Anderson@Large

Obama's Presence of Absence

I spent most of last week in Memphis, where I paid tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Many traveled from across the country, including John McCain who apologized for opposing the King Holiday bill.

Hillary Clinton was in Memphis to pay her respects and speak before the Church of God in Christ Pan African Leadership Summit at Mason Temple. She also took a tour of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Barack Obama was conspicuous by his absence. Frankly, I’m bothered that Obama didn’t bother to show up. Dr. King paid the ultimate sacrifice so that African Americans could get to the “mountaintop,” but Obama could not sacrifice a few hours of campaigning.

Instead, he was “spreading the message” in Indiana, which holds its primary on May 6. He phoned it in, saying:

I spoke at Dr. King's church on his birthday. I was with the King family then. I obviously gave a fairly fulsome speech on the state of race relations just two weeks ago. And I think it's important to spread the message that Dr. King's work is unfinished in places like Indiana and North Dakota.

Obama’s absence speaks volumes about ‘the state of race relations.” Shelby Steele, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of “A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Barack Obama and Why He Can’t Win,” told the Los Angeles Times:

Obama is going back to the larger strategy he used up until Rev. Wright, which is to downplay race.

He knows if there is this backdrop of black protest and anger, the white working-class voters he is trying to pull his way are going to peel away. His whole strategy is to relieve the anxiety by saying he is not interested in race, that he is transcending race.

Good luck with that. A recent New York Times poll found:

The survey suggests that Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, may have been at something of a peak in February, propelled by a string of primary and caucus victories over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and that perceptions of him are settling down.

Mr. Obama's favorability rating among Democratic primary voters has dropped seven percentage points, to 62 percent, since the last Times/CBS News survey, in late February. While that figure is by any measure high, the decline came in a month during which he endured withering attacks from Mrs. Clinton and responded to reports that his former pastor had made politically inflammatory statements from his church's pulpit in Chicago.

African Americans remain Obama’s most loyal supporters. Blacks gave Obama a pass on skipping Tavis Smiley's annual conference. But he should not be given a free ride.

Indeed, Obama supporter Cornel West wrote:

I want to say that I'm deeply disappointed that my dear brother Barack Obama decided not to go pay tribute and lay his wreath for the great Martin Luther King, Jr. That brother Martin's profound love and deep sacrifice for black people, America and humanity is in no way reducible to political calculations, even for the campaign for presidency. That Martin Luther King Jr.'s deep commitment to unarmed truth and unconditional love can in no way be subject to strategies for access to political power. Hence, I have a very deep disagreement with my dear brother, Barack Obama -- in this case, commitment to truth is in tension with the quest for power.

If Obama doesn’t stand with blacks as we honor an American icon, who’s to say he’ll stand up for black Americans if he gets to the Oval Office?

Smiley Faces Backlash

A year ago, I was among the chorus of critics of Barack Obama's decision to announce his candidacy at the same time as the State of the Black Union conference organized by Tavis Smiley. Then as now, I believe it was a deliberate tactic to distance himself from African Americans lest he come out of the gate labeled as a "black presidential candidate."

Obama has declined the invitation to appear before this year’s gathering, which will be held in New Orleans on Saturday. He offered to send his wife Michelle but Smiley said thanks but no thanks. And that’s when the sh stuff hit the fan.

Smiley has come under withering criticism for insisting that Obama take time off the campaign trail. His rejection of Michelle Obama as a surrogate has triggered comments such as "get over yourself," "stop hating on your brother," and the unkindest cut of all for a talk show host, "shut the hell up!"

While I still think Obama should fulsomely acknowledge African Americans' overwhelming backing of his candidacy, his supporters have convinced me that he needs to be in Texas and Ohio, where he's trailing Hillary Clinton by double digits. So, in the inimitable words of Dr. Boyce Watkins (hat tip: Eddie Griffin for sharing the video): "Man, go do your thing."

Overheard in the Spin Zone

The candidates and their surrogates are spinning the media. Listen in.

Barack Obama supporter Cornel West:

Enlightened self-interest is very important. Historically, black people have always have been concerned about converting self-interest into public policy. Black people infused their voices in the debate.

Harvard Law Prof. Charles Ogletree Jr.:

The forum was very effective in bringing out the core issues. Now it's impossible to have a Democratic or Republican debate without black input. The format was problematic; they have to figure out a way to get the candidates to talk to each other.

Gov. Bill Richardson was asked what he would do to rebuild America's image. Richardson's response:

I would have a Marshall Plan to build better understanding in the Muslim world. We need a structure for peace, reconciliation among groups. I would bring in Iran and Syria. We cannot start reconciliation until we bring our troops out.

Mississippi state Rep. Mary Coleman, immediate past president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and Joe Biden supporter:

Senator Biden did a great job answering all the questions that  were asked of him and showed his experience dealing with foreign affairs. His answers on education, HIV-AIDS were right on target.

I came across a heated exchange between Tavis Smiley and Washington Post staff writer Micheal Leahy.  Tavis to Leahy:

If I wanted to I could have asked all the questions. I wanted to showcase journalists of color.

Tavis then stormed off. I asked Leahy what that was all about. Leahy told me he had questioned Tavis about the way he handled the debate. Leahy then gave me an earful:

I asked Tavis why he mentioned his book. Did he feel upset that he spent more time talking about himself and his book than the candidates had to answer questions. He spent more time promoting his book and making a three-minute statement...When was the last time in a presidential debate the moderator had more time than the candidates? It was unprecedented.

It's getting hot in here. No, really. It's hot in here.

Democratic Presidential Forum

Mark your calendar for the "All-American Presidential Forum on PBS,"  moderated by Tavis Smiley.  The forum will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2007, from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned.