by Ray Burke

Created on: October 26, 2008

Why I wouldn't vote for Obama:

First of all, I'm British, so I couldn't vote for him, but I really hope that Barack Obama does not become president just because he is black or despite of his blackness'. He should be judged as the man first and what he stands for. As a black man myself, I've always hated the fact that my blackness has either opened doors or caused others to speak on my behalf because of my colour. Case in point was my time in the British Army. I wanted to be taken at my own merit and prove things to myself, but when I failed one course and was back-squadded others tried to play the race card and get me back, as I later found out. I was not happy with that. I failed because I was not good enough, not because I was black. And so it is with Obama. If he wins it should be because he was the best candidate not because his blackness will somehow absolve America of slavery issues or show the world that America cares. If he loses then he lost not due to his colour, but because people doubted his message and social policies.

Obama's background is not that of the typical African American. His father was from Kenya and his mother from Kansas so he does not have that slavery issue hanging over him. That is attractive to white Americans who do not want to be constantly hearing about the sins of their fathers. However, to African Americans, Obama has the chance to lay to rest the stigma of slavery, even though Obama's ancestry is not their history (though Obama's wife and former pastor certainly do carry chips on their shoulders about it). Though race has not been an overt part of the campaign it is a factor and it has to be addressed so there are no festering undercurrents of racial hostility should Obama win.

To me, Obama is an empty shell of a politician. His orations are mesmerising, but preachy and mechanical, like the lecturer he was. He may be intelligent and eloquent, but you need more than that to be president, you need policies, not platitudes. Obama will not change America in the sense that the whole world is looking for in regards to foreign policy and economics. No matter the political affiliation, the US has been in some form of conflict every three years or so, since WWII. Not all have been senseless or unavoidable and in choosing Joe Biden as his running mate, a seasoned foreign policy champion, who voted for the Iraq war and backed Clinton into the Balkans, Obama is hedging his bets. Obama has never been tested under fire as a politician and

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