Obama
Is he ‘black’ enough?
The presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama is surfing a 'œwave of enthusiasm' that isn't hard to understand, said Michael Fletcher in The Washington Post. Those supporting his push for the Democratic nomination see him as a charismatic alternative to that supposed cold fish Hillary Clinton, and are excited by the thought of electing America's first black president. What is hard to understand is why that enthusiasm isn't shared by blacks. Two recent Washington Post/ABC polls found blacks preferring Clinton 3-to-1 over Obama, and giving her an 80 percent approval rating to Obama's 54 percent. To some extent these surprising polls reflect the black community's enduring affection for Sen. Clinton's husband—whom author Toni Morrison dubbed the 'œfirst black president.' But some in the Obama camp are starting to worry whether a light-skinned, biracial Harvard Law School graduate who grew up in Hawaii can convince black voters that he's one of their own.
Let me be blunt, said Debra Dickerson in Salon.com. 'œObama isn't black,' at least not as that word is used in modern America. For political, cultural, and historical purposes, 'œblack' refers to those millions of Americans descended from West African slaves. 'œBlack' people make white people nervous, and guilty. As the son of a recent African immigrant, Obama doesn't evoke the 300 years of America's ugly racial history. To blacks it is painfully clear that in Obama, whites aren't so much 'œembracing the black man' as 'œreplacing him,' with a safer, less threatening look-alike. It's a Catch-22 for all black candidates, said Peter Beinart in The New Republic. 'œThe more whites love you, the more you must reassure your own community that you are still one of them.' That cruel equation will be particularly hard on Obama, because he never was.
Gary Kamiya
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Salon.com
Clarence Page
Chicago Tribune
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
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK