For months I’ve marveled at the appeal Sen. Barack Obama has with whites. From coast to coast, whites have been the base of the phenomenal crowds Obama attracts.
What is Obama’s appeal? Why did he strike such a chord among the American people in states with miniscule Black populations?
Well, I think I found the answer Monday night in a packed Clowes Hall in the heart of Butler University. There I saw the genesis of Barack Obama’s appeal in the person of Colin Powell.
The last time the former four star general, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman and Secretary of State was here was when 300,000 cheered his driving the Corvette Pace Car in the 2005 Indianapolis 500.
“I’ve received two Presidential Medals of Freedom,” Powell told the audience at Butler’s 20th Anniversary Celebration of Diversity Lecture, “But my biggest honor was having led the Indy 500 for three laps.”
That line got warm and sustained laughter and applause. As I realized that Colin Powell is Barack Obama the way Moses was to Joshua; John the Baptist was to Jesus. Powell was the groundbreaker who first got America — white America, Black America, brown, red and yellow America — seriously thinking they could vote for a Black man to be president of the United States.
You remember what happened in 1999 and 2000? America began to warm to the idea of Colin Powell succeeding Bill Clinton as president. Republicans wanted him to run in their party. So did Democrats. The national media machine had a field day hype the possibility.
Powell toyed with the idea, but in the end became a Republican, didn’t run but became George W. Bush’s top diplomat.
What I saw Monday night at Butler was why Obama is connecting with the American people. The Clowes crowd for Powell mirrored the crowds Obama attracts. Mostly white, some Blacks, plenty of young people.
Like Obama, Powell used plain speaking language, humor, and common sense to explain his values and the state of the world today.
Powell used a President Harry Truman 1947 speech to the NAACP about racism to say that America must still fight discrimination, “an obligation to bring along all of our kids,” Powell put it.
Powell explained the immigration issue in simple terms, “America can’t shrink back. America must be an open country. We want people to come here.”
And Powell warned, “Terrorists will have conquered us if they force us to change our open welcoming system.”
Powell declared that “Al Gore is right, global warming is a problem.” And he challenged the audience that America must tackle education, “The problem is K through 12. We’ve got to fix K through 12.”
That same clarity of language in explaining the problems facing America is what people are hearing from Sen. Obama. America had their thirst for leadership go unquenched by Powell. He excited people eight years ago, just as Obama is exciting people today.
On several occasions these past few months, Powell has been quoted as saying he admires Obama. If Obama is successful in his quest, first to win the Democratic nomination and then the presidency itself, he’ll have to thank Colin Powell — soldier and statesman — for paving the way.
What I’m hearing in the streets
During a VIP photo-op, reception and dinner before his speech, Colin Powell showed that a “barely C student from the City College of New York” could become not just a consummate soldier/statesman, but also a man comfortable in his own skin. A man comfortable meeting and mixing with people.
Powell breezed through photo-ops with scores of Indy VIP’s with ease, grace and speed. Gracious, funny and focused when I stepped to meet him and get our photo taken, I told him my surprise when I saw he just a tad taller than this 5’8” columnist. Powell kept me focused, “look at the camera,” he patiently ordered. And like the good soldier, I obeyed.
We were told Powell wouldn’t take questions at a backstage news conference. But a determined Debby Knox wouldn’t be intimidated. The Channel 8 super anchor graciously pressed Powell with questions and we all followed her lead.
Rather than be irritated, Powell was amiable, though keeping his answers short and uncontroversial.
The reception, dinner and backstage press availability was the first time Mayor Greg Ballard and I had occupied the same space since news broke of the Ballard administration’s attempts to muzzle me and WTLC Radio.
Though the mayor saw me and knew I was there, he avoided me like a pandemic plague. Meanwhile numerous guests came up to me expressing their dismay and concern at Ballard’s attempts at naked intimidation and bullying of Black media.
Introducing Powell, Mayor Ballard said how much Powell was his hero. I hope Mayor Ballard watched how his hero conducted himself Monday. It’s how Ballard should conduct his mayoralty, with openness, grace and style — the qualities of Ballard’s hero Gen. Colin Powell.
In a week when the Marion County Republican Party needed to show a positive face to African-Americans, the party decided to run a racially monochromatic countywide slate for the 2008 elections. Only one African-American, Superior Court Judge Cynthia Ayres, was endorsed at the party’s slating convention Saturday.
And in a bizarre slap in the face, Republicans didn’t endorse any candidates Saturday for the county’s eight Black-majority legislative districts. In fact, of the 21 legislative districts (Senate and House) in Marion County, Republicans slated candidates in 12; Democrats in 14.
Also Saturday, local Democrats played fast and loose with party rules in choosing their Superior Court judge candidates. I’ve strongly supported the election of local judges, as opposed to the appointment of judges because I believe under an appointed judge system we’d have fewer African-American and minority judges. But the way Democrats handled their judicial nominees this year seemed somewhat unfair.
In previous slating conventions, Democratic precinct committeepersons voted for up to eight candidates and the eight highest vote getters won.
But, this year, the party pooh-bahs decided to protect incumbent judges. Then instead of having the remaining eight newcomers compete for two slots. The newcomers were divided into two unequal groups.
The result was a mess that to me didn’t live up to the democratic ideals of the Democratic Party. Shame.
Amos Brown’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. You can contact him at (317) 221-0915 or by e-mail at ACBROWN@AOL.COM.
