Senate debate gets personal: Obama, Keyes exchange fighting words on morals, race, religion
By John Chase and Liam Ford
Tribune staff reporters
October 22, 2004
In a discussion of the significance of race in the nation’s first-ever Senate contest between two major party African-American candidates, Keyes said the racial background of the challengers was important for voters to consider.
“Race is involved in this in one way because the heritage that people have has a bearing on who they are and what they consider to be important,” Keyes said.
Obama took offense at the remark, considering it to be an insinuation that Keyes had a more pure African-American identity than Obama, who is the child of a white mother and an African father.
“I guess Mr. Keyes started off making a point that he’s somehow more authentically African-American than I am,” Obama said. “You know, I obviously find that offensive.”
Obama will find that he will never achieve total acceptance by his adopted people.