Obama Campaign and Race
I think Barack Obama has done a good job of keeping his campaign from being about race. I’m certain this hasn’t been easy. In reading this article from MSNBC.com I was struck that apparently the commentators are holding his campaign to a standard of perfection.
In my view, whether he wins in the end or not, Barack Obama’s campaign has been very good for the country. I think he has paved the way for many people to give serious consideration to candidates irrespective of their race. There must be pioneers, and he is one. Readers of this blog probably know that I like him, and while I do have policy concerns, they are no greater than with any other candidate; in fact, they are considerably less in his case.
The expectation that an African-American candidate could run without any signs of race showing up is ludicrous. Obama has done a good job with the options available.
Henry:
I agree; Obama has done an excellent job of transcending the race issue in his campaign, and I think he has added to the larger context of presidential campaigns.
My big problem with him is that he is simply too socially liberal for me, although like you, I have concerns about each candidate.
Obama’s run has been all about race – from the suppression of President Clinton’s defense of Hillary in SC, to the claims of all white voters in IA, to the rhetoric about social justice in his speeches (that are always about race) – to the fact that Edwards had to bow out because of the history-path that Obama and Hillary have been on.
That Presidential elections should be free from race is obvious, but it hasn’t been that way at all.
I felt the same way – when I listened to Obama here in Iowa, I quite frankly forgot he was African American. It wasn’t until the race moved past Iowa and the media began to pick up the story that I realized he could be the first African American president. I think he does a great job running a presidential campaign devoid of references about his race. Like Allan though I disagree with most of his positions and probably won’t support him if he gets the nomination.
Thanks for this aside, Henry. He has inspired a whole new generation of voters while given the rest of us a little ray of hope that possibly, we might have the chance, of going somewhere meaningful in the next election. I have been one of his supporters for many many months.