Why I invest faith and hope in Obama

JUDGING from the many e-mail responses that I received after my editorial comments on Senator Barrack Obama in the last column, I decided to revisit the topic one more time. From accusations to praises, the article attracted many readers’ feedback. Some expressed anxiety, others exhibited hopelessness, and some hinted on the black peoples’ opportunities in America. There were some who openly exposed my excitement as naïve-wishful-thinking, especially when I stated that Senator Barrack Obama may become USA’s 44th President.
The most interesting assertion came from a reader who managed to publish a letter just two days after my comments in the same paper. This reader not only exposed my naiveté but educated all of us on the fact that Obama will not win because he is black, inexperienced and almost a joke as a candidate in 2008. The same reader voluntarily admitted that he loved Barrack Obama.

That being said, it must be noted that Obama may truly not get black support because unlike Kenya where tribal affiliations rule, in this country racial similarities don’t give you votes. In the USA political interests and issues rules supreme. Therefore, if there are early lessons to be learned by Obama’s campaign, it will be that black vote is not going to be automatic. Still, if all the blacks in the USA were to vote for Obama without the majority White people, Obama will not win.

Now, if you look at the people and organizations that are begging Obama to run, you will be surprised that there is no significant African American presence in that list. Obama draws support mainly from the White people, both Republicans and Democrats. He is going to be a unity candidate who started to dismantle the Blue States v/s Red States mentality since 2004. He has positioned himself that way and it is magically working for him.
Seriously, let’s talk about the previous black presidential candidates and how they fared in their campaigns. We can begin with Al Sharpton who initiated his 2004 presidential bid in South Carolina Democratic primary. Just like his predecessors he did not fair well even in his own home. In 2004, national black leaders supported Senator Kerry who eventually won the Democratic ticket. Just like any voters in this country, blacks will always look at their interests and which candidates will best represent them. If Senator Obama will seem like the candidate for them and he shows the ability of winning, then Obama will capture the blacks support.
If we dwell on the race card one more time, you will observe one clarity. Barrack Obama is black but a Democrat and that calls for a different look at the candidate. Let’s look at the recent Republican black-experiment where major black candidates in the Republican Party fell like domino pieces in the 2006 midterm elections. A Republican All-Star pool of Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Lynn Swann in Pennsylvania, and Maryland Michael Steele all failed. All these candidates wrongly hoped on getting black voters’ support to beat their white Democratic opponents in state races. It did not work for them mainly because they were in the wrong party. I note however, that in Tennessee a black candidate in Democratic Party did not win for many reasons none of which give the Republican Party any relief. The Republican Party has pissed-off so many voters via their failing Iraq-campaign and they are headed for a big bang come 2008!
Many black people believe that Mr. Obama is different from the previous black presidential candidates. To many black people, former presidential candidates such as Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun, Jesse Jackson and Sharpton were good people who were mentally and historically setting up the stage of possibility for an Obama candidature. They contested for the seat when it was more symbolic for black people than now when the possibility is real.
We must remember that in this country presidential contest is not just about who likes whom. Elections here are always about having a proven track-record of performance. And, you may argue that Mr. Obama has none, or his record is not deep enough.

From Illinois State Senate to Washington Senator Obama is credited with many important achievements: He has successfully worked for: tougher ethics laws, against death penalty, welfare reform, health care for uninsured children, tax relief, ban on racial profiling. More key for this election, Obama is the only major 2008-candidate who did not support the war in Iraq. And, in 2004, he won a race where he was out-spent 6 to 1 in Illinois. Illinois is, on the majority, a White state and Obama won in a landslide fashion. So, for a politician this young, I consider him to be someone who will garner a lot of genuine support from people who vote for issues and not their skin color.

I admit that I am a diehard Obama supporter for the next few decades. I believe in him and I believe in what he will do for this country. And, I end my dispatch this week with a quote from his latest e-mail to his growing number of supporters: “Running for President may be a step that I take, but it is a journey I cannot hope to complete without the energy and talents of people like you. A glance across history and my own past as a community organizer on the streets of Chicago has taught me that sweeping change never comes from one person or program, but always from the will and passion of countless voices, working and fighting and marching towards that better place. This is your chance to lead that change, and I encourage you to participate and ask others to join our effort.”

Author: Abdillahi Alawy, Ph.D