Obama is not typical black candidate

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), April, 2007

Although Sen. Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) is different from previous African-American presidential candidates, it still is unclear if most voters are ready to elect a black president, contend two political scientists from Duke University, Durham, N.C.

Obama represents the latest iteration of "new black politicians," contends Kerry Haynie, associate professor of political science. "Unlike his most recent predecessors, Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, Obama does not have roots in the civil rights movement; he does not rely on the black church as his base of support; and he sees himself more as a problem-solver than an agitator or an activist. He is attempting to transcend race and party identification.

"His most important strengths are his charisma, his innocence, and what appears to be an ability to bridge racial and partisan divides," explains Haynie. "His lack of national and international political experience and his untested ability to raise large sums of campaign cash are his most important weaknesses."

Obama currently has "rock star" status within the Democratic Party, notes Paula McClain, professor of political science and public policy. Unlike black presidential candidates Shirley Chisholm in 1972 and Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988, Obama "is running as in insider to the Democratic Party. Chisholm's candidacy was clearly not welcomed within the mainstream of the Party and Jackson's bid resulted from frustrations with the party's [inattention] to issues of concern to black Americans. Obama's status will attract money, professional campaign staff, and media attention, all essential to running a strong and competitive campaign."

McClain adds that Obama, "while liberal in his leanings, is perceived as--and presents himself as--willing to listen to other points of view. This ability will make him appear less strident than some of his competitors."

However, McClain and Haynie, co-directors of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Social Sciences, question the likelihood that Obama will succeed in the race. "Obama has had a meteoric and somewhat unfettered rise," McClain emphasizes. "Unlike his potential competitors, he has not experienced the 'rough-and-tumble' politics that is characteristic of presidential elections.

"Second, Obama faces the major issue that still clouds much of American politics today--race and how it plays out in the political arena. Since the 1940s, when pollsters began asking the question, the majority of Americans have said that they would vote for a black for president. Yet, we know this is not the reality and what people say to a pollster about their potential support for a black candidate often is not what is reflected in the voting booth"