. . SAPA990304276610. Barack Hussein Obama by far. Nonetheless, will he lose the election on November 6th? Before we tackle that sticky question consider this. Michael Jackson was once the most popular individual on planet earth, as was Jesse Jackson. Before that Muhammad Ali held that title in addition to the one he won in the boxing ring.

Before Ali it was Martin Luther King, and before him it was JFK. At one time it was FDR, the American president during the Second World War. Joe Louis, the boxer who defeated the German champion on the eve of  WWII and went on to gain the heavyweight title and hold it for more than 10 years was, before FDR, number one on the world stage. (Yes, Hitler was for quite a while the most renowned, but he was not popular. He was infamous.)

Before Joe Louis, Paul Robeson, the athlete, scholar, actor and singer, was the most popular individual in all the world. And before that Lindbergh wore the crown, his claim to fame was being the first to soar across the Atlantic flying from New York to Paris in 1927. Radio back then was just a few years old. Radio birthed the mass media and international celebrity.

So we see that the most popular individual in the world, seven out of ten times, has been African American. Is it because the United States is the most dynamic nation, and African Americans the most dynamic people in the nation? But back to the question. Will Obama win re-election? It is up to the nation. What will it decide? Yes, the president is the man in the driver’s seat. But the vehicle that is America is on autopilot. His range of decision is very limited. But the president does play a key symbolic role. The symbolism that the American media, and more importantly the American establishment wants, is one that indicates the country is moving with the tide of history, not turning back to earlier, forlorn times. If for nothing else but public relations, and fostering the nation’s image, I clearly see the Obama family in the White House come November, holding a lease for four more years.

Arthur Lewin, www.AfricaUnlimited.com