I wrote this yesterday, about 12 hours after McCain’s concession, but didn’t get a chance to post it until today.
I can’t bring myself to get as excited as I feel I should be about Obama’s victory. I was pulling for him- he was in fact the first major party candidate for whom I voted in a presidential election- but neither his victory nor the historic election of America’s first black president excites me the way they have others.
It’s nothing personal about Obama. He seems to be a smart and capable candidate and who may well prove a good president. But I just can’t imagine him deserving or living up to the incredible expectations that seem to be invested in him.
His victory is being celebrated as a mandate for change, a watershed moment for liberalism in America, and a civil rights milestone. I believe it is all of these things, but not to the extent so many people seem to think.
Not in the case of the latter two, anyway. With regard to the mandate for change, I think that expectations are hopelessly high. Much was made, in the days before the election, of the hope that voters, particularly black ones, had invested in Obama. There was talk of unprecedented engagement with the political process among African-Americans and speculation about the sense of disenfranchisement that might ensue if Obama were somehow to lose.
My worry is that a similar disappointment may be experienced not only despite but because of his victory. Obama will inherit a plummeting economy, an endless war, and spiraling debt. Whether his fault or not, things are likely to get worse before they get better, especially for the least advantaged Americans. If the poor still struggle to make rent, if black Americans remain over-incarcerated and under-educated by the machinery of government, in four years, will there not be an even greater sense of disenfranchisement? Will there not be a temptation, among the many who are not living the American dream, to conclude that if not even this president can advance their interests, then they are truly and irrevocably disenfranchised by the American political process?
There is also the danger that white America will rest on its laurels as it has after every major advance in civil rights. Reconstruction amendments called for equal rights and suffrage for former slaves, yet many remained disenfranchised and in a state of near-enslavement. The Brown decision declared segregation unconstitutional, yet public schools across America remain blatantly segregated. A black man has been elected president, yet he did so at a time when there was only one black Senator (Obama himself) and two black governors (Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and David Paterson of New York, though only the former was elected to the office).
The presidency is an historic landmark in the slow march towards equality, but it is hardly the final hurdle. Black representation in the highest political offices in America mirrors that in the executive offices of corporate America or on the campuses of elite educational institutions. It is far easier to promote a few exceptional candidates (and this son of a black African father and a white woman from Kansas, raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, is nothing if not exceptional) than to extend the fruits of opportunity, wealth, and success to the millions of Americans who need and deserve them.
I am probably being too hard on America. During the primary, I expressed deep skepticism about America’s ability to elect a black president. Even when victory seemed inevitable, I continued to reserve doubts. “I don’t bet against racism in America,” I told friends. I am tremendously glad to be proven wrong. Truthfully, I am more genuinely proud of my country today than I have ever been.
Yet soaring speeches and tearful faces on television failed to resonate with me. I wandered the streets of Boston, feeling lost in a sea of honking horns, cheering college students, and strangers embracing. The most incredible displays of raw emotion stirred envy in me but not excitement or joy. I fear that so much of this enthusiasm will prove misguided.
The only sentiment expressed last night to which I could relate came from a long-time civil rights activist commenting briefly on NBC. This black woman had marched with Martin Luther King and been beaten half to death for the cause. Choked with emotion, she proclaimed this an historic day for America.
The anchor, who was also black, asked if she would agree that this demonstrated that the US really was an exceptional country because of its ability to change and overcome the mistakes of its past. It was exactly the sort of hyperbole that worried me.
The woman’s demeanor changed quickly and dramatically, and she seemed almost hostile as she answered, “It proves that change is possible when people work for it. It doesn’t just happen automatically, by magic. People have to work, fight, struggle, and die to make this country change.”
The anchor turned to pose the same question to a white man, who eagerly agreed. “This proves that anything is possible in America,” he declared, voice heavy with self-satisfaction. There was nothing contradictory about their statements, but when it came to subtext the two interviewees were miles apart. He almost made it sound as though the work were finished. She insisted that it was only just beginning.
Obama’s victory does demonstrate America’s extraordinary potential. Hopefully it will revive the sense of boundless possibility that has been this country’s strength and which is sorely needed now. But, as his acceptance speech made clear, it demonstrates only potential. There is a tremendous amount of work and sacrifice ahead of us before we can even begin to realize that potential. I sincerely hope that our new president proves capable not only of inspiring but of leading, and that my countrymen prove willing to follow. I am certainly more hopeful about our prospects than I have been in a long time, and for that I offer my thanks and congratulations to Barack Obama.
Your lack of excitement is understood. I cried too, yet I am not pollyanna about this new day. Realism does not negate hope. The woman you quote said it best.
Wonerful post.
Very well put, Foucault. ‘Tis time (already) to move forward.
Very good post. First off, I am an African American man from the South. I too am worried about the astronomical expectations that are put on the shoulders of one man. Black or White. But we look at this result differently. You’re looking at it from a 4-8 year standpoint. Myself and probably many African Americans look at this as a forever lasting effect. Barack carried not only the hopes of his family, friends and political party. He carried the hopes and dreams of an entire race of people from generations past, present and future. Here and abroad. How many countries which are not predominantly black have had a black face as the leader of that country? And now the greatest country in the world has stepped to the forefront of the global stage to show that anything is possible. As you state, there is a huge disparity between the socio-economic status of African Americans and White Americans. But often times, for African Americans it is Hope that pulls us through when all seems lost. It was Hope that kept people signing up for Freedom Rides or Sit-ins even though they witnessed time after time people being tortured just to have the equal rights. It was Hope that brought African Americans in record numbers to voting precincts across the country to vote for a great candidate even though there has never been an African American president in the history of the US. Barack is very good at inspiring people and plans to re-build our country from the bottom up. He is exactly the person that America needs to help inspire us to do positive things that we never thought were possible. The shear fact that he’s President is inspirational enough. He has a great amount of potential, but his election signifies that regardless of how history judges his performance as a President, a little African American kid in a small town somewhere in the US can hope that they to, can one day become president of the greatest country in the world. This is what brought out all of the tears of joy from black people across the world. IMHO.
I’ve been following the American elections in the British media (I’m English) and this is easily the best piece of writing I’ve read on this subject. I, to, wasn’t convinced that America would elect a black president and I doubt it will happen here for a long time.
I’m not sure if the British media were so pleased to have Bush out that it has turned Obama into some sort of knight in shining armour, but I agree, change cannot come overnight.
However, I feel it is a massive step forward. Watching the reruns of MLK’s ‘I have a dream’ speech brought a tear to my eye.
GL America!
I agree completely with the meaning of your post, but I think you are vastly underestimating the passion and dedication of what has been built, and the people who have worked so hard for it. At least I hope you have. I, for one, will not rest at this. This is just the beginning of what millions of us are working for.
I think I can identify with your inability to feel excited about the Obama victory. Isn’t this the fate of intellectuals who have been cynical about politics for the past 8 years and whose political mood has been defined by disgust, disbelief, and relentless criticism? So yes, it’s difficult to believe that things might actually change now. But I for one am happy that I can travel abroad again without having to pretend to be a Canadian. I also think that it’s important to recognize that Obama has been emphasizing the importance of grassroots, bottom-up social change. If his presidencey serves as a catalyst for political engagement by more citizens in the public sphere, than I think that this is a positive development. And I think you have to give him credit for pointing out that things will not change overnight, that true social transformation requires tireless and persistent hard work.
bads,
It wasn’t just the British media. Liberal America and its media behaved (and are still behaving) much the same way.
Still, I think Obama’s popularity overseas was one of the best arguments for its candidacy. History seems to be forcing a chance in America’s role in the world that many of us have wanted to see for a long time. We are going to need our international allies more than ever in the years ahead.
Leadership will influence tremendously whether America accepts a graceful transition to a multipolar world or insists on going out in a violent blaze of glory. In this regard, I think Obama’s multicultural heritage and international upbringing will compensate somewhat for his lack of foreign policy experience.
junkie,
Thanks for your very thoughtful and insightful comment. Hope is certainly a good thing, and I’m sure you know better than I do the special role that it plays for African-Americans. But I do think that hope is not without its pitfalls, and I fear that in rushing to embrace Obama, even those who are genuinely concerned about civil rights will ignore these at their own peril. And of course, those who are not so interested in civil rights will actively seek to co-opt the hope and progress that this historic election represents.
My thinking on race and civil rights is heavily influenced by Derrick Bell and others in the Critical Race Theory movement. Bell was a legal activist with the NAACP and the first black person to receive tenure at Harvard Law School. Hee eventually came to believe that, however, that he was being used as a token to justify the school’s failure to grant tenure to other black legal scholars. Ultimately, he resigned amidst a storm of controversy.
Frustrated by his experiences with the NAACP and with HLS, he came to believe that America was virtually incapable of improving the lot of its black citizens. He famously claimed that there had been virtually no improvlement in the lives of African-Americans since the end of slavery and that racism was never abated or pushed back but merely driven underground and forced to take more pernicious forms.
To the extent that progress was possible, he felt it would be driven by “interest convergence”- ie convincing white America that it was in their interest to improve the lot of their black cousins- rather than by guilt, conscience, or legal rights, as the MLK school of civil rights seemed to believe. Too often, trivial reforms were employed to fragment civil rights coalitions and placate activists with a false sense of hope and progress while racism persisted.
At his best, Obama represents a very promising middle ground between King’s optimism and Bell’s pessimism. His campaign demonstrated a savvy appreciation for interest convergence. Unlike Jesse Jackson, the last prominent African-American presidential candidate, Obama was conciliatory rather than confrontational towards white America. Yet he has King’s talent for articulating issues of social justice through a moral and religious frame that makes them appealing to large swaths of America. I wonder how many of those who voted for Obama thought they would never cast a ballot for a Democrat, let alone a black one.
The bad news, though, is that Obama may be constrained by his race and his need to build coalitions on a wide variety of issues. I fear it may actually be harder for Obama to win a major civil rights victory than it was for a white president like Lyndon Johnson. Obama may be concerned, probably rightly, that support for social justice issues will be perceived as parochialism and damage the “race-neutral” reputation he needs to maintain.
Then there will be those who use his presidency as an excuse to roll back or resist civil rights initiatives. Many will want to use a black president as proof that equality of opportunity now exists and there is no further need for affirmative action or other race-conscious policies.
This is what I mean when I say not to bet against racism in America. As significant as it is, the election of a black president will not necessarily be an unequivocal victory for civil rights or for black Americans. There’s a very real need to guard against complacency and backsliding.
As pessimistic as he was, Bell never up the struggle. He was inspired not by hope but by an existential need for resistance. Quoting Camus and referring to the example of slaves who sabotaged plantations and attempted escape knowing full well that failure was inevitable, Bell found meaning in the struggle itself rather than its outcomes. That’s something poker players ought to be able to appreciate.
Michael,
Good points. I hope my analysis of Bell above will resonate with you and perhaps stir some old memories.
What you say about the grassroots is tremendously important. It’s caused me to recognize an important distinction between Obama’s election and two of the prior civil rights victories to which I compared it yesterday. Whereas Reconstruction amendments were forced on the country by a triumphant North and the Brown decision handed down against popular will by the Supreme Court, Obama was elected by popular majority. One hopes this will portend a greater willingness to change on the part of the US population than did those prior events.
Bob Herbert in today’s New York Times on hope and African-Americans:
“Blacks have been holding fast to the promise of America for all that time. Not without anger. Not without rage. But with a fidelity that in the darkest moments — those moments when the flow of blood seemed like it would never stop, when enslaved families were wrenched apart, when entire communities were put to the torch, when the breeze put the stiffened bodies of lynched victims in motion, when even small children were murdered and Dr. King was taken from us — even in those dire moments, African-Americans held fast to the promise of America with a fidelity that defied logic.
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