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Saturday 10th February, saw Barack Obama, the gangly, charismatic Democrat Senator from Illinois finally make his official declaration to run for the 2008 US presidential elections, after many months of speculation. His declaration represents a whole new dimension in US political development, and a tug at the conscience of the American society. His declaration places him on a platform to win the Democratic Party nomination. Should he succeed, he will be in the position to compete directly with other political party candidates for the highest and most prestigious job in the United States of America. If he wins, it will be perhaps the most gigantic historical milestone in American political history. It will mean an African-American overseeing the affairs of the most powerful country in the world, and in the wider context, dictating events and affairs that will shape the politics and economics of the rest of the world.
This is why Barack Obama's declaration is as intriguing as it is exciting. Intriguing because Obama is an African-American, which we all know in America is usually a contentious issue. Exciting because he's described as the most eligible and appealing black candidate to ever vie for this exalted office of US President. And with the momentum his riding on, and America's desperation for change, anything can indeed happen. Clearly Obama's political ambitions have ignited a far greater flame of excitement and interest than any of his African-American predecessors. Never before has a black presidential candidate enjoyed such wave of support, and from a mostly white American electorate at that. It is tempting to say that what serves as his advantage is one half of his bi-racial make-up, a white American mother. But that would be too cheap a call and deeply undermine the many brilliant qualities that he possesses. Qualities which have marked his working life and enabled him climb up America's political ladder to where he stands today, the only presently serving African-American in the U.S. Senate, and only the fifth throughout its history.
Obama is certainly riding on a strong wave of popularity, and it should be a source of concern to his Democratic rivals, including Hilary Clinton. As an outsider and observer of the American political scene, it is quite amazing to watch these developments. Are we about to witness an historical moment in American political history! Has America reached a stage of maturity and equality that it is prepared to elect a candidate based on content of character and not racial identity! Have the American people become somewhat weary of the old, predictable style of politics and are seeking something fresh and new! Has the Bush administration so worn the American people down that they are ready to take revenge in a most spectacular fashion! Well, if recent events in their political calendar are anything to go by, then this might just be the case. The American electorate used last November's elections to express their displeasure and dissatisfaction with Bush and his Republican playmates, by voting the Democrats into control of both the Congress and Senate.
Perhaps America is going through a renaissance and desperate for a political and cultural rebirth. Perhaps its people are becoming more aware of how the rest of the world sees them. Perhaps they are beginning to recognise the damage the Bush administration has inflicted on the American image through its deception, unilateralism and belegerance. Whatever the reasons, I welcome the reception that Obama is getting in many parts of America. It could just be the beginning of better things to come.
Of course Barack Obama is not the first nor only African-American to generate such interest in main stream America. Many names come to mind, like Mohamed Ali, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, too mention but a few. But all of these personalities made their mark outside the political sphere. With politics, different sets of rules tend to apply, especially where black people are concerned. It is one thing to see and accept them in certain fields of endeavour, like music, sports, and more recently the movie industry, but politics is like venturing into enemy territory. Of course there have been political greats, like Martin Luther King Jnr, Malcolm X and Reverend Jesse Jackson, but they all came off the back of the civil rights movement, a period where blacks were fighting just to be included in mainstream America. More recently, the political advancements of the likes of Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice, have helped to prove to the world that black people can indeed hold and run political offices effectively. Regrettably though, the aforementioned duo chose to play for the wrong team and are therefore not held in the highest regards.
Barack Obama on the other hand is a Democrat, the party most American blacks have historically been aligned to, and deem most sympathetic to their plight as a minority group. Not only that, he also has a respectable African-American as wife, proving that he's not just a 'House Negro' going all out to be accepted by the white establishment. All of this should put him in good stead with most blacks, and his meteoric rise to prominence will hopefully serve as a visible sign of hope and progress to many, that they too can share in the 'American Pie' without having to compromise their identity.
There's been much talk about whether or not Obama is qualified to occupy this prestigious American office, with some expressing doubts. They claim he's only 45 years of age with very little national political experience. Personally, I believe it's all relative and depends largely on an individual's innate qualities, such as vision, quick thinking ability, decisiveness, tenacity and a good understanding of political workings. In that regard Obama is as qualified as anyone else. He is smart, pragmatic, level-headed, decent, and a great people's person, everything the current U.S. president is not. Educationally, he is very sound, a Harvard Law School graduate, with a BA in International Relations, majoring in Political Science, from Columbia University. He has worked as a law professor, a civil rights attorney and been involved in a number of community activities. He certainly comes from good stock. His Kenyan father was a Harvard-educated economist, whilst his mother was an anthropologist. Aside from spending his formative years living and schooling in Indonesia and Hawaii, he has also travelled to Kenya in an effort to trace his father's roots, visiting a few other African countries in the process. All of this has helped create a well rounded person who is connected to the world. And I say, if George Bush is good enough to be America's president, then Obama is more than qualified.
Obama is like an African-American Bill Clinton in the making, and similarities between the two have been drawn by many political analysts. They both grew up in humble environments mostly without the presence of their biological fathers. Clinton's father died before he was born; Obama was only two when his parents separated and eventually divorced. Both lost their fathers through motor accidents. At 45 years of age, Obama is virtually the same age as Clinton was when he decided to run for president in 1992. Like Clinton, Obama displays great eloquence, presence and a natural ease with people. Both exude a certain movie-star appeal and tend to generate the same kind of excitement wherever they go. Both have authored best-selling books, with Obama achieving this feat at a much younger age than Clinton. His book entitled "The Audacity of Hope" says it all.
If only Africa had more leaders like Obama, and the audacity to hope for a better existence for their people. Just imagine the progress that will follow. Imagine someone like Obama becoming the President of an African nation. I certainly will pack my bags and aspirations and catch the next available flight to that country. In truth, Africa probably has a few Obamas within its borders, but greed, tribalism, corruption and dirty politics just wont let them ascend to their rightful place. But change is imminent and better things are in the offing for Africa.
Back to the Obama parade. On the surface the signs look very promising indeed. His declaration received quite a lot of media coverage, and part of his agenda has already begun to rattle a few cages, even outside U.S. shores. The first of these, Prime Minister John Howard in far away Australia, who's gotten himself into a bit of hot water with his remarks about Obama and the Democrats. In trying to counter Obama's statement that if he became president, he will bring U.S. troops home from Iraq by March 2008, Howard remarked that this was sending a favourable message to Al Queda. That a vote for the Democrats is a vote for terrorism. Obama, demonstrating his aptitude for quick thinking, replied that if Mr Howard was so concerned, he should send another 20,000 Australian troops to Iraq as a replacement for Americans.
John Howard's swift attack on Obama is a just a sample of the hurdles that are bound to line his political path from here on. I am sure American Neo-Cons are already working overtime on strategies to derail the 'Obama Progress Train', if it successfully comes through the Democratic Primaries tunnel. Speaking of the Primaries, Hilary Clinton's team will also be looking to pull the carpet from under Obama's feet. There have already been claims that Hilary may be behind smears regarding Obama's Muslim school or Madrasah past. Whoever is responsible for these smears ought to be ashamed of themselves. To attempt to use his childhood religion or education to score political points is grossly immature, and shows the depth of worry surrounding Obama's rising appeal, and the length some will go to dampen his noble ambitions. Obama has been a devout Christian for most of his adulthood, but what does it really matter that he was once a Muslim.
So we see that in spite of all this glowing reviews about Obama, at this particular juncture, everything rests on the Democratic Party members whose votes will decide their nominee for 2008. This is the first hurdle and a very important one. Nigerians reading this will draw caution from how the PDP Primaries turned out. One never knows with politics, hence the saying ' a week is a long time in politics'. If he successfully scales that hurdle then it will be down to the American electorate. America is still broadly a nation filled with prejudice and bigotry. Residues of racism still exists across many sections of its society.
Personally, I wouldn't have advised Obama to run at this time. He has a formidable Democratic rival in Hilary Clinton. She is more experienced, politically astute, wealthier, equally ambitious, and as the wife of a former president, knows more about the inner workings of the White House and other governmental systems. I would have advised Obama to gain more political experience, bask in his popularity, and allow his credibility to grow even more, till Americans virtually seek him out to be part of their political destiny. But I am not a politician, while Obama already his. He may just be cleverly using this presidential campaign as a way of placing himself firmly in the consciousness of the American people. On the other hand, he may just be eyeing the vice presidential spot for now, knowing that this is a good alternative route to the top job. As Vice President he will be in the public eye whilst acquiring useful hands on experience. By the time of the next elections, he would have risen to become even more of a force to reckon with.
Whatever transpires, in 2008, those of us with liberal and progressive minds just wish to see the Democrats repeat the thumping they gave the Republicans last November. What a combination it would be to have Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama as democratic tag-team winners in 2008! Two historical milestones would be accomplished in one setting - the first American woman president and the first African-American vice-president, or the other way round. Obama's mixed heritage and background may turn out to be the perfect elixir for success. If he were to become president, his victory would be celebrated by Blacks, Whites, Christians and Muslims.
As things stand, just the fact that a woman and a man of colour are the two front runners of a major American political party, is already something worthy of praise and celebration. It shows that America may just be on the verge of living out the true meaning of its creed. That's a message of hope to the rest of the world.
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Posted by Robot| 13.02.2007 18:46