Did Obama Racially Cover to Win in 2008?

The 2008 Democratic Primary was Barack Obama's coming out party. He burst onto the national stage by courting the help of Oprah and winning the Iowa caucus, setting the stage for a two person race between himself and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. His sudden stardom took the country by surprise, and, despite reassurances from America's moral authority (Oprah), the general public didn't yet know what to think of Barack. This uncertainty was exacerbated by the newness of the whole situation; Barack was not only new, but he was also black. His campaign sought to prove that not only was the nation ready for a black president, but that the nation was ready for this black president, one they barely even knew. In an effort to soothe the nation's worries over this new face, did the Obama campaign attempt to "cover" Obama's identity as a black man? In other words, did the Obama campaign look to emphasize Obama's traditionally "white" interests, while ignoring his traditionally "black" ones to blend him into white culture? This is a difficult question, with no clear answer.

(Quick side note: defining things as "black and "white" is extraordinarily difficult and sometimes uncomfortable. I decided to just go by my own perceptions of society, rather than any reputable scientific list, if such a thing exists. Anyway, if I offend anyone it is not out of malice but purely my own ignorance.)

During the 2008 campaign, Obama's musical tastes seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in the news. This could be surmised as the campaign's attempt to make him look hip, or it could be viewed as a form of racial covering. If you were to click through the above link, Obama claims a wide array of musical tastes, from Bob Dylan to Miles Davis to the Rolling Stones. Last he mentions a few hip-hop artists but frames himself as totally new to the genre, crediting Reggie Love as being responsible for introducing him to the artists. This is notable because Reggie Love is a black man, who largely fits into stereotypical "black"attributes better than Obama. Reggie Love is tall and well-built, of a darker complexion than Obama. Additionally he is a former Duke basketball player, and, if Obama is to be believed, a hip-hop aficionado. As Obama's body man during the campaign, Love was frequently along side Obama in public appearances. This allowed him to be easily contrasted with the future president. If Obama did anything "black" that was easy to disguise, because he would never be as "black" as Love. If Obama admitted to liking hip-hop, no problem, Love introduced him to the whole thing. If Obama wanted to talk about basketball, it's fine because Love won an NCAA National Championship. In short, by contrasting Obama's "blackness" with Reggie Love's, the campaign was able to make Obama appear more moderate and in line with mainstream white norms.

While some aspects of the Obama campaign appear to have engaged in covering, he did embrace a few traditionally black things. Most notably, the campaign used Obama's love of basketball as a way to frame him as youthful and spry. This was an invaluable trait over the septuagenarian McCain. Obama frequently shot around in front of cameras and gave interviews to important sports journalists. He was also spotted grabbing some soul food in Harlem with Jesse Jackson. However, this was not a well publicized event, so it can hardly be seen as embracing black culture. Most importantly, it is always difficult to pin down attempt at covering in a man you don't know on a personal level. It is possible that Obama truly has little interest in culturally black music, etc.

As you can see, my investigation turns up a mixed bag of findings. However, if I had to guess, I would speculate that the Obama campaign did intentionally engage in some kinds of covering. I would bet that they counted on Obama's being among the first (along with Jesse Jackson) serious black candidates for president as enough to turn out the black vote. With that in hand, it is likely that they courted the white vote by engaging in racial covering, focusing the media on Obama's "white" interests, while downplaying the "black" ones. These are only my own speculations, and I encourage you to draw your own conclusions.