THE PLANK FEBRUARY 16, 2008
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For those questioning Barack Obama's appeal to women voters, or his prioritization of "women's issues,"
from health to abuse to choice, I think it's wise to note that despite the dreams from his father, Obama's
domestic existence has been dominated by females since birth--in every
direction. A single mother raised him, and he, in turn is raising two
young girls. Horizontally, of course there is Michelle (whose role as a 'strong
woman' compass is getting quite the airing this week) and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, a teacher in Hawaii.
In addition to being profiled in the New York Times Magazine last month, Soetoro-Ng has recorded an insightful interview touching upon her upbringing alongside Obama.
Not
only does the segment contain a treasure trove of humanizing moments,
the family photos (especially @ 1:44) are a jaw-dropping reminder that
the "post-racial thing" is not just some screwball,
so-crazy-it-might-work proposition for America's politics, but an
indigenous outcropping of Obama's personal life.
--Dayo Olopade
9 comments
You gotta respect Barack and Michelle for not exploiting their daughters during this campaign. They've trotted them on a stage a couple times, but for the most part their kept out of the fraccas. Good move.
I was a bit surprised to hear Maya mention Barack's romantic idealism. I'm not sure that's how Barack would describe his philosophy, and certainly not how he would want others to describe it. It won't be long before Hillary and Co. leap on that sound byte.
- ZACummings
February 16, 2008 at 6:06pm
It is a shame he hasn't gotten his sister and chinese brother in law more involved. His immediate family is a literal Noah's ark of genetic diversity, if one of his daughters married a Hispanic then they would have the whole world covered. Regardless of the future, I take pride that the grandchildren and greatgrandchildren of Madelyn Dunham (Baracks white grandmother) could have black, white, and asian blood and be basically an ordinary family. Post racial indeed. Only in America. (ok, and maybe Canada and Australia, but the chances are less)
- blackton
February 16, 2008 at 8:05pm
Post-racial indeed. Obama has pretty much disowned the half brother who actually does transcend race by refusing to care about it. Obama, on the other hand, actively rejects his white ancestry.
And of course, his father dumped his mom and his son, went and shacked up with another white woman. At least he married that one before he brought her and her sons home to Africa and introduced her to the first wife he'd had there all along. So Obama had a father who deserted him and a mother who carted him all around the world because she fell in love with another darkskinned man (a tendency that Obama strongly disaproved of) until she dumped him with her wealthy grandparents. All of this is gloriously spelled out in great detail in his biography.
I kind of thought post-racial would be a world in which race didn't matter. Race matters a lot to Obama. And it matters a whole lot to his supporters, who almost certainly would not be in favor of electing a one-term senator with no experience if he were anything but black.
- jmkerr
February 16, 2008 at 10:21pm
Jmkerr, race matters more to you than to anyone else on this blog.
- liebig
February 16, 2008 at 11:02pm
"All of this is gloriously spelled out in great detail in his biography."
Yes exactly. His biography is about the fact that you need to face things that were before you can propose something different for the way things might be. Obama doesn't say that race doesn't matter. He says that race can matter in a proportionate way, the same way it matters that you have Italian, Jewish, or Vietnamese ancestry but you don't go around being angry and resentful about it.
And, I guess, he's taking a chance that whites won't be angry and resentful about his wanting the presidency and looking like he might have a shot at it.
- ironyroad
February 16, 2008 at 11:03pm
This is more evidence of the Massive Media's anti-Hillary bias and TNR's jihad for Barack. Hillary's biography is not nearly as colorful (in more ways than half a dozen), exotic and interesting as Obama's, so highlighting his life story is dastardly and wrong. Either figure out a way to Hillary's life story compelling and new, even though we've been hearing about it for 16 years, or stop talking about Obama's. It's not that hard. While you're at it, please figure out a way to make Hillary's speeches better or Obama's worse - simple fairness demands it.
- geoffgraham
February 17, 2008 at 7:54am
Jmkerr
Here's a book that might help you with your difficulties and lead to some personal growth.
Race Matters by Cornel West
www.amazon.com/.../0679749861
- AaronBBrown
February 17, 2008 at 8:22am
ZA - also, they only trot their daughters out when the daughters want to be trotted. They ask them first.
And I think that if H jumps on the "romantic idealism" thing as an insult, it will be about as successful as when she told everyone basically to keep their hopes down. Particularly to women. Chicks dig romantic idealism, and, as Maya pointed out, he got it from their mom.
- psantillana
February 17, 2008 at 2:27pm
kerr, you are descending into asshole territory, if not outright bigotry. don't malign him because of the actions of his father. I have never spoken out against Bill's biography (as the boy from Hope) so don't do the same to Barack.
- blackton
February 17, 2008 at 4:42pm