Obama: Can the first black nominee become the first black president?
"The long wait is over," said the San Francisco Chronicle, now that a nation that once discounted African Americans' votes has "a black man as a major party nominee." But Barack Obama is also the "least tested" nominee in mod
What happened
Barack Obama won enough delegates to lock up the Democratic presidential nomination on the last day of the primaries on Tuesday, becoming the first African American to lead a major party ticket. '“Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another—a journey that will bring a new and better day to America,” Obama said to cheering supporters at a Minnesota rally. (Politico)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The long wait is over,” said the San Francisco Chronicle in an editorial. “For the first time in its history, a nation that began by discounting the votes of African Americans will have a black man as a major party nominee.” But Obama’s success doesn’t mean that America has suddenly become “colorblind”—exit polls found that many Americans are reluctant to vote for a black candidate.
Breaking barriers in the primaries is no guarantee of success in November, said John B. Judis in The New Republic. Look at how Catholic candidates—members of another social group “once on the margins of politics”—fared as they fought for acceptance. “In 1928, Democrats nominated the Catholic Governor of New York, Al Smith, but he lost to Herbert Hoover. Then, in 1960, Mass. Sen. John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic to be president.”
Obama’s “personal story—of mixed race, and up from nowhere through Harvard—resonates” with the his party’s crowds, said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. But the rest of what we know about him—a freshman senator promising to bridge the partisan divide but seemingly unwilling to break with liberal orthodoxy on any big issue—is less inspiring. “The young Senator has been a supernova exploding into our politics.” But he’s "the least tested and experienced major party nominee in modern times,” so he’ll find general election voters to be a “harder audience.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How Black organizations quickly pivoted and mobilized for Kamala Harris
In the spotlight Harris has a shot at being the first Black woman to lead the Democratic ticket
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published