[x]

He enjoyed his foreign African name and it took him a long way with the American black community.

More than White people did? African-Americans would have voted for a black Democrat whatever his or her name was. A lot of White liberals felt more comfortable voting for someone with an African name than someone with a stereotypically African-American name.

[Yaelle]

Well, yes, of course his exotic name had whites bowing and scraping, too.