Shark-Fu of Angry Black Bitch, "Because of history already made", February 3, 2008:

In this historic election year it is easy to forget that extraordinary ordinary people have been making political history for years. But this political junkie is reminded of the past as I consider the history about to be made when either a woman or a man of color accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

...

In 1962 Fannie Lou Hamer stood up and volunteered to attempt to register to vote in Indianola Mississippi. In what would later become her trademark, Hamer sang spirituals on the bus ride. The next day Hamer was fired from her job and received death threats from the [K]lan.

...

Contrary to recently revised history (wink), LBJ was reluctant to address the plight of black voters in the South. Southern delegations were threatening to break from supporting Johnson on the voting rights issue. LBJ, ever the politician, weighed the rights of thousands against his political future. Had Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democrats not gone to the [1964 Democratic National C]onvention there is little doubt that the issue of black voting rights would have been silently and efficiently tabled.

I do not claim to be an historian of the civil rights movement in the United States but my impression is that LBJ is given too much credit for being a leader in the arena of civil rights. Granted that he signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and did some pushing to get some votes on those bills. But some of the hagiography emitting from Team Clinton is too much - not as a slight against actual civil rights leaders, just overpraise of a relatively effective wheeler and dealer. A more effective leader would have found a way to win a second term and cement his victories; instead his departure led to 40 years of Republicans or timid, conservative Democrats in the White House. We had had Bobby Kennedy, we had had Jack Kennedy. Then we got triangulating, Sista Souljah-bashing Clinton the First and the timid, ineffectual Carter who barely won and engaged in little leadership on civil rights matters (indeed, Carter's record of inflammatory remarks about Jews and about Israel probably disqualify him from a place in the civil rights pantheon.)

Can you remember one civil rights speech from President Johnson? Fireside chat? Not one? That's because he did not lead much and did not risk much on this issue.

I suspect that a large part of the impetus for Barack Obama is to have a president who will not be just a Johnson, a Carter or yes a Clinton.