RECENT POSTS
- An Obama Thanksgiving Menu, with an Extra Serving of Pie
- White House Thanksgiving Traditions: Broken and Observed
- Obama, GOP Air Differences Over Jobs, Economy In Thanksgiving Addresses
- White House State Dinner Party Crashers
- Obama to Lay Out Emissions Goals in Copenhagen
- Free Bird
- The "Good" War
- The Presidential Planner
- Under the Stars, Obama Toasts India’s Prime Minister
- White House State Dinner – Who Made the Exclusive Guest List?
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
Another Take
January 15, 2008 9:07 AM
I've asked some friends of mine who are African-American to weigh in, anonymously, about this Obama-Clinton flap.
Friend #1 -- "When I finally took a second to lift up my head out of the stump speech fog I found myself saddened by how it has snowballed into the storyline of the week. To me, an argument over who has done more for black America is petty and pointless. It reminds me that too often the issues and struggles of minorities are boiled down to bullet points and laundry lists in order to sway voters one way or another. Clearly Obama is someone African-Americans can be proud of and I doubt any rational person really thinks the Clintons are racists, but here we are debating both arguments legitimately.
"While both campaigns' constant 'he said-she said' has made me wonder what this whole democratic process is about, it is the media's coverage of it that has really saddened me.
"After the New Hampshire Primary I remember sitting back and finally taking in a moment to realize a BLACK man had won the Iowa Caucus and a white WOMAN had just won the New Hampshire primary. It was a ground-breaking week, one that many people thought would never happen in this country. And what amazed me even more than the fact, was the media coverage of the story. After Iowa and New Hampshire, the story was not just about these monumental steps our country had taken, but it was about the surprise that these candidates had won, in two situations where political pundits had deemed it nearly impossible. The story was the politics, the issues, the way the two ran their campaigns. And that made me proud. The fact that journalists, who so often spin things into the simplest terms, didn't just boil this down to race or gender. Instead these two candidates were just looked at as candidates, and rightfully so.
"And now a week later these two candidates are back to being a WHITE woman and a BLACK man, and the story line while still about politics, has very little to do with anything I find truly substantial. "
- jpt
January 15, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (5)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Obama is more than substantial and will be the first to admit that he has not accomplished as much as HC. Among other things he hasn't been around the block as long as she has. That's exactly the point. Just being around longer does not make one a better leader. I do admire the both of them I've been around longer than her and still prefer a message of hope and how we can all do our part.
Posted by: joc | Jan 17, 2008 1:41:45 AM
The idea that Clinton is a "doer" and will manage to pass anything in an extremely partisan senate is wishful thinking.
She is no Lyndon Johnson.
So many respected elected Democrats from red states have supported Obama for that reason, Napolitano, McCaskill, Johnson, Nelson, precisely because if she eekes out a 50.1% victory she will be unable to govern.
Posted by: yiannis | Jan 15, 2008 3:38:31 PM
I was 21 years old when John F. Kennedy was elected President. He had a lot of ideas that were refreshing and different from what we the living had experienced before he came to the executive branch. Tragically, he was killed before he could accomplish much. Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon Johnson, coming from a strong position as the former US Senate leader before being elected as Vice President and with the help of a nation of grieving and sympathetic persons both in and out of Congress, was able to provide the leadership necessary to have Congress pass legislation that was extremely beneficial and favorable in aiding the Reverend Martin L. King and like kind thinking and acting people in getting their agenda and policies enacted and subsequently administered.
Accordingly, former President Bill Clinton's message was DEAD ON when he stated that it took action by a strong President Johnson to get the Rev. King's and like kind others, agenda enacted.
To say that it was any other way is just wrong.
For the young among you, it is not your fault that you have not lived long enough.....but it is your fault if you accept the media take because it agrees with your bias.
Robert A. Bishop
Posted by: RAB. | Jan 15, 2008 1:55:51 PM
I think this much-ado-about-nothing flap illustrates the tendency of the media to try and frame the news within a narrative of their own making...which in turn speaks to the public's demand for tabloid-style "infotainment" and seeming disinterest in hard news. It doesn't speak well for the future of the Republic, IMHO.
Posted by: LutheranChik | Jan 15, 2008 9:59:42 AM
That's because there is very little substantial about Barack Obama.
Posted by: geevill | Jan 15, 2008 9:31:16 AM
Post a comment
