The Black Messiah

“Election Campaigns are nothing more than glorified popularity contests.“

- Xenocrates

Barack Obama

arack Obama is probably the most glorified political candidate since Bill Clinton. Not since John F. Kennedy inspired America with magical and profound rhetoric, has any politician captured the minds and imaginations of the American public as he. Barack Obama reminds me of the most spirit churning black preachers, like Bishop T.D. Jakes, who could rouse any congregation with powerful words and awe inspiring rhetoric that would make your spine tingle – whether or not you believed in God. Barack Obama iconifies all the reasons people love super stars and super heroes and Jesus Christ. Wait… now I’m comparing a politician to Jesus Christ? Clearly I’ve gone too far! (Or have I?) I see Barack Obama as a trendsetter and a profound spokesman – and little more. However, most black people (not just black Americans) like him for a wholly different reason. While I love this guy, I fear that their expectations of a relatively young African-American senator from Illinois are too high. He’s become something of a Black Messiah – the iconification of all the hopes of Black America brought to bear on one man. I’m afraid of this expectation because of what happened to the last Messiah. If you’re an Obama supporter and you’re not worried, you should be.