Right Pundits

MLK and Obama Compared.

April 4th marks the 40th anniversary of the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot by James Earl Ray, a day that will live in infamy.

Much was lost on that day in 1968. Martin Luther King spoke to all Americans, not just black Americans. He spoke beyond our prejudices as a loving Christian about ideals that were bigger than any of us. He spoke about a promised land, eternally hopeful for a better tomorrow while recognizing the problems of the present.

This day is particularly relevant in 2008 as we have our first serious black candidate for president of the United States. Many people see Barack Obama as a welcome continuation of the MLK philosophy within the black community, something that has been missing for 40 years.

And superficially Obama does sound like King, who was equally at home in black churches and in front of academia. He was a minister with a PHd who could reach any audience and inspire us all.

Like King, Obama does inspire many of us. He is a rhetorical genius who speaks in broad strokes just like MLK. He speaks of hope and promise, and in doing so reaches out to people of all colors.

But unfortunately this is where the comparison ends. Obama speaks grandly, but he does not have the internal substance and character of Martin Luther King.

And that is too bad, because America desperately needs leaders in the black community and broader culture who can rally people around the principles of self-determination and limitless opportunity which make America a great place for all.

But while MLK repudiated Malcolm X, Obama joined a radical church which embraced Louis Farrakhan. While King spoke of racial unity, Obama’s church promoted racial separatism. While MLK embraced Christianity as a loving pastor, Obama floated through life as an atheist after an Islamic childhood, and then professed to join a Christian church but was never baptised.

While King sought opportunities for all Americans, Obama remains stewed in the culture of imagined persecution and entitlement that plagues black America today.

All of this is unfortunate because racial reconciliation is desperately needed in America so that our subsequent generations can move on with the American dream without distraction. What became questionable after the Obama church tapes became public is whether all black Americans and their leaders want reconciliation. Obama and his church do not, so it is a dubious proposition that he is a man who can bring Americans together.

Martin Luther King Jr. won a Nobel Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Barack Obama is no Martin Luther King. Would that it be true.