DeclinetoState
05-20-2007, 03:09 PM
Whether or not he wins the Democratic nomination or the American presidency, Barack Obama is doing something incredibly important that no other presidential candidate could do: He is speaking honestly to the black community about the problems that plague them. He is daring to criticize what African-Americans do to themselves, not to score political points among suspicious white voters, a la Bill Clinton's famous Sister Souljah speech attacking rap lyrics, but to show what real leadership in the black community should look and sound like. We should all be listening.
In a series of recent speeches, Obama has taken on the dangerous and self-defeatist attitudes that are partly responsible for the dire straits in which so many black Americans find themselves and their communities. "There's no one else who could say what he said about black people and their responsibility to the larger community," according to my old friend and office-mate Harvard Professor Charles J. Ogletree, who was Barack's mentor when he was in law school.
In Selma, Alabama, Obama took on blacks who don't bother to vote, creating a fictional character called "Cousin Pookie" to illustrate his point. In the wake of the controversy over Don Imus, he criticized rap musicians who use the same language and images that cost Imus his job. He has been especially strong on the culture within the black community that equates academic achievement, professional success, good grammar and good grades with "acting white," instead of recognizing the need for blacks to embrace the tools that lead to economic success.
Blacks are an extraordinarily important force in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, making up as much as half the voters in certain Southern states. Given that, one might expect the first black candidate to pander to his target voters, not criticize them, to blame everyone else for the problems in the black community, rather than putting part of the blame on those who might prefer to see themselves as victims. That is certainly how liberal politicians and most black leaders have tried to curry favor with black voters in the past, promising more aid and affirmative action, and blaming slavery and discrimination for everything that is wrong in black America.Susan Estrich (http://www.creators.com/opinion/susan-estrich.html?columnsName=ses)
I think her support for Obama is misguided, but it is interesting to see her atttack her fellow liberals.
In a series of recent speeches, Obama has taken on the dangerous and self-defeatist attitudes that are partly responsible for the dire straits in which so many black Americans find themselves and their communities. "There's no one else who could say what he said about black people and their responsibility to the larger community," according to my old friend and office-mate Harvard Professor Charles J. Ogletree, who was Barack's mentor when he was in law school.
In Selma, Alabama, Obama took on blacks who don't bother to vote, creating a fictional character called "Cousin Pookie" to illustrate his point. In the wake of the controversy over Don Imus, he criticized rap musicians who use the same language and images that cost Imus his job. He has been especially strong on the culture within the black community that equates academic achievement, professional success, good grammar and good grades with "acting white," instead of recognizing the need for blacks to embrace the tools that lead to economic success.
Blacks are an extraordinarily important force in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, making up as much as half the voters in certain Southern states. Given that, one might expect the first black candidate to pander to his target voters, not criticize them, to blame everyone else for the problems in the black community, rather than putting part of the blame on those who might prefer to see themselves as victims. That is certainly how liberal politicians and most black leaders have tried to curry favor with black voters in the past, promising more aid and affirmative action, and blaming slavery and discrimination for everything that is wrong in black America.Susan Estrich (http://www.creators.com/opinion/susan-estrich.html?columnsName=ses)
I think her support for Obama is misguided, but it is interesting to see her atttack her fellow liberals.