Two articles in the last 24 hours give a great view of the pressure on Obama to add the race card to his political deck.
First came Al Sharpton, who wrapped himself in the mantle of spokesperson for the black community to challenge Obama on a couple of issues:
“Why shouldn’t the black community ask questions? Are we now being told, ‘You all just shut up?'” Sharpton told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer Monday. “Senator Obama and I agree that the war is wrong, but then I want to know why he went to Connecticut and helped [Sen. Joseph] Lieberman, the biggest supporter of the war.”
Sharpton also questioned why Obama supports “tort reform, which hurts police brutality victims.”
What set Sharpton off was a published report that he is trying to hurt Obama’s campaign because he’s jealous. Sharpton says that claim is untrue, charging the story came from the Obama camp to pressure him into an early endorsement.
“I’m not going to be cajoled or intimidated by any candidate not for my support,” Sharpton said.
While Sharpton’s question about Lieberman support will certainly resonate with the Lamont camp, I’m having a lot of trouble believing that the Obama campaign is specifically and desperately seeking Al’s endorsement.
Then there’s this from The Hill:
After waiting nearly two decades, Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) is well positioned to move legislation that could lead the federal government to apologize for slavery and pay reparations.
But the Judiciary Committee chairman is willing to wait two more years, when he hopes Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will be in the White House.
How… bizarre.
Presumably, Conyers feels that Obama would be likely to support (or at least, not oppose) such legislation — and I can only think of two reasons why he would think so. Either:
1. Barack Obama has given a signal to Conyers (verbal or otherwise) that he agrees with a national apology and reparations, or
2. Conyers feels that because of the color of Obama’s skin, he would de facto support such a bill.
Between Al Sharpton and John Conyers (and those like them), Obama’s ability to define himself under his own terms is clearly being challenged.
The question now, of course, is whether Obama’s going to be able to decline the race card they’re trying to force into his hand.