Today marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Here is King’s last public address, delivered less than 214 hours before he was shot down. It is almost impossible to read or see this speech without coming to the conclusion that he knew about his imminent death, though what he actually might have known will always remain a mystery.
When I read or hear about people comparing Barack Obama to Martin Luther King, I wonder if they’ve ever really understood who or what Martin Luther King was AND if they understand who Barack Obama is. To me the similarities are so superficial; clearly Obama picked up some of the rhetorical flourishes of black preachers, especially in the way he tries to tie religious faith and political motivation together, but Obama is mushy and vague where King spoke far more directly about real problems and direct action. King’s words were generally not as inflammatory as those of his more radical counterparts or even as those of Jeremiah Wright, but they also did not flinch from the reality of injustice and inequality, or try to softpeddle the work that needed to be done for fear of alienating some segments of voters.
The successes of Barack Obama — Harvard Law, Senator, possibly the Presidency itself — owe much to the successes of Martin Luther King, but it’s not fair to compare them directly at all. The issues that King fought the hardest for in those latter years are nowhere to be found on Barack Obama’s agenda. Obama represents a political party that is not invested in moving one step further away from the machinations of the current party in the White House than absolutely necessary. King believed in real political action to accomplish real political change, and the man who has willingly accepted the mantle of King seems to believe that not getting too far away from the status quo is the best way to “heal” a divided public.
I suppose it could be worse. John McCain voted against honoring Martin Luther King’s birthday and has called King’s efforts “unimportant” to American history. I really hope that the media attention today on the anniversary of King’s murder and what will surely be just as much attention if not more come June and the 40th anniversary of Bobby Kennedy’s murder will wake up the Obamaniacs in particular and the Democrats overall to see what weak sauce the candidates offer.
