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Even if Barack Obama is not elected president, he will be remembered throughout American history as the first viable black presidential candidate–however, there is a fantastic opportunity and chance for him to be elected into the highest office in the nation. His oratorical charm reaches out to millions of Americans (especially the younger crowd), and he captivates them with his memorable pushes for change. Unfortunately, there are plenty of issues that might hinder his presidential run, and one of those is the issue of his patriotism. 

Obama speaking without flag lapel (FOXnews October 4, 2007).

According to an Associated Press article released today, “the issue of patriotism has been turned on presidential candidates before to devastating effect.” For example, 1988 Democratic presidential candidate, Michael Dukakis, lost substantial credibility when Republican candidate, George H.W. Bush, criticized his veto on a bill that required the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at schools when he was Massachusetts governor.

Obama’s trouble began when critics started questioning his refusal to wear an American flag lapel like the other Congresspersons. Referencing the same article above, “he said he had stopped after the 2001 terrorist attacks because he felt it had replaced ‘true patriotism’ for some public officials.” That did not stop the critics and the media from blowing up the issue to enormous proportions, attacking Obama for having a major character flaw. Added to the fact were a bunch of rumors—-he’s a Muslim, he doesn’t place his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance–that further dampened his credibility as well. And by the next stage of the elections, Obama surely needs to strengthen his credibility among the American people if he is to win. His one major non-policy flaw is an inability to connect to common Americans–especially poor whites–by appearing too elitist. By dispelling attacks on his patriotism, he could certainly identify himself with other Americans more strongly.

Obama stands before American flags before a speech (Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2008).

What’s the most interesting, however, is what Walter Borron writes in the State on June 26. He says when shown the American flag during an eye examination, his two-year-old son said “Barack Obama.” This is due to the fact that every time Obama appears for a speech, he stands before American flags. The most important aspect of his campaign to Mr. Borron is the opportunity to amend and alter race relations for forever. If American children grow up today to remember the connection between a black man and American flags, then that could go a long way to improve and solve racial antagonisms. Thus, despite the attacks on Obama’s patriotism today, the association between the color of his skin and America’s national symbol could drastically change the meaning of patriotism in the future. That might be the most significant impact of Obama’s campaign, but as the old adage goes: we’ll have to wait and see.

Michigan Liberal is the state’s premier left-wing political blog, offering a vast selection of entries and news items that might concern its liberals. At the top, it announces its “hand-selected” news items and headlines that, for the most part, concern state issues. There are a few national items, but most of them are connected to the state somehow anyways.

The site contains entries titled “Coffee Talks” and they discuss the top headlines of everyday. The other entries discuss other news items and bloggers opinions on various issues that concern them. While obviously coming from only one point of view, the site’s entries are still pretty personal and highly informative.

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