Will media success spoil Barack Obama’s Presidential bid?
As a former Illinois resident I have to put in my two cents on the media hype surrounding two political candidates: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. My daughter has already signed up at Camp Obama. Traitor. Then she rubbed it in by saying: “I am going to contribute to his campaign, and wear an Obama T-shirt.” Sellout. I am a long-time conservative and would love it if my children followed more closely in my footsteps. But you can’t have everything.
On the radio this morning, while waiting for my cold car to warm up, I heard that Barack plans to make a ceremonial announcement in Springfield, Illinois. Tavis Smiley said he will do it there because it was Lincoln’s hometown. Why? And that Barack was going to somehow model himself after Lincoln. Okay. But while Springfield is Lincoln’s hometown, his birthplace was Kentucky. So, instead, why not go and stand on the Lincoln’s log cabin porch (or replica) to announce?
His family, due to their strong anti-slavery stance and other problems with land ownership in Kentucky moved to nearby Indiana, where his mother and sister died. They later relocated to Illinois, where he lived until he became president. Thus “Land of Lincoln.” The rest is history as they say. We all know how that country autodidactic lawyer made history. He freed the slaves. He preserved the union. Does Barack propose to free any slaves? Can Barack preserve social security? He did spend 8 years in the Illinois General Assembly. That means he spent time living in Springfield where he probably got inspired about Lincoln as mascot. I mean where else would a boy from Hawaii get such ideas? The Political Wire summed it up nicely:
Assuming Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) exploratory committee convinces him to formally run for president, the AP says he "plans to launch his campaign for president in Abraham Lincoln's hometown, a move that would reinforce the Democrat's theme of putting aside partisan differences and trying to unite the country."
It also might send a message about Obama's relative inexperience.
Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 after spending eight years in Springfield in the Illinois General Assembly. Lincoln became the nation's 16th president and led America through the Civil War after a single term in Congress and eight years in the state Legislature.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Michael Kinara
Kenya is NOT a Muslim Country. I'm Kenyan. It is in fact about 80% Christian and 20% Muslim. Secondly, if you did read his autobiography you would not make uninformed statements. His Grandfather was a converted Muslim. His father was agnostic. He was simply named after his grandfather.
2 - GumbyAnne
I am in Kenya now. Definitely not a muslim country.
3 - SHARK
Cute. Real cute.
Since Obama is honest, smart, handsome, & articulate -- the GOP apparently now fears him more than Hillary -- hence the new "cute" (and unfair/vicious) assualts on him and -- fer chrissakes -- his NAME that has become an ad hoc industry among right-wing dickheads.
One can measure their political fear by the volume and ferocity of their attacks. It's just beginning, but I would imagine that anyone who THINKS CLEARLY and can SPEAK ARTICULATELY puts the GOP in jeopardy.
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BTW: Heloise - yer now on My List.
Congratulations.
4 - SHARK
re: "You have to admit it does sounds a lot like Osama Bin Laden. His middle name is Hussein."
Lady, you should be ashamed.
Let's hope your smart daughter reads this and then decides to suffocate you with a pillow.
haha.
Only joking.
Kinda like comparing an American political opponent to an Islamic terrorist.
haha.
5 - Wow
"What America needs in 2008 is a real white man in office"
Are we living in 1957 or 2007?
6 - STM
Yeah, Wow, it was a pretty bizarre statement. I know it's just the writer's opinion but I'm surprised it got through the editors without at least ringing some alarm bells ... sounds like 1957 to me. I thought America was over that crap.
7 - Harold
Obama. You're kidding.
What we need is real experience in office .....to keep us oput of trouble......
Like Chaney, Rumsfeld, et. al.
8 - Zedd
I suppose this article is reverse psychology.
You really didn't say anything bad about Obama. You basically said that he is handsome and smart.
It looks to me that you are FOR Obama. You are trying to tag those against him as racists, and idiots (hence the bizarre rant about Lincoln). I don't buy that you are a racist. I don't buy that you are pro Hillary and Tom. I think you are pro Obama and are trying to be crafty.
I like Obama of all of the possible candidates because he is smart. Hillary is a brain but she is too political. They scared her into behaving during her husbands administration and she has lost personality and her conviction doesn't show.
However if Obama is going to join the sick manipulation of the public that has taken place over the years, I am certainly not for him.
I think he is running to get the momentum up. I think his real bid is next time around, perhaps even two presidents away. He's young.
I like Obama.
9 - Maurice
Hopefully Barack will be judged by his policy ideas and not the color of his skin or his religious past.
It would be a huge relief to me to be able to listen to an articulate president address his nation with straight talk.
10 - Heloise
Zedd,
You're pretty smart to see this as reverse psychology. I looked at the article in this way and said "yes" someone might see this as reverse psychology. I do like him. What I don't like is how the media picks "The One." Especially for minorities.
I also like Ford. He's black, articulate and good looking. But you don't hear much about him since he lost his bid.
Kenya may not be a Muslim African country. But every Kenyan I've ever met was Muslim. They have a great many immigrants there, many from Muslim countries.
Heloise
11 - Heloise
Hmm, what's wrong with saying "a real white man"? Have we gone so PC crazy that one cannot even mention race?
I watched the Wellstone documentary recently "The Green Bus vs the White House" and one of the white men on it called those who wear turbans "diaperheads." What? Now, that's a slur, just like "faggot", which Isaiah Washington is taking heat from allegedly saying.
I have lots of friends who wear turbans. And such a term would never even occur to me. I was horrified. But it did not get edited out of the documentary.
Let's not confuse racial realism with name calling. Big difference.
Heloise
12 - S.T.M
Come on Heloise, what difference does the colour make? That's got nothing to do with PC, either. It's just got nothing to do with the price of fish.
Orange would be an option too if the person was a good leader, wouldn't it, surely? And sorry, but in my view from an interested country on the other side of the world, the Republicans have screwed-up deluxe - right across the board.
13 - Heloise
Exactly my point. In other words, racial categories like: black, white, red, etc. are just words.
If that's the case, then white is just an adjective, a word. Anybody, I mean anybody can grow up to be the prez. Check out my other article "Will Americans Pull the Power Plug on Washington DC." Is dynamic/powerful leadership what we really need--or an enlightened Republic made up of participating citizens and legal resident aliens?
Heloise
14 - Zedd
I agree about "the one" syndrome. Its sort of corny but Americans are romantics. However I don't think that his race has anything with his "the oneness". Lets face it, There have not been any ethnic presidents. I think its funny that people think that people of color, particularly blacks get preferential treatment. Being Black in America is a huge liability, especially when wanting a position of power.... lets be sober on this one.
No, he is an exceptional person. The fact that he is half Black and still makes the grade with most people says he is extremely phenomenal.
Also, I mean really, we gave the presidency to Bush twice. Lets not pretend as if our bar is THAT high for whites.
If anything, what is making everyone feel even better regarding this man is that they themselves don't see his color. They are more happy and relieved about their own reaction than they are about him being black. That is the only way that color comes into this equation.
But his being black is not an automatic plus. Our history says just the contrary. Besides most whites are extra sensitive about blacks getting a free ride because of their blackness, just like you. Believe me, that will not happen. There are no whites out there who are giving blacks positions of power or anything else for that matter because of their blackness. HUGE myth. Do a survey among your friends and see if they do that..... It doesn't exist.
15 - S.T.M
Zedd said: "There are no whites out there who are giving blacks positions of power or anything else for that matter because of their blackness."
No, but there are plenty who are giving blacks positions of power or high-paying jobs on merit.
I don't see what colour has to do with any of this.
16 - Zedd
Heloise
Racial categories are not just words. They have very real implications. Lets also be sober on this.
Its not JUST a coincidence that all of the presidents and almost all of the Senators but one, are white.
Race matters.
Should it matter? Nope. But it does.
17 - Heloise
Yes, "Race Does Matter" Cornell West
Heloise
18 - Clavos
No, but there are plenty who are giving blacks positions of power or high-paying jobs on merit.
We have a contributor right here on BC who has such a job (good pay) for just that reason: merit.
To boot, he overcame very adverse conditions to get there.
And that is what really is great about America; it CAN and DOES happen here.
19 - Zedd
Heloise
There is another layer of yourself that you are keeping hidden isn't there.
How many white female republicans who would make the comments that you did in your article would even know who Cornell West was. Your response was just toooo quick. hmmmmm
20 - Zedd
Clavos
Giving a PERSON a job because they deserve it shouldn't be celebrated. Its just normal. Why should we make a big deal about that.
Its as if giving Blacks jobs that they deserves proves that America is a good place.
Actually making an issue if it says that we do have a problem.
I hope you understand what I am saying and don't start getting personal. Just take a moment to think about it.
21 - Zedd
STM
No you dont see. I think that has been my point all along. Why would you?
22 - S.T.M
OK Zedd, for once I agree with you. Just this once, mind ....
23 - Heloise
Hillary is "In"
Heloise
24 - SHARK
Zedd: "... It looks to me that you are FOR Obama. You are trying to tag those against him as racists, and idiots (hence the bizarre rant about Lincoln). I don't buy that you are a racist."
Zedd, you are smart, but in some ways, not so smart.
You should have trusted SHARK'S take on this.
And once again, Z, I think you're a bit too easy on [deleted by editor] like this article.
25 - Heloise
Zedd writes
"Also, I mean really, we gave the presidency to Bush twice. Lets not pretend as if our bar is THAT high for whites."
This is a good comment because it reminds me of what blacks advise/remind each other: "you [we] have to be a super woman or man, or twice and good, or better educated than a white to even get the same job they might get with lesser qualifications."
Think about it, in the old days one only needed a high school diploma to be a CEO. That's all changed. But why? How much of it has to do with keeping other groups out of power?
When they instituted more difficult exams for new teachers here in Texas to pass to become certified--you guessed it: Blacks failed those tests in record numbers and had to find other professions or jobs.
As a black woman, a teacher, and a science teacher, the stats say that I am like 1% of the population. Black teachers according to stats make up only 5% of the certified teachers. The stats for Mexican-Americans as teachers is probably worse.
Heloise