Skin Color and Other Occupational Hazards

As I lurched along the 5 freeway, gagging on the torpor of another rush hour in Los Angeles, the call-in shows were going on about the Obama race-religion-and-now-patriotism flap, and I felt tired. Not just of pundits and their discontents, not just of moral midgets with loud mouths, not just of accusations related to wearing or not wearing American flag lapel pins, which may be the last thing manufactured in our country but might also be made in China... but of something bigger. That something, sadly, is hope.

Let me be clear. Barack Obama is the best candidate I've had the privilege to vote for, and the only one that has ever inspired me to go door to door. Whatever doubts crept over me as he trotted out, over and over, the simplistic Siamese twins of campaign messaging--Change and Hope--were utterly obliterated as he stepped up to the plate in Philadelphia on Tuesday and, in terms both broad and fine, knocked his speech about race out of the park. He'd been promising a new kind of politics, and who now can say he lied?

[Author's note: Immediately after typing the above, I did a bit of Internetting and discovered, in fact, that many in the blogosphere are saying just that. But most of them also refer to him as Barack Hussein Obama.]

As Obama drops in the polls, and the talk shows and op-eds point to America's unreadiness to talk about race, I feel an uncanny sense come over me: the sense that in just a few short months I'll be back among the politically cynical. Why? Because watching Obama get pecked to death by media vultures and swallowed by our national proclivity for risk-averse leaders with two to four faces can have no other result.

It's two news cycle since Obama's historic speech, and its ripples have not quit our shores. Which is fine, really; Americans should have plenty more to say on the subject. The private school I attended in Manhattan, which admitted about six African-Americans for every 40 whites, used to let the assemblies on multiculturalism run four hours over their scheduled duration. By the time they ended, plenty of raw nerves lay exposed, to say the least. I have read comments of white people who've questioned how Obama could possibly attend Trinity United for years if Rev. Wright's sermons made him so uncomfortable. But many Chicagoans say the church is considered quite mainstream... which ought to tell you that there is plenty of anger out there that rarely finds expression in interracial conversation. To have a candidate like Obama, who can speak to both sides of that conversation with frankness and calm, is nothing less than extraordinary. Which is why, a hundred-fifty-odd delegate lead notwithstanding, his possible defeat is so depressing.

I'll allow that much of Obama's road from Iowa to Mississippi was paved with airy platitudes--if not "empty words," as Senator Clinton charged. After the Texas and Ohio primaries, the results of which allegedly evidenced the effectiveness of Hillary Clinton's red-phone ad, the pundits opined that Obama had painted himself into a corner: He needed to fight back, they said, to "go negative" on Hillary, but how could the candidate promising a "new kind of politics" jump in the sandbox without permanently dirtying his campaign?

He couldn't have, and what he showed us Tuesday is that he doesn't belong there. People will dissect the political wisdom of his speech--which provided Teams Hillary and McCain with an embarrassment of riches in the way of negative ad fodder--but the fact is that if Obama loses now, he does so on his own terms. I suppose Hillary can say that too, but her terms betray such cravenness, such moral compromise--including, as they do, the suggestion that the GOP nominee is more qualified than the opponent from within her own party--that a loss will likely destroy her, and any victory she may win will necessarily be pyrrhic.

But if this endless primary does indeed end, and it ends with the promise of a Clinton-McCain showdown in November, we as a nation will have, once again, a general election administered from the world's largest sandbox. And no one will be able to say we don't deserve it.

Comments

[jade7243]

You gave up on Hope and Change just a little too soon. But that's the thing about hope, you can get it back and it keeps on working for you. And with a little hope, you can accomplish change.

[1849]

You know I watched Fox News to get an idea of what this Rev. Wrigtht controvesy was all about. I watched it, watched it and watched it as long as they played the 10 to 30 second clip. Meanwhile another version of the clip appeared on youtube and the light bulb went on. I remember a lesson I learned n my Broadcast Communications class at the local University. Someone edited the video down to 10 to 30 seconds of the most "angry" words of Rev.Wrignt­. Other than that, he was using United States history to make a point. Those 10 to 30 seconds of video is the same as putting chum in the water for sharks. The sharks, a group of them (the Media) swam around boat and wanted more. There is more but it isn't what the sharks want to eat. America you are the what the sharks are feeding on right now. Wake up!

It is a shame America refuses to look honestly in the mirror. I say this as a descendant of someone who fought in the American Revolution; and I say this a descendant of two American Civil War soldiers. Which is to say I have considered all the country's past so that I may consider it's future.

The unplugged verison of Rev.Wrignt­.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMbeVQj6Lw

[vanessa04]

"He'd been promising a new kind of politics, and who now can say he lied?"

Go back and cjheck the tapes:

Friday, Obama says he wasn't in church when Wright made incendiary comments.

Tuesday, he says yes, he was.

Let me be clear: I call that a lie.

Apparently bold-faced lies don't count, if you're Obama.

[IndependentTogether]

If you believe what you're saying, then you must surely be an intellectual lightweight; and, if you don't, you are shining the "liar light" on yourself.

It's true that he said he was in the pews when Wright made controversial statements­... just not *those* controversial statements. What he said was that Wright made statements that could be considered controversial with regards to ***family and relationships***, in which he used "salty language" that made people a little uncomfortable.

If you call it a lie, it's because you're *choosing* to do so. And that reveals that *you* are the one who is lying, vanessa04.

[vanessa04]

Hey, if you want to spilt hairs, go right ahead. The majority of Americans are not making such fine distinctions.

And, yeah, I'm *choosing* to call Obama's statement that he was never present when Wright made incendary remarks a big, fat lie.

But then, since I am not blindly obedient to All Things Oblameless, I actually DO have standards.

[dm92]

Corection - he did not say that he was there for 'those' comments - he said that he has heard him say controversial things.

[oafishcad]

It was just swell that Barak gave a speech about race. Trouble is, it was the anti-American part of Wright's sermon that bugged people. The GOP torpedoed Carter as a woose. They made Dukakis look like a foolish woose, They Swift boated Kerry and made a war hero into a commie America hater. This is exactly the same thing. No flag pin, no hand on heart, a muslim name, a priest who hates America. Obama is being made UnAmerican and UnPatriotic. It isn't about race. It's about masculinity. They want to run against a woman or an emasculated male. It has worked for decades. They control the direction of the conversation. Maybe Senator Obama wanted to give a speech about race because he wanted to give a speech about race. It was not the correct response to the Wright fiasco. Democrats need to take back the word Patriot, and they need to take back the word American.

[XYZ]

You think Clinton's will evaporate a 150 point lead, highly doubtful. I feel you pain however, and think the same thing. However there are a lot of people out there that do get it.

The delegates will not commit political suicide this is 3 reasons why Obama will be the nomine

1) Obama is rasing more money, and will be able to donate alot more resources on downticket elections.

2) They will not alienate the black voters, a backoffice win for the Clintons will cause the black voters not to showup to the general election (which will be suicide for the clintons)

3) Obama is actually winning this by a large margin, and it's statistically improbable he will lose.

[RButler]

Am I the only one who when seeing a blogger say they voted for Obama need not read any further. They will then justify, defend, rationalize, spin and do everything else but have an intelligent comment to make. How many rotten apples do you have to try before you throw out the barrel?

[NuttyProf]

thank you for writing this. i am feeling increasingly hopeless and cynical with all that has happened with this democratic primary since january. what a travesty the entire process has become. thanks for writing, but i don't know whether to nod or to cry.

[truesoccermom]

I am a passionate Obama supporter who thinks he can be the greatest leader of my lifetime. I am sad about the events with Pastor Wright because as much as I and other enlightened Democrats see Obama's brilliance in dealing with the issue, I fear there are many others (mainly repubs and working class dems) who are still left with the idea that Obama's "mentor" is an extremist who preaches angry sermons about blacks being victims. While I hope I am wrong in this I think the only way to reach these people (and at the same time silence the hateful right-wing witch hunt about black preachers) is for Pastor Wright to come forward (on Oprah or 60 minutes perhaps). He could explain his background and talk about his struggles as a black man during segregation. He could talk about the Christian and religious aspects of his ministry and explain how he came to know Obama. And finally, wouldn't it be wonderful if he could admit that he too was touched by Obama's speech and recognizes that his past angry rhetoric (preaching as if the country were "static") is no longer helpful and productive in the black community. He could show that Obama is now his "mentor" and demonstrate what a truly amazing leader Obama will be for this country. I think something like this would turn this whole thing around and truly further the discussion that Obama has started. I welcome your thoughts on this.

[Max7073]

I think this is a really good idea truesoccermom.

[maggipost]

Except that Oprah left Pastor Wright's church many years ago, and it has been said that Wright did not have kind remarks toward her when she did so. So perhaps the Oprah show would not be the best venue.

[Thorn]

Post it again, Daniel. Third time's the charm.

[herronsmith]

I don't know about that advice. The piece was a bit confusing for me in parts. Maybe a complete re-do. Good thing he doesn't have to wait all day to have his comments approved!