All eyes focus on Obama in East Bay's melting pot

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Mar 16, 2007 | by Mary Anne Ostrom

In Oakland, his biracial makeup and global experience are part of his attraction.

Javier Fuentes, a deacon in East Oakland's St. Bernard's parish and a community organizer, said many Latinos are intrigued by Obama's candidacy but want to hear more.

"I think it's about time we have a president of a different race," he said. "But it would be nice to hear a little more about where he stands."

Oakland Unified School District board President David Kakishiba said Obama's upbringing in a largely Asian environment intrigues Asian voters. "People sense that he is far more equipped, far more understanding, far wiser in the ways that people live around the world."

But plenty of possible pitfalls lie ahead in his quest to win over voters, say observers.

The fact that he is not basing his candidacy on his race is helping him with white voters, said Ward Connerly, an African American who has led campaigns in California and other states against affirmative action.

But, in the heat of presidential campaigning, the Republican Connerly predicted, "it may be a difficult tightrope to stay above the racial fray and stay linked to all of us. The moment that he is identified as white or black, he will fall off that bigger-than- life platform we've put him on."

And, in the end, while many African Americans are personally rooting for him, some think the presidency still may be out of reach given the complex political formulas it takes to win the job.

"There is no precedent for it. I'd love to be wrong," said Charles Henry, professor of African-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. "I'm certainly backing Barack Obama because I do think he takes us down the road but if you look at recent politics, it's white male Southern governors who've won."

Contact Mary Anne Ostrom at mostrom@mercurynews.com or (408) 920- 5574 and Josh Richman at jrichman@angnewspapers.com or (510) 208- 6428.