Sooooo, are we to vote for Obama because he is Black or what?
on November 12th, 2007 at 12:07 pmDuring the recent Democratic debates in South Carolina, I pointed you to a quote made by one of Obama’s advisers and how he went against the stated campaign template by equating religion with a particular wing.
This is called politico-religious doublespeak–
There are believers and there are non-believers,” was the message to the crowd from Rick Wade, an Obama adviser who focuses on African-American outreach. Non-believers would say he’s the most qualified, .. but they won’t vote for him. He won’t win. Believers would say he will win. Non-believers would say ‘what can we do?” “Believers would say “we can do all things” he paused and the crowd loudly responded “through Christ Jesus.” (source)
Recently, Michelle Obama had this to say regarding the mediocre support for her husband by Blacks:
“Morning Joe” played a clip of the conversation during today’s opening segment.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: The polls are showing your husband is trailing Hillary by 46% to 37% in the African-American community. What’s going on here?
MICHELLE OBAMA: First of all, I think that that’s not going to hold. I’m completely confident: black America will wake up, and get [it]. But what we’re dealing with in the black community is just the natural fear of possibility. You know, when I look at my life, the stuff that we’re seeing in these polls has played out my whole life. You know, always been told by somebody that I’m not ready, that I can’t do something, my scores weren’t high enough. You know, there’s always that doubt in the back of the minds of people of color. People who’ve been oppressed and haven’t been given real opportunities. That you never really believe. That you believe that somehow, someone is better than you. You know, deep down inside, you doubt whether you can do it, because that’s all you’ve been told, is “no, wait.” That’s all you hear, and you hear it from people who love you. Not because they don’t care about you, but bcause they’re afraid. They’re afraid that something might happen.
BRZEZINSKI: It’s interesting that you say that, excuse me. Because a stewardess yesterday, a 52-year old African-American, and I asked her if she was interested in Barack Obama, if she would vote for him. And she said, like this, she said: “I don’t think so, because he probably can’t win, because he’s black.”
OBAMA: That’s right. That’s the psyschology that’s going on in our heads, in our souls, and I understand it. I know where it comes from, and I think that it’s one of the horrible legacies of racism and discrimination and oppression.(more…)
So the legacy of racism is the real reason why Blacks will not vote for Obama?
Here is another article I came across where Obama believes that his race alone is what will help him and the Democratic party get the Black vote.
“Can he win a nationwide election? While some have expressed doubts about whether the country is ready for a black president, Obama argued that his race would be an asset because it would increase black voter turnout enough to give a Democratic victory in reliably Republican Southern states.” (source)
Now here is what the senator had to say in Essence magazine:
I think that racial attitudes have changed sufficiently in this country, that people are willing to vote for me for president,” he responds, “if they think I can help them on health care, on education, on the issues that are important in their lives.” …“Now, are there going to be people who don’t vote for me because I am Black? Absolutely, but I do not believe those are people who would have voted for me, given my political philosophy, even if I were White.” (source)
Here is something else the senator said in another interview:
“So I think that the African-American community is more sophisticated than I think the pundits sometimes give them credit for. The notion that right now I’m not dominating the black vote in the polls makes perfect sense because I have only been on the national scene for a certain number of years, and people don’t yet know what my track record is, and so-”
[...]
MR. INSKEEP: Will you need to dominate that vote in order to win?
SEN. OBAMA: I will be speaking to themes that are important to that community. But I don’t expect to get monolithic African-American vote because I think that we have some strong candidates in the field, and it would be presumptuous with me to assume that people would vote for me simply because of my race. (more…)
Now let me be completely clear and honest with you my readers (as if I have not been so already). I do not and will not support Obama not because of some ridiculous notion that I am a self-hating Black man or out of some fear that he will be assassinated. I do not support him because of his stance on the issues and my belief that it only perpetuates the same Democratic policies that have done squat for not just the Black community, but the nation at large. Apparently I am not alone in my sentiments over the Democratic party as both Democratic-controlled House and Senate have lower approval ratings than the President. As far as the Republican party goes, IMO it has completely lost its soul as it has not put an end to things like wasteful spending and illegal immigration and abortion. As it stands right now, my vote will not go to either party.
I think my frustration with supporters of Obama I have encountered both on and offline is their unwillingness or inability to go beyond RACE as the factor that has convinced them to throw him their support. Some of the most heated discussions I have seen regarding the possible Obama nomination has not been over things like his foreign policy or his take on improving the economy. It has been over his race. This of course goes completely against what he expects in his supporters.
While I may not agree with Obama’s stance on the issues, I have and continue to implore Black folks everywhere to look at all the issues from all the candidates beyond just the racial angles. I have even provided links to websites that will give you an unbiased view of each candidate. Unfortunately there will always be a segment in our society that just lacks that ability.
I honestly started out liking Obama when he was putting out there that he wanted Blacks to vote for him based on his stance on the issues and not the color of his skin. I even remembered one interview where he told folks to say home if that was their reason for voting for him. Unfortunately he has completely backtracked this stance and is using his wife to do it for him.
