Attempts to Assassinate Obama's Character is Politricks As Usual

The recent backlash that Barack Obama has endured as a result of the actions and words spoken by his now denounced pastor, Jeremiah Wright is disturbing yet not at all shocking. The fact that Obama (unlike any other presidential candidate in the history of US electoral politics) is being held accountable for the words and actions of his religious leader is NOT an indication of Obama’s character as some political pundits have spun the issue, but speaks more to the character of the media and political swindlers.

The incessant attention by the media on every word spoken, every hand gesture, every giggle and every frowning of the brow that Jeremiah Wright makes in an attempt to some how detect the true character of Obama (instead of Pastor Wright) is clever “politrickery” and bamboozling run amuck. I am afraid that as a life-long Democrat who is strongly considering becoming an Independent, I am saddened by the realization that we don’t have to send spies into the enemy’s camp (the Republican party) to find the instigators; the agitators with dirty hands keeping the focus on Jeremiah Wright are well entrenched within the Democratic party.

I heard on a morning radio program that is popular among African Americans a comedian say in response to the Jeremiah Wright debacle: “This is a sad day, I don’t have any jokes; actually, Black people the joke is on us.” While I agree with the overall sentiment of this statement I have to disagree a little. The joke is not just on Black people but when you consider what is at stake and the enormous possibilities that Obama’s successful bid for the White House could bring to America, it is the American people who are being duped.

Barack wrote in his inspiring and well written book, “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream” (that last part is always left off in references but it is so important) when speaking about his early experiences trying to get elected to the Illinois State Senate when all odds were against him: “Not only did my encounters with voters confirm the fundamental decency of the American people, they also reminded me that the core of the American experience are a set of ideals that continue to stir our collective conscience; a common set of values that bind us together despite our differences; a running thread of hope that makes our improbable experiment in democracy work.” Barack brings hope to the masses, yet he is a thorn in the side of the “massas” and this makes him a real threat to the status quo which includes his opponents Hillary and John McCain.

According to a report published by University of California at Santa Cruz Sociology Professor Dr. William Domhoff (December 2006), wealth in the United States is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2001, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 33.4% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 51%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 84%, leaving only 16% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth, the top 1% of households had an even greater share of 39.7%.

Be not deceived, Barack and his agenda to level the playing field and help those at the bottom (the 80%) to share in the American dream—not merely as the exploited from which the wealthy elite accumulate their treasures—but as benefactors of those sacred values and principles that make us proud to be Americans—live, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—has become a serious threat to the establishment (e.g. self-serving members of Congress and their co-conspirators lobbyists and big corporations).

The sad reality is however that often times in America, we have failed to learn from the lessons of our past. The same old tactics of inciting fear, division and using smoke screens to evade the important issues of the day have won out time and time again. In comparison to other democratic nations, Americans who once set the example of an active democracy have become the least informed, least involved, and the least likely demand accountability from our elected leaders and overthrow those who fail us. Instead we tend to fall for the okey doke that the power elite have been so skillful at orchestrating—race antagonisms, fear, and division. We saw this occur when poor Black farmers and sharecroppers were pitted against poor Black farmers and sharecroppers while the wealthy landowners extrapolated the profits from their labor and lived lavishly off the spoil. We see it now in the immigration debate and we see it time and time again in public discourse on social reform e.g. justice system and welfare.

With the North Carolina primary upon us, all eyes are on North Carolina. The predictions are that Obama will win North Carolina. While I am hopeful I am not naïve enough to believe that Obama’s win in North Carolina is a guarantee. Remember the Helms-Gantt senatorial campaign in the 1990? Remember Judge Jim Wynn’s race for the NC Supreme Court in 2000? Or what about the 1972 presidential race between Governor Terry Sanford and Alabama Governor George Wallace? In all of these races the North Carolina Democratic Party was supposed to deliver the winning candidate and it failed to do so. The “Jessecrats,” persons who register Democrat but vote Republican—have upset the game plan in the past and I have no reason to doubt their ability to do it in the upcoming election. However, I am a woman of faith and although I may be troubled by the attempts to destroy Obama and all that he stands for, I must say that like Obama, I still have the audacity of hope.

Michelle Laws is a Ph.D. student in Sociology at NCSU in Raleigh NC. She can be reached at malaws007@gmail.com.