April 24, 2007--Our Second Black President
A funny thing may be happening to Hillary Clinton as she attempts to become our second African-American president. (Recall that her husband was deemed our first by some black leaders.)
In her case, her problem is not just that the black accent she turns on when appearing before African-American groups is as phony as her southern accent, in the current situation African Americans and the rest of us have a credible, real black candidate to support.
Barack Obama is not only gaining traction among white progressives but as he “introduces” himself to the black community the polls indicate he is attracting support at Senator Clinton’s expense. Including in New York. So now her and his appearances before Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network turned out to be something less than a coronation for her and something more than a courtesy for him. (See NY Times article linked below.)
Obama even got off the best joke—one that was startlingly authentic when in most other instances even a candidate’s jokes are scripted and tested by consultants. When Sharpton’s cell phone went off, Senator Obama muttered, “It must be Hillary calling so you’d better answer it.”
The room erupted in laughter with the reverend joining in. Some have been speculating that he is in the Clinton’s hip pocket, in part because of whatever it is that they may have promised him but also because he does not want a rival in his efforts to assume leadership of the black community.
On this latter point—is there in fact a “black community” anymore than there is a white one? And why is it that the (white) media always seem to insist that there be only one African-American leader for the black community at a time? Martin Luther King was followed, after a struggle, by Jessie Jackson who is now in the process of being supplanted by Al Sharpton.
If the week before last when Don Imus was fired we were having what the press called “a national dialogue about race.” If we ever return to the subject, add this to the list—why white America appears to need to believe there is a homogeneity among African Americans and why we are capable of hearing the voice of just one black leader at a time.
In her case, her problem is not just that the black accent she turns on when appearing before African-American groups is as phony as her southern accent, in the current situation African Americans and the rest of us have a credible, real black candidate to support.
Barack Obama is not only gaining traction among white progressives but as he “introduces” himself to the black community the polls indicate he is attracting support at Senator Clinton’s expense. Including in New York. So now her and his appearances before Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network turned out to be something less than a coronation for her and something more than a courtesy for him. (See NY Times article linked below.)
Obama even got off the best joke—one that was startlingly authentic when in most other instances even a candidate’s jokes are scripted and tested by consultants. When Sharpton’s cell phone went off, Senator Obama muttered, “It must be Hillary calling so you’d better answer it.”
The room erupted in laughter with the reverend joining in. Some have been speculating that he is in the Clinton’s hip pocket, in part because of whatever it is that they may have promised him but also because he does not want a rival in his efforts to assume leadership of the black community.
On this latter point—is there in fact a “black community” anymore than there is a white one? And why is it that the (white) media always seem to insist that there be only one African-American leader for the black community at a time? Martin Luther King was followed, after a struggle, by Jessie Jackson who is now in the process of being supplanted by Al Sharpton.
If the week before last when Don Imus was fired we were having what the press called “a national dialogue about race.” If we ever return to the subject, add this to the list—why white America appears to need to believe there is a homogeneity among African Americans and why we are capable of hearing the voice of just one black leader at a time.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
10:42 AM
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