Clean as a whistle, sharp as double-edged hope

The garrulous wonk, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE), has been quoted in a newly released article in The New York Observer as saying the following about his colleague and new rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL):

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

He has apologized (sorta) for his use of the word "clean". And seemingly much of the news generated around this apparent gaffe on the part of white mainstream journalists is on what Biden meant by "clean" and how those of us loud, super-sensitive Blackfolk will take it. And the disparity between the two is grist for the mill, chum in the water, and [insert your own cliché here].

The focus is on "clean" because white corporate journalism wants to skillfully intimate that Biden is making a not so subtle commentary on other "Black leaders'" integrity and motivations that they themselves (besides Fox News and the like) do not have the courage to admit to: that they think that Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson are hustlin' snake oil salesmen.

This is what many white (non-self-identified conservative) journalists in print and broadcast arenas would love to say explicitly, emphatically and relentlessly, but don't due to the veneer of objectivity they would like to project and the limited, but still significant influence of these two same objects of their scorn.

The reality is that many discerning people believe that while Biden's use of "clean" was questionable, at the very least, other elements of his statement -- and his statement as whole -- were far worse than the possible jab at the probity of non-Obama Black leaders.

To Senator Obama's credit, while seemingly letting Biden off the hook about his use of the word "clean", the senator quickly reminded Biden of other esteemed Black presidential candidates (i.e., Chisolm, Jackson, Moseley Braun &  Sharpton).

The real question that should be posed to not only Biden, the mainstream media, to the growing hordes of overwhelmingly white Obamamaniacs (and to Senator Obama himself) is: why is this Black politician really so different and perceived to be so different? That is an underlying and essential question that must be answered to expose the nature and impact of this multi-faceted Obama phenomenon.

He is not as yet the first potentially viable Black presidential contender. He is not the first or only articulate Black public servant, nor the first "nice looking" or intelligent Black politician, all of which traits are highly subjective determinations. So, now we come to Biden's use of the term "mainstream".

Mainstream is one of those funny words like love and racism, because everyone seems to have their own definitions. For me, my sense is that what Biden wanted to say was that Obama is an assimilitated negro. And the set of criteria for this assessment are Obama's image as non-ministerial Black politician who is smart, clean-cut, telegenic, broadly charismatic, light-skinned, well-educated and one who speaks standard English-speaking as well or better than most whitefolk (i.e., the all too familiar racist compliment: "he's sooo articulate!"). This, on top of the fact frequently noted fact that his mother was white (and from the heartland) and ostensibly may have a split racial allegiance or cultural identity that many hope transcends race entirely.

However, this is not an image or political identity that Obama has to verbalize, but is attributed out of the neurosis of racism that compells its victims to twist reality in such a way that conforms to their socio-political dementia.

Within seconds of ending his seminal public address at the Democratic Convention in Boston 3 years ago, a fellow (white) blogger standing next to me in the nose-bleed section there exaltingly sighed, "He's the Tiger Woods of politics!" A revealing comment meant as compliment and taken (by me) as an insult; code for: he's not really Black. He's just like one of us, only with a slightly darker complexion. He's an exception because he's exceptional.

Blackfolk, just like other oppressed people in this society, are expert in deciphering linguistic and non-verbal codes. And the simple fact remains that to many (but not all) of us, Biden's initial remarks, lengthy protestations and rote genuflection to the arbiters of racial correctness evince the most common strain of unintentional racism that make us question the motivations of the most stalwart white supporters of Obama.

This suspicion that I'm fairly certain many African Americans share about Obama's broad, if not shallow, popularity thus far centers on Obama's very own mantra around the idea of hope. However, much like love and racism, what hope means to me as a Black man is vastly different than what hope might mean to many white people in the context of modern American politics.

I have the hope, to quote Rev. King, "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed." But for many of my white counterparts, much of their hope appears to be invested in the notion that enough racial progress has been made thus far as manifest in the media-produced iconography of Barack Obama (and Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Colin Powell). And as a result, this new, young, meta-racial "rock star" can be emblematic of a new political environment in which white people can live in a guilt-free post-Civil Rights era simply by their conspicuous evangelizing around the myth of the 21st century American "melting pot" while neglecting the substance of working towards racial and economic justice for all.

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[political forum]

I think Obama makes a great presidential candidate, but I don't think that he'll make a great president.

[Robert Walk]

I’m a 29-year-old Christian and African American living in the Bronx New York and a member of a generation that has been maligned by the drug epidemic, a faltering educational system and falling real-wages. Despite these problems, I’m proud of my generations’ perseverance and fight to overcome its challenges. Our fight has continued as we attempt to strengthen America by forcing it to recognize its wrongs, putting aside the blind patriotism of the past for a pragmatic, fair and balanced view of American that will consistently battle its demons and give all of its people a real chance of success and the American dream.

My generation has been asked to do more with less and criticized for not continuing the social activism that our parents and grandparents trumpeted throw the civil rights area. But our fight is different. We are not fighting against external demons of racism, sexism and communism, but we are waging war against our internal demons of empathy, greed and low expectations. This fight has forced us to look at our own mistakes and how we can become better people that will make a better country.

We are now veterans of the post 911 era, a time of real and manufactured challenges to our health and safety, we do not want these challenges to make us fearful, driving use to support perpetual war and repressive government policies that restrict our freedoms, thoughts and actions.

I believe Senator Obama will fight for my generation, gathering the winds of change to make America the greatest country on this earth. I also believe Senator Obama will serve as a beacon of light for people of color around this country that suffer from a state of low expectations and low self-esteem.

[Douglas in Philly]

Good analysis. I think Obama is acceptable to white people for precisely the reasons you stated. He's a safe black guy. You wouldn't clutch your purse tighter if you saw him coming down the street. He embodies everything about white America in his mannerisms and dress. He doesn't come across as angry.

[Niche]

What an excellent analysis of the issue. I wonder how comfortable the media and general public will really feel about an exceptional man such as Obama as it gets closer to the election. Many love him now, but I am so afraid that the other shoe will drop. I want to believe, but I feel like the hundreds of years of prejudice ingrained in all Americans (black, white, latino, asian) is too much and especially since some people think that racism is OVER. Will the "circle be unbroken"?

[Deocliciano Okssipin Vieira]

I fear that the anti-Obama projection from black folks are to disguise the fact that anyone is the master of his destine.
That people cannot wait for others to change in order for us to get better. We must fight for ourselves, changing accordingly with time.

Mostly those who calls themselves progressive black, are the one to blame. Behaving like paternal doves.

Anyone must be accountable for her/his own acts, it is our lives after all.

Waiting for a Messiah is a crime.

Like in the Morrison´s Paradise, bandaging ourselves inside our own fears would only lead to destruction.

[scrubbyoak]

Senator Biden should be ashamed of himself, but please, let's not overplay this one and self-destruct.

I've begun to notice some anti-Obama projection from black folks as a backlash for the media lovefest with him. Why do we care which black the media loves best in this situation? Shouldn't our goal/dream be to have that very first black slip through the little crack in the door?

It's always been our ticket in every aspect that we've overcome. The white public finds a black person they are very comfortable with, lets him/her through the proverbial crack in the door, realize we are competent or better, and consequently black folks of every shade of color (high yellow to dark ebony) waltz through a wide open door.

In America, a person is black even if they have only one drop of black blood in them. Who cares. As long as one of us, ANY one of us, is let in through that little crack in the door. And those blackfolk that complain that Obama is not your typical black: well, not a single white presidential candidate is typical of whitefolk, either.