First Black President?

Remember back in the last century, when Toni Morrison playfully dubbed Bill Clinton our first "Black President," adding that Clinton "displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas?"

Back then, it was considered cool to have a "black president" -- as long as he was really white, of course! But how will the race card play in the high stakes presidential poker game now doubling down, when hidden decisions taken in darkness center on the real possibility of a real "first black president?"

If the "horse race" for the Democratic presidential nomination just turned into a "race race," Barack Obama may find that in winning the bitter battle of South Carolina, he succeeded only in losing the war against the Clintons.

Let me explain. Saturday's primary in South Carolina came, as the New York Times noted in its usually understated manner, "at the conclusion of a weeklong campaign, where issues were interwoven with discussions of race."

In fact race was so dominant that the less-restrained and more accurate Associated Press concluded at week's end that Hillary had in fact won "the larger campaign to polarize voters around race and marginalize Obama (in the insidious words of one of her top advisers) as 'The Black Candidate.'"

A major contributing factor to that campaign, of course, was the not-so-subtle manner in which former president Bill Clinton cunningly injected race into the race throughout the run up to Saturday's vote -- such as his invoking Jesse Jackson's victories decades ago in South Carolina caucuses. The references served mainly to remind voters that:

A) Obama, like Jackson, is African-American; and

B) Jackson's campaigns never succeeded despite two wins in South Carolina -- in part because of white resistance to the idea of any black man leading the country.

But "it was not just the Clintons who played the race card," as the AP's Ron Fournier noted:

"There were plenty of people dealing from the sordid deck: Obama advisers who pointed reporters to the remarks; Obama supporters who took the Clintons' remarks out of context to condemn them; a Clinton surrogate who made a veiled reference to Obama's drug use as a youth; the conflict-obsessed media that exaggerated every twist of the race debate; black voters who publicly declared a black man is unelectable; and white voters who openly admitted that they or their neighbors couldn't vote for a black man.

"If nothing else, South Carolina has reminded us, sadly, that race is still an issue in America."

A cursory look at the breakdown of votes from Obama's victory shows that more than eighty percent of his support came from African-American voters in every category, across the board -- and African-Americans made up the majority of the voters in South Carolina's Democratic primary. Obama was buoyed in particular by strong support from black women, who themselves make up fully 35% of the Democratic primary voters there. But he carried just one of four white votes - while white male candidate John Edwards, who came in a distant third overall, garnered the most votes from - guess who? -- white males.

What's it all mean? Well, as we "now turn our attention to the millions of Americans who will make their voices heard in Florida and the 22 states, including American Samoa, who will vote on Feb.5," (as Hillary's pithy South Carolina concession statement put it) let's also remember that:

A) The vast majority of primaries in those states are majority-white;

B) Most of those millions of Americans are not black; and

C) Many of them -- especially white males and including numerous Hispanics -- would even vote for a woman before they'd ever pull the lever for a black man.

It would be stunningly ironic if the buttoned-up, Ivy League, Law Review Barry Obama -- son of a white girl from Kansas, raised mostly in multiculti Hawaii by his white grandparents, once reviled in certain African-American circles as "not black enough" -- was first marginalized and ultimately undone by his own previously marginal blackness. Although his Kenyan father may grant Obama greater claim than others to the term African-American, he hardly seems ghetto fabulous in either experience or presentation. And while it's exceedingly odd that anyone with even a modicum of African-American blood is automatically deemed 'black' in our culture, it's nonetheless true, and no doubt indicative of the deep-seated racism that still permeates every aspect of American social and political life. Those who underestimate its vestigial power do so at their peril.

Now that it has been decisively shown that calling Bill Clinton "the first black president" was just a silly metaphor -- and it has also been determined that calling Barack Obama 'not black enough' was equally silly -- the real racial dynamics of the Democratic race are beginning to emerge. Blacks have overwhelmingly decided to put aside any remaining questions and to embrace Obama wholeheartedly despite a determined and vigorous campaign to dissuade them waged by our previous 'first black president."

Now the Clintons -- long renowned for their steadfast devotion to the Democratic Party's African-American base -- have cleverly switched tactics and succeeded in identifying Obama as the black candidate in a race that is about to be decided by whites and Hispanics. They appear to have won by losing the predominantly black South Carolina primary.

After winning South Carolina, Obama told his supporters, "I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina." But are America's politics truly that color-blind? Are the days really gone when we could correctly assume "that African-Americans can't support the white candidate; whites can't support the African-American candidate; blacks and Latinos can't come together?"

Or will long-entrenched racial dynamics and deep-seated prejudices instead decide the Democratic race? Will white and Hispanic voters have the audacity to vote their hopes -- or their fears -- on Super Tuesday? If the latter prevails, Obama's only remaining hope may be to try quickly to convince white voters he is "white enough" to win!

Comments

[Pieface]

It wouldn't matter whether Hillary was black and Obama a woman - the net result if Hillary is nominated she will be trounced by McCain. Period.

[sklfcats]

I don't care what color he is. He appears mean.

[Bagger]

Obama is a much better candidate. I think most people know this. If Obama were 100% white with a name like Steve Jones, this race wouldn't be close. He's has a much higher hill to climb than Hillary because at least she has Bill. Obama is 1/2 black, is new, and is perceived "inexperienced". Considering he has these things working against him he is doing extremely well and I am proud of him.


The Democratic Party is fractured and in trouble unless Obama and Clinton come together on the same ticket.

[1will]

America, you cannot have views on the candidates politics. It's that simple.
You must vote for the black candidate so pundits, columnists and make believe journalists can say how far we've come in fighting racism.
Nevermind if your favourite candidate has proposed programs you like. If he/she is white you can't vote for them. That makes you a racist.

[ClaeDulls]

Obama has framed this fight as a generational one, and i truly believe it is. If the Clintons win, they win reliable Democratic voters, but they lose the chance at adding real numbers, creating something on the ground and in peoples hearts that will ensure real change and a shift that will last into future years.

obama offers vision, hillary offers leadership. for a while i was fun to watch, especially to see Obama's message catch on. the attacks came. some out of line, but then they kept coming. and then the Clintons started pulling all types of stuff, trying to rig, manipulate, smear, lie, and spin everything to their advantage. I'm no saint, but I can't support them, it makes me feel corrupted. What's really distressing about so many Hillary supporters is that they don't ask anything of their candidate. it's as if there isn't much expectation of integrity or decency, an all's fair attitude that is revolting to so many. we've watched it the past 7 years; we don't want anymore. silence in the face of this sleaze is complicity, and at some point it's time say "no more!"

[SethBLiNK]

How did the most color blind election imaginable become all about race in just 3 short weeks? When 95% white Iowa gave Obama a clear cut victory, nobody even discussed race, other than to note that America had seemed to move past that obsession. In that caucus state, where voters whose candidates lacked viability were released to vote their second choice, the assumption was that voters for less popular candidates would opt for Edwards or Obama and that if a Hillary wasn't a voter's first choice, she was their last choice not because of race, or gender, but because of her tendency to polarize. Three weeks later, after the Clintons forced race (and gender) into the discussion, and the media follows in lock step, basing all their analysis on those two issues, suddenly Obama is seen as the black candidate who gets black votes but not white votes. Nevermind that his vote percentage among whites (in a state that still flies the confederate flag) was only 2% less than Hillary's vote percentage among everybody. Pundits and observers are making the rash assumption that Edwards votes would go to Hillary on the sole assumption that they are both white. Meanwhile, Hillary's feminist surrogates (Gloria Steinem, NOW) are ready to declare that anything but a victory for Hillary is a repudiation of women's rights. Which is it? Are Edwards voters sexists who would never vote for a woman, or are they white votes, just waiting to be claimed by Hillary?

Here's a novel idea... voters in Iowa voted for Obama over everybody else, because they think he'll make the best President. Voters in equally white New Hampshire felt the same way about Hillary, just by not as wide a margin. Voters in Nevada, a somewhat more diverse state, preferred Hillary, while those in South Carolina (50% black and 60% female) preferred Barack, 2-1.

Let's take some of the focus and analysis off race and gender and give voters a little more credit. They are voting for the one they think will be the best President.

[rusdr61]

Clinton/Obama 2008
The best combination we have
(sorry Edwards was part of the team
that lost last time)
Obama will be a great President in 8 years with more experience (46 is too young)

[GhostOfSchlesinger]

We shall see . . .

My wife and I - seriously - have discussed eventually moving to New Zealand once the business is going strong.

But that was under W.

Now, I've got to figure out why I feel the same way about Hillary, because I didn't when this thing started out. In fact, she had the votes of everyone in our family of age to show up and do their civic duty.

I'm one-hundred percent for Barack Obama, and I don't sense any movement within me.

At the gut level, the place I rarely speak from - lest I offend someone - I simply do not trust the Clinton's anymore. I want to. I'd like to. But, with everything that's happened, I don't.

And I don't want another candidate I don't respect at the human level - at the level of the most important substance of all: Character.

I want an end to dynasties. Knowing that she is the lobbyists' candidate, I know nothing will change; indeed, I believe that gridlock is a drama, a "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" ploy. It assures absolute voter cynicism, hence, apathy.

And I think Hillary wants to continue the Imperial Presidency. I believe "signing statements" will enjoy extended precedent; Guantanamo won't be closed; habeus corpus won't be restored, etc.

And the Constitution's the biggest issue of all for me - cause no Constitution and . . . well . . . you know the deal.

[presto]

"Will white and Hispanic voters have the audacity to vote their hopes -- or their fears -- on Super Tuesday?"

Are you seriously saying that anyone who does not vote for Obama is voting their fears?? What kind of idiotic comment is that?

We all vote for different reasons and different issues. We all have individual histories and backgrounds that compel and direct our behavior in the voting booth.

That is why we are who we are as a nation and why we reject this kind of blatant demagoguery. We will vote for Obama if our heads and hearts tell us to. Or not. Audacity is a silly distraction and quite irrelevant.

[kasa5400]

Anyone who thinks that if Obama gets the nomination that race won't be a factor in the general election is completely delusional.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/politics/30south.html

[DudeE]

Is it possible that perhaps Jesse Jackson was just a poor candidate regardless the color of his skin? Is it possible that Hispanics or Whites can vote for someone as a result of something other than 'hope' or 'fear' and simply based on their assessment of the candidate's skills and qualifications?

It's paradoxical to believe that, in order to 'transcend race', we must vote for the black candidate. A truly colorblind campaign would discuss Obama's candidacy in terms of qualifications rather than color and - alternately - allow him to lose to a better candidate without portraying it as a result of fear.

[Elusive]

As a white man living and working in Washington, DC, a majority african american city, I know we are polarized racially in this country. I also know that people are ready to get over it.
One of the great things about Obama's campaign has been to allow people to talk about these issues. The more we talk about race, the sooner we begin to bridge the divides we have.
We have a chance here to make progress...it's a palpable feeling out there. I truly believe that if we can get this nomination, the country has a chance to grow more than we even expected.
Vote Obama!

[myskylark]

I think that Michelle Obama was the first to raise race as an issue. Several months ago, during a TV interview, she was asked why Hillary Clinton was so far ahead of Sen. Obama. Michelle Obama said that black people were confused and worried about electibility, but they would see the light and come to support her husband. That was certainly playing the race card, but no one in the MSM complained. Oprah exhorted a largely black audience to take this opportunity to make Dr. King's dream come true. Another obvious race card, but no one in the media complained

The truth is this campaign was always about gender and race. It's idiotic to blame the Clinton's for injecting race into the campaign. Talking about drug use is not racial. In the 2000 campaign plenty of us were talking about Bush's drug use. Pointing out that you need a strong, savvy politician (LBJ) to turn a prophet's vision (Dr. King's) into the law of the land is not a racial slur. The irrational attacks on these comments by the press, by Rep.Clyburn,by Obama supporters caused many white people to feel that anything they would say, no matter how innocent, would be attacked as racially motivated. That in itself drove a wedge between blacks and whites.
The overwhelming black vote for Obama in South Carolina, by its very nature, made Obama the black candidate. It's no ones fault. If I were black, I would probably do the same. But that is not the Clinton's fault. That's just the way things are. I think Sen. Kennedy's attitude that the Clinton's injected race into the campaign was stupid, but then I don't think that Sen. Kennedy was ever looked on as a truly bright guy.

The question is, can this party heal itself for the general election, or will it be another case of Democrats snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?

The intensity of Obama's attacks on Hillary Clinton and the media driving the fiction of race baiting may have left woulds too deep to heal.

[feelfree]

That's what Obama gets for running a transcends race campaign which in itself is unrealistic and phony.

Out here in the real world very little transcends race.

Don't be mad because the Clintons brought the real world to Obama.

Blame Obama for trying to take it to the Clintons by calling them racists, but that's what amateurs do.

The Clintons probably didn't take being called racists lightly. And now he's the black candidate. I bet Obama didn't see that one coming.

[dotrox]

I really think all of this hoop-la about race is siily,black ,brown yellow or white skin we all bleed red, BUT it seems as if sen, Clinton is being punished for comming out of the kitchen & bedroom to join a MANS world.Woman should be proud of her she can finally give women the voice they need & want,I am a grandmother & married for 37 yrs. BUT MY VOTES FOR HILLARY CLINTON, I would ask people who say they do not want another Clinton to ask them selves an honest question & an honest answer "Am I better or worse off than I was when Bill Clinton left office? BACK HILLARY