Trying to Manage Obama's Message
His story means different things to different people
The 2008 election could well make history in a new and special way. Americans could elect the first female president in Hillary Rodham Clinton. They could choose the first Mormon president in Mitt Romney, or the oldest president in John McCain. Or they could elect the first African-American president in Barack Obama. Given America's bitter heritage of slavery, segregation, and discrimination, Obama's election could represent the most groundbreaking possibility of all.
Certainly he has generated more excitement than any other candidate. And as he accelerates his campaign this week, the buzz will get louder. "Is he just a streak across the sky or something more?' asks a strategist for one Republican presidential hopeful. "He is developing a cult of personality, but what is his real constituency?" Good question-and one that a growing number of political professionals and everyday voters are asking as well.
Obama already has demonstrated strong appeal to white voters. He comes in second to Senator Clinton in national polls of preferences for the Democratic nomination. And he impresses many as a talented newcomer who, because of his multicultural background, could conceivably redefine America's debate on race-away from a focus on the consequences of slavery toward an emphasis on the benefits of diversity. "It's a measure of our progress that a woman and a Mormon and an African-American can compete for this office that has always been the province of men and white people," asserts David Axelrod, one of Obama's advisers. But being an African-American, says Axelrod, is only part of Obama's story. "His hallmark in his years in politics," notes Axelrod, "has been bringing people together." In a recent interview with U.S. News, Obama said Americans are looking for a "change in tone and a return to some notion of the common good and some sense of cooperation, of pragmatism over ideology."
Cornell Belcher, Obama's pollster-and an African-American himself-says the Illinois senator represents a fulfillment of the civil rights movement: a black man who overcame prejudice, worked hard, and excelled. "It's not a wonderful black story; it's a great American story," Belcher told U.S. News.
But questions remain about how Obama will fare in the African-American community, where some, such as columnist Stanley Crouch and author Debra Dickerson, don't think Obama has shared enough of the black experience to truly bond with the community. Those who disagree cite the controversial remarks of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, another presidential candidate, who called Obama "the first mainstream African-American [candidate] who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" and then apologized for being insensitive. Obama supporters contend that Biden's remarks show Obama can never escape his black heritage, and they say that fact should create sympathy and support for him among skeptical African-American leaders.
Color war. "He's not 'black enough'?" asks Democratic pollster Geoff Garin. "It's ridiculous. Obama is going to do very well with African-American voters. ... This will be the first real opportunity to elect a person of color," and that prospect will be compelling, says Garin. "People are looking for the things that unite us, not separate us. ... He is able to put his finger on things we have in common."
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