African-American Politicians on the Rise

There is a great article in the Washington Monthly detailing the rise of a few black politicians, but mainly talking about the great hope of the Democrats: Obama Barack. The article talks a bit about his incredible speech at the Democratic National Convention, and how he lived up to all his expectations. But the author also details what seems to set him apart from other black politicians, his frankness.

Like Wilder, Powell, and Ford, Obama has crafted a way of signaling his political independence: He tells people what they don't want to hear. At fundraisers on Chicago's lavish North Side, he tells his wealthy supporters that he'll hike their taxes. At union halls, he tells the workers that the drain of jobs to India and China is inevitable, and that there's nothing he can do to prevent it. To inner-city, he says that parents need to turn off their televisions and teach their kids some discipline.

Obama, unlike so many in the past, is a true leader; his ideology doesn't seem to be binding, but rather liberating, something that allows him to reach out to those incredibly different with the same ease as those startingly similar. Keep your eye on this guy.

More at the Washington Monthly.