July 3, 2008 - Issue 284
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Wrestling with a Strange Reality:
Barack Obama and the Impossibility of a Black V.P.
Student Writers’ Corner
By Tolu Olorunda
B
lackCommentator.com Student Guest Commentator

With regards to Senator Barack Obama clinching the Democratic Presidential nomination, the names of certain potential V.P candidates have been circulated by the mainstream press. Never mind the presumed “psychic-ability” of these pundits, most shocking is the stark disability of the half-baked talking heads to recognize black politicians as viable vice-presidents for Senator Obama. If Condoleezza Rice is widely acknowledged as a possible running mate for Senator McCain, then why wouldn’t “post-racial America” – of which Obama speaks lucidly - entertain the concept of being administrated by two black people?

It seems as though Senator Obama is only inspiring and feasible when his campaign is joined at the hip of a white candidate. Peeling back the layers of the neo-liberal embrace of Obama’s candidacy reveals this disquieting truth. Senator Obama’s campaign was only “kick-started” at the turn of Senators’ Ted Kennedy and John Kerry’s endorsement of it. The hypocrisy and mendacity of many Obama supporters was revealed with the emergence of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright. Those who had cheered along with his cry for “hope” and “change” then began to question if Senator Obama had to do more to appease their perspective of America, vis-à-vis Race, Retaliation and Religion.

With the massive support of Obama’s candidacy by white liberals, the question has been raised as to whether the Illinois Senator solely kindles the role of “the black friend” within the confines of his support group. Just as “white flight” became a phenomenon in the 20th century, what would happen to the millions of northern and southern white supporters of Obama  if, indeed, he made the decision to choose a Black male or female as his running mate? It is predictable that those fans would – at the drop of a hat – simultaneously fabricate excuses for why Senator McCain might be much more dependable in his political-proposals. It is reminiscent of the laws of “old” which declared it illegal for Blacks to gather without a white-mediator or intermediary. The very existence of black unity and fellowship was considered a threat and an impending revolution. Furthermore, the persistent-refusal of television journalists to admit black-political accomplishment is rendered valid with the realization that there were more Black Senators in the 1870s than there are now.

In addition to a subliminal nullification of black-achievement, the mainstream press has also spit on the grave of Sojourner truth, with the disqualification of Black Women as legitimate and organic females. Certain talk show hosts, such as Chris Matthews from MSNBC, are habitual in their fractured interpretation of female support behind Obama. To hear Matthews tell it, Senator Obama is having immense trouble in the “Women’s department” - never mind the constant reminder that Black women voted disproportionately for Obama in the primary.

The insinuation that black Women are of an insignificant status is heard loud and clear. Within the ranks of politics and beyond, black women have always been subjected to the castigation and consternation of American life. Acclaimed Scholar and Princeton Professor, Cornel West, wrote eloquently about this unsettling conundrum in his 1993 classic, Race Matters. On black female sexuality; he wrote “the dominant myth of black female sexual prowess constitutes black women as desirable sexual partners – yet the central role of the ideology of white female beauty, attenuates the expected conclusion.” In clear comprehension of this truth, one is left to wonder how the masterful and irreducible presence of Fannie Lou Hamer at the 1964 Democratic National Convention counts as void.

With regards to the intensified demonization of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama in this presidential campaign, it is highly essential to underline the culpability of Senator Obama in the attack on his wife. Speaking at a fundraiser in Jacksonville, the Illinois Senator was careless in lending credence to those who mis-characterize his wife as “feisty.” He spoke of the Republican Party’s willingness to propagate untruths, saying, “We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid; they’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black? He’s got a feisty wife.”

Michelle Obama has undergone some of the most unfathomably vitriolic and diabolic circumstances imaginable, and yet her armor of elegance has remained unscathed. In the midst of terror, she has fought back with courage, righteousness and “self-truthfulness.” Her political philosophies have posed an unprecedented level of threat and suspicion for those who view community control and black nationalism as troublesome. Michelle’s presence is widely-viewed as a thorn in Obama’s rose.

Although Senator Obama has been incompetent in defense of his wife, it is incumbent upon progressives to protect the dignity of such a fearless warrior. Her role is especially prominent, as she can function as an unofficial Vice-President. The reported neutralizing of Michelle Obama must not take place, as our future very well depends upon it!

BlackCommentator.com Guest Student Commentator, Tolu Olorunda, is an 18-year-old local activist/writer and a Nigerian immigrant. Click here to reach Tolu Olorunda.

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