Can America Vote Black?
by Stephen Rose
Link to ArticleIn the wake of the North Carolina and Indiana Democratic primaries, it becomes quite apparent that barring any totally unforeseen circumstances, Barack Obama is going to be the Democratic presidential nominee. I see no way Hillary Clinton can get the nomination unless the super delegates decide to totally ignore the will of the people in the primary states, which is quite unlikely.Finally the time rapidly approaches to address the real question, namely, is America ready, willing, and able to vote for a Black male as President of the United States? An election process beginning as the search to pick the most qualified candidate for president must inevitably end by testing the climate of racism in America. Ironically, the Democratic theme during the primaries as well as the upcoming national elections will be the necessity of change, an obvious approach after seven long and seriously flawed years of the Bush Administration and an enabling Congress. Any Democratic candidate would be running on a platform of change. Ironically, Barack Obama represents a whole lot more than mere political change. He is a Black man in a nation that historically and presently continues to be a hot bed of racism and discrimination. America, ready or not, has reached a critical nexus point in its history, and racism can no longer remain on the back burner. The nation is in dire need of change, something even Republicans not in terminal denial will admit. America is literally stuck in a resource-vamped quagmire in Iraq and the Middle East, which has resulted in a huge negative shift in world opinion toward the United States. The nation has been rocked by numerous political, governmental, moral, ethical and financial scandals. There is an economic crisis that many experts fear is only going to get worse, sooner rather than later. The value of the dollar steadily drops as gasoline prices and inflation skyrocket, and the real victims are everyone in America not independently wealthy, namely, everyone else. Is there a huge need for change? Do kangaroos hop? The political approach and ideals of Barack Obama do appear to represent the needed change, but does he perhaps epitomize a lot more change than many Americans are ready for? He himself IS change, the first Black person to come within reach of being president, a reality that directly touches the heart of prejudice and discrimination in America. Though many are desperately desirous of political change, are they also willing to transcend deeply ingrained prejudices and attitudes in order to put an African-American in the White House in order to accomplish that change?With the end of the Democratic primary now in sight, and the steady approach of the national election, the issue of electability of an African-American candidate must now be addressed. Unquestionably, many Hillary Clinton supporters are longtime loyal Clinton fans, along with many women anxious to see the first woman elected president. No doubt many of these people are also convinced that she would make a good president, yet how many are voting for her because they will not vote for an African-American? In a national election, how many will vote for John McCain because they are incapable of voting for a Black man? These questions can no longer be ignored. A lot of Americans are ready to fire the Republicans, and others are tired of the old political ploys of the Clintons, and many are willing and able to vote for Barack Obama. How many, however, will be motivated more by issues of race than politics? The real question as we steadily approach the national election is how many will not vote for a Black man, period? We may not want to look at this aspect of the present election cycle, and may inwardly cringe at doing so, but there is ultimately no way to avoid it. Many desperately believing the Democrats must take the White House in 2008, are asking themselves if Barack Obama can be elected in white America. Many who dislike the present day Republican party and John McCain may be considering voting Republican, simply because their racism trumps their political wisdom. Will Barack Obama be able to convince those still challenged by racial issues that his qualifications, and the present needs of the nation trump their prejudice? Will the nation finally move on and become a place where, who a person is, determined by their thoughts and actions, is more important than something as arbitrary as the color of their skin, or any other characteristic that is beyond their control? This will test the mettle of America, as a people and a nation. Where do you stand? "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad." These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. If you have accounts on these bookmarking sites, you can post this story to share it with others.
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