Is Obama Black Enough?

I have asked this question before and I will ask it again: Is Barack Obama "black" enough to win the support of black "leaders"? The reason I ask this question again is due to the recent comments by Al Sharpton who accused Obama of trying to "grandstand in front of white people." And you can't overlook the recent comments by Barack's former minister, Jeremiah Wright, that seemed to suggest the U.S. government might be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community and his equation of some American wartime efforts with terrorism.

On one hand you have Sharpton who is basically accusing Obama of selling out his race to try to become president. That is to be expected. I will followup on this one at the end. On the other hand you have a deranged lunatic in Wright who is using Obama's celebrity to try to further a crazy agenda that has long been spread by conspiracy theorists. Long have people been attempting to accuse the American government for drugs/AIDS/poverty, etc., as a means of genocide. Obama has rightfully attempted to distance himself from these divisive comments but I think the damage has been done. Wright has been on a non-stop media crusade to sell his brand of crazy and some can't help but think Obama may agree with some of these views. Not I, but some.

While Wright's comments may scare away the white populace, Sharpton's comments dig at the heart of Obama's campaign by scaring black voters. As is typical for the Sharpton's, Jackson's, Farakhan's, etc., of the world, they most maintain the status quo of American racism. If there is ever the belief that a majority of Americans are not racist, then the Sharpon's become irrelevant. If minority Americans ever believe they can play on the same level playing field as white Americans, then there is no need for Sharpton to spew forth his hate-filled rhetoric.

I am not blind. Yes, there remains some forms of racism in America. But the fact is that most Americans no longer look to color first and foremost. Some of the most powerful people in the world (Condoleeza Rice, Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell) are of African descent and no one bats an eye at that. But because these people aren't "black" enough for Sharpton their success is ignored. Barack Obama is perhaps a month from becoming the nominee for the President of the United States. A black president would most assuredly undermine Sharpton's goals of keeping racism in American viable so he begins tearing down Obama's "blackness" for his own personal ambitions.

It's really a shame because there truly are opportunities to continue the bridging of racial divides in this country thanks to Obama's historic run. But the likes of Sharpton cannot let there be any reconciliation less they become mere asides in today's world. Look for Sharpton to quickly embrace Obama should he lose either the Democratic primary or general election because it will become yet another chapter in America holding down the black man. But should Obama win this presidency, expect Sharpton to categorize him in the same manner as Rice, Powell and Thomas because the success of blacks in today's society cannot be tolerated. Not by a majority of Americans but by those who claims to stand for black America. Those like Sharpton.