Between The Lines: For President Of The United States, Is Anybody “Black Enough”

Jackson’s presidential runs in 1984 and 1988 were serious campaigns to address domestic policy issues disproportionately affecting African Americans in the midst of the Reagan revolution. Sharpton’s run was more an act of self-aggrandizement and wasn’t considered any more a serious run for president than Shirley Chisholm’s run in 1972. Barack has proven to be the “real deal.” What determines who’s the real deal? Money. No one, except actual Presidents, have raised “Barack” money. And certainly no “black” candidate has. So what’s the point here?

The Obama quandary really leads to a larger, more legitimate question. Is there anybody in the 2008 race for President who could satisfactorily address the biggest concerns of African Americans, nationwide? Blacks are treated as a monolithic group whose issues are largely ignored, and whites are ignored are as hegemonic group whose issues are highly salient and frequently addressed. The question, “are you white enough” to represent America’s dominant interests never have to be stated, but are always inferred in every debate. Hilary Clinton came to the NABJ convention speaking about the plight of black males, but didn’t speak to the socio-economic and political systems that have caused 1.4 million black boys to be out of school, out of work, and in Hilary’s word “often out of hope.” It clearly was perceived as pandering to the black press. But when she was asked the question as to whether she was “black enough” to represent black people and translate her husband’s black support levels to her own, her response was generic and unclear – some rhetoric about having to earn the black vote. Well, how do you do that if you really don’t speak to institutional and systemic issues that effect black folk?

In the final analysis, I’m not so sure which candidate, if any, can really be considered “black enough” to be responsive to the issues that African Americans care about:

So, in a nutshell, no candidate is “black enough” to represent Black America. But Black America will decide the next President, so we’ll see how “black” the candidates get over in the next few months. Barack won’t be the only one called out for not being “black enough.” The others will have to “talk black” for a minute, if they want to be elected, but nobody is volunteering to be the first “black President.” Obama is just the only one whose face won’t come off after the election. He’ll have to come back home. The others’ blackface will wash off if they have to declare themselves “President of all the people.” Until they make a promise (and come through), nobody’s black enough. The pandering has only just begun.