What Obama Means:
For Our Culture, Our politics, Our Future, by Jabari Asim


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

This book looks at Obama's 2008 campaign from a cultural perspective as opposed to a political perspective. It's written by an African-American cultural analyst and focuses on African-American cultural issues.

The "cultural perspective" includes African-American political figures, as one would expect--from Martin Luther King to Jesse Jackson, all the way back to Frederick Douglass--focusing on their relevance to voters' acceptance of an African-American president. But the "cultural perspective" also includes pop culture references--from Sidney Poitier to Will Smith--as well as non-African-American cultural figures--from Sarah Silverman's organizing "The Great Schlep" for Obama (a Florida Jewish grandparent get-out-the-vote effort), to an entire chapter on Saturday Night Live (the sometimes-political TV show).

The author's favorite cultural references are movie analogies: the author clearly adores movies more than political history. Besides the standards such as Denzel Washington and Spike Lee, there's an entire chapter dedicated to the movie concept of "The Magic Negro." That refers to the semi-psychic African-American movie character type who appears, for example, in Stephen King's "The Shining" (the telepathic cook); and in "The Green Mile" (the giant healer condemned to Death Row).

If you want to connect movies and popular culture to Obama's politics, this is the ideal book for you. If you want to understand the African-American population's view of Obama, this is a good book for you too. If you want to explore how Obama's policy choices affect the African-American community, well, this book is a bit thin, but there are plenty of books on that topic elsewhere.

-- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, OnTheIssues.org, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, July 2011

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Civil Rights     Barack Obama: Many black disparities can be traced to legacy of Jim Crow.

Energy & Oil     Barack Obama: Cellulosic ethanol more energy-efficient than corn-based.

Foreign Policy     Barack Obama: Fundamental commitment to strong US-Israel relationship.     Rev. Jesse Jackson: Reduce Zionist influence in American foreign policy.

Principles & Values     Al Sharpton: OpEd: 2004 campaign made him President of Black America.     Al Sharpton: Activist & catalyst in Obama camp, but not an adviser.     Barack Obama: OpEd: Despite Obama, blacks still need focus on advancement.     Barack Obama: Developed style & attitude based on exposure to pop culture.     Barack Obama: Defensive about attempts to portray as sexually attractive.     Barack Obama: Young supporters make parallels between Obama & pop stars.     Barack Obama: 40 million viewers for convention nomination speech.     Barack Obama: New Yorker cover: Islamic garb & fist-bumping Michelle.     Barack Obama: 1970s: Teen basketball player & fan of Julius "Dr. J" Erving.     Barack Obama: Described by fans as rock star; dismissed by critics as same.     Barack Obama: OpEd: Unflappability comes from Methodist grandparents.     Barack Obama: OpEd: Combines clergy oratory with intellectual eloquence.     Barack Obama: OpEd: March 2008 "race speech" reminder of ongoing struggle.     Barack Obama: March 2008 speech on race began with "We, the people".     Barack Obama: Rev. Wright's sermon "Audacity of Hope" was radical optimism.     Barack Obama: Evokes Lincoln's call to overcome irreconcilable differences.     Barack Obama: Portrayed by GOP as "risky", implying alien and un-American.     Barack Obama: "Obama Messiah Watch": Keep eye on media gushing hyperbolic.     Barack Obama: Am I somehow responsible for fate of entire black race?     Barack Obama: No contradiction as black voice & constituent representative.     Barbara Jordan: 1976: First black keynote speaker at National Convention.     Colin Powell: 1995: Polled 54% to 39% for president against Bill Clinton.     Jesse Louis Jackson: Obama is first thoughtful black speaker since MLK.     Jesse Louis Jackson: National co-chair of Obama's presidential campaign.     Jimmy Carter: 1976: blacks in administration reflected support at polls.     Joe Biden: 2008 primary: Obama is "articulate & bright & clean".     John Lewis: 1963: Winning moments not evidence of lasting victory.     John McCain: OpEd: Ads decrying Obama as "celebrity" misread "popularity".     John McCain: Obama has eloquent but empty call for change.     Lynn Westmoreland: Sept. 2008: Obamas are "uppity".     Mike Huckabee: Joked at NRA talk about Obama ducking gunshots.     Old Testament: Hannah's story: hope despite adversity.     Rev. Jesse Jackson: "Run, Jesse, Run" double meaning: campaign, & dodge attacks.     Rev. Jesse Jackson: 1984 Rainbow Coalition: expand corridors of power.     Rev. Jesse Jackson: Caught off-mike: Obama "talks down to black people".

Technology     Barack Obama: My.BarackObama.com enabled grassroots organizing.

Welfare & Poverty     Rev. Jesse Jackson: Voice of the poor, the disenchanted, & the disillusioned.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Al Sharpton Barack Obama Barbara Jordan Colin Powell Jesse Louis Jackson Jimmy Carter Joe Biden John Lewis John McCain Lynn Westmoreland Mike Huckabee Old Testament Rev. Jesse Jackson

The above quotations are from What Obama Means:
For Our Culture, Our politics, Our Future, by Jabari Asim.

Autobiographies for 2012 GOP primary candidates: No Apology, by Gov. Mitt Romney, Mar 2, 2010 Real Change, by Speaker Newt Gingrich, Dec 18, 2007 Biographies: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, 2001 Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption, by Jules Witcover, 2010 Rick Santorum: A Senator Speaks Out on Life, Freedom, and Responsibility, 2005 Michele Bachmann: Why She Will Win, by Ron Paul Jones, 2011 A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney, by Hugh Hewitt Mitt Romney: The Man, His Values and His Vision, by Lisa Ray Turner and Kimberly Field Deliver Us from Evil, by Sean Hannity

Policy books: Confidence Men, by Ron Suskind, 2011 Core of Conviction, by Rep. Michele Bachmann, 2011 It Takes a Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, 2005 On My Honor, by Gov. Rick Perry, 2008 End The Fed, by Rep. Ron Paul, Sep 16, 2009 Gold, Peace, and Prosperity: The Birth of a New Currency, by Ron Paul, 2007 My Journey to the White House, by Herman Cain, 2011

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