Black America: Will Obama Bring Home the Pork Chops?

Winning the democratic presidential nomination is not everything—something Barack Obama already knows.

During the democratic presidential nomination process, something was happening in the Black/African-American political consciousness. For many African-Americans, it was not very easy for them to decide in Obama's favor given the size and nature of his opponent Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton. He was a fresh and new face. He had barely been in the Senate and could most definitely NOT boast the political connections of his fellow presidential hopeful. Perhaps, nowhere was there more difficulty in accepting Obama than amongst the so-called black elite class—the black members of the congress, the Jacksons, Sharptons, and many other popular black people in the Media and other fields of human endeavor. These were men and women who had risen to prominence during the Clinton era. So it was hardly surprising that their loyalty was to the Clintons.

Now, I do not want to revisit the unfortunate series of pigheaded statements and unforced errors made by the Clintons during the democratic nomination process. The net effect of these errors was that it galvanized black consciousness and forced many African-Americans to critically reassess Obama on his merits alone. To make matters worse for the Clintons, Obama got a huge boost by winning in a majority white state. As time went on, incredible pressure was mounted on these black leaders of thought to accept Obama—even if only as the token black man in the race.

Personally, I do not think a candidate ought to be embraced or rejected solely on the basis of the skin color. Many people have opined on the reason why Obama was able to beat a titan like the Clintons. But one thing to note is that in many of these commentaries, pundits seem to think that black support for Obama is automatic and always assured. There is this sense that what Obama needs to do is work to get the white women vote in places like the middle parts of the country.

Does Obama run any risk if he is perceived fairly or unfairly to be unable to honestly and critically address black social concerns in the run to the general elections? Perhaps, this is the best time for many African-Americans to begin to critically weigh the significance of an Obama victory in the fall. What do many African-Americans hope to be able to get a President Obama to do for the overwhelming support he got from the black electorate? What social programs (if any) will he set up? Or can one reasonably expect that the best African-Americans can get from a President Obama is a psychological boost hinged on the idea that institutional racism might be a thing of the past—you know, that if one really worked hard in this country, one could achieve one's goals?

Reverend Jesse Jackson, a long-time Clinton confidante and a former presidential candidate has unwittingly opened a can of worms and may have helped to frame the discussion. It is true that Jackson supports the Obama campaign, but seriously, how deep is his commitment? Can we not question his judgment if he really believes that Obama is talking down to black people? Here's a video of Reverend Jesse Jackson's latest Obama disparagement.

One thing is clear—in many private black circles, there will be stiff debate on the DEGREE of Obama's commitment to his black constituency. Perhaps, because the economic situation is dire and most black people will definitely not be voting for McCain, this issue may not get much traction. But I fully expect that if Obama wins the general election, once again, the issue of how best to tackle black social issues will be revisited. We may discover, when that time comes, that there is a huge generational divide in the approach to solving these issues—a gulf so wide that with Obama's pragmatic message of responsibility and hardwork and the enthusiastic support of younger blacks, the Jacksons and the Sharptons that have long framed the discussions will cease to be of any relevance.

tags: obama  jesse jackson  mccain  hillary clinton  slur  

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