AUTHOR UNKNOWN, but it is all over the web

[Mr Dixon]

Good read just wanted to share it

Arrogance of being President while being Black

I don't think anyone was under some real illusion that the election of
Barack Obama actually means the end of racism in America . I'm pretty sure
that the president-elect knew it better than anyone. After all, he saw it
every day, from the moment he announced his candidacy. To some degree, he
saw it within his own party during the primaries. And he saw it in all
ugliness during the general election. For half of this country, he was "That
One". No matter how big and clear his victory was. No matter how smart he
is. No matter how decent he is. No matter what a true patriot he is. No
matter how optimistic and positive his vision for America was. All that
didn't matter. Because at the end of the day, he was still black.

I'm quite old. I remember, vaguely, where my parents were 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 deserving 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 tones 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 be counting how many minutes George
Bush or Bill Clinton were talking. Chris Mathews wouldn't dare make an issue
out of Ronald Regan calling members of congress by their first name, like he
is not actually the 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.

I don't care about the Far-Right. They're just crazy ignorant Neanderthals.
It's the way the beltway and the mainstream treats this president that is
shocking. On Thursday, almost every Republican had no trouble interrupting
him in the middle of a sentence. They looked like they're going to vomit
every time they had to say "Mr. president". They all had this
Eric-Cantor-Smirk whenever he spoke. Then they went out and started to spit
their stupid talking points, to the delight of the media. Sarah Palin, a
woman who can hardly read, thinks that he was "arrogant" towards John
McCain, and somehow this is an important news. Because you see, "Obama's
Arrogance" is the talking point of the day.

Oh, those talking points. He is arrogant (because he knows the facts better
than all of them combined). He is an elitist (because he uses big words that
they don't understand). He is weak on national security (because he actually
thinks about the consequences). He divides the country (well, he did that
the day he had the audacity to win the election). Worst of all, he actually
thinks that he's the president. He even dared to say so on Thursday. How
arrogant of him. You'd think that previous presidents didn't have any ego.
Somehow it turned out that the one president who treats even his biggest
opponents with the utmost respect - is the arrogant one. I wonder why?

I expected that his winning the Presidency would bring out some ugliness,
but it's been far worse than I imagined. The racism coming from the Right is
obviously clear and shameless, but there's also some hidden and maybe
subconscious and disturbing underline tone behind some of the things that I
read here and throughout the Left blogosphere, even before the end of
Obama's first year - 'He's weak, he's spineless, he's got no balls, primary
him in 2012'. It'll be dishonest to deny that.

The fact is that for millions in America , Barack Obama is this uppity black
man (Not even a "real" black), who received good education only due to
affirmative action, and has no right to litter the sacred Oval Office with
his skin color. They just can't accept the fact that the president is a
black man, who unlike his predecessor, was actually legally elected. But
what's really sad is that it's not just the fringe, its deep deep in
mainstream America .

Barack Obama's ability to remain above all this slob, to keep his optimism
and his strange and mostly unjustified faith in people, while continuing to
gracefully deal with an endless shitstorm - is one of the most inspiring
displays of human quality I have ever seen. And I can only hope that the
Cosmos is on his side because God is and He never makes a mistake.

Sometimes, they make me feel ashamed to be a white man!!

[Hissyspit]

1. Apparently, it's from DailyKos from Feb. 2010, unless the poster stole it from somewhere else.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/02/27/841263/-The-arrogance-of-being-president-while-being-black-(Updated)

[Mr Dixon]

9. JUST ME

Came in an email no name given for who wrote it

[Hissyspit]

48. No, I meant unless the DKos poster stole it (which I doubt he/she did)..

Not you. Sorry. :) This is a DKos diary from February 2010 that has been making the rounds ever since then.

[SugarShack]

78. And what about the four paragraph rule???

[sabrina 1]

59. Oh, that explains EVERYTHING. This person was banned from Kos

and is now a member of the hateful site that was responsible for that other super divisive diatribe about Firebaggers last week.

Too bad to see this person' 'work' here. A very divisive individual. And calling DUers racist or even implying it, is against the rules here, is it not?

The race card being used by this person, is no surprise though.

[Little Star]

69. Yes it does explain everything. Banned from Kos and now

his crap is here stirring up same shit on a different day. un-rec

[hyphenate]

72. I respectfully disagree

If nothing else, race, in this case, is the proverbial "elephant in the room." It has been so all along. While not everyone is racist or intolerant, the fact is, that this prejudice is alive and well and still in the country, regardless of how some feel. It's not going to go away.

[Hissyspit]

84. It was posted here back in Feb. 2010, as well, by, um, someone you may remember.

I thought it sounded familiar:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x201648

[sabrina 1]

91. Thank you. Seems that if you disagree with this president now

since all other defenses of some of his policies have failed, the race card is being pulled out again. Probably the most despicable tactic of all and a desperate one. And very insulting to the President. It insinuates that he is 'different' and should be treated differently because of his ethnicity.

Not to mention how it will most likely have the exact opposite effect. Every African American I know despises these kinds of dirty tricks, which are racist in themselves. And I imagine the President himself would find them to be particularly poisonous as he has made clear his position on this issue.

These so-called 'democrats' need to save this for actual racists. To use race as a political tool reminds of Lee Atwater and I thought this was the party that knew better than that.

[11 Bravo]

2. Thanks for posting this. K&R

[pansypoo53219]

3. i knew it was gonna be clintonism on steroids.

the rite SO wants a blue dress top impeach him. also for nothing.

[Joe Fields]

4. Obama makes me ashamed to be a democrat. n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. +10000!

[unblock]

11. wow. given the op is about attitudes towards him based on his being black, this is a disturbing post

assuming your feelings about obama have nothing to do with race, i'd suggest that your post would be better suited to a different thread.

[Supersedeas]

23. there is no shame without expressing an attitude about race?

[unblock]

27. not in a thread about race!

in a different context, it could be taken as an expression about his policies, appointment, etc.

but in a thread about obama's race and the attitudes towards him due to his race, i find this statement highly problematic.

[Supersedeas]

37. Note the author does not specify anything specifically racial about criticism coming from the Left

The article does point to this criticism in particular:

'He's weak, he's spineless, he's got no balls, primary
him in 2012'. It'll be dishonest to deny that.


There is not specifically ABOUT RACE contained within that particular criticism allegedly coming from the Left or from Democrats. So, when a Democrats claims to be ashamed because he/she feels that the President is spineless or should be primaried...that expression of shame is no more about RACE than when the same criticism was leveled against President Carter--and Democrats claimed then (and some even may claim now) that they were also ashamed as Democrats by President Carter's performance in office.

But you busy yourself by constructing the context along with the criticism, if it makes you feel better. Such misappropriations of context in order to deflect criticism didn't help President Carter's re-election campaign much.

I don't know how attacking liberals, who express disappointment with the President's performance, with allegations of racism will help this go round, we shall see.

[hyphenate]

74. I try not to see his race

when I think about his policies. I try to look toward his constant need to satisfy repugs, about his too close to the right attitude about many topics, and about his pandering during the last day during the debt ceiling talks. I also am pissed off at him with respect to Anthony Weiner, when he said that he should resign. I am proud, however, that he found Osama bin Laden, that the US efforts in Libya helped get rid of Khadaffy, that we have gained back some of the respect around the world we lost under GB. I have NO doubts whatever that Obama is smarter, more pragmatic, disinclined to making a spectacle of himself, and remains above it all in so many ways.

I can like him, but I can also disagree with him on many of his policies.

I think the only thing we can really do is to trust him, even if it means compromising and giving in to some of the horrible right-winged demands.

You are right though--it doesn't have anything to do with skin color--it has everything to do with us all being human beings, and how we aren't all cut with the same cookie cutter.

[sabrina 1]

46. Why is there an OPabout race on DU? As far as I know no one on DU

is a racist, unless that is the charge in the OP? DUers voted for this president. Their disagreements, despite the implications of the OP, have ZERO to do with race and shame on the OP if that is what they are attempting to imply.

Unrec because the intention of the OP is not clear. If it is aimed at the racists on the right, then the OP should made that clear, otherwise it has no relevancy here.

[boston bean]

53. re-read this paragraph, I think it will be clear to you

"I expected that his winning the Presidency would bring out some ugliness,
but it's been far worse than I imagined. The racism coming from the Right is
obviously clear and shameless, but there's also some hidden and maybe
subconscious and disturbing underline tone behind some of the things that I
read here and throughout the Left blogosphere, even before the end of
Obama's first year - 'He's weak, he's spineless, he's got no balls, primary
him in 2012'. It'll be dishonest to deny that."

[sabrina 1]

57. Thank you, I missed that. I am glad I unrec'd

since I have seen zero evidence of racism towards this president on DU and I find it abhorrent to resort to using the race card to try to silence dissent. If I could unrec again, I would. And I doubt he would appreciate it himself, since he tried very hard to move away from this kind of thing. Something I understood and admired about him.

Also, considering that paragraph, I think the OP should have to provide some evidence of that claim. And it seems to violate the rules here to accuse members of racism without a shred of evidence. Just my opinion.

[Supersedeas]

62. the racist charge seems to be tied almost exclusively to the call by some

to primary the President. (as noted in the highlighted exerpt).

[sabrina 1]

65. The charge is coming from someone who is well-known

around the internet as a totally divisive individual, I have now discovered thanks to Hissyspit's comment above. So I'm no longer at all surprised by the race card being introduced by that individual. S/he is also involved in the hateful site that was responsible for the 'Firebagger' garbage last week. Sometimes I wonder if those people are actually working against this president. Most of them have been banned from other sites. I am not talking about the OP, but the author of the piece which apparently came from the individual I mentioned and who, as far as I know, is not a member here. I wish they would keep their vile, reprehensible divisive tactics to their own website where there they have found a few others to share their anti-liberal hatred with.

[Supersedeas]

68. gawd, shows you what i know

thanks for the info, sabrina -- that does put this article into context.

[hyphenate]

76. The person who posted this to DU

is NOT the author of the piece. He did not know where it came from, only that it was debate worthy. If people want to see censorship of a topic, they should follow their hearts and find places where ugly topics are not allowed. Are we so thin-skinned that we can't see or face what is happening in this country? Are we so entrenched in denial of how others beyond liberals and Democrats think about the Presidency and Barack Obama that we don't want to read or respond to topics about the subject? If someone chooses to disagree, that's one thing. But to invite some form of censorship just because we can't understand that point of view is highly disturbing, as though we can't face the truth ourselves.

I respectfully disagree that this kind of topic should be dis-allowed simply because it's about the subject of racism toward the president. It's merely a fact of life, something that we all need to discuss in order to understand it and find ways to resolve.

[sabrina 1]

80. I don't object to it being here, I object to the implication

that people are opposing policies of the President because of racism. Every president receives criticism for their policies, and it is an insult to this President to assume that he should be protected from what every other president expects, simply because of his ethnicity. I doubt he would want that himself. And imo, THAT is racism. He is POTUS, people are going to disagree with him. If there are obvious examples of racism, then those should be exposed. But subtle implications against everyone who does not agree with him on everything, THAT is an attempt to censure people.

[Doctor_J]

81. if it's debate worthy, why are all the objections being shouted down?

:shrug:

[rhett o rick]

82. Pres Obama isnt a Democrat. He is a conservative. He started with Rick Warren and has

surrounded himself with conservatives. Jeff Immelt is moving jobs to China while being Obamas job guy. Obama isnt a Democrat.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[graywarrior]

32. *

[tabasco]

36. Playing pretend is for children.

Stop pretending you're a Democrat.

[Dragonfli]

63. O come on Obama is the biggest child out there then according to you, WHY DO YOU HATE OBAMA

There is nothing childlike about his pretense, it is a professional maneuver. But call Obama a child all you want, I know it is really his color you despise.
He was brilliant in his campaign and even had me fooled.

[SidDithers]

90. +1...nt

Sid

[demwing]

42. Oh give it a rest

I'm not much of a fan of the President, but why select THIS thread to express your opinion?

Sho a little class, please.

[Whisp]

52. you make me ashamed to be a human

[FreeJoe]

6. I agree that racism is still a terrible problem in this country

This line "But all of them, without exception, were treated with the highest respect deserving the office of the president of the United States." is patently silly. Heck, look no further than this site to see how much respect people give presidents that they dislike. Presidents have never been treated with all that much respect and, quite honestly, I'm OK with that.

[FarLeftFist]

18. The difference is, is that WE are not politicians disrespecting the president.

You can't control what people say, but what the OP was getting at was that the president is being treated unfairly by fellow politicians and the media more so than any other president.

[closeupready]

7. Oh please. Anyone who has been politically minded for the last 30 years knows the disrespect

that opposing sides of aisle have shown to every president since Reagan. Not suggesting it isn't or wasn't deserved, but taking issue with the "Leave Obama Alone!" point.

He's the most powerful person in the universe. Criticism, sometimes harsh, comes with the territory. If he doesn't like it, he need not accept nomination for a second term, but neither he nor his supporters can complain about it, esp. given how harsh criticism of GWB was.

[FreeJoe]

10. Since Reagan?

I don't remember Carter being treated with much respect either. Or Ford. Or Nixon. I think that respect for presidents is like respect for parents...every generation thinks that the older generations had it.

[closeupready]

14. True. FDR, too. I guess this goes way back. But it is certainly not unique to Obama.

And cries of racism are lame, IMO, when you are the most powerful person on Earth.

[unblock]

15. there are definitely some things that have changed.

sure, democrats referred to nixon as "tricky dick", and carter certainly got dumped on.

but the senate generally deferred to the president in terms of appointments, unless egregious, whereas nowadays they delay and deny everything they can.

i certainly don't recall television referring to nixon as just "nixon", without the "president" in front of it.

and when was the last time someone interrupted a state of the union speech to shout, "you lie"?

prior to reagan, the loyal opposition was the LOYAL opposition. it felt like we were on the same team but if you were the "out" party, it was simply the other side's turn to be the "in" party. you voiced your objections, but you respected the will of the voters and you waited your turn.

reagan (and perhaps more so, gingrich) brought in an attitude that democrats were the ENEMY, and we now have a culture where anything and everything the president does is disparaged and derailed and delayed and denied and insulted and sneered at, regardless of whether or not it's a good idea.

that certainly wasn't the way it was when nixon or ford or even carter was president.

[hfojvt]

33. but I notice you moved away from race

"reagan (and perhaps more so, gingrich) brought in an attitude that democrats were the ENEMY, and we now have a culture where anything and everything the president does is disparaged and derailed and delayed and denied and insulted and sneered at, regardless of whether or not it's a good idea."

"democrats were the enemy"

Not just black democrats like Jackson, Cleaver and Obama, but all Democrats.

But back when Goldwater was running against LBJ, their slogan was "In your heart, you know he's right" and democrats responded with "in your guts, you know he's nuts".

As for a President's appointments, well, I was happy that Bork got Borked and thought it shoulda happened to Clarence Thomas as well, and was in the camp of wanting the Senate to fillibuster Alito and Roberts. The Republican Party fights pretty hard for their corporate masters. I'd like to see a Democratic Party that fought as hard for we the people.

[solara]

85. I think you have definitely identified the crux of the matter

"...i certainly don't recall television referring to nixon as just "nixon", without the "president" in front of it..."

"....and when was the last time someone interrupted a state of the union speech to shout, "you lie"?..."

Exactly

[emilyg]

12. ....

[unblock]

8. while i agree generally, the racism isn't quite as direct as the fact that he's black

while it certainly needles the racists to no end that he's ACTUALLY black, the truth is that they'd be treating a president gore, kerry, hillary clinton, or whoever pretty much the same way. because they're more directly adamantly anti-democrat rather than specifically anti-black.

that said, WHY do they so disrespect democrats? in no small part because we're the party of choice for the vast majority of black people, along with other minorities and less privileged groups.

remember how much they disrespected bill clinton. though they feared him in a way they don't fear obama, this had more to do with clinton's relative popularity than his skin color (then again, these are not unrelated matters).

republicans have long used racism against democrats even when their direct target was a white man. even mike dukakis got smeared with that horrible willie horton ad.

for republicans democrats == blacks. it's merely more obvious when the top democrat is ACTUALLY black.

[Supersedeas]

16. Defining the subconscious from the Left as anything other is just dishonest denial

That doesn't leave much room for genuine policy disagreements, does it...when liberal criticism is defined in terms of an ugly subconscious, as nothing more than self-deception and denial.

Instead of originating in the subconscious, might that liberal criticism just as easily originate in the same places where Maxime Waters and Russ Feingold find common ground...as an announcement about where the President himself came from...a loud reminder about the source of his liberal base.

Or is one way to deflect and avoid legitimate liberal criticism to construct the image of a racist Leftist and surround the political strawman with the filth coming from the Right in order to draw some false equivalence between right wing non-sense and substantive policy feedback coming from the Left?

If only Jimmy Carter could have been so shrewd as to create such strawmen to avoid any discussion of a primary. I am certain of this: President Obama can handle any primary challenge.

The UNKNOWN AUTHOR has one point of view...but there are others. Consider this:

<<"Let me tell you why. We don't put pressure on the president because ya'll love the president. You love the president. You're very proud to have a black man -- first time in the history of the United States of America. If we go after the president too hard, you're going after us."

"The Congressional Black Caucus loves the president too. We're supportive of the president, but we're getting tired, ya'll. We're getting tired. And so, what we want to do is, we want to give the president every opportunity to show what he can do and what he's prepared to lead on. We want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is. We don't know why on this trip that he's in the United States now, he's not in any black community. We don't know that.">>

Consider what is being said here. The Unknown Author is suggesting that the President is receiving undue criticism from the Left because he is black. But there is another side to this as well...there are also those who see some hesitation from those on the Left to put pressure on the President because others see him as a black man, who see just the first black President. Is there some middle ground between the Unknown Author and Maxime Waters, some elbow room for substantive, constructive criticism without being labeled a racist?

For those who are putting pressure on the President Obama (as an office holder--as the Chief Executive--as the Commander in Chief), the same way liberal critics put pressure on President Carter as an office holder (despite finding a personal connection to him), is there room for substantive criticism without painting the President's critics with the taint of racist motivations originating in the subconscious?

Can we acknowledge both the concerns of the Unknown Author and Maxime Waters, and still hold our office holders accountable? Yes, President Obama will get criticism which clearly indicates racist motivations, but the President as President will also receive criticism because he is OUR Chief Executive--an executive who is up for election in a little over a year.

The challenge is to parse the two--to identify racism WITH SPECIFICITY and to avoid the chilling effect that the broad brush strokes of an unsubstantiated racism charge, or even the threat of a racism charge, can have on legitimate criticism of a public official--this, I think, is what Congresswoman Waters was getting at.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. This could very well be titled "The Arrogance of Being President While Being a Democrat".

Politics is more highly polarized right now than any time I can remember. I realize that racism is still alive and well, but I think that any Democratic President would have been treated much the same way as Obama.

[Supersedeas]

19. there was plenty of polarization as President Carter was entering the re-election season

[jwirr]

20. Wow - that is one good post.

[FrenchieCat]

21. Folks will continue to deny it.

They need to sleep at night, so rationalization of the problem being something
other than his race will continue to be made. That's how racism tends to work...
it couldn't be that...must be something else!
You see, people start feeling uncomfortable if his race is mentioned,
as they blame him for every thing wrong with this country,
and the fact that he hasn't yet cleaned it up to their satisfaction in record time,
according to their personal needs.

Hell, you see that even when they can't blame him for something,
they just switch to speculating about what he will do, even if he hasn't done it.

Pretty soon, we'll have a White President again, and everything can go back to normal;
we can have the White Man fuck us over as he has since the beginning of time.
At least then, folks won't have to live in denial of the apparent.

[Supersedeas]

22. Wow...a Russ Feingold Presidency does look pretty scary

Just another White Man? And I guess all White politicans are defined by their WHITENESS? Not a hint of racism there. Russ Feingold...just like all the other White Men from the beginning of time.

Very interesting...maybe there is a crack in the Lincoln Memorial as we wake from the sleepy facade of White Politicians.

[FrenchieCat]

25. Russ Feingold ain't running. Doh!

and the fact that he's Jewish makes him not "just another White Man" anyways! :crazy:

Democrat Russ Feingold says he will not be running for office next year. He issued this statement this morning:

I am grateful for the friendship and support of so many fellow Wisconsinites who suggested I consider running for statewide office in the coming months. While I may seek elective office again someday, I have decided not to run for public office during 2012.
<snip>
When I said on election night last year that it "was on to 2012," I meant it. As I said those words I was especially thinking of the need to re-elect President Obama. I will be working to re-elect him and hope to play a significant role in that effort.
http://www.nbc15.com/news/headlines/Russ_Feingold_Issues_Statement_On_His_Political_Future_128064523.html

BTW, Black people have been voting for White people for President, ever since they were allowed to vote.....till prior 2008.....so we ain't the one with the issue.

[Supersedeas]

31. True, Russ will not be running next year...but I read your post as more expansive than just one year

Thanks for the clarification about his religion being such a distinguishing factor--it could make the difference with some electors if Russ decides to run as a White Man in 2016. Bernie Sanders, who knows how his religious point of view mitigates his Whiteness?

Knowing that strict religious qualifications are just as important as racial ones goes along way toward clarifying your point of view.

BTW, liberals in the United States have been voting for people of color for elected office prior to 2008..so your attempt at transference misses the mark entirely.

[rhett o rick]

83. Who are you voting for Frenchie, Obama or Jeb? I know it must be a touch decision for The Third Way.

[demwing]

44. Pretty soon we could have an Hispanic President, or a Woman

either of whom could easily be Republican, and either of which will fuck us over, as the privileged have done to the underprivileged, since the beginning of time.

What will you say then?

[mmonk]

24. Convenient.

Why don't you say his decisions do not succeed or fail on the wisdom of his decisions? What is more condescending towards him?

[boston bean]

26. President Obama would be ashamed of this Anonymous person.

There is no better shutter down of a legitimate argument than to casually toss that ugly accusation out there.

Barack Obama is President of the United States, do people think he really feels his former and current supporters are racist?

Calling lefties racist due to policy differences is a very ugly thing to do.

[Supersedeas]

38. And yet, liberal criticism is tossed in casually with right wing non-sense

Go figure.

[JoePhilly]

66. Obama has approached the racism he faces much like Jackie Robinson did.

Jackie didn't respond directly to the overt racism he faced. He knew that he could not. Because to do so, would have created obstacles for those who came after.

Obama is taking a similar tack.

As for the racism from the left ... consider this ... here on DU ... Obama is crucified for, after 2.5 years, not doing what FDR did in 3 terms. When I try to recall Kennedy, Carter, or Clinton facing the same yardstick from other Dems, such comparisons are pretty tough to find.

And so the notion that Obama is held to a totally different standard, is obvious to me ... and I'm a white guy in my 40s. Which means I get to hear exactly what white people are willing to say about Obama when its only white guys in their 40s.

[boston bean]

77. We just came off of eight years where bush was crucified for good reason.

We were promised certain things. No one was told we were going to creep further right so Obama could remain above the fray. Not being able to deliver and agreeing with right wing principles are two different things.

There are policy differences, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with the color of his skin.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

28. K&R

[joeybee12]

29. Sorry, when you play the race card to downplay serious disagreements with

Obama, I will always unrec.

[Supersedeas]

40. Calling for a primary amounts to a call for White options.

For those who see politics in black and white skin tones.

[FLAprogressive]

47. So we can't call for a primary because Obama is black. Gotcha.

[IndyPragmatist]

54. You got it right. Some will use the race card without hesitation

And it's becoming blatantly obvious. It annoys the hell out of me. I voted for Hilary in the primary, and was told by some Democrats that I was racist. My reason was that I felt Obama was far too inexperienced. Hilary had decades of experience on Obama, and when you are involved in multiple wars, an economic collapse, etc, I wanted someone who had proven she knew what she was doing.

I've never been a huge supporter of Obama. I voted for him, but it wasn't like I was ecstatic about it. I knew some of his policies were completely unrealistic, others would be met with extreme opposition, and some were naive. I could make a list of all the reasons why I preferred Hilary over Obama and there would still be people that would call me a racist.

Hate does not cure hate.

[JAbuchan08]

86. and i voted for Obama because...

I figured that a Hillary presidency would turn out to be EXACTLY what Obama's has proven to be.

[Supersedeas]

55. Not saying that you can't

What I am saying is that such a call will be interpreted by some (including the anonymoous writer) as an act of racism.

[FLAprogressive]

56. Well of course they will....it's all they have left.

[Supersedeas]

60. No, it's not all that is left. Not by a long shot.

There are points to be made about the racists who attack the President. PERIOD. There are racist who will attack for President for anything and everything. THEY ARE NOT HARD TO FIND. But the racist charge needs to be substantiated and sometimes distinguished from other criticism which may be just as unfair, just as nonsensical, but not racially motivated.

Like Congresswoman Waters, I believe that more pressure needs to be applied from the Left on the President. But, I see no need to call for a primary. Where there is clear racism, point it out. Where there is unfair criticism, point that out. Where there is legitimate criticism, acknowledge it and then demonstrate what positive steps have been attempted to address the issue or at least why those steps do not appear fruitful at this time.

There is much left to be done between now and the election to clarify and defend the record of President Obama without resorting to that--there is more left in the tank than that. To honor the man is a leader requires that those who support him do more than level a blanket charge of racism--I believe that true supporters of the President can make the case that our President deserves reelection without labeling all of his critics racists.

But, when the shoe fits, we know where to put it.

[JoePhilly]

67. I think you should have a viable candidate first ... but that's just me.

[FLAprogressive]

49. I've seen it played here a LOT in the past couple of weeks. It's really all they have left.

[Obamanaut]

30. This part is the part I especially have issue with => why should the actions

of someone make me ashamed of being the same (insert group) group/sect/race as me? "...Sometimes, they make me feel ashamed to be a white man!!..."

Some Americans do bad stuff, but I didn't do it, so I'm not ashamed to be an American.

Some men are abusive toward their wives, but I am not, so I'm not ashamed of being male just because others are abusive.

And so on.

[Supersedeas]

50. "being ashamed to be" is the portion of the article that needs to be fleshed out

[Demonaut]

34. it's not his skin color, it's his policies....that is ALWAYS the defense in public

but it IS his skin color and the fact he's a Democrat

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[disillusioned73]

39. So, anyone that has a problem with the Presidents policies...

is now a racist... this is going to be the 2012 campaign strategy??? Just wondering??

[ItNerd4life]

41. All hyperbole, no facts. This is embarrassing,

no wonder it's from anonymous.

God is on his side? I thought the Republicans claim is that God is on their side?

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Romulox]

45. Right. We all voted for Obama because we're racists. We'll shut our mouths now--

since criticism of this President is simply further proof of same.

[Whisp]

51. recommended a 1000 times.

right on.

what really bothers me tho is the enormous amount of ignorant fucks (both on the left right middle edges all over) reside in the US

apologies to those not, you know who you are

[mattclearing]

58. I'm not trying to play down the role of race in President Obama's treatment...

...but it doesn't help that he never retaliates. People feared Bush, Clinton, Reagan, because they did get angry, they were vindictive, and slights were sure to elicit consequences.

There are never consequences for slighting President Obama. What he thinks is being above the fray is perceived as and effectively amounts to being a pushover.

[madokie]

61. Thank you Mr Dixon

Oh and welcome to DU

I love my President and wish him well
I've been saying what this says since day one.

[Scurrilous]

64. Thanks.

K & R :thumbsup:

[hyphenate]

70. It's eloquent

I think it's fairly correct as well. There are places in the United States where President Obama's skin color is still deeply despised, by so many who still hold slavery thoughts in their minds, or even in some major cities nationwide where black men are considered armed and dangerous. Indeed, when I was a child, I recall even my mom and others of her age being intolerant of mixed race marriages.

Each and every one of us has a memory of racism in our lives--whether we are black, white, yellow, or red. Whether we saw an incident, or were the victim ourselves, it's there, and until we ALL become color-blind, there is always going to be that marked divide between different races. It's not going to be over, even with a black president, because the nasty rightwinger, and everyone else who sees only skin deep into a person, will be present to keep that divide alive.

Many knew this before the election, but in the end, President Obama deserved the electoral win. It was difficult in some places, but people feared the crazies on the right more than they feared an intelligent black man. If things were less screwed up in the country, and if the right had chosen to pair a decent running mate for McCain, things might have been very different in this country. Sarah Palin was, ultimately, the one who helped elect Barack Obama. Take that any way you want to, but racism is still alive and living in America.

But it's not that which I have been most apprehensive through the past thirty years. It's mainly the intolerance of people in all states toward liberal views. Many people are more afraid of giving a hand to those who most need it in this country. It's more a religious divide, where those on the radical religious right are so afraid of letting people with non-fundamental views have any say in the running of this country. THEY are the real problem, I think, because they have become part and parcel of the GOP to the point of keeping this country divided because of their wretched, wicked and wrongful beliefs.

This will not get better any time soon. Obama will not be elected in 2012 if he doesn't prove that he's better than all the alternatives. People have short memories about a lot of things, and might look back with more anger toward Obama than against the horrendous Bush years. They won't remember that it was Bush who fucked up the country, and took a surplus and made it a deficit and destroyed our country by many, many degrees They will only see high unemployment, economic downturn and lack of jobs under the Obama administration and associate it with the current administration.

Oh well. We can't really straighten out this country until politics change, and we have brought an end to the kind of intolerance in this essay. That's not really about politics, though, it's about bigotry and lack of empathy, and that's probably as age old as the history of the world.

[socialindependocrat]

71. Thanks, My thoughts, too!!! n/t

[butterfly77]

73. Many who ..

feel/felt that way are in the Democratic Party. When he first took office and the republiCONS began their attacks I asked "Where in the hell are the Democrats" and as I watched many of them appear on show after show they all denied that their was any racism when it was completely obvious,except for those who don't know it when they see it or they are racists themselves..

[Vattel]

75. Actual evidence of racism from the left would be nice.

[Doctor_J]

88. Not likely forthcoming

We funded, worked for, and voted for the man, but now, because we object to him proposing Medicare be cut and continuing budget-busting military boondoggles, we're deemed to be racists. I guess this is easier for the OP than facing the fact he's been an epic disappointment

[ProfessionalLeftist]

79. "Unforgivable Blackness" n/t

[Major Hogwash]

87. Who did write that?

Do we know?

[vssmith]

89. My take

I think President Obama is uber-conscious of his place in history as the first black President and I think it leads him to be too cautious. He knows his presidency is ground breaking stuff and he doesn't want to mess it up. I voted for him and I will vote for him again but I want him to take a more agressive tack or in FDR's words, "Welcome their hatred."