This presidential election season comes at the closing of the first decade of the twenty-first century and has found American politics and society at an apparent fork in the road. Interestingly enough, American politics and society faced similar challenges moving forward, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The respective role of the Democratic and Republican political parties has reversed between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in the framework of the reality on the ground in both scenarios of the respective Democratic and Republican Parties. At this early stage of the twenty-first century it is difficult to ascertain the trajectory of America’s critical mass at this dubious fork in the road juncture.
A seminal challenge of the nineteenth century which animated both the Black and White “race” in America was the abolition of slavery. The civil war history speaks volumes relative to the political, economic, and social movement of Black and White Americans working together to insure the founding proclamation that all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights is achieved.
Following the end of the civil war, the civil rights of Black Americans could only be guaranteed by the imposition of federal troops in some southern states. This period is popularly known as Reconstruction and lasted for about a decade. During Reconstruction, Black Americans achieved unprecedented advances in business, politics, and the professions that remain unrivaled by the standards of today.
The story of how and why federal troops were withdrawn from protecting the rights of The fortunes of Black American citizens, as part of the great compromise, is perhaps a metaphor for the events that followed and continue. Intimidation, terrorism, violence, murder, lynching, and odious political machinations ruled the subsequent years. The era of racial segregation ensued punctuated by abject poverty and Jim Crow laws.
The Great War and World War II provided an opportunity for Black Americans to transcend their practical circumstance and serve in the armed forces with valor and distinction. The loyalty of Black Americans was tested and confirmed during World Wars I and II, as well as in the Korean conflict, despite the practical scenario on the ground of their respective neighborhoods. However, because of pervasive poverty and oppression, there was a growing sensibility that enough is enough, which correlated with the murder of young Emit Till, Brown verses the Board of Education, and other developments of the time.
The modern civil rights movement was inspired by a historic pattern of blatant economic, political, and social deprivation as well as violence against Black Americans that reached the boiling point. Ultimately, white Americans engaged the struggle to help Blacks achieve their legitimate aspirations as citizens, and ensure that their civil rights were enforced. This was the second great Black and White political coalition mimicking the first civil rights movement. Desegregation of schools, integration of public accommodations, voting rights legislation, and affirmative action statute are examples of advances and victories of the acclaimed modern civil rights movement.
The assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, the titular leader of the civil rights movement, coupled with the apparent social and political success, marked an unceremonious end to the popular political movement. Nevertheless, the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that we should be judged by the quality of our character not the color of our skin has endured.
Regrettably, the apparent social and political success of the twentieth century’s modern civil rights movement seems to be a metaphor of the auspicious nineteenth century civil rights movement. Its’ promise has eluded the community at large. Hence, the butterfly that emerged from the modern civil rights movement has lost its’ wings and is a caterpillar once again seeking a venue for the hope of political maturation.
Accordingly, the verisimilitude associated with the advent of Senator Barack Obama as a credible and viable candidate for President of the United States, may have unwrapped the American racial pathology. Anecdotal evidence suggests that after Senator Obama demonstrated his capacity to raise millions in campaign funds, in addition to his political rhetorical skills, some among the White American demographic have become malignantly fearful. In this context, the specter of an Obama presidency is a worse-case-scenario political nightmare that must be avoided by any means necessary.
Initially, the Senator very skillfully managed to navigate his campaign beyond the racial divide, despite the assault of negative rumors and innuendoes leveled by his political opponents. Also, the insertion of controversial and incendiary sound-bites associated with his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, coupled with political questions posed by the “forth estate,” required a direct answer from the candidate. Senator Obama responded with a national televised presentation on race that was assessed by many as nothing short of a brilliant, effective way of putting the question to the American people.
As the campaign for the Democratic nomination enters the final stretch, Obama has been able to maintain his lead in the delegate count and the legitimate popular vote. However, the fear-mongering and race-based attacks against Senator Obama and his wife are on a virulent crescendo. Obviously, it remains to be seen who will be the party nominee at the end of the day. Concomitantly, the protracted and racially divisive tactics and subtext of the nomination process is likely to ensure a pyrrhic climax for Democrats moving forward to the November general election.
The Democratic Party is the oldest political party in America and is arguably the most colorful, in the context of its’ transitional political odyssey. In the nineteenth century, the Democratic Party was pro-slavery and facilitated the establishment of the infamous KKK, who terrorized and lynched Black folk as a function of their normal operation. In the twentieth century, the political paradigm changed from conservative Democrat to liberal, and the party merged with the unfolding civil rights movement. As a practical political matter, the Democratic Party is currently positioned as the party of modern civil rights.
In deed there is substantial political irony relative to the evolution of the Democratic Party politics, vis-à-vis, Black Americans. While the jury has not yet returned with a definitive answer to the race issue, we are ever mindful of the current, as well as previous, legacy. On the other hand, the Grand Old Party of President Abraham Lincoln is equally challenged to move beyond its’ propensity toward race-based politics and embrace the rich legacy of its history and bygone age.
There is a groundswell in all quarters regarding this election because of the war, foreign policy, as well as the subliminal racial dimension in the fabric of America’s domestic policy. Many in the Black community suspect that aspects of White America may not be ready for a Black man to be the commander and chief of this great country. Accordingly, the tactics of Senator Obama’s opponents have injected and sustained as race-based political juggernaut, as a last ditch kitchen sink strategy, to awaken the emotions associated with America’s unspoken historical nature.
Both White and Black Americans say that racial prejudice is dormant, strong, and sophisticated in the current domestic and global political vernacular. The political speculation and prognostication about the race dimension has become a feature in the international press. The Times of London published an article on April 24, 2008 under the by line of Anatole Kaletsky, which speaks volumes in itself. The piece was entitled: “Yes it’s politically incorrect but race matters”. Subtitled, “The Democrats must admit it: Obama would lose to McCain.
An interesting quote in the body of the two page single space article reads that: “Mrs. Clinton will now carry on with her campaign is not probable but essential. The voting in Pennsylvania confirms that she has a much better chance than Obama of winning the White House for the Democrats. According to the Associated Press exit polls published yesterday, 16 percent of White Democratic voters considered race an important factor in the Presidential election and 43 percent of these said they would either vote Republican or not at all, if Mr. Obama were the Democratic nominee.”
On the other hand, Obama enjoys overwhelming support from Canadians in his quest to win the White House and believe that he will win the nomination and the Presidency.
Gary James is a freelance writer and political analyst. His second book will be released this summer and his third book will be released in the spring of 2009. For more information contact visit;
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