Barack Obama? … Probably Not
December 24th, 2007
By WILLIAM KERN
Are Americans really prepared to elect a Black president? According to this op-ed article from France’s Sunday newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, if Barack Obama does manage to reach the White House, ‘it will be because his case eases the very conscience of the country … and something really essential will have changed in the United States.’
“Is the United States ready to elect a Black president? In two centuries, only two Blacks have been elected governors. … If Obama does maintain his lead throughout this campaign, it will be because his case eases the very conscience of the country.
The Chronicle of Gilles Delafon
Translated By Pascaline Jay
December 23, 2007
France - Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien - Original Article (French)
Is the United States ready to elect a Black president? In two centuries, only two Blacks have been elected governors in the country. So President? … probably not.
Yet a week before the kickoff to the race for the White House, the Democratic senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, born of a Kenyan father, is favored in the polls. He now outstrips his rival Hillary Clinton in the state of Iowa, where the first primary will take place on January 3rd. [Actually, Iowa holds a caucus rather than a primary ]. He’s also catching up in New Hampshire, where voters will decide on the 8th.
Better still, he’s so far the only Democrat that can beat all of his potential Republican rivals on Election Day. This is the hour of Obama. With his freshness and his spirit of “openness,” he says that once elected, he’s prepared to reach out to Republicans, such as Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Prudence is called for, however. Iowa is an epiphenomenon blown out of proportion by hungry media pugilists. Barely 130,000 voters will decide these polls, and they are hardly determinative. Four years ago, Democrat Howard Dean was the odds-on-favorite in Iowa until he confronted maneuvering by supporters of John Kerry. [Most would argue that it was Dean’s famous “scream” and the reaction of the media to it that did him in].
This entry was posted on Monday, December 24th, 2007 at 8:21 pm and is filed under California, Black/African-American, Debates, Young Voters, Newsweek Blogitics, Iowa, Primaries, Democracy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Kerry, Minorities, 2008 Elections, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Elections, Racism, Politics. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
