May 29, 2008
The Obama-TR link
Jennifer directed me to an article written by a Theodore Roosevelt scholar, Joshua Hawley, who noted the similarities between TR and Barack Obama.
Assuming Obama wins the presidency, like TR, he would be coming to power at a time of social and economic upheaval, calling for a "politics of transformation" to "transcend left and right," and challenging people to uplift their moral character.
Now, while I agree with the writer about these similarities, he misses the most important difference. When TR spoke about social/economic reforms, he was candid about who would share in such transformations: whites first, immigrants primarily from northern Europe who had divested themselves of all traces of their ideological and material origins, Native Americans who had enough of their “redness” burned away to be white, and those exemplary blacks (i.e., the few rather than the “seething mass of black atoms”) who should strive for the promise of equality with the knowledge that their skin color prevented the realization of true equity.
For Roosevelt, it was a lot easier to “preach” messages about economic change since the racial/social hierarchy was still going to remain intact at the end of the day. If Obama directly addresses the relationship between the economy/race/ethnicity in a substantive, sustained way as president, would his discussions have to challenge that hierarchy?
2 comments:
I think that you're right and Obama will have to continue to address the questions of race, class, and hierarchy once he becomes president, how could he not?
Who do you think he should choose as VP? The Daily Show had an interesting thing on this & race last night. Their argument was that if he chose a white male that he would end up as the side-kick or the "magical negro." I had hoped for Edwards before, but I think the DS has a point.
> Watch the Daily Show Clip Here
I think Obama would be ok with Edwards, or some other "drunk, hick white guy" since Obama would be the top guy. In all the movies the DS cited for the "magical negro," those black characters were not 1st on the ticket: they weren't the hero golfer or the kid who controls the wishing lamp but simply the magical assistance to those heroes.
I think Edwards would calm some of the hysteria about a black president. Going with a Obama/Richardson or Obama/Sebelius is too much change for America to get behind right now.
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