---

---

Nigeria: Digesting the Obama Phenomenon

Chris Okereafor

29 September 2008

---

opinion

Lagos — The stake is very high. The forthcoming November presidential elections in the U.S promises to be the most keenly contested and controversial elections in American history. The two candidates are veering from issues to mudslinging, perhaps one of the 'dirtiest' since the Bill Clinton versus George Bush Snr high tension campaigns. First the first shot came from the John Mccain camp, accusing Barack Obama of playing 'the race card from the bottom of the deck'. But the Obama camp has dismissed the claims as as 'old low politics to distract voters'.

The race issue will not be properly 'diagnosed' without a historical trip to the circumstances or myth that produced the now poular obamania that have gripped the global community , especially the black race.

For his principles of non-violence in his vanguard for racial equality, Martin Luther King Jr became one of the greatest motivators of black consciousness and 'conscience of the African-Americans in the United States of America before his life was cut short at the age of 39. King ideologically emerged to keep the flame of the black liberation movement ignited by his predecessor like Marcus Garvey, WEB Du Bois and Malcolm X. A dedicated disciple of the late Indian sage, Mahatma Gandhi of India, King became the youngest person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on December 1964 at the age of 35. The rest, they say, is history.

Perhaps, Martin Luther's greatest day took place on August 28, 1968. On this historic day, he made his most famous and variously quoted speech. It was the day the 'prophet' in him spoke. It was the day King; a reverend clergyman wrote the vision and made it plain on the table. And in fulfillment of the scriptures, he knew " the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it must speak, and not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it, because it must surely come (Habakuk 2: 2-3) "

It was on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Abraham Lincoln's famous Emancipation Proclamation of Black Slaves. Before a tumultuous crowd, which included the 35th President of the U.S, John .F Kennedy, King burst into rare confidence and unfolded his dream in a poetic and emotion-laden style that reminded the President and the White race that it would not be too long before the race to the exalted White House becomes a matter of competence and not the color of one's skin.

He said: " I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of the former slaves and the sons of the former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a country where they will not be judged by the co lour of their skin, but by the content of their character . I have a dream that this nation will one day, rise up, live out to the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truth and to be self-evident that all men are born equal."

Despite King's gospel of racial equality and justice, he nonetheless rejected Black Nationalism. He only dreamt of the ' brotherhood of blacks and whites'. All along, African-Americans in the U.S and the rest of the freedom-loving countries of the world have remained fanatical adherents of Martin Luther King's dream and vision. But as James Barnes observed ' t is a vision many have rejected and many others have begun to doubt".

Today, the vision appears more prophetic with the emergence of the Senator from Illinois, Barak Hussein Obama, the first black presidential candidate and perhaps the first to be elected black president in the world's largest democracy.

Although , his maternal ancestry makes him what Nigerians properly refer to as ' half caste' ; his mother having hailed from Kansas, United States, but his paternal root is Africa and Kenya precisely, one of the darkest species of the black race.

When the relatively obscure Senator and 46-year-old dashing young lawyer indicated his intentions to enter the glamorous American presidential primaries under the Democratic Party ticket, he was not only seen as a naïve and ambitious rabble-rouser, he was also promptly dismissed as a ' dark horse' in America's political landscape, obviously trying to enter the long list of the 'also rans'. His a case was made more daunting with his dual identity as a black and by suspicion, his middle name-Hussein ( which suggested a Muslim background), an appendage the Americans associate with terrorism .

But his critics and doubting Thomases were wrong. Obama may have watched the American political scene from the sideline with the historian's curiosity. Perhaps, while in school, his pastime may have been to research on the defects of all the failed black Democratic contenders like Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al Sharpton, who appealed largely to black solidarity to avoid similar mistakes. His emergence as the Democratic flag bearer after the grueling and competitive campaign with the highly revered former First Lady and Senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton, erased all the mounting odds posed on his ways.

A brilliant strategist and tactician, Obama is a smooth operator, even if it means stepping on powerful toes or basking in controversy of the backlash from his spiritual father and cleric of his local church. To neutralize his seeming obscurity and inexperience labels, he opted to emphasize more on competence than substance. To the discerning observers of Obama's campaigns, his performance in the primaries is a significant rebound from his earlier 'unelectable' status associated with the likes of Jesse Jackson in the past.

Against his more experienced and older Republican opponent in the forthcoming November Elections, John McCain, they will be making history in different dimensions. First; they will become the first sitting senators since the 20th century to have a shot at the White House. Only two men- Warren Harding and John. F Kennedy went directly from the Senate to the Presidency. Again, while McCain, the 72-year-old Senator from Arizona will go down as the oldest first term President in American history if elected, Obama will be breaking the records as the first African -American to emerge as the President of the world's most powerful nation.

Seen from the perspective of the American political environment, both presidential candidates are eligible and competent. Both have penchant for intelligence, vision and charisma and above all, command a populist image within their party caucuses. Off and on, McCain, the maverick straight-talker and war hero, is described by the American media as restless, irreverent and coiled. The same quintessially American qualities can be accurately be applied to Obama, but the Illinois Senator has not lived an eventful American life. Despite his dual parentage, he seems largely inexperienced and evokes no American archetypes. McCain does. A veteran politician and war hero, McCain's inclination towards style and competence could bee his winning formula. A darling of the American media, he delighted the crowd with the inspired innovation his campaign brought during the 2000 Republican primaries against the incumbent George Bush. His good sense of humour helps take the intimidating edge over his opponents.

As for Obama, he has strong liberal credentials coupled with the advantage of age and health. (McCain is said to have had recurrent bouts of cancer). McCain falls under a generational age that has seen been out of fashion with the wind of democratic change that has swept across America and Europe since Bill Clinton clinched the presidency at 42 in 1992. However, there is a strong feeling among political watchers that Obama may still have to contend with racism. When the chips are down, there may have to be reverberating echo of 'who owns the land?'. No matter the pretences, the pluralistic composition of the population of the U.S based on religious, regional or racial identity remains a noticeable element in American politics, especially for immigrant races like Blacks, Jews, Irish, Greeks, and Chicanos . The American conservative electorate may conspire with the White Supremacist lobby group to either stop Obama at the polls or abruptly and suspiciously use the Kennedy option-assassination (God forbid).

Meanwhile, watchers of the unfolding political events in America believe that the trump card for the head-head battle for the November Presidential election will be the economy and Iraq. To borrow a leaf from Richard Nixon's old political parlance, the election is not about where Obama and McCain are at the moment. It is about where Obama and McCain propose the Americans should be after four years of their leadership in the White House.

McCain gives the impression of a candidate without much clout on domestic issues. His consistent adherence to principles and character dissolves on key domestic issues where his seeming lack of interest has left him with little sense of policy choices. But in contrast, he is extremely experienced and well informed on foreign and defense policy, which he considers the primary responsibility of the President. However, his previous campaigns whose national security emphasis over-shadowed domestic issues were boring, costly and nasty. His foot soldiers and political consultants will need to work on him here.

On the other hand, Obama's brilliant handling of domestic issues especially as it concerns the long-term welfare of Americans may be his magic wand. But more than anything, the race will be turned on Iraq. A large section of theAmericanpublic has not forgiven Bush over his war-mongering foreign policy on Iraq which took its tool on Bush's popularity. Also there will be transparent attempts to exploit the nation's post 9/11 terrorism fears and economic anxieties. Obviously, Obama will turn the heat more on the incumbent Republican administration of George Bush whose popularity rating is depreciating daily.

As the days rolls into hours and hours into minutes ahead of the November elections, political pundits are still speaking in measured tones and non-committal about the outcome of the nail-bitter election. As John D. Lees warned, " you may not think you understand American politics just because you understand English". But for the supporters and admirers of Obama all over the world, the question remains; Will the 'prophecy' of Martin Luther King come to pass?

- Okereafor, a Journalist, Author & Peace Worker contributed this piece from the UNESCO Universitat of Jaume, Castellan, Spain.

Read comments. Write your own.

---