Hartzler 1
Matt Hartzler
FYSE 06
Prof. D. Wills
10/23/09
King andObama: Brothers from Another Mother
Barack Obama has been compared to Martin Luther King, Jr. throughout his political career. When he burst on the national scene by winning the Illinois Democratic US Senate primary election by a landslide and gave the “no red states, no blue states, but United States of America” speechin 2004 Democratic National Convention, the connections were automatically made. Here’s a strong, educated, well-spoken, black leader. One could argue that the similarities stop there. One could propose that there have been only 4 other African-American US Senators before Obama, and only 2 of them in the modern era. There are not many other options in terms of black leaders. The connection is just made because both are black males that tried and are trying to influence society.
This would a misinterpretation of the connection between King and Obama. Obama is connected to Martin Luther King, Jr. because he’s the first African-American that arguably comes close in the style and strategy of King. No other leader can make that argument. Jesse Jackson? Sure, he was theologically trained, but let’s be honest, Jesse Jackson is not of the same mold. Nor is Reverend Al Sharpton of the same quality as King. Race is not the only factor. Both King and Obama have adopted a stately, calm, intelligent method to create change. Obama is pushing forward the King legacy because the manner in which he tries to achieve progress, and the specific progress that he tries to create.
For both leaders, their power comes from their voice. King’s rousing speeches and inspiring sermons certainly led to the bus boycott, but the most important facet was his ability to keep it going. King was obviously trained and educated as a preacher, but not all or many preachers can convince a whole community to change their mode of transportation for over a year. The “I have a dream” speech could be the most famous American speech of all time. It gives the Gettysburg Address a run for its money, and he even gave it on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial! The iconic moment in the civil rights movement, the speech roused the nation and forced the Kennedy Administration hand to make a move.
Similarly, Barack Obama’s speeches have impact that is far reaching. Obama shattered presidential election fund raising records. He convinced more people than ever to sacrifice their own paychecks for the prospect of change. His presidential election night victory speech, whose transcript has found its way onto more dorm walls in the form of a poster than many drinking promotionals, is iconic in its own sense. It set up a list of goals, strategies, and promises that the American people expect to see. Obama’s speech set up the foundation for his administration. His voice created the idea in many Americans minds that they had chosen the right candidate.
King’s non-violent methods can be compared to those of Obama. King advocates self-restraint as a process of generating progress. He values persuasion over force. King preferred to let his words talk as opposed to his fists. Obama’s means of change could be considered very similar. Throughout his presidential campaign, he discussed his way of solving problems was to bring everyone to the table, and discuss the solutions. Obama advocates cooperation over unilateral decision-making. For example, with the recent healthcare issue, he decided to let congress determine the best option as opposed to trying to get hegemonic bill pass the Republicans or the moderate Democrats. Both men prefer finding solutions as opposed imposing potential answers.
Another broad strategy used by both men that should be considered is the general even headedness – the “cool” factor. A bomb blew up part of Martin Luther King Jr.’s house, and he’s the one telling everyone to stay calm? It is practically unbelievable. His wife could have died moments earlier, yet he keeps his head calm. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack was called everything from a terrorist born in a different country, to a secret Muslim. He took flack for being a community leader (“like being a mayor without any responsibilities”) from a woman who was mayor of a city of 10,000 (An 18-year-old high school student was elected mayor of 9,000 population city in Michigan). He could easily lose his cool. Obama could snap and lash out against his critics. These are softballs thrown at Obama. We all can assume a Harvard-educated lawyer has the ability to defend himself with words. Yet, he doesn’t. Both leaders embody cool-headedness. Obama’s “cool”-ness has become somewhat of a joke. Saturday Night Live has a sketch in which the very few times Obama actually does get mad, he turns into “The Rock” (a former professional wrestler) Obama. Obama morphs into a hulk-like figure that succeeds politically by throwing his Republican adversaries out of Oval Office windows. Even pop culture notices Obama’s calm temperament. Had there been a racially integrated late night sketch comedy show in the 50’s, it most likely would’ve poked fun of King’s smiling as he gets convicted, or his keeping calm in the face of threats from the White Citizens Council.
Obama and King also both have a similar attitude with their ideas on society and economy. Martin Luther King starts out with the boycott, but then as he garners more and more national attention, he gears his stature up to motivating the civil rights movement in general. This direct purpose then expands greatly. He speaks out against the Vietnam War, and he turns to tracking down injustice all across the United States. From garbage collectors, to unions, King finds the powerless and tries to get them power with media exposure and outside help. He worked and hoped to improve the status of the working class American. Obama similarly embodies that feeling when he is community organizing. His goal is to find those in the community that are downtrodden and have been missed by the system. He attempts to rally them together to create power. He had goals on improving the lower class and bringing up the economic bottom. King and Obama had a very similar job for a while; King was just an organizer that moved across the country instead of being locked in one area.
To add to their ideas about organizing and society, they both shared a very similar view about race. King started out focused on solely the African-American community, but eventually expanded to helping anyone that was deserving (unlike the increasingly exclusive Black Power movement). Obama shared the view of opening up his effort to those of not just one race. He dabbled with Black Nationalism in college, but he had the attitude that while he may identify with the black race, his identity does not stop there. His organizing in Chicago was far from race specific.
Neither Obama nor King was a missionary for religion per se, but they seem to both have the same view about how it affects the world. Both Obama and King used religion as a force to bring people together. Religion was the crux of King’s boycott. He used the churches in the area to inform the boycotters, to motivate them, and rally them together. The ministers in Montgomery were the natural leaders of the black community there. If King enlisted their help, he would not have any problem getting the community behind him. The boycott was centered about religious life. Obama’s methods in Chicago were highly similar to say the least. He met with ministers to learn about community programs and opportunities. Obama noticed how churches also served as places where people from different economic classes were equals. Like back in Montgomery, the churches brought people together.
Obama and King both share various aspects of their lives, but the main concept is that they both share a similar style and attitude. When juxtaposing the two, there are few discrepancies. The foundation in which both of these men built their statuses on come from the same principles. Based on his opinions on how to create progress and society in general, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy has been passed to the next generation, a legacy that has been picked up by our current president, Barack Obama.