A Thousand Obamas? Black Electoral Ambition and Accountability to Black Voters

Abstract

Frederica Wilson’s, Maxine Waters’s, and Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s statements portray the complexity of African Americans holding the first black president accountable to their policy agenda. Consider Congresswoman Wilson’s extraordinary assessment that Obama would be a more effective president for African Americans as a lame duck. We ordinarily think of lame-duck elected officials in precisely the opposite way. Or take Representative Waters’s statement that criticism of Obama, if not correctly calibrated, is a criticism of a broader swath of African Americans, and her request to her audience to allow her to offer criticism of Obama. Finally, consider Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s note of caution that blacks must ensure that they are not triangulated by the first black president even as he and the rest of black America staunchly support Obama.

If he [Obama] comes and speaks out for black people in the middle of this, he will lose his reelection, and you know it. He has to temper this in such a manner so we can get him reelected, and once he’s a lame-duck president, I think we’ll see lots of changes and lots of movement toward the black community.

—Representative Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.)¹

If we go after the president too hard, you’re going after us. When you tell us it’s all right and you unleash us and you’re ready to have this conversation, we’re ready to have the conversation. We’re getting tired, y’all. We want to give him every opportunity. But our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable When you let us know it is time to let go, we’ll let go.

—Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA)²

He’s a consummate politician, and he is not writing anything new here that hasn’t already been done. So at least from my perspective, the goal is not to be triangulated. That’s a goal knowing that the President of the United States is capable of triangulating.

—Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)³