Democrat Barack Obama, with the help of young white voters in Iowa, became the first African-American in US electoral history to win a major presidential primary.  Far too many political pundits, like me, were too caught up in our own racial views to fully accept the possibility that a Black man could win the Iowa caucuses in one of the whitest states in the country.  What remains is whether or not Senator Obama can next win in New Hampshire and then go on to win enough primaries to capture the Democratic nomination. The deeper question is what does this historic victory really say about the racial climate in America?

Before we get too excited about our racial progress, pay attention to what is happening in Arlington. A Black couple is experiencing old style racial harassment from some of their white neighbors.  The scene there is reminisced of the ugly era of segregation that this area was once infamous for. The Arlington situation promises to get uglier as protest marches and rallies are planned to highlight the embarrassing racial unrest in a city that in a few years will host the country’s premier sporting event.

Voters who propelled Senator Obama into the history books said they voted for him primarily because of his stand on the issues not his race.  Obama’s stand on health care, the economy, and changing Washington politics appealed to an electorate in Iowa who is hungry for change in the way Washington conducts the country’s political affairs. Despite the fact that race was not cited as a primary reason for Senator Obama’s electoral appeal, one cannot help but wonder what impact his win has on race relations.

In my view, there is little doubt that Barack Obama’s win in Iowa sends a clear signal to Black America that Black leadership needs to evolve and mirror the style and message that Mr. Obama espouses if Black leaders expect to garner massive white political support.  Obama’s message and style, in contrast to the message and style of Black civil rights leaders as exemplified by Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton, is about bring people together to work out our differences without racially inflammatory tactics. I wonder how that approach will work in a situation such as the one that is currently under way in Arlington.  I am not convinced that Senator Obama’s victory in Iowa is a harbinger for a more open and fair society.  I guess I am still too jaded by the stories I cover to be overly optimistic.  Then again, one only has to look over to Arlington and look at the wealth disparity between north and south in our town to sober up to the fact that we still have a great deal of work to do with race relations.

Meanwhile, the presidency is still far away for Mr. Obama.  Senator Hillary Clinton’s candidacy is wounded but far from dead.  Ms. Clinton came off more divisive and less believable then Mr. Obama.  That only enhanced her high negatives.  One now has to wonder just how valuable former President Bill Clinton’s campaigning for Ms.Clinton is.  Since every time you see Bill Clinton one is reminded how his wife lacks all of the political charm and skill that won her husband two presidencies.

Miraculously, Senator Obama tied or beat Senator Clinton with women voters.  Given the fact that Hillary Clinton is also poised to make history by being the country’s first female president, if she is elected, has to be troubling to those who felt that she would overwhelmingly carry the female vote. Still, young white voters in Iowa gave Americans a glimpse of what we could be when they made Senator Barack Obama the Democratic presidential front runner.  But I wonder if this whole Iowa miracle is an anomaly carried out in a state with a quirky primary system that is far from representative of the rest of America. I hope not but only time will tell.  At least that is how I see it from South of the Trinity.   

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