The arrogance of being president while being black

[kpete]

The arrogance of being president while being black
by blackwaterdog
Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 09:21:51 AM PST

Hello

I hesitated a lot whether to open this can, but I can't stay silent anymore, so...

................

I'm quite old. I remember, vaguely, where my parents been on November 22, 1963. I've seen so many presidents. Some were feared, some were hated, some were adored, some popular and some not. But all of them, without exception, were treated with the highest respect deserve to the office of the president of the United States.

That is until a black man won the right to occupy this office. It's been 13 months now, and in the eyes of so many, Barack Obama is still that one. He is being disrespected and at the same time being held to the highest standard of any president I've ever seen – and not just by the Republican side. He has to perform three times better than any president in history, and even that may not be enough.

For the media, he is many more times just "Obama" than "President Obama". They create scandals out of nothing issues. It took them at least 6 years to start giving Bush a small part of the shit he deserved. It took them 6 months to begin crap all over Obama because he's yet to fix the catastrophe that was left for him.

They use condescending tone when they talk about him, and only mildly less condescending when they talk TO him. With anyone else, CNN wouldn't dare go to commercials every time the president speaks, like they did during that summit on Thursday. They wouldn't dare counting how many minutes George Bush or Bill Clinton were talking. Chris Mathews wouldn't dare making an issue out of Ronald Regan calling members of congress by their first name, like he is not actually the freaking president. They fully cooperate with the Right-Wing smear machine when it comes to president Obama's national security performance – even if almost every independent and military expert actually thinks that he's a terrific Commander in Chief. You'll never see them on TV, and virtually no one from the Left, in congress and outside, defend the president on this matter.

................

more:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/2/27/841263/-The-arrogance-of-being-president-while-being-black

[Solomon]

1. The guy has the patience of Job.

Never ceases to amaze me.

[babylonsister]

2. Rec'd. I'm glad blackwaterdog felt compelled to write this. He's right. nt

[HipChick]

3. My mother mentioned how much US news media referred to him as just Obama,and not President Obama

and she doesn't even live in the US..so yes, a lot of this is being noticed world-wide..

[gateley]

4. Right on. Rec. nt

[Captain Hilts]

5. Standard usage is to address the President as "President So and So" on the first reference only

in an article. Subsequent references are to Mr. or just 'So and So'.

It is NOT standard practice to refer to the president as "President ???" beyond the first reference.

[riderinthestorm]

12. If it were just that, I don't think anyone would object.

But there is more going on. From being shouted at by a member of Congress during a major speech ("You lie!"), to the minute counting by McConnell etc. etc. It's subtle, grotesque and pretty obvious as soon as they start in with "arrogance".

K and R for the OP.

[Captain Hilts]

16. Dick Armey called Clinton "Your president," and Santorum addressed him as 'Bill'....

It's the standard shit they pull.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Bill Clinton's minutes were calculated. His state of the Union speeches, in particular as he was/is

long-winded.

[brownp51]

7. Thank you

I too, am quite old. I remember Eisenhower being elected.. I also am horrified at the lack of respect this president is being shown. It embarrasses me when the media addresses the president as "Mr. Obama", then refers to "President Bush". My parents were white civil rights activists from rural West Texas. That was fairly uncommon. They educated me in the subtle use of hate speech, and how to recognize and avoid it. This saddens me, as does the lack of civility in all of politics. Thank you for starting this thread.

[Raschel]

8. The Blackness of "arrogance"?

It is a word attributed frequently to Black folks in higher positions.

[PSPS]

9. This may have been a valid question a year ago, but not today.

First, the observation that "obama gets no respect" is silly. What the author is really angry about is that the general opinion of obama and what he says is at its nadir. The author, apparently a "true believer," wants everyone to maintain his level of "hope" that things might still "change." But that ship has already sailed over the horizon, leaving the author on the shore futilely yelling at it to come back. Sorry, it isn't coming back.

Obama has brought this on himself.

A year ago, one could legitimately question the motivation behind obama's treatment by the various factions, be it media or the public at large. But, at this late date, Obama is seen as the feckless empty suit he really is. So it's only natural that he becomes a target of criticism. Obama himself is doing everything he can to resist the "change" so many thought he promised during the campaign. As a result, he has become a weak figure. As president, he chose to stand on the wrong side of the mood of the country. This is a fatal mistake in politics.

So what are we left with? On the one hand, obama's vaunted "intelligence" was merely projection and wishful thinking. On the other hand, obama doesn't hold american values after all and is yet another agent of the moneyed elite. Neither option is what the country needs, perhaps for the very last time it can do any good.

[Contrary1]

10. Well, to you, that might explain the "Obama" without the title...

But what about "President" Bush?

[CBR]

11. So he isn't intelligent and he doesn't hold American values? Really? nt

[shraby]

15. Where did you get a thousand posts, in the lounge?

[Number23]

18. Wow. The man is "a feckless empty suit;" his intelligence was merely "projection"

He is "weak" and "doesn't hold American values." Your criticism is so over the top and so completely devoid of specifics that a year ago I would have asked if you were a Freeper.

Now I'll just say, welcome to DU:GD. I'm sure you'll fit right in.

[Bigmack]

13. A guy posted on the Seattle Times blog...

and said that Pres. Obama was "uppity" during the Health Care Summit. When they say "arrogant", it's because they don't want to say "uppity".

[riderinthestorm]

14. Yesterday on the Diane Rehm show a caller brought this up.

And confronted the three reporters on the show for not wanting to acknowledge that there is a fair bit of overt and covert racism towards President Obama. And every single one of those three reporters stated up front that they didn't want to talk about it.

The media does not want to acknowledge this ugly fact so... poof! It's the elephant in the room.

[OregonBi]

17. Quite Old?

And obviously very senile!
Regardless of your misinterpretations of PRESIDENT OBAMA, he is quite capable of running this nation and ALL of the crap/shit/manure the right-wing fundie rethugs throw at him.
President Obama being black only makes him stronger and MORE of an icon of the shining light that America can now be after eight pathetic years of bush!
Get on board with AMERICA'S PRESIDENT or jump off the boat and drown.

Buh-Bye loner...

[dems_rightnow]

20. No interest?

In reading the article?

[DisgustedInMN]

19. I care..

.. fuckall if the guy is black, white, blue, green, yellow or striped, my problem with Obama is his lack of leadership in correcting the multiple crisis confronting this Nation. Period. Are there racists in America? Yeah, so what else is new? That fact doesn't give the guy a pass not to do the things he promised he would. It's just another in the long line of excuses being made.