Ritter provides an example of how Obama might govern. But, should Obama become engaged in a balancing act between the white power structure and the American people, who at this moment have great expectations for him?
The problem is the people who would most benefit from an Obama presidency did not have a contingency plan ready for this moment. There is no well-organized force to begin pushing Obama while he is transitioning into the White House.
Progressives and liberals must be aware of how Republicans, moderates, "centrists", and so-called independent voters will think they are entitled to certain "changes" from Obama because they supported him. Their support may prove to be a great barrier to any advancement of ideas for change, which is why progressives must begin pushing and pulling Obama now. They must get out ahead of Republicans, moderates, "centrists", and so-called independent voters so that they can be, for once, on the offensive and not the defensive.
Until such an offensive is waged by progressives and liberals in America, we Americans may be at the mercy of a balancing act.
While we do not know that Obama has a balancing act planned for America, we do know, as the Sun-Times aptly put it, we were “all changed as a result [of Obama’s win]. A new generation will [now] lead. But, America remains a divided nation. And massive problems plague us.”
In the same vein, the Tribune said, “With his victory, America’s tortured relationship with races has entered a new phase. The Obama presidency may be a sign that a country that all too recently tolerated segregation has moved irrevocably forward, or it may be mean only that the nation is so hungry for change that it set racial struggles aside.”
We are entering an Age of Post-Racism. We have been transitioning into it for quite some time, with the election of Barack Obama, the transition is over. The age has begun.
Obama’s victory was made possible because Americans did not feel like they were electing a black president. Americans were not voting for a Jesse Jackson and Americans found a guy who had no problem with disowning righteous African-American voices like Rev. Jeremiah Wright who used rhetoric that was highly critical of America and its history, which many whites found to be an affront to their values and core ideals.
Obama was able to acknowledge and incorporate African-American history and milestones in civil rights history in America into his campaign, but he had to do this with great caution.
The Obama family, which was compared to the Huxtables from “The Cosby Show” in the Sun-Times, will most likely rewrite the stereotypes Americans have engrained in their minds. They will make it known that black people are college educated too and they also take good care of their children.
The Obama family doesn’t have to do this, but they will for people like Bill O’Reilly who suffer from racist tendencies.
Obama’s family and administration will approach America like the Huxtables approached life because it will smooth the rough divides and allow for many to ignore white privilege in America. It will remove this stereotype that African-Americans are always about being the victim and are always fixated on civil rights.
How progressives, liberals, and other Americans confront this Age of Post-Racism will matter greatly.
If they handle the Obama Administration as little and as gently as possible in the same way Obama might handle racism as little and as gently as possible, an Obama presidency may not undo the damage Bush has done and an Obama presidency may not produce real change.
If progressives and liberals do not begin to organize now so that they may have the ability to force the Democratic candidate to earn their vote, and if they do not begin to organize now so that citizen groups can arrange and finance debates which will make the Commission on Presidential Debates irrelevant, the progressive and liberal agenda may be at risk.
If progressives and liberals do not adopt high expectations and seek to pressure Obama to follow high standards while president, America may not be able to dig itself out of the hole it is in.
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