Obama's Racial Identity Still An Issue

Democrat's Race, And Whether He's "Black Enough," Continue To Spark Conversation

(CBS)  Barack Obama has said that the big city cab drivers who once refused to pick him up had no doubt about his blackness back then, nor should anyone else now, CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports.

Campaigning, he addresses the race issue without hesitation, once even mimicking gangbangers - he criticized their work ethic: "Why I gotta do it? Why you didn't ask Pookie to do it?" he said.

He quotes Martin Luther King and occasionally slips into the cadence of a black preacher, but recent polls show Hillary Clinton is the choice of more black Democrats, and it's clear that Obama's racial identity gives pause to some. He is not the descendant of African slaves, but is the son of a white mother and a Kenyan father, so he alone gets questions about just who he is.

"My black activist friends from here to Boston say that you are not black, you are multiracial, and I want to know how you self-identify?" he was asked at a recent event.

Obama replies: "I self-identify as African American - that's how I'm treated and that's how I'm viewed. I'm proud of it."

"The issue of whether he is black enough is not the primary issue," said Michael Fauntroy, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. "The issue is whether he has enough experience."

Besides, Obama may have other strengths. "He is seen as more palatable and more acceptable to larger numbers of white voters," Fauntroy said.

Of course, there are whites who will never vote for Obama because he is black.

"I don't want to sound prejudiced or anything, but for one, I am not going to vote for a colored man to be our president," said one South Carolina voter.

When asked if this country would vote for a black man for the highest office in the land, Sen. Obama deflects the question, suggesting merely raising it is a disservice to the American electorate.

But the American electorate has never had anyone quite like Barack Obama to consider.

[erasmus6]

"If you villify or find it easier or more believable that a black person commited a crime, or do you give mixed couples a mean stare or quick glance of disapproval." posted by chitown639


I find it absolutely unbelievable how bad the racism is in the U.S. It is just mind boggling to me.

[pakaal]

"The issue of whether he is black enough is not the primary issue," said Michael Fauntroy, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. "The issue is whether he has enough experience."

Does it take a professor to point out that we''re talking about whether or not Obama can be a good president, not what his ethnic heritage created in him as a human being?

Yeah, I know. All those crackers out there are so insecure they rail against the very thought of a Black man as president. And it seems like Blacks aren''t much better. I actually heard a Black woman say Obama can''t apply the term "African American" to himjself because of US historical connotations to the slave trade. His dad''s from Africa, and he was born in America. How much more frickin'' African American can the guy get?

The whole "Racial Identity" thing may be an issue, but of the range of issues facing America today, his self-definition of cultural heritage plays far further down on my worry list than say, Huckabee, Brownback and Tancredo saying they don''t belive in science.

[chitown639]

Black people aren''t really behind Obama''s Presidential Campaign because they know he has no chance of winning. African-Americans know that there is absolutely too much racism in America to elect a Black President. Most Americans wouldn''t want to think of themselves as racist. But, the daily decisions that we make, whether conciously or sub-conciously, show our true intolerence toward blacks. Whether you quickly check your purse or your wallet when you suddenly notice a black man standing near you, or cross the street when you see a black person approching. If you villify or find it easier or more believable that a black person commited a crime, or do you give mixed couples a mean stare or quick glance of disapproval. There are countless other things we do in our daily life, but we never really quite understand that African-Americans see these things we do as racism. Many blacks endure these sutle forms of racism everyday. They know the racism that''s out there. This country was build on racism, it''s enwoven into the fabric of our society. Racism is the cornerstone to many of the great institutions of our government. From our nations police and fire departments to the courts, to the schools and universities. From big cities to small towns, from your neighborhood to mine. Racism is all around us, something the black people know better than any of us. Which is why they also know better than any of us, that there won''t be a black president for a long time to come.

[yongamerica]

Some people call him an oreo cookie. I call him a smart cookie.

[kansas1946]

I love Obama and I am white. The majority of blacks so far are supporting Hillary, at least that is what the polls are showing. It is funny to hear that Obama "may not be black enough." As far as I can see, he is the blackest one of the bunch! I think he is great and would vote for him in a minute.

[thgdriver]

tibu987

Reading what you asked for, it''s too bad Dorothy from OZ is not running, Hillary is.

[dgal878]

cmp271:

We hear ya! Right on!

[dgal878]

thgdriver:
Boy you got that right! Sure get tired of hearing the so called minorities belly aching. WA-WA-WA

[tibu987]

I don''t give a hoot about Obama''s racial indentity.
What I do give a hoot about is voting for the person that I feel will unite this country, end the war, help to change the U.S. profile internationally, and lastly, be a honest, forthright president.
Yeah, I know, that is asking too much.

[thgdriver]

Sorry bud, I can''t get past your votes on gun control in Illanois for one, for another, I can''t get past why a very well known, rich, black, Daytime host picked you to back. She knows you don''t have the experience, so is it because you are black?

If all the candidates were black and one was white, and a very well known, rich, white celebrity backed only the white guy the NAACP, Jackson and Sharpton would be calling fowl and call for the network to fire him/her.!! But in this case alls well and good.

[nottellin1]

I ask, WHO WRITES YOUR SCRIPT?

Dear Senator Obama, challenge the media and critics who pigeonhole the human truth with sophomoric argument. Keep raising the consciousness of presidential debate by revealing the power and freedom of your honesty.

Lee Burkins, Author of Soldier''''s Heart: An Inquiry of War




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Burkai at 11:01 AM : Nov 28, 2007

Uh, hello, writers strike, no scripts. Ha ha.

[nottellin1]

Great, now if your actions and words match your new self identity, soon others will also think you are really, really cool.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by brianbwb at 12:01 AM : Nov 28, 2007

Thanks for playing.

[burkai]

One of the greatest obstacles to peace is the penchant of human beings to cling to and identify with being a member of a party, a person of race or religious order. Our true identity is that of embodied spirit. We need to see beyond what our limited eyes define for us as ''white'', ''black'', ''red'', or yellow''. We need evolve beyond the garments of religious affiliation and experience the nature of our soul, a consciousness of dynamic equality and living for the betterment of others.
Those that own the gold make the rules and the rules make more gold for the rule makers. The rules dictate to each one of us a role to play in the dishonestly scripted reality written by the rule makers. The created illusion of opposites is extremely strong. The unevolved person plays into the illusion of living a reality written by someone else while believing the role is uniquely theirs.
Every one of us must try to live a life that moves us toward becoming an actualized human being. Herein lays power and freedom.

Shakespeare said, "..the world is but a stage and we are all actors upon it".

I ask, WHO WRITES YOUR SCRIPT?

Dear Senator Obama, challenge the media and critics who pigeonhole the human truth with sophomoric argument. Keep raising the consciousness of presidential debate by revealing the power and freedom of your honesty.

Lee Burkins, Author of Soldier''s Heart: An Inquiry of War

[cmp271]

We are all Americans!!

When the common peasantry of this country stop hyphenating their identities we will be able to elect a black President, or one of any previous nationality.

I am tired of hearing the slave connection. Big deal, so what if your ancestors were slaves!! The Jews were enslaved in Egypt for how many centuries, do you hear them whinging about it forever??? God led them out of bondage. Lincoln, and WHITE northerners led the blacks out of bondage!!! It was not god!!!

It is more the muslim issue that will hurt Obama. Actually he can say his background comes from an identifiable source in Africa. There are also WHITES WHO ARE FROM AFRICA!!!

HELLO, ANYONE HOME ON THIS ONE???

CHELSEA DAVY IS WHITE AND FROM ZIMBABWE AND HAS BEEN GOING OUT WITH PRINCE HARRY. DOES SHE LOOK BLACK TO YOU?

[beltway33]

My concerns are not Obama being black, but that if he became the nominee, the republican machine will rip him apart and we would be back to 2000 and 2004. I feel that greed pushed him into this race. If he was smart he should have supported hillary and ended up in the ticket as the VP, and 8 yrs later, nothing will stop him becoming the first ever black u.s president. But greed had to spoil step in as it ususally does....

[robrob791]

IT''S A SHAME THE CHOICES ARE SO LIMITED. WHY CAN''T SOMEONE QUALIFIED IN EITHER PARTY RUN. OUR COUNTRY IS GOING CHINESE QUICKLY, MAYBE WE NEED A CHINESE CANDITATE.

[peeja581]

I am over 50 years of age and an African American female who lives in the South, and I am soooooooo disappointed to see African American "so-called" leaders continue to demonstrate a "slave mentality" when it comes to supporting Senator Barack Obama! Some of those same leaders told the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that the time had not come for blacks in America! Here we are in the 21st Century and yet that same mentality exists -- that is, it is not time for a more than qualified black man to become President of the United States of America. If people disregard the tone of Mr. Obama''s skin -- one could easily argue that he is another John F. Kennedy, Jr. who is young and full of bright ideas and want to engage the youth of America to get involve in politics and make a difference in this country and the world. The Politics of Hope does work!

It never ceases to amaze me that some of those "so-called" African American spiritual leaders and politicos, especially in South Carolina would hold lack of experience as a reason not to support Mr. Obama -- yet, none of them had experience as State Representatives, Senators and Pastors until someone voted them in office! Surely, if one does not vote for Mr. Obama, he will not win!

[extremophil]

Of course his race is not an issue. It''s his I.Q. that I''m concerned about.

[flreason]

It seems to me the media are exploiting and sensationalizing this "issue" just to create the illusion of a racial controversy that will capture readers'' interests. I think it''s unlikely this would be more than a blip on the radar screen if it weren''t for media hype.

[mike71067]

From the article: "Democrat''s Race, And Whether He''s "Black Enough," Continue To Spark Conversation".

Man. I''m sure glad I''m not black or gay. Really. Everything those guys ever think about is "black" or "gay". Look at black or gay comedians on TV - every joke is about being black or gay. As far as how this will affect Obama''s campaign, it''s truly sad. He''s playing to constituents who are black before they are American.