Should Obama Be Thankful for "24's" Palmer?
Barack Obama’s candidacy for president was an amazing thing to behold. His ability to inspire millions and give hope to a nation of cynics was a breath of fresh air in American politics.
Four months after the first African-American man took the oath of office, one can’t help but think that the first black president of the United States—on television—may have significantly aided Barack Obama’s chances to secure the presidency.
Though “24” just concluded its seventh season on television on May 18th, the series made its television debut in 2001 on FOX—and the show was an instant critic favorite. The show centered on Federal Agent Jack Bauer’s attempt to prevent both the kidnapping of his family along with the assassination of a presidential candidate. That candidate was Senator David Palmer, the first black man with a real shot at winning the White House.
Palmer was always cool, calm, and collected. When needed, he was stern without being angry; he was confident without being self-righteous. The show’s first season tested Palmer’s mettle as he dealt with disloyalty within his own campaign and even marriage. The second and third seasons saw Palmer handling major crises such as nuclear and viral attacks on the United States.
Sure, there have been other black presidents in entertainment. In 1972, James Earl Jones happens into the Oval Office after both the president and speaker of the house die in a ceiling collapse in the film “The Man.” Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister played President Lindberg in the 1997 action/sci-fi flick “The Fifth Element.” And Morgan Freeman’s President Beck attempts to calm a nation under panic in 1998’s “Deep Impact.”
President Palmer, though, was different. He felt real. He seemed believable. He didn’t inhabit the presidency through outlandish means or in a galaxy far, far away. This president earned his stripes and commanded respect. And although viewers watched a country that Palmer presided over get attacked by terrorists, he still had the ability to make you feel assured in his capacity to lead.
In many ways, President Palmer was similar to Cliff Huxtable’s television influence twenty years ago. Palmer didn’t break ground merely because he was the first African-American president on television. He was significant because he symbolized what America wanted in a president. Period. He was that honest, noble figure that, regardless of race, viewers felt a deep connection to. The fact that he was African-American was certainly unique, but the dignity and strength that Palmer exuded was exemplary.
With that said, the fact that an African American president and first lady appeared on the series for multiple years was deeply impacting. Here were two multilayered characters—fleshed out by the brilliant acting of Dennis Haysbert and Penny Johnson Jerald—that entered the homes of Americans every single week. It’s one thing to see a quality African American character for two hours at the multiplex, it’s quite another to follow their lives each and every week for almost five years.
The main question that was pushed this past election cycle was whether or not America was comfortable enough to elect a black president. After five seasons on the series “24,” America certainly became comfortable seeing President David Palmer in the White House. And after almost two years of Barack Obama on the campaign trail, it seems that America became comfortable with the idea of an Obama presidency, as well.
The idea that David Palmer or Barack Obama would need to make anyone feel comfortable enough to see past their blackness is another issue for another day—history was still made on November 4th, 2008. And though David Palmer only made history on the small screen, his impact on the 2008 presidential campaign should certainly be recognized.
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