Enough!: Why Obama Should Release His Righteous Rage

Back in February 2007, I wrote about the role casting would play in the presidential race, and the American public's readiness to replace the John Wayne take-no-crap-cowboy model of leadership with a Gregory Peck-does-Atticus Finch archetype.

Given Obama's sense of moral obligation and social responsibility, and his "audacity of hope," I felt "the man and the moment may be made for each other."

Now, as the crises facing our country intensify, and the campaign McCain is running becomes sleazier and more trivial, it's time for Obama to unleash his inner Atticus -- or at least the key element of Finch that Obama seems reluctant to embrace: righteous rage.

"Finch had the riotous fire of all the great prophets in the Judeo-Christian tradition," John Cusack told me during our back-and-forth email conversation of the last few days. "He unleashes that fire in his final, great courtroom speech. If he didn't, if he refused to unleash his anger and contempt at the horror and immorality of racism, he would prove himself to be an unemotional man unworthy of our love and respect. Obama has waited long enough to show us this side of himself. Besides, we need to know that he can be a mean motherfucker if he wants this job."

Obama has demonstrated a laudatory levelheadedness -- the ability to keep his head while those around him were losing theirs -- over the long haul of the '08 campaign, always presenting a cool and unruffled image. And it has served him well.

This is clearly part of Obama's lifelong attempt to present a nonthreatening persona, what Shelby Steele has dubbed the "iconic Negro." Think Oprah, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods. Now picture them in your mind... they're smiling aren't they?

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Being likeable is obviously a good thing in politics. So is being analytical and thoughtful and composed. But the last seven-plus years demand more than a detached analysis -- and certainly more than a beaming smile.

They demand indignation. Outrage. Fury.

Obama has often said that he is running because of what Dr. King called "the fierce urgency of now." He needs to show that fierceness and that urgency.

When we think of King, we usually think of him as resolute and dignified. But, as Michael Eric Dyson points out, King was also filled with a prophetic anger, especially in the later years of his life, when he turned his attention to fighting poverty, entrenched racism, and the Vietnam War.

As a leader fighting for fundamental change in this country, Obama has to be willing to show us that kind of righteous anger. I don't know about you, but when I think about what George Bush has done to this country -- and what John McCain wants to keep doing -- I consider outrage the only rational and legitimate response. So why don't we see this outrage from Obama?

And now, to all that the Republicans have done to America, we have to add the gutter campaign they are running in a desperate effort to win the White House. You know the McCain campaign has sunk into the cesspool when seen-it-all Beltway denizens like Joe Klein and Mark Halperin start looking for the barf bag.

HuffPoster John Neffinger has dubbed McCain's sleazy sex ed attack ad Obama's "Dukakis Moment" -- the time for him to avoid looking emotionally detached and "show America how he behaves when something despicable is done to him, so we can all see how he would behave as our leader if something despicable were done to us -- as it was on 9/11."

The fear of activating the residual racism provoked by the caricature of the "angry black man" should no longer hold sway. As John Cusack points out, over the last 40 years, popular culture has been "filled with images of strong, powerful black actors who have been able to express righteous rage and still capture our affection and respect. From Sidney Poitier to Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Morgan Freeman -- these are men who have the inherent dignity to express the kind of cosmic rage that comes from being human and responding to injustice. They are perceived as authentic and powerful precisely because they show us their anger as they fight for what is right and true and good. If they didn't, we wouldn't respect them."

Picture Poitier as Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night when Rod Steiger's southern sheriff mocks his "funny name for a nigger boy from Philadelphia" and asks, "What do they call you up there?"

Righteous rage drips from every syllable of his five-word answer: "They call me Mister Tibbs!" See below for the Poitier clip and others with Washington, Freeman, Smith, and Don Cheadle.

Obama clearly has it in him. We saw a flash of it in Denver when he announced: "Enough!"

Paul Slansky writes that this single word -- filled as it is with outrage and the echoes of the outrages perpetrated by Bush and McCain -- should become the theme of the campaign: "'Enough!' is a rallying cry, a direct descendant of Network's 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.' It invites audience participation at every campaign stop. There is something cathartic about screaming in unison: 'Enough!!'"

To fully become the transformational leader we need, Obama must demonstrate to the American people his capacity for indignation -- for the kind of ferocious passion that fueled King and Nelson Mandela. He has to fight fire with fire, and wield anger in the service of what right, true, and good. The fierce urgency of now demands nothing less.

Comments

[RiverJulian]

It seems to me that the McCain "celebrity ads", especially the one where you hear crowds and see flashbulbs and it ends with an empty stadium has worked wonders to get Obama and supporters to be very wonky and unhinged and work against his strengths.

Obama has the ability to inspire, to draw together the common threads among people who are very different, to get lots of people fired up and at least willing to listen to each other. Kennedy could do that. Both Roosevelts. Martin Luther King. And, yes, Oprah for christs sakes. Candidates can make promises and play to various groups. Only real leaders can say things like "Ask not what what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country." Real leaders encourage the best in people. Real leaders "have a dream."

Having charisma isn't a negative. Why should Obama be shamed for this?

The country will "change" with either candidate. (God I hate that word now.) Who will improve it? Should our taxes/my net income be the be all of everything. Or should we have a leader who can lead, who is heartfelt, who believes in our better selves.

Discrediting Obama's celebrity is the McCain's camps way of saying, in my mind, that McCain isn't a leader. That he can not inspire. McCain's celebrity is for solitary confinement, for being disagreeable. Do we want those qualities prominent in a president???

[mjc]

Think it is difficult for Obama to portray himself as an "angry black man" because in a sense Obama is not that person or that group of persons. He has a very privileged educational background, no matter how he got it, and it is far removed from the everyday black American, some having never finished high school much less college. His appearance of arrogance, his "elitism" doesn't just come out of nothing; likewise his wife who also got a degree most black men, much less black woman, could hope for. Granted, it was available because of the passage of legislation that encouraged racial and gender access to higher education.
Anastasia has it about right, too. Obama can't just put on this or that suit to be or try to be whatever someone thinks is called for in the campaign. To thine own self be true.

[aisling]

Baloney. Of course Obama should show his rage. I graduated from Harvard, I'm articulate,and smart. i raised 4 children alone,as a working mother.. I want a president who's even more intelligent than me.II'm not arrogant and neither is Obama. He's unusally smart, and has sound judgment. THAT does not make him elitist. It means he worked hard for his impressive credentials. He has to be very angry,as I am, at the lies and slurs dished out by the incompetent pair who support the "guy I'd like to have a beer with", who haas brought this country to a new low on every level. Black peoploe understand this. Why don't you?????

[zello]

I had a recurring dream it lasted 8 years. There was a little man with and angry voice and a balding bobble head behind him in the shadows. They were taking everything away, my rights, quality of life, chance to make something good for my son. They were laughing as they lined their coffers before they went home. Then Casper (the ghost) and Barbie were next in line to take their place. They didn't talk about how people were barely paying their bills, sliding into poverty and empowerment. They used some word like reform or something. Scores of complacent little man supporters loved them, and were especially titillated by the chick with the firearm. Everything must be okay in their world, or numbed out by reality TV. There was another man who spoke honestly, talked about someone like me, seemed willing to help the country, even though it was really a mess. I fear I will become silent to the Casper and Barbie show, as their fans look away from what is real, distract from what is real, and introduce a spin off entitled: "Things aren't bad, just look at how pretty she is."

[southieboy]

Kevan:
You're absolutely correct. There are too many voters in this country who don't think that the process is important enough to make sure that they're informed about the issues and what the candidates will do to solve those issues. I agree that every person who intends to vote in November should have his or her mind already made up. The facts are as clear as a bell. You don't vote for someone because he or she is a smooth talker or a good attack dog. You don't vote for them because one of the team is a woman. You don't vote for them because one served admirably in the military thirty six years ago. You should use your vote to elect someone who represents your best interests. If you don't know who that is by now, you're probably going to vote for someone who is intending to undermine those interests.

[Kevan]

Arianna couldn't be more right!!! I teach acting at the university level, and I can tell you something we understand in drama.....that it's not what you say, but how you say it that counts. The uniformed swing voters (They can't be informed if they're undecided, for heaven's sake.) are waiting for someone to make them FEEL safe, FEEL inspired, FEEL protected. Palin's script is very effective, and her delivery exceptional. The Republicans get it! They repeat the same catch phrases over and over....slogans that are like "catchy pop tunes." We have to get Palin off the script to show her inexperience, and the Republicans aren't going to let that happen. I watched CNN as much as I could stand tonight and they covered Palin two to one over anyone else. She sells it, and corporate news wants viewers to please their advertisers. It's a sad state of things, but nonetheless, it's true. Our biggest challenge right now is an ignorant populace that votes against its own best interest. I shake my head is disbelief sometimes when I see the polls. Let's fire up the Democrats by insisting on an evangelical-style delivery for Obama. We need to hear some "Hallelujahs" out there in the crowd!!

[aisling]

Arianna is absolutely right as Kevin clearly points out. I want to see some righteous rage from Obama. Forget the "angry black man" stereotype. He must speak out, like any good actor. He's got the role models in Poitier and Denzel. Politics is about ACTING,and we all know it. Come on Obama, get real and show your mojo.Americans like a tough guy who speaks truth to power as they see their jobs disappear, their healthcare,non-existent and the war in Iraq ruining lives and the USA economy. Obama, step up to the plate and start hitting some real slammers. Use the sport of basketball,that you love where being agressive gets you down the court,to score. The lies and slurs on your personality and qualifications have GOT to annoy you no end. We should send you a message,at headquarters,let your campaign know we want to hear the disgusted Obama saying ENOUGH and keep on holding the McCain Pailin pair accountable with more righteous rage. Let us get together and fire HIM up so he wins this campaign.

[Anastasia]

While I get Arianna's point, unleashing his anger could be risky.

I would like to see Obama pare down his rhetoric, so that there are more short and punchy phrases that people can grab onto. Now that McCain has stolen the "change" meme, Obama needs to come up with a few fresh slogans that will capture the voter's imagination.

While an Obama speech is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, most people vote with their gut. Obama needs to figure out a way to get his message across those who don't have the time or inclination to spend a few hours going over the issues.

[trudem2]

The appearance of "authenticity" also matters in America. It will win out over smarts and cerebreal qualities every time. Reagan in his two bids for president demonstrated that, as did George Bush against Gore & Kerry. That is one of the appeals of Palin, if not McCain, and the latter may ride into the White House on her skirt hem...her bonafide as a "real" person. That's why the soccer mom, pit bull, lipstick comment went over so well. Obama has to drop the intellectual persona as well as the "cool black dude" thing, jump in the ring and get a little blue collar, a little down and dirty, a little "street".....if it's in him.

[Jenoah2008]

Obama et al seem unaware that Anti-intellectualism and unblinking lies run popular decision-making in this country that whines about poor educational quality. What many really mean when they say 'education' is 'training" -- preparing masses of people to find careers and deliver repeated action, without questioning. The function of deceptive media-- product of the same system-- is to squash real issues, blunt thinking, deliver trivia and emotional goohgah, keeping the cogs happily entertained and oiled as the Republican machine rolls on. Why would thinking people-- losing their jobs, gouged by oil magnates, with houses and retirement funds devoured by financial gamblers, lacking health care --reinstate the same party under the banner of conserving cultural and religious values to which few adhere? Why would rational beings buy old scares which label policies aimed to correct problems of their survival as 'liberal,' --code for socialist --fueling fears of dead communism? If 20th Century citizens --products of America's public schooling-- can conclude that since Barak Obama, lived as a child in Thailand, he must be Muslim; then we are in intellectual trouble. If women forget those who fought to escape back alleys and consequences of illegal abortions, forget their current struggle to rear single families on lower pay, lose their sons to dumb wars and think we need a female or male president with a "hawk and pitbull' attitudes, we are in trouble. Republicans know our proclivity for irrational sentimental-thinking--escaping from tough reason-- and are forever "working us."

[Anastasia]

While I get your point, I would argue that Obama is more "real" than Sarah Palin. But it would be helpful if Obama could seem less aloof, without betraying who he is. One of the reason Al Gore couldn't connect with voters, is that he was constantly trying on new, warm and fuzzy personae and they didn't track.

Obama in a plaid shirt, won't cut it.

[trudem2]

It could be that righteous rage does not exist in Obama. He has been molded well by our system to "be nice."

[Heavenhelpusall]

It's not for Obama to display rage. He exposed us to facts and a vision. We must let our rage over a failaing economy, poor schools, high gas prices, lack of privacy, crooked Roves, Cheney's Haliburton wealth, two wars, dead soldiers, piss-poor treatment of vets be known.

Are we puppets waiting for someone to pull the right strings?

[solanus]

you know you are most likely right, but I wish someone would start rasing cain, all I see on TV are Palin and McCain

[trudem2]

To those claiming Obama can't show the indignation Arianna wrote about because that would mark him as an "angry black man" are sending their fighter into the ring with one hand tied behind his back.
Does anybody other than me feel VERY uncomfortable about this?.....that in fact our champion is handicapped in this race, by racial politics no less? This is a very depressing position to be in this late in the game. McCain/Palin are coming on strong for the most unbelievable and wacky reasons...but, it is what it is....and Obama can't strike back HARD?? This is beginning to smack of ANOTHER Democratic defeat....how is this possible when the election was handed to Dems on a silver platter? Obama/Biden is beginning to appear weak compared to McCain/Palin, and America will not tolerate a weak president. They will select an unsmart president over a weak president. Other politicians have gone down the road to defeat because they wanted to appear "civil" when faced with a real street-fightin' type of politician. David Dinkins versus Guiliani in NYC comes to mind. Democratic losses by Dinkins, Kerry, Gore should have taught the Dems by now -- toughen up! Put passion in your cause! Go for the jugular!

[Timekeeper10]

Being weak is unsmart.

[BGraham]

I received an incredible letter in the mail today from writer Jane Devin, who shared with her readers the connection between self-help gurus, the positive thinking movement and the incredible apathy of the American public. The letter' s too long to post here, but this is the article that she wrote and an excerpt from her letter:

http://janedevin.com/2008/09/12/realism/

"In 46 years, I have never been as stunned by apathy as I have during the Bush years. I don't find it coincidental at all that the rise of books like THE SECRET and self-blame gurus like Byron Katie occured during Bush's reign. While many "new age" philosophies are attributed to liberals, the latest incarnation of the positive thinking movement is most assuredly Republican. War, death, misery and corruption are redirected to the matter of self -- unhappiness, tragedy, and bad circumstance is a matter of individual choice. There is no need to pay attention to what others are doing, when the only power that really counts is the power of self. There's less need for compassion when we believe that there are no victims ...."

I have heard more about bootstraps and personal responsibility during the Bush years than I have my whole life. It's as if by making US, as individuals, the ultimate culprits in a bad and corrupt economy, the Republicans seek to deflect attention away from their actions and the destruction of America as we know it.

[powerbroker3000]

Caligula's Horse (McCain or Sara your choice) is a virus that all American's must be immunized from. McCain wants a presidential race that is run by his rules and will do anything to stack the cards in his favor. Obama cannot afford a "Kerry or Dukakis" strategy of weakness - yes he has to come out strong and strong for the American people. We have had eight years of lies and deception and Americans I hope will not fall for the same trick. Obama MUST set the playing field and the rules that this race will be fought. If he doesnt - well god bless us all.

[Heavenhelpusall]

Bottom-up rage, not top-down rage. Americans need to power their rage into action, donations, volunteerism, CHANGE.

[trudem2]

PROTEST!!!

[stardumb0]

Absolutely. Obama should release his righteous rage, unless you believe as Mark Shields of the News on PBS stated this Friday that Obama had better watch out in responding too stridently the the McCain smear fest, lest he be labeled as "an angry black man". That's right, God forbid Obama ever thought he might transcend race when the "liberal" voice on the Jim Lehrer show reminds him to never forget he is black. Of course Sarah Palin and John McCain with his pristine whiteness can spew hatred and vitriol 24/7. It's time for Shields to go. Let PBS know.

[honree57]

This is all about managing and manipulating the media to get the upper hand. Bill Maher captured it beautifully by saying it's simple cynicism--- smart campaign people know ing better yet manipulating the "stupid" people into believing just about anything they want. Keep repeating lies and innuendo until it becomes the "truth" in the minds of the stupid people. Most of them reside on the right. It's that simple.

[BelGazou]

Americans are thought of the world over as being fat, stupid and arrogant and we keep proving them correct.

Americans regard the electing of the president no differently than they regard voting for American Idol and give it less thought. They want simple, stock Central Casting characters (the Cowboy, the Old Soldier, the Hockey Mom) spouting even simpler sound bites, over and over again. Throw in a sanctimonious bible-thumper to reel in the Christian Right, pitch it to the lowest common denominator and you're good to go. No body does it better than the Republicans and their corporate puppeteers who really know how to sell their product. Is it even possible for Obama to dumb down his message that far and still maintain integrity?

[Timekeeper10]

Your right, remember what they did with Bob Dole.

[VietVet73]

Obama stated that this campaign is not about him, but us. I think some would like to see him somewhat out of control so they can hold this up when McCain loses his temper (and he surely will). The time that Obama needs to use this rage is with a sticking point during the debates. If he uses this time wisely, he will make McCain twist his ring finger OFF.