Opinion: Barack Obama As The One

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The reference was made when McCain criticized Obama for supporting an energy bill in 2007. “It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate, loaded down with goodies for oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney. You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one,” said McCain as he pointed toward his opponent.

The remark ignited a firestorm over the blogosphere and on Black radio, but not so much on the mainstream media. Most people were heaping criticism on Senator McCain for what they perceived to be a demeaning and racially insensitive slight toward Senator Obama. The sight of an older White male appearing to dehumanize a Black male, a presidential contender no less, sent chills through many Black viewers. White viewers did not see it through a racial lens per say, but more that McCain just does not like or respect his presidential rival. Chris Matthews of MSNBC and Joan Walsh of Salon.com had this interesting take on it while appearing on Hardball this past Wednesday:

"You know, it seemed disrespectful. And I have to say the Irish Catholic thing might be a part of it. My grandmother used to took care of all her nine grandchildren, all nine of us at the same time, sometimes. And I could hear that coming out of her mouth. Who broke the coffee table? That one."

Matthews later added:

"I don't know what the racism is, but some people did react that way. Let me ask you about "that one," because I have to tell you, Joan, I do remember, somewhere in my head, I hear an Irish woman of a certain age saying, you are one of the smart ones. You are one of the smart ones. That use of the word ones, I do think....it has a resonance from the old days."

There are many voters, Black and White, who believe the McCain campaign is now engaging in gutter politics in an act of desperation to salvage a campaign that is tanking. Despite Michelle Obama’s attempt to downplay Senator McCain’s comment during her appearance on the Larry King program on CNN earlier in the week, the firestorm it created may not subside any time soon.



In many ways Tuesday night’s town hall debate was reminiscent of the famous Kennedy-Nixon debate of almost fifty years ago. Of course I did not witness that event, but I have seen the complete footage of it. Though Kennedy and Nixon were relatively close in age, Richard Nixon appeared much older and was considered the political veteran having served in Congress and as Vice President in the Eisenhower administration. John Kennedy was considered to be the young upstart and critics questioned his preparedness to serve as well as his faith. In 1960 the power of the visual helped define the election as one of generational change. As it was back then, this past Tuesday's debate was akin to one of those old Polaroid pictures, a developing image of the nation’s future that is coming into focus with each passing day.

For John McCain, Barack Obama is “that one.” The Arizona senator’s clear disdain for his opponent is visible each time they share a stage. It is more evident when the Republican, and his running mate Governor Sarah Palin, are on the campaign stump. McCain is clearly frustrated after having run for the presidency once before and come up short. To have his path to the White House now blocked by a young, charismatic junior Senator; a Black candidate to top it off, has him really out of joint.

I offer that just as Senator McCain said on the view, "Senator Obama chooses his words carefully and he shouldn't have said it" in reference to Obama's calling the McCain campaigns adopted "change" theme 'lipstick on a pig', the “that one” comment was no slip of the tongue. It was John McCain’s conscious frame of reference of Barack Obama. For McCain, his opponent is an object; something that is impeding his decades long ambition to sit in the Oval Office. Having wrapped himself in the American flag and done everything short of appropriating Lady Liberty’s crown and her torch for Sarah Palin, McCain’s world view is that there is only one real American in this race and it’s not “that one.”

Senator McCain’s remark is the type of subtle racism that is difficult to measure and easily dismissed by sympathizers who paint a picture of a post-racial America to justify their own biases. It is the catalyst that creates the so-called “Bradley effect,” the contradictory expression of racial neutrality in the preference of a Black candidate and the revelation of racial animus in the voting booth when opposing the same candidate by voting for the white opponent. I'm afraid that what John McCain and many of his supporters would like you to believe is that their opposition to Senator Obama is patriotically driven. That their belief that Senator Obama is neither prepared nor American enough to serve as commander-in-chief.

In reality, they evoke a Jim Crow perspective that a Black American, regardless of how qualified or educated, is not their equal or could possibly possess the ability to serve as the most powerful elected official in the world. In many ways it is parallel to how Black professionals were treated during the first half of the 20th century. The Black doctor, whether Meharry or Harvard trained, was simply “that one.”

The good news for the Illinois Senator is that many young White voters do not carry that racial baggage. There are even some White voters that do, but are not willing to deal their votes from the race deck at a time when they fear having their home foreclosed or the loss of their job and health insurance. It may be good fortune for Senator Obama, that the nation’s economic misfortune is forcing many more White voters to honestly assess which candidate reflects their self-interest. With each passing day, whether in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and increasingly in Florida, the realization is growing that the man Senator McCain derisively called “that one” may be “the one” to lead the nation.