Obama tackles race questions

Source: Politico

Obama tackles race questions


By EAMON JAVERS | 9/18/09 7:44 PM EDT

President Barack Obama on Friday acknowledged that some Americans don’t like him because of the color of his skin — but argued that the vast majority of his political opponents simply disagree with him on the merits of the issues.

To George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s “This Week,” Obama said, “Are there some people who don’t like me because of my race? I’m sure there are. Are there some people who voted for me only because of my race? There are probably some of those too.”

To John King of CNN’s “State of the Union,” he said: “Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are. That's not the overriding issue here. I think there are people who are anti-government.”

And to David Gregory of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he said: “Look, I said during the campaign, are there some people who still think through the prism of race when it comes to evaluating me and my candidacy? Absolutely. Sometimes they vote for me for that reason. Sometimes they vote against me for that reason. I’m sure that was true during the campaign. I’m sure that’s true now.”




Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27330.html

it's our President Obama! Tell it!

even be discussed.

Simplistic,I know.

Because that just plays into racist talking points that blacks cannot be independent thinkers.

few times I've read it over the past year.

These millions of racists across the country are just trying to destroy his term. I'm not for everything he's done, but I support him - they HATE him, and worse.

Right about now, he needs to stop trying to be fair to the other side - because they're not standing up against the loons racism.

I'm sure he'll write a tell - all book and pull NO punches!!!

who voted for him because of race.

I know whites who voted for him because he was black. They were mostly clueless about what he actually said he stood for, and were torn between support for a fellow woman or showing how progressive they were by voting for a black man, but as soon as they thought he had a chance they were all gung-ho Obama. Some of them were clueless, obviously so. I asked one what she thought about his pick of Palin for VP, and she said she was all for it. Eh. Thirty minutes later she came back and asked if I was pulling her leg--she'd gone and repeated what I said, just to be corrected by somebody who wasn't completely clueless. Meh.

the problem is the hyperbolic raving lunatic hundreds of thousands across this country (and perhaps 5-10 million) that would march with racist signs and call him absurd names or say he's going to do absurd things to them or their kids/parents if he's given the chance...

they're mostly all white people, like myself, that more than likely have been raised to hate anyone different, and anything different than what they were told was okay. And sorry, to far too many people - black men are NOT okay - especially ones that say kind things about Islam, even though he says he's Christian.

Although I wish he would have said something in stronger detail about the loons, perhaps it's better left to all the white folks in his cabinet, so he can focus on other issues as president.

These people screaming about his plans and marching, carrying guns, holding up racist or 'he's hitler' signs are doing so because he's BLACK! There's no other reason, because, B*sh destroyed their gov't for 8 years, and overspent us into a giant hole - and they didn't give a shit then.... only when a (half) African-American gets into power they go berserk!

against him could only be attributed to racism, he'd have been accused of whining or being afraid, or crying discrimination, whatever. IMO, there is more than a resistance to change at the core of the hateful rhetoric all over the news, RW radio and interwebs.

Give them nothing to fuck about, and you will win, if ANYBODY didn't think this was going to happen,
your blind, let the shit settle .
Thank you Mr. President.

I don't see the President tackling racial issues here. He's offering some talking points to mollify those who accuse him of "playing the race card," mostly directing his appeal to liberals and independents, because a good percentage of conservatives trash him no matter what he says.

Achievement gaps persist, teabaggers rant, survivalists arm themselves, and all we get from the highest office is PC talk. President Obama's is busy with many legislative priorities - I get it. But the racist hate needs to be challenged too so that we can move beyond extremist positions and sustain a dialogue among all Americans that will help us change this stratified society. I guess I need to lower my expectations for what this administration will do on these issues. Disappointing, to say the least.

That's part of the problem; to believe that this man could walk on water, or stop racism by saying something.

Obama gave a speech on the issue of Race during the primaries. I don't think him saying those things he said then over and over again is really the answer. Let's have him show them what
he can do to make this country run better, cause in the end, that will be how he is judged....
and soon, what he has accomplished will speak volumes on the issue of racism, and the haters
will realize that they are the underachievers.

I agree with you in spirit, that we want the same things. I also agree that it is the public's job to lead. I would add that it's our job to support and sometimes challenge the president and other paid public employees that we hire to help us achieve our goals in a democracy. I also agree with you that as African American private citizens, we tend to appreciate the impact of hate speech on the climate very well, and our role to challenge the haters is crucial.

On the other hand, the president is occupying the most powerful public office in the world, the most prominent place to speak from, and the continuing presence of bigotry calls for appropriate responses that do not stop with the campaign. Racism is one of our deepest problems, a consistent impediment to all our efforts to create good social policy since the colonial era. Developing policies that help bridge the achievement gaps between cultural and ethnic communities in this country is inextricably part of "making this country run better," as you put it. The presidents that have made the most contributions to creating a more just and equal society (Lincoln, Kennedy, Johnson, even Clinton) understood this, and I count FDR too because he recognized class and regional differences in achievement and legislated accordingly.

If President Obama is going to style himself after Lincoln, he should recognize how the right's stoking the fires of racial division is exactly what we don't need, and respond accordingly. I don't expect him to miraculously change racism; I want him to oppose it, the same thing I expect from any Democrat (I've written letters to Russ Feingold for failing to speak up when his boy McCain and Sarah Pallin-around were calling a sitting U.S. Senator a terrorist) or any citizen. The president will get no props from me for PC talking points, though I guess in the end if he takes the country further by being reticent to speak about racial issues, it's all good. But wouldn't you agree that the Democratic Party's failure to challenge the right wing is part of what got us in this big hairy mess in the first place?