Andrew Sullivan has some good points:
*"To be black and white, to have belonged to a nonreligious home and a Christian church, to have attended a majority-Muslim school in Indonesia and a black church in urban Chicago, to be more than one thing and sometimes not fully anything—this is an increasingly common experience for Americans, including many racial minorities. Obama expresses such a conflicted but resilient identity before he even utters a word. And this complexity, with its internal tensions, contradictions, and moods, may increasingly be the main thing all Americans have in common."*
Just about everyone I talk to who is not an American appears to be excited at having Obama as the next face of the United States. I believe that his complex upbringing does represent a good cross section of our society. My experience growing up in California has brought a lot of these issues to mind over the years. I like how Andrew Sullivan compares Obama's reflection of coming to understand himself as a multi-racial teen in his first book Dreams From My Father as similar to a gay teenager's coming out process.
And whether you believe identity politics is alive or not, there is a very palpable sense that Obama speaks to this variation. . Also his external appearance has a good influence on how he is perceived by the world, which goes a long way toward what can be accomplished. I'm starting to identify more with this message, even though my old school allegiance to Hillary is very stubborn. But I think there is something to be said for having international appeal, at face value.
Here is the New York Times Editorial board endorsement of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nomination:
