As an African-American, I do have one major issue with Barack Obama. He's a great orator and intelligent. He's a good politician. He's a great motivator. But...his record is weak.
There's a theory out there among us that goes something like this: "We really do deserve better than him as far as America's first black president, let's be honest." He's not Jackie Robinson, or the Tuskeegee Airmen, or anything along the caliber of great black history-makers who had to be better than anyone else regardless of race at what they did so that there was no doubt about their bona fides to be first.
Obama does not fall into that category, is the analysis. Not by a long shot. He's middling at best. Now, he might very well be a great President. But there's going to be a pretty large segment of the population that will assume that he's the ultimate endpoint of affirmative action in this country. "If Obama were white, he wouldn't be running for President, he'd be an unknown state senator at best."
It doesn't matter if it's true, but America will believe that about him anyway. They won't vote for him, the theory goes. They'll Bradley Effect him at the polls, he'll lose in a landslide to a hack like McSame, and because he wasn't The Best, he will have set blacks in politics back a generation...ask Geraldine Ferrarro how that works out.
So the question is this: Is Barack Obama worthy of being history's first, or will he go down as a sort of cosmic joke, becoming a code word for the pinnacle of affirmative action and white derision and scorn? Would African-Americans be better off with Obama losing...and losing in a landslide...in order to forge a better black Presidential candidate in the future who really CAN deliver on Obama's promises?
It would be nice. But cold, hard political reality is this: The next four years are going to be a disaster. This country is going to be in very bad shape. Even Obama, as flawed as he is, is better than letting McSame and Palin get their mitts on this country for another four years.
No, he's not Jackie Robinson. He is not the best politician in America. He will have his detractors and may end up failing us all anyway. But the chance for real greatness IS there...and he's the candidate we have. In other words, stopping the GOP at this juncture in history is that important...even to put Obama and Biden in charge.
So yes, I'm voting for him anyway.
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