Black Clinton Backer Concerned Obama Win Could Stifle Racial Progress

[Wretched Excess]

Black Clinton Backer Concerned Obama Win Could Stifle Racial Progress

Many Americans are misguided in thinking that a Barack Obama win will settle the race discussion in the U.S., Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Hillary Clinton supporter who drew attention this weekend for pointed remarks about Obama, told FOX News on Wednesday.

Following up on remarks he made to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in which he described Obama as a “mediocre” orator, Cleaver said he thought the Illinois senator will win the Democratic presidential nomination, but that doesn’t mean the work will be done trying to improve race relations in America.

“I think whites would say, ‘How could anybody say we were racist, that we have any racist residue when you look what we just did (potentially electing Obama)?’ And African Americans would say, ‘Look at what we just did. So now we ought to have unblocked access to all of our dreams, all of our hopes,’” Cleaver said.

“And I think there would be great disappointment when they saw some issue of race surfacing. It would be like, ‘Oh my goodness. I thought we were past that.’”

Cleaver, a former Kansas City mayor, added that whites sometimes think that saying an African-American is “articulate” is a compliment, but in actuality it is symptomatic of latent low expectations.

“If you will remember earlier, one of the senators here referred to Senator Obama as ‘articulate.’ And I’ve never heard someone refer to Senator Clinton as articulate. I’ve never heard it,” he said.

“I mean if we’re going to have a conversation about race, we’re going to have to saying an African American is articulate is good. … We have to think, do we say this about whites? I testified before Congress in 1977 after a flood in Kansas City. And after the hearing was over, a Democrat walked over to me and said thank you for appearing before our committee and you were so articulate. I mean, they have articulate people up here before Congress all the time,” Cleaver continued.

Cleaver told the CBC over the weekend that while Obama is articulate, “in that black tradition, he would probably be mediocre.” At first denying to FOX News that he ever called Obama “mediocre,” the congressman cited other legendary black orators and stood by his views that Obama wouldn’t rate, even compared to his own controversial pastor, Jeremiah Wright.”When you consider the great African American orators, Senator Obama may not even measure up as I wouldn’t,” he said.

The second-term congressman also said that both black Americans must also get beyond the notion that once one African-American gets ahead he should show favoritism to other African-Americans.

“I will never forget, I was elected the first black mayor of Kansas City. And a week after I was elected, someone black, a black friend of mine, Robert Reid asked if I would speak to Don Hall, the owner of Hallmark Cards about a contract for a business idea he had. And I said I can’t do that. And he said, ‘Well, you’re the mayor.’ And I mean I think we’ve got to get beyond this. And if we ever have a conversation about race in this country, we have to talk about those things without inflaming the situation.”

Cleaver’s initial remarks to the CBC drew heat for again raising the issue of race on the campaign trail, something that the Clinton campaign had to deal with when former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro said Obama wouldn’t be where he is today if he weren’t black. Ferraro also said she wouldn’t have been Walter Mondale’s running mate in 1984 if she hadn’t been a woman. Nonetheless, she resigned from Clinton’s finance committee shortly after her comments went national.

Democratic strategist Michael Brown said stereotypes about race and gender continue, but he doesn’t think they have as much impact on the campaign season as some would say.

“Clearly if you look at the data of this primary season, Senator Obama is doing great among African-Americans, so clearly a lot of African-Americans don’t think he’s mediocre, they think he’s better than mediocre. So clearly the data may not be but the stereotypes still do exist,” he said.

Cleaver said that unless Michigan and Florida’s delegates are seated — both states gave Clinton the win but were penalized for holding early primaries — Obama will likely win the nomination.

He also warned that the ongoing fight over the delegates needs to be wrapped up or it could damage the party “if it continues to go downhill” and lasts up until the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August.

“I’m hoping that we will resolve the knotty problems before we get to Denver. If not, we’re going to have a problem. Senator Clinton has spoken with me. We both understand exactly that I’m still one of her supporters and I’m not going to abandon her. I’m for Senator Clinton and not against Senator Obama,” he said.

Link

many, many jewels in this one.

Electing BO would mistakenly make silly white people think that the "race issue" was handled, and that would be bad?  and BO is only a "mediocre" speaker in the black tradition?

 

[Lord Undies]

“Clearly if you look at the data of this primary season, Senator Obama is doing great among African-Americans, so clearly a lot of African-Americans don’t think he’s mediocre, they think he’s better than mediocre. So clearly the data may not be but the stereotypes still do exist,” he said.

They don't give a shit about his oratory skills.  All they care about is if he is a liberal or not.

The press acts as if Hussein Obama is the first serious "black" presidential candidate.  He's not.

[USA4ME]

The press acts as if Hussein Obama is the first serious "black" presidential candidate.  He's not.

That's true, and even better Bill Clinton was the first black president.  All you have to do is look at his credentials; He has a thing for plus-sized white women, he spend his whole time in office worrying whether or not he was going to have a job the next day, half his friends are in jail, and his wife is crazy.  If that ain't a "brother," then I don't know what is.

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