Black Leaders Haven't Caught Obamamania Yet

I had a post back in December about the surprising lack of enthusiasm among black voters for Barack Obama, and it looks like the people considered (by the media, anyway) to be "leaders" in the black community haven't exactly caught Obamamania either:

HE is a media darling, a paparazzi target and a source of inspiration for millions of Democrats who dream of retaking the White House in 2008. But Senator Barack Obama, the charismatic African-American who is shaking up the presidential primary race, has not impressed some of America’s most powerful black activists.
Civil rights leaders who have dominated black politics for much of the past two decades have pointedly failed to embrace the 45-year-old Illinois senator who is considering a bid to become America’s first black president.

At a meeting of activists in New York last week, the Rev Jesse Jackson, the first black candidate to run for president, declined to endorse Obama. “Our focus right now is not on who’s running, because there are a number of allies running,” Jackson said.

The Rev Al Sharpton, the fiery New York preacher who joined the Democratic primary race in 2004, said he was considering another presidential run of his own. And Harry Belafonte, the calypso singer who became an influential civil rights activist, said America needed to be “careful” about Obama: “We don’t know what he’s truly about.”

The unexpected coolness between the old civil rights guard and the new Democratic hopeful has added an intriguing twist to the budding rivalry between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, who hopes to emulate her husband, former president Bill Clinton, in attracting support from black voters.

I think you can chalk up some of the lack of enthusiams on the part of people like Rev. Jesse and Rev. Al to professional jealousy and anger that this newbie can come along and steal their thunder. They're not ready to allow any new "leaders" of the black community, and they've also probably gotten untold numbers of campaign promises from the other Dem candidates. That's what's probably really going on.

However, if it's not jealousy, and if they are really trying to see what Obama stands for, then good for them. It's about time race was taken out of the equation. Nobody should have a lock on anyone's support due to the color of their skin. Maybe there is still hope for Rev. Martin Luther's King's colorblind society.

Realistically, however, I'd put my money on professional jealousy. There's no way Revs. Jesse and Al are going to give up on their racial politics. And it doesn't matter what Harry Belofante believes...he's a freaking nut.