TROUBL

As the 2008 presidential election hype began to grow, I started to get excited. I’m not a political junkie but a few things in particular made me tune in. First off, the 2008 election represents the end of an era. After eight years of shady elections, scare tactics and war, George and the gang would begin their exit from the White House. This alone made me interested, wanting to know who could possibly take their place.

I was also excited by the fact that a woman had a legitimate chance of winning. Admittedly, I’m not much of a Clinton fan, but Hillary does represent change. I began to think how her presidency would shake up America’s outdated belief that only old white men can be president. The Clinton campaign also returned me to Bill’s time in office, when black folks actually felt like the president of our country was listening to their concerns. And although I respect Bill for his personable character and Hilary for her ambition, during the past eight years they’ve been too conservative for my taste. I mean, Hillary did vote for the war and hasn’t really done much to combat the Bush doctrine.

Even with my reservations, I still was captivated by the election because more than Bush or Hillary, the campaign of Senator Barak Obama gave me hope. My hope, which just so happens to be the key buzzword of the Obama campaign, was about the dreams of an entire race of people. To me, Obama becoming president was about children of color and the unlimited possibilities that his presidency would inspire. What critics called a flaw in his candidacy, I seen as an advantage. His short time in Washington gave me hope (that damn word again) that maybe he hasn’t had enough time to be corrupted by the powers there.

Also, I agreed with Obama, who voted against invading Iraq when doing so was unpopular. That takes integrity, which in the eyes of the world America has lost. I began thinking to myself, “with a black president the world will see our progressive society and respect America once again.” Or so I hoped.

Today, one year away from the election and a few months out from the primary, I’m beginning to think I got my hopes up for nothing. I began questioning myself—has he engaged me with anything more than his blackness? Other than hope, what does he represent? Is Obama black enough?

Questioning myself, I realized the black enough question may be the single most important in the minds of all potential voters. I’m not talking about the light-skinned/dark-skinned debate that exists in the black community. For me, “black enough” is symbolic. Black represents the lowest rung of America’s social ladder, therefore encompassing all people of marginal status.

We all see that Obama is black, but have we seen his blackness? Have we seen him really connect with the perspectives of marginal people. Has he adequately addressed the issues that affect people at the bottom? Many black people answer with an emphatic, “no.” Ask black people the same question about Bill Clinton and you get a different answer. People of color want to know that Obama understands what it means to struggle. What it means too battle stereotypes. What it means to be considered an outsider.

Some weeks back, I attended the Obama rally at NYU. The crowd was overwhelmingly female and overwhelmingly white. Which is not a bad thing, but speaks largely to who his message has been resonating with.

I’m still an Obama supporter, but its time to stop being cautious. Its time to be more than a politician. How do you expect to win if you follow the traditional campaign path? Right now Obama looks like change, but he doesn’t feel like it to me. Politics is funny. While Obama is connecting with people who look like Hillary, she’s engaging people who look like him.