Does the Politico really think Barack Obama should mention that he's black more explicitly. You can really kinda tell by looking at him; it's not as if this is something he's keeping under wraps.
« It's the Strategy | Main | The Trick »
What Does Obama Have to Hide?
10 Dec 2007 01:23 pm
Comments (26)
We can't risk OFFENDING the Southern racits, don't ya know.
That's because he knows that Bill Clinton beat him to it.
Wasn't Politico started by two Southern Conservatives who left WaPo? I genuinely can't remember. But, if so, why do we care what they have to say about the Dem nomination race?
What? There's a black man running for President now? Huh. Hadn't heard a thing about it. That danged liberal media again! Has the CIA leaked an NIE about this?
He's black?? I though he was an arab--doesn't the fact that he's a muslim mean he's an arab?
It sounds so made-up: Po-LIT-i-co. Whatever!
This is like 30 Rock from this week, when all the conservatives were admitting "shameful" things about themselves:
"I donated to NPR"
"My children go to public school"
"I'm gay"
"I'm black"
If only there were some sort of communications technology which allowed visual moving pictures to be transmitted to people interested in the news, instead of forcing them to rely on radio pro-grams and newspapers which can barely afford to print many photo-graphs.
Based on the article the Politico ran the answer would seem to be that they don't think he should mention more explicitely that he is black. Although they mention some people in the middle who do, the overall tenor of the article is that Obama is being smart in not playing up the fact that he represents a first, while Clinton, who represents a bigger "minority" group (one that is actually the majority) is wise to be more explicit.
Yeah, that 30 Rock confessional got out of hand when the guy admitted he murdered his wife.
Even worse--he barely even bothers to hide the fact that he has father two black children with a black woman!
Now it can be told: Barack Obama is the other parent of John McCain's illegitimate black baby.
I think Dan Miller wins the thread, though copyediting could have clinched it.
I know presidential elections are serious stuff and all, but all I can think of is "Blazing Saddles".
First they try to smear him by saying he's Muslim, now they're smearing him by saying he's black. What's next, rumors that he's a Democrat? Whispers that he was against the war? When will the smears stop?
I hate to break this to everyone, but Obama is not black, he is half white and half black (or half black and half white). This is an empirical fact.
Maybe he's not running to be the "first black president" because he doesn't view himself that way. Maybe he wants to be the "first biracial president" or the "first multiracial president" or just "president". I think Obama's heritage gives him the ability to move (somewhat) beyond race, a la Tiger Woods.
All I can say is, I think it's going to be fun.
I could be wrong but I still don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell of being elected simply because he is black.
There are no limits to the depths of my cynicism about the US population and the degree to which racism remains a factor in it.
Now, Hillary, I'd say the same about based on her gender except that for a lot of people it's hard to say that she's really perceived as a woman more than as a politician. It's the Clinton NAME that makes her credible more than anything else. That and the fact that everybody knows her from First Lady days.
So maybe one could make the same case for Obama - that he's seen more as a politician than as black.
But I gotta doubt it. I don't think either Obama or Hillary can get elected based on being black and female. The fact that there are no black or female candidates on the Republican side kinda makes that clear.
Joel beat me to my comment, so nicely done, Joel.
The one thing I would add is that the "I'm black" line is funny because the guy is obviously black, and yet the crowd has the same reaction to him as to the "I donated to NPR" guy---shocked and taken aback.
Rudy Giuliani should also mention more often that he singlehandedly saved New York on 9/11 through the sheer power of his sexual viability and heteromasculine biceps.
/The Politico sucks
Personally, I'm glad that he doesn't belabor this obvious fact, like Hillary does about her gender. Race and gender are not good criteria for picking Presidents. The questions should be along the lines of "what do they want to do and can they get it done?"
We can cut to the chase here. It's from Politico. It doesn't matter. It isn't valid. Next subject, please.
"I hate to break this to everyone, but Obama is not black, he is half white and half black (or half black and half white). This is an empirical fact."
I am glad that terms like "empirical" have become so flexible these days. There is a word for half black/half white: grey. That is an empirical fact. I think we can leave Mr. Obama's proper racial designation out of the hands scientists, for the nonce-they wouldn't be comfortable sorting that kind of judgment out.
"There are no limits to the depths of my cynicism about the US population and the degree to which racism remains a factor in it."
Sadly, I have to agree with this. You can count on Middle 'Merika to vote with their basest redneck fears every single time. Like Kucinich said when asked why he was only one of two candidates who openly supports same-sex marriage, "This is really a question of whether you really believe in equality." Republicans have a horrendous track record when it comes to equality -except when they're appointing housebroken lapdogs like Condoleeza Rice, Roberto Gonzales, and Colin Powell to high cabinet positions.
"You can really kinda tell by looking at him;"
What an abhorrently racist statement (I assume)!
I do admit I'm curious about how Obama would go about playing up his blackness.
Comments closed December 24, 2007.
| 
Heads in the Sand
Also, Hillary should mention that she's a woman, Giuliani should note his batshit insanity, and Thompson should cite his status as the world's only living cadaver.
Posted by scott | December 10, 2007 1:39 PM