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03/14/07 Coon Alert: Obama Don't Get a Free Pass

It ain’t about Barack Obama not bein’ black enough. The issue is whether or not the junior Illinois Senator represents the interests of everyday black Americans. And so far, the case could be made that he does not. At least not as much as he should if he wants the black votes needed for an Obama victory in ‘08.

A long time ago, back when folks called it the Conscience of Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus usedta say African Americans had “no permanent friends, no permanent enemies—just permanent interests.” And nearly 40 years after the formation of the caucus, for better or worse, those interests remain.

So fuck his skin tone because, truth be told, he’s darker than a good number of African Americans. Fuck if he chooses to speak “ebonics” or Shakespearean, too. And the recent example of Bill Clinton's presidency shows that an elected official needn’t be racially profiled or forced to drink from a colored water fountain in order to appreciate and relate to the black experience. None of that shit’s relevant.

Of relevance is the fact that in 2005 and 2006 Barack Obama was graded a C by the CBC Monitor, the first group to ever critique the individual performances of black members of Congress by measuring how consistently they voted in the interests of black Americans on key pieces of legislation. Of relevance is the sad and unfortunate reality that there are white lawmakers—Dennis Kucinich, for example—who, when graded by the same criteria, uphold and promote black interests more than Obama and many CBC members have in the past decade.

That’s not a good look. And the niggas with the balls to question the Senator’s remarkably unremarkable record on race are dismissed as haters.

The cold shit truth of the matter is that a black president is long overdue. But if he ain’t representin’ to the extent that black people need him to represent, why should he deserve the black vote? Make that nigga work.

Props on the accomplishments, though!

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

While I've never considered anyone a hater who was critical of Obama, it seems to me that we have more black people criticizing Obama about "black issues" and questioning his blackness than celebrating this remarkable achievement. Obama's presidential run should be a springboard for real unity amongst blacks of all ethnicities. And while typically, we don't show up to the mechanic with questions concerning what's *right* with our car, as a community our support for our own is starting to become questionable. As each day passes, the discourse surrounding Obama does less to stimulate a conversation about genuine expectations anyone has for a president. Instead, black journalists have done more to expose the high levels of intraracial racism African Americans are suffering from. Even if we disagree with some of Obama's stances, there is a way to do that and show support and love for a fellow black man who is taking it to the top.

March 19, 2007 at 2:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I could not agree more. In addition, Senator Obama is offering some diversity to the presidential ticket in more ways than the obvious. Having a completely unattached, fresh politician is a welcome novelty. I am just ready for somebody new.

March 19, 2007 at 4:07 PM  

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