Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Race, Post-Black Politics, and the Democratic Presidential Candidacy of Barack Obama

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 11; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10999940902734853

1548-3843

Carly Fraser,

American Constitutional Law and Politics

Abstract On February 10, 2008, Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. As a post-black candidate, Obama did not once make reference to the historic fact that he would be the first African American to have a real chance of winning the democratic nomination during his announcement. However, race would become a recurring theme throughout the primary season, repeatedly acknowledged by the media, his opponents, his surrogates, and eventually by the candidate himself. Keywords: Barack ObamaBradley effectcaucusHillary ClintonmediaMichelle Obamapost-black politicsprimaryracial identityReverend Jeremiah WrightsuperdelegatesSuper Tuesday Notes "Full Text of Senator Barack Obama's Announcement for President," www.barackobama.com, February 19, 2007. T. Baldwin, "Obama Seeks 'Stay Fresh' Formula as He Tries to Widen Appeal," Times (London), February 12, 2007. "Race of Wife by Race of Husband: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1991, 1992," U.S. Bureau of the Census, June 10, 1998. Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father (New York: Crown, 1995), 51. Ibid., 52. Manning Marable, Beyond Black and White (New York: Verso, 1996), 203. Ibid., 203. Nicholas Kristof, "Obama and the Bigots," New York Times, March 8, 2008. Manning Marable, Black Leadership (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998), 127. Damien Wade, "Cory Anthony Booker: On a Path That Could Have No Limits," New York Times, May 10, 2006; Frank Phillips, "It's Patrick in a Romp: Bay State Win Makes History," Boston Globe, November 8, 2006. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 94–95. Claire Jean Kim, "Managing the Racial Breech: Clinton, Black-White Polarization, and the Race Initiative," Political Science Quarterly 117, no. 1 (Spring 2002): 55–79. Obama, Dreams from My Father. Ama Mazama, "The Barack Obama Phenomenon," Journal of Black Studies 38, no. 1 (2007): 3. "Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention," www.barackobama.com, July 27, 2004. Manning Marable, "Racializing Obama," Along the Color Line (April 2008). Ginger Thompson, "Seeking Unity, Obama Feels Pull of Racial Divide," New York Times, February 12, 2008. Alexander Mooney, "Jesse Jackson: Obama Needs to Bring More Attention to Jena 6," CNNPolitics.com, September 19, 2007. "Candidate Obama's Sense of Urgency," 60 Minutes, February 11, 2007. Juan Williams, "Obama's Color Line," New York Times, November 30, 2007. Ibid. Brian Feagans, "Georgian Recalls Rooming with Michelle Obama," Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 13, 2008. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community," B.A. thesis, Princeton University, 1985. Allison Samuels, "Daring to Touch the Third Rail," Newsweek, January 28, 2008. Lauren Collins, "The Other Obama," New Yorker, March 10, 2008. Anne E. Kornblut, "At Site of '65 March, an '08 Collision," Washington Post, March 2, 2007. "Full Text of Barack Obama's speech at the Selma Voting Rights March Commemoration," www.barackobama.com, March 2007. Patrick Healy and Jeff Zeleny, "Obama and Clinton Mark Civil Rights Struggle," New York Times, March 4, 2007; Dick Morris, "Obama's Selma Bounce," RealClearPolitics.com, March 8, 2007. Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, "Blacks Shift to Obama, Poll Finds," Washington Post, February 28, 2007. "Profile of the Iowa Caucus Goers," New York Times, http://politics.nytimes.com/election guide/2008/results/vote-polls/IA.html Sarah Wheaton, "Clinton's Civil Rights Lesson," New York Times, January 7, 2008. Mary Jo Murphy, "Phone Call Into History," New York Times, January 27, 2008. John Nichols, "MLK, LBJ, Clinton, and the Politics of Memory," www.thenation.com, January 14, 2008. Kate Phillips, "The Clinton Camp Unbound," New York Times, January 8, 2008. Carl Hulse and Patrick Healy, "Bill Clinton Tries to Tamp Down 'Fairy-Tale' Remark About Obama," New York Times, January 11, 2008. "Election 2008: New Hampshire Democratic Primary: Final New Hampshire Poll: Obama 37% Clinton 30%," Rasmussen Reports, January 8, 2007. "State and Country Quick Facts: New Hampshire," U.S. Bureau of the Census, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/33000.html "New Hampshire Primary Results," New York Times, http://politics.nytimes.com/election guide/2008/results/states/NH.html Eugene Robinson, "Echoes of Tom Bradley," Washington Post, January 11, 2008. Ibid. "Profile of the South Carolina Primary Voters," New York Times, http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/vote-polls/SC.html "South Carolina Primary Results," New York Times, http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/demmap Marable, "Racializing Obama." Anne E. Kornblut, "For Bill Clinton, Echoes of Jackson in Obama Win," Washington Post, January 26, 2008. Katharine Q. Seelye, "Jackson: Not Upset by Clinton Remarks," New York Times, January 28, 2008. Gregory Rodriguez, "The Black-Brown Divide," Time, January 26, 2008. Jaime Reno, "Black-Brown Divide," Newsweek, January 26, 2008. Nancy Cook, "Race, Ideology Shaped Super Tuesday Vote," NPR.org, February 6, 2008. "Super Tuesday Results," Salon.com, www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/02/05/election_results "Feb. 26 Democratic Debate Transcript," MSNBC Online, www.msnbc.msn.com Marjorie Valbrun, "To Denounce and Reject," TheRoot.com, February 27, 2008. Katie Halper, "Top Ten Outrageous Quotes from McCain's Spiritual Advisors," OpenLeft.com, May 1, 2008. Mary Mitchell, "Ferraro Fails to Grasp Why She's So Wrong," Chicago Sun-Times, March 13, 2008. Drake Bennett, "Black Man vs. White Woman," Boston Globe, February 17, 2008. Kristof, "Obama and the Bigots." Christi Parsons and Manya A. Brachear, "What Led Obama to Wright's Church?" Chicago Tribune, May 3, 2008. Jodi Kantor, "Disinvitation by Obama Is Criticized," New York Times, March 6, 2007. "Obama Weathers the Wright Storm, Clinton Faces Credibility Problem," Pew Research Center, March 27, 2008. "Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: 'A More Perfect Union,'" www.barackobama.com, March 18, 2008. "How Has Obama Handled Controversy?" Pew Research Center, March 27, 2008. Patrick Healy, "Clinton: Wright Would Not Have Been My Pastor," New York Times, March 25, 2008. David Brooks, "The Long Defeat," New York Times, March 25, 2008. "Profile of the Pennsylvania Primary Voters," New York Times, http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/vote-polls/PA.html "2008 Pennsylvania Democratic Presidential Primary," Pollster.com, www.pollster.com/08-PA-Dem Pres-Primary.php Julie Bosman, "Wright Says His Words Were Twisted," New York Times, April 24, 2008. Kate Phillips, "Wright Defends Church and Blasts Media," New York Times, April 28, 2008. Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Says He's Outraged by Ex-Pastor's Comments," New York Times, April 29, 2008. Adam Nagourney and Marjorie Connelly, "Poll Shows Most Voters Unaffected by Wright," New York Times, May 5, 2008. "Democratic Contests," New York Times, http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/demmap Ibid. "Politics/2008 Primary Results/Exit Polls/West Virginia Democrats" and "Kentucky Democrats," www.MSNBC.com. Suzanne Smalley, "The Raison d'Etre du Jour: Clinton's Latest Line: Obama Can't Win 'White Americans,'" Newsweek Online, May 9, 2008. Ben Smith, "Off the Ballot in Michigan," www.Politico.com, October 9, 2007; Jeff Zeleny, "Clinton, Obama, and Edwards Join Pledge to Avoid Defiant States," New York Times, September 2, 2007. Jonathan Chait, "Clinton's Shocking Florida Gambit," New Republic Online, May 21, 2008. Michael Falcone, "D.N.C. Cuts Fla., Mich. Votes in Half," New York Times, May 31, 2008. Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Claims Nomination; First Black Candidate to Lead a Major Part Ticket," New York Times, June 4, 2008. "Barack Obama's Remarks in St. Paul," New York Times, June 3, 2008. Michael Crowley, "In the Clinton Bunker," The New Republic, June 4, 2008. Marcus Mabry, "Many Blacks Find Joy in Unexpected Breakthrough," New York Times, June 5, 2008. Nas, "Black President," www.lyricsdomain.com/14/nas/black_president.html Richard H. Davis, "The Anatomy of a Smear Campaign," Boston Globe, March 21, 2004; Jennifer Steinhaur, "Mrs. McCain, Demure in 2000, Is Speaking up in a Steely Tone," New York Times, June 19, 2007.