Some 'regular black folks' are Obama fans, some not
I don't know if someone like you would consider me as a "regular black folk" even though I do. Barack Obama is the pretty boy mask intended to hide the real Dorian Gray face that liberalism must conceal so that it may realize a '60s style renaissance. He has voted for nearly every socialist entitlement that has come before him as both a U.S. and state senator.
I thought liberals were supposed to believe in the content of the character and not the color of the skin. I am therefore NOT ready to embrace Barack Obama!
Frank Penn, Chicago
I can remember a time (in the '50s) when I encountered fellow blacks, who after hearing me speak, asked me where I was from. I was informed I was just [not] a "club member." The blacks from the South who grew up under Jim Crow were dues-paying "club members." In other words, "our kind" didn't share in the heritage of other blacks because we didn't suffer the sting of Jim Crow. I'm third generation born outside Jim Crow. I'm afraid this is the reaction Obama is going to get from many blacks in this country.
Leighton Johnson,
Albuquerque
I am a "whitey" who "embraces" Obama. I have been surprised and confused about the number of black Americans who have written cautionary messages about "embracing" him on the blogs. Someone suggested he may not be "black" enough, having mostly escaped the civil rights struggle due to his unique background of growing up in Hawaii, attending an elite private school there, etc. Black enough? White enough? I don't think these questions are relevant with Obama.
Vicki Dow, Crystal Lake
If we want a black person, why not one with a proven track record? Why not Colin Powell? I'm white and would vote for him in a second. But he doesn't have a chance. Not because he's black but because he has class. He's not a so-called "rock star."
Dennis W Smith
Hueytown, Ala.
You sound like a programmed puppet of the Clarence Thomas type. Blacks just aren't ever going to be good enough. I guess that Mr. Bush is better suited to run this country than "unexperienced" Obama? I don't think so. How about "I can" for an attitude rather than trying to figure out an excuse why you cannot? Barack is OK. You need to look at yourself and your own motives.
George W. Brown Jr., Chicago
I too have noticed that "ignorance" and reserve among blacks to the senator and his "potential." I am an American citizen, born in Barbados, and my circle of friends and political comrades are for the most part immigrants (legally!). Our outlook tends to be "different" from that of American-born blacks and it may be that we better identify with Mr. Obama, "us" all having been "formed" outside of the continental U.S.
F. S. Harris, Somerset, N.J.
As a white person living in New Hampshire, I can assure you that should the senator enter the race, I will be "pulling the lever" in favor of his candidacy for the presidency.
Barack represents a voice of civility, of passion, and of integrity -- characteristics that I believe are essential in a president.
Ron Tunning, Laconia, N.H.
More African Americans might embrace Obama if the media stopped describing him as "biracial." As far as most of us are concerned, "you is or you ain't one of us. We don't need any more Michael Jacksons."
Hosea L. Martin, Chicago
You give our people so little credit. This country is not as racially advanced as you think. I wish that he would concentrate on being a good senator. When you and your so-called high-level black friends have a chance to ask him, find out if he knows the black men who have tried to make a better way have all been killed. He is making the biggest mistake of his career if he runs for president. Maybe the regular black folks care for the man, and don't want to see him hurt.
Anthony-Edward Johnson,
Calumet Park
African Americans will be Obama's strongest and most dependable supporters should he decide to run for president. Will Obama serve "our" interests as faithfully as black voters have/will supported/support him? That's the question.
Aaron Smith, Chicago