s black or how back he is. Of course most of the slaves, in the US anyway, were brought from Africa so race is closely tied to this particular social issue, but at the end of the day it seems to be about slavery and culture, and the race factor seems to be incidental, which is a new way for me to look at it.
Wouldn't it be super-cool if no one cared??? If no one cared what his race was because he was sooooo freaking brilliant?? Or such a gifted leader?? I can dream, right? Grizzled --- do you ever find your way to Houston??
You have a dream and I share that dream, and I honestly think we’re moving in that direction. I’ve never been to Texas, in fact. I’ve been to most other regions of the US but never to Texas and never to “the south,” but I do hope to get there one day. I can honestly say that my impression of what Texas and the south might be like changed completely after spending some time on this site, which is not to say that it was bad before, just different, and I very much look forward to coming to your fair city some day.
when you find your way here, please let me buy you a beer...or coffee...or caramels, which are just as arbitrary as coffee. i'm glad you're here, at the very least. Merry Christmas.
