Run, Barack, Run?So, he went and did it!
How could he? He's not ready. Yes, I know charisma just oozes from every
pore and he's likable--better yet--sellable beyond any PR firm's wildest
dreams.
No, I'm not talking about my son.
I'm talking about what everybody else is
talking about, Barack Obama's exploratory committee for President.
While Jesse embraced him in
Chicago
this week and other civil rights groups are starting to warm to the Obama
charm, I'm wishing Mr. Obama had employed a lot more patience.
Patience to wait until his particular shade
of green has ripened into a nice shade of jaded, as in been in the political
circus long enough to know the game and everyone else's.
I have said for months that I hoped that Obama would not run
in 2008. I truly believe that 2012 would
be a better year to mount a winning campaign for the White House. On this issue, I'm almost embarrassed to say
that I line up behind all of those that say, if he should run for the White
House, his inexperience is his Achilles' heel.
But he certainly has something that has been lacking in a presidential
campaign since Clinton ran for
office--excitement, promise, vision, the appearance of integrity and there's
that word again "charisma." But is charisma
enough to win an election and lead a country and is a lack of experience enough
to keep him from his goal? The 2008 list
of contenders for the White House is starting to grow and as of this date
Senator Clinton hasn't even announced the time of day. These contenders have been at the game a lot
longer and are more adept at it than Obama.
Also, what if a 2008 race leaves him licking his wounds, deep in debt
and so battle scarred that a run for 2012 is out of the question? Did you know that presidential elections have
grown so expensive that very little public money was used in the primary
campaigns of George Bush and John Kerry in 2000 and 2004? And raising
$500 million seems to be the goal of any viable candidate in the 2008 election.
So, who's at the head of Mr. Obama's Really Big Contributors line? He and Senator Clinton have certainly been
raking in the loot. Both are in the top
five of democratic fundraisers. In addition Hilary still has $22 million left
over from her senate race that can be transferred to her presidential run.
You know it is going to be worth eating my words, just to
see how far America
has come, if Mr. Obama is elected. There
are those who say that the mixed race Mr. Obama is electable because he is not
of the U.S. African-American experience.
That he may look like us, but doesn't come with the mantel of anger and
attitude that slavery and racism has foisted upon us.
Perhaps my opinion is too conservative. Perhaps this is Mr. Obama's time. He has lived overseas and does not appear to
have the clumsy xenophobic notions of some other politicians. After all, the world is growing smaller. He must be prepared to take the world
stage. He is young and old enough to
appeal to the millinials, the Gen Xers, the Gen Yers and the ever present baby
boomers. Curiously enough, for someone
who aspires to live in the White House, it seems as if the Gods handed out committee
assignments to Mr. Obama. He serves on
the Foreign Relations Committee, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and finally, the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs. For
someone who is potentially going to run a post 911 country, these committees
will provide a great opportunity to learn if he weren't so focused on running
for the White House.
Over dinner late last year, an acquaintance asked why I was
so against an Obama run for President. I
responded that it was just the opposite; I want the stars to be aligned and the
path to be very clear as he heads for the White House. I want Barak Obama to be such a clear and overwhelming
choice that race will mean nothing and everything. That his race for and winning the White House
will change the yardstick by which America
and the world measures the value of Black folks. Our country's collective paradigm
would change. Yes, I know that's a lot
to place on his shoulders.
I don't know if I believe Stanley Crouch of the NY Daily
News, but I know Obama looks enough like me, sounds enough like me and wants a
better world for his kids just like me to make praying for his survival and
fortitude a regular occurrence.
See ya next time,
Sunny
