If Obama Were Great

Some people hold out the hope that Obama is a "racial healer." Part of the reason, they say, is because he is of mixed race - black and white. It is clear that although he has identified himself as black, he has attracted many whites. This is a good start.

But I'm not hopeful. Obama's history is that of a community organizer in South Chicago. I'm not aware that a community organizer has ever healed anything. Their means are usually guilt, victimhood, threats, extortion and raw power to get what they want. Obama's mentor was Saul Alinksy. Saul and his followers were/are "concerned with social justice without having socialism thought to be their primary agenda. Alinsky promoted greater awareness of community organizing in academic circles, and those affiliated with Alinsky trained a generation of organizers, including César Chávez."

All the socialists I know who rose to the heights of political power ended creating an "out" group of people that they either imprisoned or murdered. I'm not saying that Obama will go to this extreme. It's just that his background is not good for racial healing.

If Obama were a healer, I would expect something like this:

"Since the days of Civil Rights, we have labored to take our place in American society. Laws were passed that removed discrimination and laws were passed that gave us access to economic benefits that we did not have before. Although this was deserved and in some cases generous, we still labor under second class status. Today, I say, we are ready to step up and take our place, shoulder to shoulder with the rest of American society. We can. We want no more special privileges implying we aren't up to full participation and competition. We are ready to earn our way, not have it handed to us on a polite plate. And we can. We are, by the declaration of our independence, EQUAL and FREE."

"FREE AT LAST. FREE AT LAST. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY WE ARE FREE AT LAST."

Imagine the immediate shift that would take place in society. That tacky victimhood would be over. New challenges would open up. Respect would be present; before it was absent. However scarey for black and white, the fear would not last. The effect of such leadership would be enormous. Obama would be a great man.

One more thing: No white man can do this. The way for the black man's equality in every and all respects has been paved for over 40 years - with government discrimination being removed from the laws of the land. The final step, the step into his own power is something he must give himself. There is an old saying, "Take what you want and pay for it." Obama would grant a new moral sanction for every black man, woman and child. This would be an enormous gift and an enormous achievement not just for the United States, but for the entire world. This, in essence, would complete the racial struggle and the effect would roll down through the generations.

Using this as a standard, is Obama a "racial healer?" I am not hopeful.