Oh my. Have we caught Senator Barack Obama and his beautiful wife Michelle in a tender moment?
Or is he telling her what he’s just announced to the world on his website — that he’s forming a Presidential Exploratory Committee and that he intends to run for president in 2008?
None of the above, I spotted this photo over at my girl Fresh’s Crunk & Disorderly website. Barack and Michelle Obama have been named couple numero uno on Ebony magazine’s annual 10 Hottest Couples list.
I know some of you have been discussing Obama’s problems and prospects in the comments for my previous post on interracial relations, but let me ask you this flat out.
Look past the historic racial significance, his relative inexperience, his meteoric rise to public prominence, and his cultural differences with the African American community, and consider the man before you.
I’m not asking if you lean to the right or the left. Your politics are your business, and I think it’s important to respect each other’s beliefs and affiliations.
All I want to know is, would you vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential elections?
I’m getting back to the makeup-‘n-hair stuff real soon, y’all! Afrobella is expanding in all sorts of new ways, and I love the intelligent discussion!
yes,i would.
Yes. I would.
I promise I won’t be so long winded today. I don’t know if I would vote Obama.
Black Honey, you can be as long-winded as you like! I love reading the detailed comments, I’ve just been too busy to respond. But I’m done with my deadline for work so expect a bigger post manana!
No–he isn’t in favor of gay marriage so I couldn’t in good conscience support him.
I need to hear way more about his politics and less about his background to make a decision, but so far I’d like to vote for him.
@ bella
Do you have a microphone in my house??? Your last 5 posts have mysteriously been about subjects I was discussing at home… great minds… I’m absolutely hooked on your blog!!!
OK – I live in the UK so this is a purely theoretical comment from me but … without getting all deeply political on you ladies I think I would vote for him because he has charisma & charm – the staples of any campaign.
In truth, though, i suspect the people really pulling the strings don’t effectively get voted in but if you’re going to pick a puppet then why the heck not?
However I’m not sure America is ready for it’s first black president although i heard he was having a tough time rallying the black vote because they don’t consider him black enough – is that true?
yes i would vote for him
Yes! Yes!!! A thousand times yes!!!!!!
Afrobella,
From what I have read and heard from him, I say YES!!!
i would
Absolutely. I’m looking forward to hearing more from him in regards to where he stands on many more issues affecting the US besides his courageous stance against the war.
Someone mentioned him not getting the Black vote because American Blacks don’t think he’s Black enough? Thats crazy!!! What should his race have to do with anything? We vote for White presidents all the time and they clearly aren’t Black enough. However, if Barack Obama has my best interest at heart and is willing to fight for the best interest of the country then yeah I’d vote for him. But if he didn’t then I wouldn’t. His Blackness or lack there of should have nothing to do with his political statement. But then again this isn’t a perfect world. Most only see his color anyway. No disrespect to Afrobella, but do you really think you would have posted anything about him if he weren’t Black?
No, I wouldn’t have, Nikki. No disrespect taken! I also don’t think he would have as much buzz about him if he weren’t black. I think in this particular case, his color is both a blessing (gives him exposure, and he would be a historic choice of president) and a curse (people are more likely to criticize him for things they wouldn’t even bother saying about a caucasian candidate). Having said that, I’m not an American citizen (yet!) so I have some time to do my research and learn more about his policies.
I don’t want him to run, to be honest. I’m scared for him. I don’t want his wife to be made a widow like Coretta (RIP). But if he does run, and he says things that make sense to me as a voter who’s also a critical thinker who’s able to digest and process multiple positions at a time (lol) then yes, I probably would vote for him.
I would vote for him.
I have also heard that he is having a hard time because some people think he isn’t black enough. you would be surprise how many people think that. Not black enough? how can someone determine how black you are? and what is being black enough. am i black enough? are you? what does it mean to be black?
I would need to do some research about the platform he wants to run on. Since he is a pretty new senator, he doesn’t have much of a voting record yet, so it will be difficult to gauge just from that. If he is for the things that I think are important, I would vote for him. I hate how the media are starting to turn on him a bit now…
Niki – oh, you noticed that too? I predict a backlash, sad to say.
Yes, I would vote for him.
I have to do more reseach on his platform. He is definitely intelligent and charismatic. He has the charm needed to sway voters like a Bill Clinton (what John Kerry was missing). We need to see if he has the substance. I would like to vote for him.
YES!!! I would vote for Mr. Obama in a hot minute and I have several reasons why.
1. My business partner, a Latina, who has a son with a black man and is married to a Latino who has two children with a black woman, relocated from his original district, when he was a State Senator, and only has positive things to say about how he represented EVERYONE.
2. Let’s be real, a president of a multi-cultural nation needs to represent everyone.So, this “is he black enough” argument means little. Like another poster said, we all (Americans) have been voting for white males for years. The problem we have encountered as black people, is no white male president has truly our best interests when it comes to policy making.
3. I worked for the last Democratic candidated for president when I was a teenager and even though he was a white male, he did BELIEVE in the roles minorities and women play in the strength of our nation. I say this b/c the man has 5 offices, 4 are run by women, two by women of color. From the perspective of someone who worked for a politician, during his Senate race in 1996, I can tell you the politician is NOT in charge but is more a representative of those around him/her, as they influence him. That being said, Barack has a STRONG black woman for a wife, so he is my MAIN MAN if he makes the bid to proceed with his Presedential Run.
(sorry so long but, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE politics, MORE than I love fashion, makeup, etc!!!)
Yes I would vote for him but it would be based on his platform, and who he runs against. He is definitely Intelligent, and charismatic and seems to be pretty much in tuned with present day America. I think that if Hillary Clinton runs I would be more inclined to vote in her though.
He got my vote flat out based on GP. He does not dance around answers, he is not afraid to discuss his misguided behavior as a youth & he seems rock solid on his values & seems to offer compromise when necessary without sacrificing himself.
One man cannot be all things to all people on all issues so I look at the overall picture.
I have heard stuff about him not being Black enough & almost threw up in my mouth a little because I guess I was shocked by how stupid the comment was.
Who determines how Black someone is & what is the criteria. I bet the people making that claim is going to be the NIGGA not voting anyway & probably never have.
I would love to see him & Hillary on one ticket & think they would turn it out together, no matter who’s on top (no pun intended).
Peace,
Bygbaby
I would vote for him. Despite the numerous reasons that I would vote for Obama in particular, let me just say what I think most Americans are thinking. At this point, the current President has done such a horrible job, bungling almost everything he touches – from Iraq, to No Child Left Behind – I’m just ready for a change. Almost any Democrat to get the nomination will get my vote.
i will be voting for Obama
As an American, I would vote for him just based on cuteness and charisma. j/k… only a little. But really, I’d need to know who he is running against first. But if it were Obama against Bush – Obama. Honestly, I don’t understand why us caring about his race is any more frivolous than us caring about how Clinton holds his thumb. Americans having voted for candidates for worse reasons.
Yes, I will vote for Mr. Barack Obama.
YES, YES, YES!!! I like his MODERATION on issues. Despite being liberal he isn’t far left like many partisan politicans are now.
Yes I would vote for him. But then again, I’m not American. I’m Kenyan and any time he wants, he can come run for president here and we WILL vote him in!!!
I would vote for Mr. Barack Obama. But, I have a bad feeling in my tummy that Rudolph Giuliani will be strong choice for the majority(White). I don’t think America is ready for a black leader.
I love Barack, but I don’t think he has the platform, the politics, or the experience to run for president. It’s interesting that Barack has become what Shelby Steele predicted, the one person of color who is making everybody feel included. I just get the feeling he’s being touted for president because he isn’t discussing race relations, which, of course, exempts alot of people from feeling guilty about their privilege. He doesn’t have a defined platform yet…it’s okay to walk the middle but I have no idea what he will absolutely fight for. If I were his political advisor, lol, I would tell him to gain some more experience, start advocating for issues people immediately identify with, and bide his time. He’s a guaranteed success.
At this point, I would not vote for Obama – I don’t know enough about his politics. I haven’t really started paying attention to potential candidates yet.
On a totally different note — I LOVE this website. Afrobella, I don’t know how I stumbled across you, but I am so glad that I did! I’ll definitely be adding you to my list of must-visits.
I’m so loving your posts that I may start wearing makeup. And that, for me, is saying a lot. Keep up the good work.
I don’t want him to run, but he runs, I will vote for him.
I worked on the senator’s US Senate campaign & got to see the man in action often. Also, being from Chicago, I’d been aware of him before he was a politician, because he was already doing a lot of activist type things in the community. This guy is the real deal. Seriously, he takes the commonalities in people & finds a common ground. And he’s so smart, it’s scary. Now, I have noticed that since his rise in the Democratic party, he’s gone more towards the center w/ a lot of his rhetoric. He used to be more leftist/progressive. But it’s all good. The one area I think that will hurt him the most is he doesn’t really have a proven tpolitical track record yet. Also, to compete w/ Hilary & John Edwards, he’s going to need MAJOR moolah, not to mention clout in some of the southern states, which can be hard to obtain. But even if he doesn’t win the primary, his being in this is going to force all the other candidates to step their game up. Especially when it’s time to debate. So, overall, his running is a good thing, whether he’s successful or not. I’m excited!
Yes. I’d vote for him.
Hell Yeah…. I would vote for him. we need some kind of change.
Yes, I would definitely vote for him, but as an American of African descent, I don’t think this country is ready for a black president any more than it is ready for a female president.
Are you kidding me? Obama is a leading force in his field. He’s noticeable, not because he’s black, but because he is an extraordinary person. So yes, I would vote for him.
I would certainly vote for Obama. When I first saw him on Meet the Press I was totally impressed. I appreciated his frankness, candor, and intelligence…which shine through so clearly when he speaks and writes. He is just so damn smart, which is refreshing. And honestly, he just has that “it factor,” that charisma, that we love in our Presidents.
I am really rooting for him to get the Democratic nomination, for the reasons above, and also because I just can’t stand Hillary.
The only matchup that would give me pause would be Obama vs. Giuliani. Would have to do some hard thinking before going into the voting booth on that one; I am a longtime supporter of Giuliani and to me, NYC was never better than during his time in the mayor’s office.
But…Obama is definitely going places.
I don’t know enough about him right now to say if I’d vote for him, but my interest is definitely piqued and I’ll be paying close attention to him going forward. I’m really encouraged by the fact that he and Hillary are being talked about seriously. Gives me some of that hope Barack speaks of!
I would vote for him for his politics,his moderation,and his approach.To be honest though,I don’t want him to run .After following him for awhile,I have a feeling he was somewhat pushed into this position that I really don’t think he was after in the first place.If he really is looking at the presidency,now is not the time.That all aside,I don’t think he would win if he decided to run for a gamut of reasons.
I’m very disturbed by America’s response (in general) when it comes to Obama’s background.It’s really showing our ugly when it comes to race and the larger question of who is an acceptable American.I’m annoyed that his ethnic backgrounds pops up next to his name constantly like that even matters.The man is an American isn’t he?Where’s the relevance,if this was a country that was a) ready and b) that open?
For those who asked earlier,I’m from D.C. and it is definately TRUE that there are lots of African Americans (but not all)who don’t feel he is “Black” enough.
This iss the ish that really gets me going.
What kind of country is this??Who is Black enough?In this country that’s all about looks,yes, he’s biracial but does anyone honestly believe he has no idea what it is like to be a Black man in America?Ridiculous.I mean what are people looking for?For him to be from deep Georgia with a working knowledge of his complete family tree from the slave trade days?People are trippin’.And for those people who feel it’s not a culture question but the fact he’s part white,I get made just because the African American community still acts like most members of our community don’t have white blood somewhere in them. I bet,even if Barack Obama wasn’t biracial and his parents were both Kenyan immigrants,there would be questions circulating in whether he was ‘African American’ enough.Its a sad day when someone’s cultural background comes before what’s important and we focus on our differences instead of our similarities.
I live in Illinois–and I am not one to vote and tell, however my husband and I have both voted for him everytime we could.
His message is so important. One of the most important ways to make the world better is to get to change the way of thinking of our “at risk” youth. “At rish” are his words. Changing the young minds that are headed to a life of crime. Make them want something better. Show them how.
Senator Obama is amazing and sexy and smart and I am happy he is moving towards the Presidency.
I hope to vote for him in the next election.
Have a lovely day!
AT RISK–not at RISH. sorry I am at work on a new computer and it is throwing me off.
Yes, I absolutely would vote for him (over and over again)! As he stated in an e-mail sent from his website on January 16th, “we are all hungry for a different kind of politics.” IMO, we cannot and should not continue to accept the status quo. However, my greatest fear is that should he decide to run (and by some miracle win) he will have a “devil” of a time trying to unite a nation torn apart by bigotry, greed and deception. The price he will have to pay may be too big!
carlagirl Says: January 17th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
No–he isn’t in favor of gay marriage so I couldn’t in good conscience support him.
DITTO for me! I feel he is just thrown into the limelight to shut “us” up.
2012 or 2016 may be his time. As of now he is to young and does not have enough experience but he most def has star quality to gather a good following. If he is smart, he would get his white mother out and about to pull white voters who are unsure.
I will be voting for Barack without question. It’s not even close. His biggest problem is that he’s still fairly new to the national scene. Luckily, the election is still two years away.
Reading through all the posts it seems most people only know the little they’ve seen on TV like I did as of a few days ago. However, I just read his book “The Audacity of Hope” and encourage you all to do the same. Obama communicates what he is all about in such an impressive manner. He comes across knowledgeable and genuine, showing he has a true understanding of the issues facing the United States. He is the real deal.
OF COURSE I WOULD! I would vote for him a million times if I could. I actually think he will win the nomination and the race.
I’ll vote for him. It’s about time America should have a president that isn’t a white male.
Even when things go sour, remember that things will
change again as they always have and always will.
Or you have a bad day which means you end up eating chips, donuts
and chocolate while watching a film and all the time your self esteem drops lower and
lower, in fact if it went any lower it was hit the opposite side of the world.
And so point there that I want to make is you got to be diligent in maintaining
that focus throughout the session.