For months since the inception of her candidacy Hillary Clinton had been running a flawless and highly disciplined campaign which led some to prematurely draw conclusions of her inevitable coronation as most electable Democratic candidate substantively endowed with all the gravitas and toughness required in the rough and tumble of American politics.
Assured of her contrived and carefully orchestrated aura of inevitability, the so-called black leaders—including the likes of Congressman John Lewis, former Jimy Carter’s U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, South Carolina state Rep. Harold Mitchell ,etcetera—deserted Barack Obama in droves. Due to their opportunistic disposition, they denied themselves the opportunity to make history rather than being just spectators in an event that will have a long-lasting impact on racial relations in this country, irrespective of whether Obama loses or wins the primaries. Oprah Winfry is one of the very few African Americans who has the courage to seize this moment.
The mere fact that Obama’s candidacy is offering a realistic presidential alternative says a lot about the prospects of a turn-aroud in racial attitudes that could go a long way toward remaking racial relations in America for the better. That eventuality would undoubtedly represent a prelude pivotal to a more caring and considerate society.
Tags: black leaders, opportunism, Orchestrated aura of inevitabilty, race relation, racial attitudes., seize the moment
