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The Race Card

by Horace_Miskel

When it finally seemed as if Barack Obama had regained momentum,
after losing primaries in Ohio and Texas, critics played a card
that is still polarizing today, and ultimately threatening his
goal of bringing all Americans together in a turbulent era.

In the 2008 election campaign, Obama has distanced himself from
his rivals, not by solely focusing on the hot-button issues that
have divided Americans in the past, such as 4,000 lives lost in
the Iraq War or the imminent economic recession. However, he has
done so by uniting people of all colors and backgrounds to work
together for the common good.

Nevertheless, past remarks by the controversial former pastor of
Obama�s church in Chicago may derail some of that momentum, as
some have questioned his �true� political ideologies and
patriotism.

�I think it�s ridiculous to try to penalize someone for being a
part of a congregation or sitting under a pastor and being
responsible for whatever the pastor�s views are,� said Pastor
Patricia Rickenbacker of the predominantly Black Living Hope
Fellowship Baptist Church in Massapequa, N.Y.

�All the other levels that Pastor Jeremiah Wright has ministered
to Obama�s family, they have developed some type of personal
relationship there that is not crossed out or cancelled because
there�s a difference in ideology or message. You hate the
message, but you don�t hate the messenger,� she added.

Obama responded to the controversy by delivering what critics
have called the most important speech on race relations since
Martin Luther King�s �I Have a Dream� speech in 1963.

If there is a litmus test that says Black candidates must
distance themselves from the Black community and leaders who are
still bitter over past racial injustices, then America may not
have come as far as she thinks she has.

Has White America come far enough to understand that the wounds
of discrimination still hurt for the thousands who were beaten,
jailed and killed so that Obama could be sitting on the cusp of
history?

In addition, has Black America come far enough to realize that
race relations have improved and many in the younger generation
see people for the content of their character and not the color
of their skin?

�I was uncertain whether Obama was going to be able to get out
of the tired old racism box he was painted into. I am now more
convinced than ever that Obama is the right candidate at the
right time to move us into the 21st century without a whole lot
of the baggage that has been weighing us down as a nation,� said
Meryl Vladimer of Brooklyn, N.Y.

However, Harvey Karron stated, �Obama knew his pastor for more
than 20 years. He had to have known about the hateful remarks
that his pastor said against America. Yet, Obama and his wife
continued to think of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as a great
inspiration.  If Obama wanted to be a great healer, unifier and
different type of politician, he should have had the strength to
move his family out of that church.�

Nevertheless, Rabbi Jonathan Waxman said he often hears from
congregants who do not agree with his sermons or political views,
according to the Associated Press.

�Religious leaders don�t necessarily represent the views of the
people in the pews. Sometimes we are deliberately provocative,
knowing that not everybody will be thrilled,� said Waxman.

Todd Smith is the web master for <a
href="http://www.regalmag.com"> Regal Mag </a> The preeminent
Online Magazine for African American Men.

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