Obama makes history, againPosted in Articles, Barack Obama, Media Archive, Politics/Public Policy, United States on 2012-11-08 23:09Z by Steven |
Cable News Network
2012-11-08
Moni Basu, CNN
(CNN) — A black man is returning to the White House.
Four years ago, it was a first, the breaking of a racial barrier. Tuesday night, it was history redux.
And more.
In the midst of national splintering and a time of deep ideological animosity, Americans elected President Barack Obama to a second term. And thousands rejoiced in his victory, one that seemed sweeter and, perhaps, more significant.
“This is affirmation that his color doesn’t matter and that his message resonated with people,” said Yale University sociologist Jeffrey Alexander, author of “Obama’s Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power.”
“It is very important in that it will indicate that an African-American can be viewed for what he says and not what he is.”
Had Obama lost the election, he would likely have been remembered in history as the first black president, and maybe little else, Alexander said.
Now, he has a chance to create a legacy rooted not in his identity, but in his ideas.
University of Houston sociologist Shayne Lee agreed.
“If this country wants President Obama to have another term, I’m ready to say that it’s a significant moment,” he said.
As an African-American, Lee understood the power of 2008. But his excitement was measured.
He knew the nation was tired then of two costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a sinking economy and an administration that he felt excluded ordinary people. He thought Arizona Sen. John McCain was a weak candidate and that the cards were stacked in Obama’s favor. Four years later, Obama traversed a much tougher road, Lee said.
Americans had a strong alternative in the Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The nation, he felt, was no longer in a desperate state and voters had more of a choice. Despite that, they elected a black man. Again.
“They sent a message to the world that whatever racist proclivities might exist are not enough to preclude Obama from winning,” Lee said…
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