Editor,
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has been at the forefront of the 2008 presidential election.
Progressive former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro said, "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," and Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson supported Ferraro, asking "If you take a freshman senator from Illinois called Jerry Smith, and he says, 'I'm going to run for president,' would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote?"
The fallout from such statements has been extreme but puzzling. Of course, Obama's ethnicity has played a positive role in his success in Democratic primaries thus far.
Part of his appeal among progressives is his embodiment of the American dream. He is the son of a Muslim Kenyan man and a white woman, and the stepson of an Indonesian man.
To his progressive supporters, his background gives him instant credibility on important issues of immigration and race relations. The fact that he has attained his current position is inspiring, and it implies that his talents must indeed be extraordinary to have achieved so much, despite potential discrimination during his upbringing.
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Ferraro and Johnson's comments are perfectly valid, if politically motivated, but Daily Lobo reader Philip Howell is incorrect in speculating that we might elect a man because he is African-American.
If Obama is elected, it will not be because he is African-American. It will be because of his personality, intelligence, honesty and political achievements, with his race having some influence on how these traits are perceived.
Extreme statements such as Howell's and outright denials of the influence of Obama's race on his success both imply a world of black and white rather than one of shades of gray.
Rather than fruitlessly speculating how successful Sen. Hillary Clinton would be if she were a man, how successful Obama would be if he were white or how successful Sen. John McCain would be if he were African-American, why not simply judge the candidates on their merits?
To me, Obama has treated the American people with incredible respect by candidly discussing race relations, poverty, religion and xenophobia. He has not fabricated stories involving dodging sniper fire as Clinton has, and he does not consistently demonstrate an appalling lack of knowledge regarding the Middle East as McCain does.
The U.S. faces extreme hardship stemming from imminent economic and energy crises, and we need honesty, intelligence and imagination from our leaders.
Regardless of where his ancestors were born, I believe Obama clearly outclasses his competition in all three of these categories.
Josh Tybur
UNM student
