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The Senator faces challenges from certain white Americans who may be opposed to him because of his color and not on account of his ideological position. Such men and women are mostly racist and their views would be voiced not directly but through websites designed to promote white racism. In fact chances are much greater for someone to hear or read black Americans than whites raising doubts about his candidacy on the basis of race or ethnicity. In evaluating his chances for the Democratic Party nomination and the presidency, one must pay close attention to the fact that Obama is most likely to be supported by whites and blacks who accept his new and national plans for change in
America
. In the final analysis one can argue here that Obama’s recent African identity is a liability only among whites who are clearly racist and blacks whose racism is definitely and almost exclusively based on the Middle Passage Experience. Because neither Obama nor his parents fit well into the paradigms of white or black racists in American society,
Africa
would be a bone of contention and his success at the Democratic Convention and at the polls would simply catapult him beyond the clouds of all the pathological racism in the country. One white college student in a Mid-western university acknowledged to an African professor, who was visiting and lecturing to their campus, in the company of white Americans and some international students from Europe and China, that only the fervent and enthusiastic support of people like him could tilt the balances in Obama’s favor. If this sentiment is real and chances are more and more young white Americans on this path to interracial cooperation, then Obama could be another
Lincoln
from
Illinois
or another
Kennedy from a group long despised but finally accepted because an eligible candidate has emerged among them.
Since
Africa
is hardly at the forefront of the long list of
U.S.
foreign policy concerns, Obama said the continent should not be overlooked, particularly as a potential breeding ground for terrorism. This statement reported by the Chicago Tribune at the time of his visit to
Africa
more than a year ago should serve as an indication of how
Senator
Obama
would response to
Africa
should he become the next U.S. President. Since his home country of
Kenya
has been in the news on the question of international terrorism one would expect Obama to work very hard to contain terrorism in
Africa
. Such a potential source of violence in a continent desperately struggling to defeat poverty, hunger and diseases deserve all the attention. An Obama presidency has much to do for
Africa
, not because of his African descent but because his predecessors have already seen the greater vulnerability of
Africa and American’s political and moral standing could benefit immeasurably through serious and humanitarian diplomacy.
While noting these serious political realities for Obama in
Africa
, one must quickly assess his potential policy weakness in the American society. As stated above, the critical voices within the African American community have some strong points Obama cannot avoid. It is nice to stay away from any entanglement with racist polemics or anything close to it. However, it is dangerous and unwise for Obama not to be as aggressive about social justice and racism as former
Senator
Edwards
and others in the field of contest. His love affairs with strong white voters should not put him on Cloud 9, that psychedelic zone for poor judgments and naïve understanding of reality in
America
. He should be loving and critical of the ills of the society while at the same time making it categorically clear to all and sunder that Obama loves America but not the cheats and dissemblers in American disguises.
Terrorism in the African continent has become a part of the African reality in a way that is different from the terrorism of the decolonizing period.
Ali
Mazrui
has argued that the spread and use of violence in the continent has moved from Southern, Central and
Eastern Africa
in the Cold War era to
North Africa
as a result of Islamic militancy and political violence on the part of the Islamic fundamentalists. In the logic of this Kenyan scholar political violence of this nature has led to a new phenomenon which makes racial discrimination less significant than religion and cultural bigotry. Whether there is any substance to this assessment of the trends in world affairs, only time will tell. However, it should be stated here that race matters, and the political candidacy of Obama cannot be completely cut off from this genealogical reality. If
Senator
Obama
is going to succeed in his campaign for the presidency he must convince the Americans that he has the right message for change and the world is more likely to listen to him because of his sensitiveness to their needs as well as his attentiveness to details about American Interests all over the world. Rather than swagger as the proverbial Ugly American with M16 in hand and using four letter words as badges of arrogance in a world of political pygmies, Obama should be the fine face American gentleman whose Harvard education has prepared him well to address the world with pride and dignity while holding fast to the spirit of the Ten commandments as well as the powerful light of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Grounded in a critical history of American society and culture and inspired by a new American perspective that celebrates all the gains in our social and political engineering, Senator Obama as President of the United States of America could demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that his Africanity has much to give to America and his Americanity has much to do for Africa and the rest of the World.
Seen in this light,
Senator
Obama
of
Illinois
could well be a
Lincoln
in the making. Back in his days in the old Mid-West,
Lincoln
was a little darker in color than some of his political foes in both his home state and in the Nation’s capital. However, his slightly darker skin and his tall height combined to mark him off from other men of power and fame of his times. Today, the face of
Lincoln
inspires millions of people who see the grandeur of
America
today through the successful accomplishments of the man who led
America
through a deadly civil war. Obama too may well be the man of destiny for his time. It all depends on his capacity to woo and win fellow Americans and on his determination a la
President
Bill
Clinton
to be the Comeback Kid. Young Obama might well be the fine face that
Senator
Hilary
Clinton
most probably fears the most. This is to say,
Senator
Obama
could well be seen as a political foe whose charisma and verbal skills have transformed into a mirror image of her own husband, the energetic political campaigner. Real or imagined, only time will tell.
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Posted by Robot| 14.08.2007 02:29