By Churchill Okonkwo
Date: June 6th, 2008
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Whatever happens in 2008 November presidential election
in the United States, the spectrum of American political
history will never be the same. When on July 4, 1776, the
founding fathers of America declared “All men are created
equal and have the right to life liberty and the pursuit of
happiness” little did they know that it will take another
two hundred and thirty two years to itch closer to the
actualization of the declaration. Barack Obama represents in
its entirety the “American Dream”.
While Obama is challenging the way things are done in
Washington, getting new people interested in the process and
seems to be inspiring a new generation. In Missouri, more
than 780,000 voters participated in the Democratic primary —
a 47 percent increase over the previous record. In New
Hampshire more than 529,711 residents voted in the
Democratic and Republican primaries, smashing the state’s
presidential primary record of 396,385 set in 2000. On Super
Tuesday alone, turnout records were set in 15 states where
both parties held Feb. 5 primaries. Twelve states saw
record-breaking Democratic turnout while 11 set Republican
turnout records. Both the Democratic and Republican
candidates seem to be telling Americans that government is
their bus and that they should all come in and have a seat.
As Obama became the presumptive democratic nominee, the big
question mark still hanging on the his neck however is; Is
he good for America?
From all indications, Obama’s presidency will inspire the
African American kids and other minorities. He will make
them stop worrying about their place in America because they
can be all they want in America. Caroline Kennedy, the
daughter of JF Kennedy agreed with this when she wrote in
the New York Times piece “A President Like My Father” that
Obama could be the first president like her father, one who
can inspire “a new generation of Americans.” It is believed
that he will inspire a new generation of Americans who have
almost disengaged from the political process. With his
diverse background it is hoped that he will heal the wound
of racism. With his international outlook the rest of the
world think he will repair the damage done by the Bush
administration in international affairs starting with the
Iraq war. With a childhood spent partly in Asia, among
Muslims, no public relations campaign could do more than
Obama's mere presence in the White House to defuse
anti-American passion around the world especially in the
Muslim countries.
With Obama, America will hopefully be seeking another
dimension in relating with the world through engagement,
international diplomacy, as he has repeatedly stated on his
campaign trail. If he succeeds in ending the war in Iraq and
solving the Middle East problem, America will stand tall
again in the comity of nations and along side her allies.
America will save money currently being spent in Iraq at
$5000 dollars a second and use it to beef up America’s
floundering economy.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama says race is an
issue that America cannot ignore. By challenging Americans
to address the issue of race, he may be the one to lead
America out of this present tip toeing around the issue of
race. According to New York Times editorial of March 19,
2008 ‘What is evident is that Barack Obama not only cleared
the air over a particular controversy - he raised the
discussion of race and religion to a higher plane.” But his
reference to Reverend Wright as his "spiritual mentor” and
his attendance of the church where hate-mongering and racist
utterances from his former pastor for two decades now
appears to be a contradiction of his stance as a one who
unites. The controversial statement by Obama’s wife Michele
that; “for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really
proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done
well, but because I think people are hungry for change”
further raises question as to whether Obama is resonating
with mainstream American values.
Already in this campaign many have been questioning if Obama
is really a mainstream candidate or just a flash in the pan.
Former President Clinton first raised the question in South
C. when he said that "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in
'84 and '88. Also, Geraldine Ferraro, Walter Mondale's
vice-presidential pick in 1984 and former top Hillary
Clinton ally said that, “If Obama was a white man, he would
not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any
colour) he would not be in this position. He happens to be
very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in
the concept." Obama supporters, such as former Gov. Jim
Hodges disagrees saying that Obama’s win in South Carolina
cannot be written off as Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 S.C.
caucus victories were. He added that Obama proved he could
appeal to a broad group of voters. “It was a first round
knockout,” Hodges said. “(Jackson) didn’t win like this.
Nobody’s won like this.” And can Barack Obama now avoid
being seen as a black candidate, rather than a candidate who
happens to be a black man?
Obamas’ association with controversial Antoin Rezko, a
former fundraiser who is on trial facing extortion charges
is raising a lot of questions on his message of change and a
different approach to politics in Washington. Antoin Rezko
helped raise up to $250,000 for the Illinois senators past
political campaigns, nearly $90,000 more than the Obama
campaign previously acknowledged. Obama also recently told
the editorial boards of the Chicago Tribune that it was a
mistake for him to purchase his Chicago home at less than
the asking price on the same day that the wife of Rezko,
purchased an adjoining vacant lot from the same seller.
Although Obama has not been implicated or accused of any
wrong doing, and has since donated $150,000 to charity that
Rezko brought into the campaign, the question of dealings
between the two men and how much in all Rezko raised still
remain. Just yesterday, a federal jury found Antoin Rezko,
guilty of 16 of 24 counts in his Illinois corruption trial,
the Associated Press reported.
In the editorial piece endorsing Hillary Clinton, NY Times
state that “The potential upside of a great Obama presidency
is enticing, but this country faces huge problems, and will
no doubt be facing more that we can’t foresee. The next
president needs to start immediately on challenges that will
require concrete solutions, resolve, and the ability to make
government work. Mrs. Clinton is more qualified, right now,
to be president.” However, in his own endorsement of Sen.
Barack Obama by Gov. Bill Richardson a former Democratic
presidential candidate, referred to Obama as an
"extraordinary American." He said that "Barack Obama will
make a great and historic president," and that "[It] is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our nation and you [Obama]
are a once-in-a-lifetime leader."
According to Mark Nepo; to change without journeying is to
be a chameleon. To journey and be transformed is to be a
pilgrim. America has journeyed and appears to be ready for
‘change’. McCain and Obama are all promising change from the
Bush administration, but what of leadership and experience?
While Obama is said to be lacking the experience and
leadership credentials, he has consistently claimed that
leadership is not so much about familiar techniques in
Washington as it is about opening of hearts. McCain’s gaffe
on Al-Qaeda being trained in Iran and sent back to fight in
Iraq has raised questions on what experience really is.
Obama has questioned the benefits of experience riddled with
whirl wind of bad judgment from those that supported the
Iraqi war “that shouldn’t have been authorized in the first
place”. That is still rhetoric. The question on his
experience still remains - a seemingly weakness that he has
to address especially if he wins the democratic race.
Questions have been asked; “how much is Obama worth?” And
some simple answers provided; whatever someone is willing to
pay. Obama may not be the perfect president America is
looking for. In fact, he will not solve all the problems of
America. He has his weaknesses. While he draws his strength
from young people and those with college degrees, he
performs poorly when it comes to people over 65 and people
without college degrees. He is thus looking like a candidate
who cannot compete in the big states with Blue Collar
workers and traditional democrats where he continues to lose
to Clinton. This further raises question as to his
electability. Obama is however, not just good for America
because he will be the first black president and a source of
inspiration to the rest of the minorities here and in the
rest of the world. He is good for America because of what he
promised to take to the White House – inspiration, hope,
candor, economic revival, restoration of quality and
confidence in our public schools.
Americans have been excited by the current democratic
process with record turn outs. In Pennsylvania, a record
number of 4,044,952 democrats and 3,215,478 republicans are
registered for the primary. Harry A. VanSickle, the state’s
elections commissioner said “it’s kind of incredible” just
before he announced the record numbers. But between stimulus
and response, there lies a space. In that space lies the
freedom and power of Americans to choose their response. The
current race for the White House has ignited a fire of hope
in Americans for the first time since Martin Luther King’s
famous “I Have a Dream” speech. How do they respond?
Paraphrasing Kofi Anan, - the former secretary of UN: To
live is to choose. But to choose well, Americans must know
who their candidates are and what they stand for, where they
want to go and why they want to get there. That is the
beauty of the democratic process. Opportunity however they
said is a funny thing. Sometimes it’s lost, other times it’s
missed. Half the time, it’s blown. With the two candidates
that still have a realistic chance of becoming the 42nd
president on the United State, Americans have a choice. And
the choice they make is ultimately their own responsibility.
Whatever happens in November, Obama has brought changes to
the American electoral process as it is. He has changed the
perception and political equation. His supporters and his
detractors all agreed on his inspirational qualities. Joe
Namath said that, “To be a leader, you have to make people
want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who
doesn't know where he is going.” Senator Barack Obama is
being followed, whether he is good for America is a question
only time will tell.
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Why Obama is Good for America
