Finally Waking To Obama's Dream

What a difference a small Midwestern state can make. Days before the Iowa caucus, I sat at this keyboard and, with the fullest of convictions, wrote that I didn't believe America was ready to elect a Black president. At that point, 2007 had been a sharp reminder of how far apart we we can be at times. I had recently watched YouTube clips of the congressional rap hearings (yeah, read that again: "Congressional Rap Hearings"). This farce unfolded on C-SPAN just below the cultural radar and mocked everything I stand for at URB magazine, the magazine I founded over fifteen years ago to celebrate and champion hip-hop culture (even though David Banner and even Master P deflected the Senatorial hypocrisy wonderfully, maybe as a prelude of what is yet to come). At the same time, opinions were divided as to whether Imus got his license to ill from potty-mouth rappers or was just an ass of his own making (cue Jay-Z giving rap a robust defense and smoothing out the playing field on Charlie Rose). So many reminders of our division in everyday America — not to mention a lifetime of firsthand experience as a biracial, southern-raised black man — made it hard for me to accept that we'd turned a corner for real. I mean, come on, OJ was even back in the news, for crying out loud.

But then there was Iowa. Barack Obama's record-shattering turnout and victory in this 90% white state was stunning. Dream-like. Awe-inspiring. In one night, it seemed to signal a sea of change that was churning beneath the surface. Iowa demanded I take another look around and focus on Obama's now resounding declaration of "Yes, we can."

The results of the caucus shocked pundits and laymen — although probably not my boy Yosi at Obama press headquarters here in LA. Yosi is a pedal-pushing embodiment of the stubborn but conscious new "HOPE" Obama had tapped into, and has been doing volunteer work for the campaign for over a year. He represents some of the "dreamy-eyed optimism" I once wrote off. Like so many other Obama supporters I came across in the past two months — in person, on TV and in response to my aforementioned editorial — he didn't proselytize so much as inspire. This single-minded dedication and belief in the candidate and his vision for the world was powerful. It was a declaration of a new kind of national conversation, much more encompassing and civil than what we're used to. I was consumed almost overnight by a tidal wave of enthusiasm and passion for the Obama revolution. And eventually I knew I had to join the chorus.

My prior Clinton support had been born from the cynical fallout of a post-Nader, post-Gore, post-Kerry world. I was tired of wishful thinking and compromise about what kind of leadership we should have. I had gone from feeling good that I backed the right horse in 2000 (Gore) to just desperately wanting to defeat Bush in 2004 (ugh, Kerry). But I didn't believe a candidate could stand for change, a new direction and — break out the Kleenex — HOPE. Let alone would he or she have a real shot at actually winning. But I also never bought the illusion that a subtle departure from the past would bring about the dynamic changes I craved. I had shelved my dreams of a bold agent of change, settling instead for a seasoned warrior (Clinton). I wasn't ready to accept that the candidate I'd been waiting for was Barack Obama.

As for my much more personal plea for Obama to shun the bright lights of the presidency and focus specifically on Black advocacy, I won't easily dismiss this plight. This is the genesis of my rogue and futile attempt to draft him away from his Leader-of-the-Free-World aspirations. But I have to respect that a slightly different history is being made right now, one I didn't imagine taking place in this election. I still stand for the plight of Black America and I want only the best and brightest to address this crisis now. So it's bittersweet to know that the most dynamic leader we could hope for, if elected, would likely be distracted with the global and urgent needs of the U.S. presidency and not some "Black agenda." Some wrote in response to my position stating that a President Obama might actually be the best platform for him to effect positive change. Given the dismal history of Powell, Thomas and Rice, I'm sober to that challenge. But if Obama's taught me anything, it is to remain hopeful.

So I admit it: I bought into the grand idea of a candidate who could inspire the disenfranchised, challenge the established hierarchy of Washington and dismantle the status quo. As for my former muse, Ms. Clinton, I know she'll continue to be formidable and she's worthy of — if for different reasons altogether — the same world stage Obama aims for. I'm also repulsed by the unwarranted animus so many have against her. As the son of a single mother/school teacher/union-member/pre-Boomer, I'd love to see a qualified woman in the White House. Incredibly, I feel we have two amazing choices to take this country forward in a profoundly new way. And if, against the winds of what seems to be an unstoppable momentum in Obama's favor, Clinton were to take it all the way, I'd be fine. But for now, Barack Obama has my attention — and my vote.

This post was adapted from an editorial at urb.com.

Comments

[Eurotrash2k]

As far as I can tell, most people want to vote for Obama due to superficial reasons. He gives hope. He's Black.

Obama gives us hope because he's an eloquent speaker. In other words, he's a good salesman. One could argue that a used car salesman is a good saleman, too. Our current President, although now eloquent, was also a good salesman. His lack of eloquent speech appealed to enough U.S.ians that he was also became a Presidential candidate. Bush made them think he was one of "them."

Obama is also not White. That's great, too, but what does that mean when he supports a "White" agenda? Look at what Obama has done and intends to do. It does not differ much from Hillary.

Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and Clarence Thomas were all Black. I don't see how their race made any positive difference to where the country is today and where it is headed. Did the color of their skin somehow make their actions excusable?

This editorial from Howard University's THE HILLTOP sums up all that is wrong with blind loyalty to Obama: http://tinyurl.com/2j5d7d

If we really want change, it will not come from the Democrats, even a Black one. The Democrats and the Republicans are different shades of grey. To quote Huey Long, "Corrupted by wealth and power, your government is like a restaurant with only one dish. They’ve got a set of Republican waiters on one side and a set of Democratic waiters on the other side, but no matter which set of waiters brings you the dish, the legislative grub is all prepared in the same Wall Street kitchen."

Do some research. Check the facts. Don't believe the hype. VOTE 3RD PARTY.

[MsLiz]

The headline made me hostile, as it lead me to think that you want a president who will focus his attention on African-American issues to the exclusion of everything else. Fortunately, the text says nothing of the kind.

I am a southern woman whose educator/g­randfather registered Black teachers to vote in Greene County, Alabama before the voting rights laws (he believed that anyone qualified to teach was qualified to vote). When marchers were on TV, my mother made it clear that we were on their side.

I am a classic guilty white liberal. All my adult life I have looked forward to what I think of as Day X, when all the bigotry and the legacy of slavery is history. It has stunned, then excited me, to realize that my attitude towards the racial divide is now out of date. The strife, the arguments over school integration and busing, affirmative action in employment, equal housing laws etc. have made a difference. The younger generation of whites does not comprehend the bigotry that lead to Jim Crow. Hopefully, young Blacks also are less suspicious of whites and believe that they can achieve their dreams.

Obama stands with one foot on each side of the racial divide. He can be a transformative leader. He gives me hope for the future. Obama will be a president who has African blood but who is a leader of all of us. He refuses to be defined as a Black leader.

In addition to the benefits Obama will provide to us, his election will tell the world that American voters reject the policies of his predecessor, and that Bush did not speak for us.

[realpolitic]

Day X will never get here in its entirety.

[skwan91607]

Obama's dream: Change and change - a laundry list of changes, hope and hope - a lot of speeches and talks with inspiration one after another, all the black voters for him - 25% of American population, he authorized and sponsored 3 legislatures a days since he was joining the public services. He will gain votes from independents, even from GOP.
The question is how much he can achieve on all that he promises. Why must he be supported by all black votes? How much time did he rest in a day after he went through the proposals of 3 legislatures in a day? It is obviously overblown. Even all that are true. He is still not qualify to be an American president today. He may be well fit to be a preacher in a megachurch, or at most to be a governor. American president is more than a president, is a leader of the free world. On such stage it needs to know how to play the game Give & Take for American today and the future too, not only black agenda. Speech and chanting will have no meaning we got that already from Bush's. Promises must go with experiences that Obama is lacking. Obama's presidency is a fairy tale is a real matter for every voter's consideration if you do not want another similar Bush's mess for 4 more years. Please Go back from "Go Obama". We must rally behind Hillary to take back the White House this time.

[JasonEverettMiller]

Barack is well-versered and accomplished when it comes to doing his job. He has a long legislative record that can easily be Googled and is clearly a better candidate than Hillary for a host of reasons.

His long years of experience in both DC and Illinois informed his answers in this 52-minute, uncut interview with the editorial board of the SF Chronicle that was very illuminating, even for an Obama supporter: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?o=0&f=/c/a/2008/01/18/MNSNUH8DR.DTL.

Get informed and then go vote for Obama! The only choice if we want to win a governing majority in November!

[realitytrumpsbull]

How about 'american reality check' instead of american dream etc? Realism. Cut the sunshine, get it down to brass tacks and words of 3 syllables. You know, black and white, plain text english etc. Can Barack do that? If he can't, then I'll vote for Paul. Paul's a no-bush-stuff reformer, Constitution first, and all that. Chances are, he's an advocate of getting the federal budget balanced. My kind of guy. Get er done...don't just have con artist shift change...the 'manual' is available online here...
http://www.usconstitution.net/
Let whomever feels they are capable of steering closest to the mark present themselves for public review, etc...Halliburton can't well do it...maybe YOU should run for office? Hmmm...big leather chair...private plane...apparently unlimited authority...woohoo!

[wndrwrthg]

"A house divided against itself cannot stand", truer words were never spoken. We cannot afford to have a president that has an agenda that seeks to elevate one segment of society over an other, we have seen that played out to our collective sorrow. There are to many across the spectrum that are needy and we must have a comprehensive agenda for the betterment of all. I believe of all the candidates Mr.Obama is the one who will effect this. As for rap, I do not listen to it or watch the videos. The hearings are a joke as each generations music has elicited the same response from pandering politicians, and it would be in the best interests of freedom to support the artists right to perform music that they want. I may not like your music but I will defend your right to make it.

[realpolitic]

Rappers may defend the rap milieu well, but much of the music and the videos send a violent message of self-loathing to our youths. Rappers may say that they are just vocalizing what they see daily in the hood, but why celebrate the negative? Surely, there are also people commuting back and forth to work in the community, as well.

Regarding, the plea for Obama to "shun the bright lights of the presidency and focus on black advocacy," then what we would have is another Bush presidency. Bush ignored most of the populace to focus on his base of religious fundamentalists. Should Obama make the same compromise to focus only on the issues of concern to black America, which are important issues? Obama, by doing so, would be a one-term president and would not be acting consistently with his character which is, unlike Bush, as a uniter and not a divider.

[kidgonebad]

('kidgonebad' is raymond roker btw) Like anything, 'rappers' are an entertainment reflection of society. the good, bad, and great. so while I never attempted to defend everybody, I would only use the same scrutiny to anything on HBO or CBS. to that degree, rap has done a lot more to forward the conversation of race, youth culture (for better or worse) and inner city struggles than most stuff on television. but primarily, my point about rappers having to defend themselves in congress was just a matter of hypocrisy since their 'offensive' peers in the tv, gaming and film industries weren't held to the same standard at the time. frankly, it would have been comical had it not been so unfortunate. watch the clips and the jay z interview first if you can.

as for obama shunning the presidency for black leadership outside of washington, that was my original--and admittedly passionately myopic--POV. i ditched it for a supportive position for obama as president. for all people.

thanks.

[realpolitic]

Thanks for responding to my post. I guess I miss the music of the 70's when groups like Earth, Wind, and Fire created a more lyrical sound then now. Such groups had great instrumentation and lyrics as well. Such fine instrumentation lead me to a love of jazz, which is where I am at today. Jazz musicians are the freest amd most creative, I believe, because they can play a tune one thousand times and play it differently each time. Today I feel all music is reduced to its barest fundamentals: a heavy bass beat accompanied by an (often angry) spoken word.

Yes, Obama may have still accomplished a lot by shunning the presidency for black leadership outside of Washington, D.C. But really, I think the days of the old civil rights leaders, like Jackson and Sharpton, are passe. I mean there is and will remain a place for such leaders. But individuals like Obama, like Harold Ford Jr., and others who attempt to heal the racial divide by speaking to a mainstream audience of all the disenfranchised and others, as well, has arrived.

Such leaders do not seem to have such a "chip on their shoulder" and are not as off-putting to a larger audience, although I have always like both Sharpton and Jackson. It seems traditional black "problems" are becoming the ordinary problems of many of the working poor and can be addressed most effectively by those who bridge the racial divide and do not profit by maintaining it. With this said, much still needs to be done, of course, in promoting and arriving at equality. Thanks!

[jade7243]

The so-called "Black Agenda" is America's agenda. When black kids can't read, can't add, can't imagine, can't dream, there is a Latino who can't do those things either. When a black mother can't take her children to the doctor when they are sick, there is a Native American mother who can't do that either. When there is a black father trying to decide between paying the gas bill or buying more milk for kids, there's a white dad with the same worry. There is no "colored only" sign at the gas pump. When Asian parents worry about getting their kids into college, black parents and white parents and Latino parents and Native American parents worry about the same thing.

The Clinton campaign would like for Hispanic America to think Black folks think they're stealing jobs, We know that's not true. They'd like you to think a separatist agenda is in order.

To win the Latino/a vote, the Clintons were quick to throw African Americans under the bus in South Carolina.

Barack Obama is purposefully inclusive... he embodies the Democratic Party and its commitment to the big tent with room for everyone. In recent years, most of us didn't make it in the tent and had to be content to stand in its shadow.

I read today with disappointment that Tavis Smiley is "peeved" (my word) that Sen. Obama can't make the Summit on Black America. Smiley, foolishly (my word) turned down Michelle Obama in his stead. Obama has worked hard to not be marginalized by the Clintons as "the black candidate" only to find others too willing to make that same small-minded, selfish mistake.

i don't share your comfort with the notion of Clintons back in the White House. My commitment is unwavering for Barack Obama.

[kidgonebad]

in my original piece on urb.com, I spoke of a strong black america being the same as a strong america (that was paraphrased from tavis smiley's book 'the covenant', no less). so we're in agreement. the only reason I isolated the black 'agenda' (which maybe isn't a great word since it implies a heiarchy above other needs) was because black society still sits with many of the same horribly pervasive and relentless issues. and only utilizing the best human technology possible (IMHO barack obama, in my previously published opinion) could we hope to get beyond the points we're stuck at. this is much more than can be fit into a reply, but my point was that the presidency is a universal task requiring broad based programs, but the problems of black society demand concentrated and sustained surgical attacks.

[midtown]

I'm white and a Boomer, kidgonebad. I was in a bar in December 30, sitting alone when I saw two black girls nearby. I was thinking about the upcoming Iowa caucus (Jan 3) and couldn't contain myself. I interrupted their conversation, apologized for it, and asked if they were going to be voting for Obama when he came to our state. They were in their mid-20s. One didn't give a shit about politics, the other was the daughter of a Republican precinct captain in another state: very savvy.

She said, Yeah, I'd love him to win but there are too many older white people who wont vote for him. I told her she was wrong. She said I'd love to believe it, but I can't. I said Believe it. I told her what I couldn't believe was that so many black people were refusing to back him because he is black. She said They dont want to be disappointed. I said that rap is 20 years old. He's talking to a new generation, and if he becomes President 50% of the racism in this country disappears. Overnight. Instantly. (Others have projected a higher percentage, but I allow for the crazies.)

So there are people other than you, kidgonebad, and other than Blacks who want this goo, this elastic band, to the past broken, who want to see what even we whites recognize as hidden racism gone. Who want an inclusiveness because the bonds of that are stronger and more life-supporting. If Obama gets nominated, and if he then gets elected, I know my tears will flow as they did that night as I was talking to this savvy kid who didn't believe me.

[atlantaboy]

Bull****!
The Clintons didn't "throw African-Americans under the bus in SC", they spoke the truth. BO and his camp let the media distort their true meaning, and said nothing when they knew it was not being taken as it was inteded. It was the African-American community who has thrown the Clintons under the bus by turning their backs to them after the Clintons have always championed causes good for the black community.
Bill was NOT calling BO's whole candidacy a 'fairy tale' he was calling the fact that BO said he was against the war the whole time a fairy tale since both Hillary and BO voted for its funding while in the Senate. And BO was not even in the Senate to vote one way or the other when the votes were originally cast. And we now know he does have a tiny problem with his voting record anyway...."present" or "I accidently pushed the wrong button" Give me a break! AND he is QUOTED as saying a year after he was elected (and his anti-war speach taken off his website) to the Senate that his position on the war was not much different than BUSH'S!!! Do you not read or not keep up with ALL the political news? You seem to be very uninformed.
When Hill said that the civil rights movement needed a strong President to help push for the completion of the civil rights progression she was correct. A huge movement starts with the people but it ends with the legislation. Hello, don't you know how the process works? And that IN NO WAY DIMINISHES THE WORK OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ICON MLK. If you can't see this then you are blind.

[atlantaboy]

CONTINUED:
What strikes me as being the most interesting is this: White voters across the country (as they do and as they are expected to do, or they're labeled as racist) are examining BOTH candidates and are breaking a bit more for Hillary by small margins, but take a look at the results by demographics in SC, DC, VA, GA.....In these states BO carried anywhere from 85 to 95% of the African-American vote. Are you going to tell my that the African-American voters really examined both candidates and their policies and agendas and THEN made a decision on who to vote for? I'm not stupid here so give me a break.
BO has gotten where he is because African-Americans have voted as a block for the black candidate and the press has given him a total pass on his thin record of voting or not, little experience, and has attempted to shred Hillary for anything they can find. It's their favorite blood sport.
And if you think the GOP machine won't roll BO over and rip him to shreds if he wins the Democratic nomination you're insane. He will be shown for what he is: empty promises, inspiring words with little planning or real organized goals, and a political novice who won't be able to withstand the GOP attack machine.
This isn't Jamestown and I'M NOT DRINKING THE KOOL-AID !!!
I am done with the Democrats afte this and am switching to Libertarian. This country needs a viable third party and for the record, if BO gets the nomination, I not only won't vote for him....I'll vote McCain....