About Me
- Funmi Iyanda
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Funmi Iyanda is a multi award-winning producer and broadcast journalist. She is the CEO of Ignite Media and Executive Director of Creation Television
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Super Question on Super Tuesday
Talking about stridency, and okay maybe a little PMS to boot, I admit that I was a little hard on Obama, as the many Voltrons have pointed out. I even sheepishly and completely take back the stepford wife comment; I like what I read about Michelle Obama. I guess my surface irritation is really {a} reaction to some of his patronizing comments in Kenya on a 2006 visit to his father's home place and {b}, an annoyance at the flawed view that a black man in the white house will help Africa's cause. The fact is only Africans can solve Africa's problems. This is not necessarily because others (including African Americans and Americans with African parents) don't care about us or feel some connection to us as humans but really because they have their own unique challenges, interests and goals which as must happen in nature often conflicts with our own interests and well being. It is our jobs to define who we are and our terms of engagement with others. I will never forget the rock solid assurance with which my very learned top civil service executive aunt declared in 1994 that America will never allow a military dictatorship maintain the over turned 1993 election. The rest of course is history. Even then my young mind had asked rather sarcastically, wetin concern dem with our wahala, sebi dem go still dey lift oil abi? So if I put aside my aversion to the suggestion of Africa's messiah in the white house and those comments in Kenya, my heart does want a black person in the white house just as it wants a woman there so on SUPER TUESDAY I ask a stupidly naïve question but one which fascinates me endlessly. Why not a Hillary AND Barrack white house? I am totally taken by the idea of the kind of dynamic leadership America and by virtue of her unique influence; the world can have with a Clinton/Obama white coalition. Just imagine the possibilities of both of them in power. The argument is that {a} who will be whose vice and {b} what role will Bill be playing. Both seem to me to be smaller ego based concerns against a background of the sort of incredible leadership that both can bring to bear if they choose to work together at a time that America is so direly in need of the much vaunted leadership based on the greater good. Why choose between two good?
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10 comments:
I think a Clinton/Obama ticket is more probable than an Obama/Clinton ticket. The former would not be Clintons ideal but I think the party will lean on her 2 make that choice.
once again u ve stolen my heart, i appreaciate ur honesty and being able to retrace ur steps when there is a need to, ve being reading ur blog for a while and i feel u on a lot of issues.
Ur passion is "huge". But sha u need to koolu temper as ur heart cld be fragile than u think.
love
I gbadu this post...
Change We Can Believe In!
Yes We Can!!
Go Obama!!!
Funmi,
Somebody said if Obama leads the Democrat then the Republicans are coming back to power. For one, America is not ready for a black President especially with Obama background to Islam and with the fear of Al Quada and 11/11 still in mind.
But really a Clinton/Obama ticket will be the best bcos both candidates combined as a team will take America to the next level.
2ndly, Some argue that while Clinton has backed are arguements with facts like the war in iraq and health care, Obama has been sentimal in his approach.
I am for Clinton even though I am black but I am also a woman and I know this woman will sure deliver just like her husband did.
I think right now i would rather go with an Obama/Clinton ticket too bcos most people don't seem to be feeling the Clinton's anymore. Although i want a woman in there but for anyone who wins i will support as long as it not the Republicans ruling anymore.
a true woman of valor!
the same idea have flirted endlessly thru my my mind too, the prospect is def exciting but there's a nagging disquite on it's feasibility.
tuesday was supper for obama!(yeah!)
am still giddy at the prospect of a female in the oval office...
on that note,(conjuring my inner whitney houston)
and iiiiii, will always love youuuuuuuuu....
will always, love youuuuuuuuuuuu.
Obama and Hilary have fought during the course of this election i doubt if any will be willing to work with the other!but it really isnt up to any of them!!
I am for Obama,America needs change!the guy hs great ideas!everyone is saying he is inexpereinced!what have those with experience done?WHat have the Bush Family done but to wreck the economy, killed thousands of AMerican citizens all in d name of a stupid unnecessary war! We need to give someone else a chance,we need change!
@ juliana obama doesnt have a background in islam!they went to the supposed "islam" school he attended for a while in indonesia and the school said since inception they have been admitting people with various religions and their education is not based on religious sentiments!A lot of lies have been fabricated just to ruin this good guy!He is a sincere person with good plans for America...God bless America!
A Clinton/Obama ticket will never happen. Ego is not as trivial as you make it sound. Ego is the reason any one would think of becoming president of the USA. In this campaign Obama has hurt the Clintons' ego big time. As far as they see it he is an upstart who was running about in Chicago when they were running for and running the White House. He is a threat to their best laid plans of succession, it is hard to come back from that surprise to consider having him be in office. The press here already points out that Obama is the most popular Democrat, a position Bill C has long enjoyed. The White House is not big enough for three such egos.
As for those who keep mouthing the rather inane mantra of America is not ready for a black man to be President, how will it be when black people say that. Is it coming from a place of accepted inferiority, almost the same as the wish to buy imported, or to treat white bosses with more deference that black people often display. You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket. Hillary can win without the black vote, but Obama will win only if everyone, including black people believe.
It is so funny that you mentioned the Clinton/Obama leadership possibility because, while arguing with a friend on who's better, we both came to the consensus that both have their pros and cons and the nation will benefit more from them as a 'dynamic duo'. If only their egos would allow them...
Nice piece funmi. I really felt bad at how the black communinty quickly latched onto and twisted Clinton's remarks to insinuate racism. The game now seems to be that you cant give Obama a hard tackle on the issues because 'he is black' and the media seems to be overplaying the political correctness things lest the 'R' word be invoked against them. No doubt Obama has played the 'broad appeal' card quite well by not personally campaigning on the basis of race. However, his wife Michelle has been a bit more outspoken on race and has been his ambassador to the black community.
Before you change your mind abt michelle, there's just something slightly in your face about her black sista attitude thing that will soon catch up with the Obama's in the general elections-besides she's been a bit personal with Hillary as in these earlier clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN1qZMBE9Gc
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/04/michelle-obama-ill-thi_n_84900.html