Barack, The Uppity Negro
by James Forman
I think Obama faces a truly perilous moment right now. In the August 2nd, 2008 Post Dana Milbank comes strong with an idea that his been floating around for awhile–Obama as cocky and uppity and presumptuous. Echoes of this abound, in Ryan Lizza’s New Yorker piece (in the issue that had the infamous cover), in Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, pretty much everywhere.The first few times I heard the cocky narrative I laughed it off as the work of haters plain and simple. But upon reflection I think it is a really big deal. The American people care a lot about “likeability.” Remember Bush against Gore and Kerry, where Bush was the guy “Americans wanted to have a beer with.”
The cocksure white dude is confident; the same black guy is cocky. Confident blacks are uppity–though nobody will use that term anymore. The black guy cannot be too sure of himself, because that would be a statement that he isn’t grateful, that he thinks he belongs, that this is not an accident.
If Obama tries to project that he can be commander in chief, he gets tagged with being presumptuous. If he inspires 200,000 Germans to show up, he is preening. If he tries to have a disciplined message, he is aloof. I don’t have the answers (that’s why I write emails, instead of working in politics), but I really hope that his team gives great attention to this.
