Blacks Will Expect More From an Obama White House, But They Shouldn't

The euphoria among black voters over Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama is not solely driven by the giddy thought of getting a "brother" in the White House. Their expectation is that an Obama White House will fight hard for civil rights, health, education, and job creation programs, and criminal justice reform. They will likely be disappointed. Obama did not vault past Hillary Clinton in the hunt for the Democratic presidential nomination by embracing the in your face race tinged politics of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

In a recent interview, a chagrined Jackson was asked whether Obama had asked him to play any role in the campaign. The answer was a terse no. Al Sharpton has not endorsed Obama. Sharpton even publicly pleaded for Obama and Democratic Party officials to seek his console in the tough nomination battle that looms at the Democratic convention and in the fall general election. His plea so far has gone unheeded.

There's a good reason Obama hasn't heeded it. His campaign would have been marginalized and pigeonholed as merely the politics of racial symbolism. He would not have raised record amounts of campaign cash. He would not be cheerled by the gaggle of Hollywood celebrities, and corporate and union leaders. The media would not bestow the Teflon coat that has shielded him from any serious public and media scrutiny. He would not bag the endorsements of the unlikely cast of establishment figures from Paul Volker to Ted Kennedy to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's granddaughter. He certainly wouldn't have been declared the second coming of JFK.

Obama's generic message of hope, change, and unity is long on flowery symbolism, and emotional button pushing and short on specifics. There is not the slightest racial or confrontational edge to it. It can't have.

Black voters make up about 12 percent of American voters. If he won every black vote in every state it wouldn't insure him the Democratic nomination, let alone the White House. White males still make up nearly 40 percent of the American electorate, and older white women make up a big bloc of voters. The majority of them are Democrats. He has courted them furiously, and has been relatively successful in getting growing support from them.

He will need substantial support from Latino voters. They make up about 15 percent of American voters and Asian voters are increasingly important in American presidential politics. They make up about eight percent of American voters. The Latino and Asian vote will be particularly important in California, the Western states, and New York.

That's especially important against his likely GOP opponent John McCain. McCain has backed immigration reform and social security benefits for undocumented workers and does not stir the reflexive antipathy of Latino voters on immigration that the GOP hardliners do.

Obama has publicly distanced himself from Bill Clinton's conservative Democratic Leadership Council. But he still follows closely the blueprint Clinton-DLC laid out for Democrats to win elections.

That is talk of strong defense, the war against terrorism, a vague plan for winding down the Iraq War, tax reform, beefing up police forces, a tame plan for affordable health care and the sub-prime lending crisis, and the economic resuscitation of mid-America. This non-racial, centrist pitch does not threaten or alienate the white middle-class. It is plainly designed to blunt the standard Republican rap that Democrats pander to special interests, i.e. minorities. Meanwhile, Obama has been virtually silent on issues such as racial profiling, affirmative action, housing and job discrimination, the racial disparities in prison sentencing, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, failing inner city schools, ending the racially-marred drug sentencing policy, and his Supreme Court appointments.

Obama is a moderate centrist Democrat whose program for health care reform and the sub-lending crisis is more conservative then Hillary Clinton's. During his stint in the Illinois state legislature he got high marks from Republican legislators as a flexible politician and consensus builder who listened to the views of his Republican opponents. As president he will be pulled and tugged at by corporate and defense industry lobbyists, the oil and nuclear power industry, government regulators, environmental watchdog groups, conservative family values groups, moderate and conservative GOP senators and house members, foreign diplomats and leaders. They all have their priorities and agendas and all will vie to get White House support for their pet legislation, or to kill or cripple legislation that threatens their interests.

Civil rights and the ramp up in spending on education, housing and jobs, and health care programs have not been a priority for presidents in the past half century. Lyndon Johnson was the sole exception. That was only because of relentless pressure from the civil rights movement and the urban violence that tore America.

An Obama White House will be a historic and symbolic first. But it will be a White House that keeps a firm, cautious and conciliatory eye on mid-America public opinion, and corporate and defense industry interests in making policy decisions and determining priorities. All other occupants of the White House have done that. An Obama White House will too.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February 2008).

Comments

[WillBFair]

The irony is that Hillary would probably be able to do much more on behalf of African Americans than Obama would even try. The Clintons have already made tons of progress for minorities, in legislation, but also in setting an example in their administration when they hired the most qualified people from all races. Without that, Obama would probably not even have been considered. And what do they get for it? Three months of smears in the media and disgusting insults from Obama's supporters. Real nice.

[MzTexas]

Why is Obama running as a "black" candidate? He is just as white as he is black. Don't you folks think we are LONG past the days when one drop of African-American blood made a person "black"? He is a biracial man who happens to reflect, through his skin color, his father's race instead of his mother's. Quit pigeonholing people based on the color of their skin or their heritage. I'm of rather significant Native American heritage, but I would hardly call myself a Cherokee . . . people wouldn't believe it anyway . . . my blond hair, fair skin and blue eyes belie my heritage.

[lpeacock]

Excellent analysis. Thank you, Earl.

[Silpat]

So, should Obama and other African-Americans give up on the idea of running for President and concede to the notion that only whites are capable of running the country?

Also, if a President's effectiveness merely depends on the color of their skin, then everyone should be satisfied with President Bush. Right?

[pottery]

From all reports, Hillary Clinton is singling out women as her core group, core demographic to the exclusion of men. Her campaign doesn"t waste a stamp sending literature to men, and look what it"s gotten her. I"d say she is being rejected in favor of an inclusive campaign that reaches out to everyone stressing common purpose, solving common goals as countrymen and women. Sorry.

He may not be black enough for you, but does that mean he"d be without empathy to your political goals? Should he be, because he isn"t modeling either the Sharpton or, Jessie Jackson campaign strategy? Why would he want to?

[1will]

The biggest problems facing the black community are drugs, poverty and children having babies. A president is not going to keep anyone off of drugs, make them stay in school or have teenage girls keep their knees together. He can throw some money at a problem and hope it goes away. He can also make some pretty speeches about hope.

[tbone99]

Some people believe a black face in a high place is proof of African American assimilation into the mainstream, others will condemn him for having sold out when he continues business as usual - with such priorities as corporate protectionism and a bloated defense budget. I think a big clue to his take on race came with the outrage of being equated with Jesse's campaign and being called "black " like it was some kind of outrage.I'm wondering if he will change his followers" to a more centrist path just because he's their guy.
I had to laugh when he described himself "I'm skinny , but I'm tough- I'm from the Southside of Chicago (to a black audience of course) He is so NOT from the southside of Chicago.!
Kinda like Bush and his cowboy costumes

[Silpat]

I don't think this is necessarily true of "all" black people. For the most part Americans, blacks included, expect elected officials to live up to their campaign promises and do what is in the best interest of all of the people in the country.

I find it hard to believe that blacks think a President Obama will singlehandedly stamp out racism and inequality, which are the roots of many of the problems that plague minorities in America today. The author just doesn't seem to get it and therefore offers nothing but blanket statements, pessimism, and the status-quo. The American people want CHANGE!

[Nommo]

Well, are we not citizens, Hutch? I don't know that we should be expecting anything from anyone with reference to what history has already brought us. What are we to expect of Hillary? What are we to expect of anyone else?

I think that by now you ought to know better, who you support notwithstanding. I only wish that Black folk would work at remembering the self reliance that was part and parcel of previous generations before the illusions of
"integration" and "equality" set in.

If we could generate the same energy that created hip hop, which the whole world does now, into creating institutions that served our folk, we would have to worry about being alone in this mess, wondering about what the Latinos or anyone else is going to do.

I don't know what Obama knows, or what his real game plan is. I don't expect that it will change the lives of Black people significantly.
I do know that we were once capable of living well and independently in the midst of the rabid racism that has gone nowhere. We ought to be able to do that again.

Or die trying.

[ambro23]

We can say the same for Clinton concerning women rights, abortion and gender equality

Clinton won't change nothing for white women

[megwalla]

Obama: Different Face, Same Empire.

[PhDcommonsense]

Mr. Hutchinson, I have just about had with your constant put downs of Barack Obama. Why don"t you just come out and say that you support Hillary Clinton. Black men like you and Tavis Smiley, seem to think that you are bigger than you really are in terms of public discourse. You are about to erode what high regard most African Americans have had for you in the past.

Are you holding Hillary Clinton to the same accountability that you are trying to put on Obama? I think not. But the constant put down of Obama is getting a little tiresome. He is the kind of African American that MLK said he wanted America to see. Barack is a family man and all around good person. Now if you differ with his politics that is a different story. You appear to be one of those persons who want to blame everyone else for your problems. When there are some things Black America could do to uplift itself. Either you are jealous or you still have some type of self-hatred going on. I guess the question of the day is does the Mainstream need you to help them put down one of your own?

Barack Obama is running for president of the United States, not the president of Black America. Can you discern the difference? Stop trying to pigeon hole him. Didn"t the Clintons try to do that as well as Bob Johnson and a smattering of Elected Black Officials? A candidate like him comes along once in every generation.

[jimmyjones22]

I whole heartedly agree.

[speakyourmind]

You watch. Nothing will change. NOTHING.

[Jazz42]

Where does This Hutchinson person get off, taking in upon himself to speak for African Americans. I would venture to say there aren't many African Americans that would entertain the thought of having Hutchinson speak for them. Hucthinson and others keep trying to inject Jess Jackson and Al Sharpton the debate. I'm not sure what their reasons for trying to make them an issue.

[youarekillingme]

Why are you so bitter, Earl? What could possibly have made you so against someone like Barack? I understand the need to vet someone, but your thoughts seem just so bitter and angry. It would be better to look in the mirror and figure it out before your next post.

[veracal]

Right Mr. Hutchinson, because every single black man and woman in this country thinks exactly the same way, expects exactly the same things, and calls you every night to share their private thoughts with you. There are no black people who are political realists. We are all just waiting around for Senator Obama to make it to the white house and take us all to the promised land!!!