Black People Politics : Barack Obama is a Phenomenon

[Omowale Jabali]

Barak Obama the Visionary Minimalist

Natinr:

While your comments were directly related to omowalejabali's previous post, they are definitely "off topic". This forum was started to shed light on the phenomenon of Senator Barack Obama's presidential candidacy.

@onelight,

Your post is right on time.

The following is a link to an article in the previous edition of The New Republic magazine, which I was reading earlier today. The article was written by one of Obama's law professors.

The essence of the article states that Obama is continuing to work in the tradition that he has operated within as a student of constitutional law, which has two basic schools of thought. The minimalist and the visionary.

When black people criticize Obama for his not speaking concerning "black issues" this is not necessarily true. Obama is addressing those issue, but not within the traditional legalistic or legislative framework. And for sure, his political campaing has taken the strategy of non-identity politics, which does not speak to the specila interests of any particular racial, ethnic or gender group.

Barak Obama is seeking to break tradition and is emerging as a Visionary Minimalist, or a Minimalist Visionary, rather than a traditional "Black" leader.

This is the change in which he speaks of. A new Vision not only for Americans across racial, class and gender identification, but also with a global perspective as well.

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=8200e5c2-a250-4532-b318-6182083b698e

 

[Omowale Jabali]

Barack Obama is a phenomenon.

Roget’s New Millennium Thesaurus lists, “wonder”, “act of God” and “Divine act” as synonyms for phenomenon.

Barack Obama is a phenomenon. His candidacy and campaign for President of the United States is not just about whether or not he is elected. His candidacy has brought to the forefront of the political process and into plane view, the truth that America’s collective consciousness has shifted. It has shifted away from the old White racist regime domination and the 1960’s civil rights “give us equality-sit-ins-boycotts-marching mentality. America’s collective consciousness has bent in a new direction. It has bent toward a “we the people” (Black and White) mentality. We must capitalize on this shifting by giving it life. Life is birthed into this dimension through thought, sound and action. (What are you birthing or manifesting into this physical dimension?)

America is at a crossroad. Obama’s presence in the race unveiled the truth that the American people, (Black and White) want to live in a country where an African American can be elected President. Never before in history has America been postured for this degree of change. Senator Obama’s bid for the Presidency has brought this to the forefront.

This isn’t to say that racism doesn’t exist or that it has decreased some astronomically huge degree. This isn’t to say that we no longer need to ascribe to the principles of the Civil Rights Movement. This isn’t to say that if Senator Obama is elected President it will not be the result of a predetermined decision made by “the powers that be”. This isn’t to say that life will become crystal stairs for African Americans. What I am saying is unless and until we as a people recognize the Divinity of this moment in time we will have to repeat it.

The Obama candidacy is clearly the logical step in progression toward our social liberation. We must remember to recognize the value of Jessie Jackson’s and Al Sharpton’s bid for President. It was these gentlemen and a few other African Americans who paved the way for Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama is paving the way for other African American presidential candidates. This is what our African American forefathers suffered and died for. Do you think Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner and Sojourner Truth would have to consider whether or not they would vote for Mr. Obama?

I think we can all agree that with Obama as President for the next 4 years, America will not suddenly deteriorate into a third world country. He’s prepared to serve as Commander in Chief of this county.

I think we can also agree that our lives will more than likely NOT improve over the next 4 years because Hilary Clinton becomes President. We stand to gain so much more if Senator Obama is elected. But even if he isn’t elected he has already made a positive impact on America. Just imagine for a moment the life changing effect the presence and image of an African American President will have on our young black boys.

By the way… I changed my party affiliation from Independent to Democrat so that I could vote for Obama in the primary.

I dont think that there is reason to fear America "deteriorating into a third world country" moreso than what effect will America's financial collapse on the so-called "Third World."

I do share some folks apprehension with the us created AFRICOM and have a concern for escalated us intervention in Africa, if not outright imperialist aggression.


This points to "Obama and the limits of identity politics"

http://www.oilempire.us/obama.html

The interesting thing about the Obama phenomenon is where we realize it or not the American political spectrum is not moving to the left, or the far right. It is moving to the center and this is posing problems for the far right conservatives who see McCain emerging as a front-runner and he is viewed as a liberal republican even though he is 100% against affirmative action. But Obama is exposing even the traditional liberal Democrat, represented by Hillary Clinton, as the eauivalent of the liberal republican, which is why America seems to be settling between McCain and Clinton as the frontrunners.


Most of Obama's supporters either are between or outside of these two spectrums, and the youth vote is exposing what can be viewed as a natural development which has occured. A generational gap as the Boomer generation becomes more political reactionary, and the youth demand change.

I think this is explained somewhere in the biblical Book of Matthew.

 

[onelight]

@onelight,

Your post is right on time.

The following is a link to an article in the previous edition of The New Republic magazine, which I was reading earlier today. The article was written by one of Obama's law professors.

The essence of the article states that Obama is continuing to work in the tradition that he has operated within as a student of constitutional law, which has two basic schools of thought. The minimalist and the visionary.

When black people criticize Obama for his not speaking concerning "black issues" this is not necessarily true. Obama is addressing those issue, but not within the traditional legalistic or legislative framework. And for sure, his political campaing has taken the strategy of non-identity politics, which does not speak to the specila interests of any particular racial, ethnic or gender group.

Barak Obama is seeking to break tradition and is emerging as a Visionary Minimalist, or a Minimalist Visionary, rather than a traditional "Black" leader.

This is the change in which he speaks of. A new Vision not only for Americans across racial, class and gender identification, but also with a global perspective as well.

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=8200e5c2-a250-4532-b318-6182083b698e

Thank you for the article. I agree with your assessment of the article. It is, in my opinion, one of the most comprehensive and accurate descriptions of who Barack Obama is and what he believes and hopes to achieve.

 

[Omowale Jabali]

@onelight

No Omowaoejabali. The Obama Phenomenon would not cease to exist. A phenomenon is a phenomenon with or without definite form. Again, movements such as what has started as a result of the Obama Candidacy, are a type of amorphous phenomena. The phenomenon is in full effect and will be for a long time whether Obama is elected or not. His candidacy has changed the way people think. What happens(ed) with Guiliani, McCain or Clinton is neither here nor there.

After reading the article today which I posted for you I would have to agree because it gave me a deeper knowledge of where is is coming from. AsI was reading, it brought me to remember years ago when I was studying law and contemplating the various schools of chinese philosophy related to Confucianism.


http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/confuc/geness.html

3. they endeavour to carry out, politically and ethically, collectively and individually, the principles embodied in these classics.

Not to equate Obama with a Concucianist but, when folks act concerning his addressing or not addressing the "collective" I realize that there are various ways to do this, within a moralistic and ethical framework, which also allows for one individualistic vision, without sacrificing one's vision or responsibility to the collective.

I would then have to assume that as a student of law, as the author points out, these were issues that Barak dealt with in the couse of his study, and which he has worked to apply in principle as a legislator.

In essence, he is a non-traditional pragmatist.

Similar to my own political orientation at present, which I personally view as the correct course of action at this moment in time.

This is why when asked I tell people my support for Obama is not because of his "race" but where he stands on the issues, and where I find "common ground".

Peace and thanks for helping me to see these things, because you truly have.

 

[Omowale Jabali]

Obama the Visionary Minimalist

Thank you for the article. I agree with your assessment of the article. It is, in my opinion, one of the most comprehensive and accurate descriptions of who Barack Obama is and what he believes and hopes to achieve.

"Some of his policy proposals are bold, not incremental. His plan for energy independence, for example is extremely ambitious...But Obama's visionary thinking is not adequately captured in his policies. It is found in his insistent rejection of the standard political categories, in a way that recognizes their obtuseness, their debilitating effect on actual problem-solving, their tendency to entrench the status quo, and the violence they do to American pluralism and diversity."

http://www.ghostinthemachine.net/005234.html

I must admit this mirrors much of my own thinking especially "his insistent rejection of the standard political categories." I could go on but will leave it at this for now.