Posted on 08/12/2007 8:40:50 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Las Vegas - The two leading Democratic candidates for president came to the sweltering desert last week to address nagging questions of race.
Essentially, both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama had to answer whether each was "black enough" to win the support of a majority of African-American voters in November 2008.
It may seem a peculiar question for any political candidate to face, particularly for Obama, the child of a white mother and black African father.
But it's also a tricky line of inquiry for Clinton, whose husband gained such a mythical stature in the some segments of the black community, he could joke about being the first black president of the United States and get away with it.
Clinton and Obama were featured speakers on separate days last week at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in the city of Lost Wages. Thousands of journalists, media executives, journalism instructors and students were in attendance, which made the NABJ convention a required stop for the two leading Democrats, both of whom will desperately need black votes to capture the White House.
Convention organizers said other Democrats and major Republican candidates were also invited but were unable or unwilling to attend.
As to the predictable lament from some about the need for a black journalism association, perhaps the best answer is that more than 50 years after newsrooms first integrated, many newspapers, TV stations and radio organizations lag behind in hiring black reporters, editors and broadcasters to cover the news.
For evidence of that continued apartheid, just check out the sea of white faces on most Sunday morning network news panel shows.
Curiously, most polls show Obama lags behind Clinton as a favorite of black voters, due to a longstanding loyalty to Bill Clinton. But Obama drew the largest crowd at NABJ and drew the loudest applause when he tackled the issue of his "blackness" head-on with a well-timed quip.
He apologized for being late for his appearance, then added: "but you guys keep on asking if I'm black enough."
That was a sly reference to CPT - "Colored People's Time," for the uninitiated.
After his speech, Obama met with a small group of black columnists from newspapers across the country. He noted no one had ever questioned his blackness when he was elected to the Senate. It only became a talking point after he emerged as a serious contender for president.
He suggested the journalists in the room could probably surmise the origins of the speculation.
"It's not something I spend a lot of time worrying about," Obama said.
In her talk with black columnists, Clinton talked about her plans for saving the approximately 1.4 million black men she described as being "out of school, out of work and out of hope."
She talked about continuing former President Clinton's national dialogue on race and stressed the need to continue addressing racial issues.
A light moment came when a columnist from Milwaukee (OK, it was me) asked Clinton to explain her use of a black dialect during a speech that some right wing talk show hosts suggested was an example of pandering.
Clinton denied any ulterior motives, explaining that she was simply quoting a spiritual in its original form, and suggested it was the result of being around her husband.
"I'm in this inter-racial marriage," she said, as the room of black journalists laughed.
It was an insightful couple of days at the NABJ convention as two major Democratic candidates spoke candidly about race with black journalists who regularly cover those issues.
The only thing that could have been just as interesting would have been to hear Republican candidates attempt to describe their connection with black voters and answer the same questions about issues important to African-Americans.
Given this is Las Vegas, I'd say that scenario might be a long shot at best.
Contact Eugene Kane at (414) 223-5521 or ekane@journalsentinel.com.
BTW... clinton's excuse for the dialect was absolutely lame.
Gag me - they actually laughed? Wonder if they were they laughing WITH her, or AT her?
I’ve always felt that the main issues that concern blacks are the same issues that concern whites, asians, hispanics, and any other ethnic group. Jobs, crime, schools, taxes, military, foreign policy, immigration, abortion, and family values. Unfortunately, the liberal solution to these problems are disasterous to all ethnic groups and America as a whole.
Clinton is a lame excuse.
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