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Head to Head is The Daily Monthly’s weekly written fracas between Brian Oxman (COL ‘09) and Greg Gangelhoff (SFS ‘09). Our discussion may be humorous or serious, but it will always tickle your eyeballs. We hope you enjoy it as you do all new things.

This month, we discuss the media coverage of Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency last Tuesday. Did the coverage focus unduly on Obama’s race, or was it a fitting topic given the history of America? Read on to find out.

Greg:

With the euphoria of Barack Obama’s recent electoral victory still fresh in our minds, there is no time like the present to critique the media’s coverage of November 4. Brian, you tell me that you were surprised by the emphasis placed on Obama’s race in the media coverage of the election. Let me explain why I think so much emphasis was placed on Obama’s skin color, and why this was a good thing.

While the 65 million people who voted for Barack Obama were not all members of a minority, his electoral success necessarily represents something very special for the African-American community. In a nation often described as being stained by the “original sin” of slavery, the election of an African-American to the office of the Presidency is a stunning and dramatic rebuke of America’s sordid past. Racism continues to exist today, and we saw no shortage of racial innuendo and race-baiting during the campaign. But at the very least, any child in America can now be credibly told that they can do anything they want when they grow up. The importance of this emotional message implicates Obama’s race, especially compared to the racial and political status quo offered by John McCain.

Also, I think that the media, given over twenty one months to dissect this pursuit of the Presidency, sought a powerful narrative in which to place the election. They did not concoct this racial storyline the night of November 4, so they had plenty of time to reflect on what might be the lasting effect of this election. The potential headlines offered by the election of an African-American liberal as President of the United States must have jumped off the page for them; who could resist trumpeting Obama’s victory in a racial context in a nation which persecuted and executed African-Americans well after the end of World War II?

I understand your concern that the racial slant of the media coverage obscures this election as a victory for all Americans, but that storyline just could not compete for headline space with the nation’s selection of a black man the highest public office in the land.

Brian:

I want to make it clear that it wasn’t the coverage of the election campaign that I was surprised about, but moreso the coverage of the results. I don’t disagree in any way that this election represents a monumental step for this nation and is a symbol for how far we have come in terms of the way we deal with race in this country.  I am not criticizing the media for talking about it.  What I am surprised about, however, is that race made the opening headline of so many newspapers across the country.

To illustrate my point, we can look at the New York Times. On the morning after the election they published the headline “Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls.” I have two main problems with this headline. The first is one of symantics: while I think the racial implications of the results are important, I think the real news of the day (and one that newspapers have a duty to report) was that Obama won the election, and by an electoral lanslide by most people’s accounts.  It is a giant step forward for civil rights and the African-American community, but I am not sure if that what this election was really all about. By placing race in the very first headline, it not only shifts the focus of the election to race, but it can also be read as qualifying or diminishing to the candidate and his win.  Obama set the tone of his candidacy by not running as the black candidate, not as the Democratic candidate, but as the best one.  And the headline did not read as “Best Candidate Wins,” but instead as “Black Candidate Wins.”

More problematic for me, however, is that I am not sure that this one man’s story really represents a true shift in racial relations for the whole nation. In fact, if you look at some of the discussion and events prior to the election, I am not sure that much has really changed at all.  There was a great deal of talk about the “Bradley Effect” prior to voting night and almost everyone would agree that it played little or no role in the polls. The lack of a substantial Bradley Effect is not necessarily an indicator of a lack of racism.  While we may not have had people lying to pollsters about voting for someone of a particular race, we had tons of people who were openly admitting that they wouldn’t vote for someone because of his race.  Even more frightening were the frequent crowds chanting racial slurs at any mention of Obama’s name and people’s unwillingness to “trust” him without citing a good reason. This election may represent the beginning of a great deal of changes for the African-American community, but to claim that barriers have fallen because of one extraordinary man may be simplifying the situation and overestimating his impact.  Additionally, I don’t know that a vicotry for a white John McCain (even writing that now  makes me cringe) would have necesarily represented the status quo for racial equality.  (ie, I don’t think Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton represents that we have more of the status quo for women.)

I completely agree that the issue deserves coverage and that his win has a great deal of implications that deserve to be explored further and probably will be for a long time. There were also a great deal of other firsts that this victory represents, all of which deserve coverage.  It was the first time in more than 30 years that North Carolina voted for a Democrat, more than 40 years that Virginia did.  This election brought out more youths to vote than ever before.  Obama will be the first non baby-boomer president in recent history.  On November 5, however, I think that his victory as the right candidate for America should have been the top headline.

Head to Head appears every Tuesday.