California State University East Bay

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California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

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We Should Take Race Into Account this November

One obvious thing that comes with the territory of electing the first black president is the expectation that more fixtures representing an old way of thinking in America will change. While President Barack Obama’s first term in office has not presented the revolution most expected, though, it may be necessary to keep an African-American in the White House.
The plight of black men and women over the history of the U.S. is a storyline usually reserved for Reverend Al Sharpton’s speeches after a black youth is questionably killed by an authority figure, or only seen in textbooks of African-American history classes, or almost always heard during angry rants by black comedians.
Where this unfortunate saga cannot be voiced for sympathy any longer is in politics; a venue where a mixed yet predominantly black male has aspired to the highest elected office within this country’s public sector. President Obama has become both a standard and a crutch for a race that has for generations appropriately demanded a fair shake in the pursuit of the American Dream. With his placement in office comes a tirade of expectations for blacks in general, from a conservative viewpoint, specifically for African-Americans to utilize the “Obama-model” as a framework for progressing and/or eliminating negative stereotypes of the race.
These past few years have opportunistically presented opinions by a number of political figures, representatives, senators and congressional leaders, both conservatives and liberals, with both positive and negative perceptions of how different the Obama Administration would be.
Everything was speculated, from riots and strikes to outwardly support for Obama, neither of which has happened so far. The list of what has in fact been accomplished is as lengthy and amazing as it is totally ignored.
Racist and just plain culturally insensitive remarks, posts and commentary about the president have corroded its way to mainstream media on an incredible number of occasions, yet the administration has undoubtedly persevered.
Recently, comedian and political commentator Bill Maher spoke on his weekly show “Real Time with Bill Maher” elaborating on the notion that the ethnicity of the 44th President is reason enough to “gift” him a second term in the White House, essentially stating Americans almost have to give Obama a second term or there will never be another black president.
The on-going rhetoric, Black America is “owed” a black president after all the oppression and inequality experienced hinges on reverse racism, ethnic favoritism, and even mirrors the slanted dibocle of affirmative action.
But, if for no other reason, President Obama’s race should in fact tip the scales in his favor come the general election because he’s qualified and just so happens to be a shade of black. For over 200 years no black man was thought to be worthy enough, educated enough, experienced enough. Still, America endured two consecutive terms of President G. W. Bush, arguably one of the worst administrations in America’s great history.
The president, with “monkey-likeness” that has been – in horrid attempts at humor – played up in too many conservative, publications to name, in this humble students opinion, is actually good at his job. He is actually bringing the nation together on many fronts and exposing the underlying racial and cultural insecurities of a country, which is considered by most a global front-runner. He is an appropriate representation of our nation’s historical underdog, the non-white individual.
In a sure-to-be tightly contested political showdown, between two candidates whom are eerily similar in their political agendas and contributions, the race of President Obama should be taken into consideration. More importantly, it should afford him four more years to continue doing a job better than anyone expected our post-Bush, specifically a black president, to do.

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California State University East Bay
We Should Take Race Into Account this November