My President Was Black

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/01/my-president-was-black/508793/

I don't always agree with Coates, but he is clearly one hell of a writer. I'm a big fan of his cover stories. This is worth reading, IMO.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/01/my-president-was-black/508793/

I don't always agree with Coates, but he is clearly one hell of a writer. I'm a big fan of his cover stories. This is worth reading beyond the headline, IMO.

Fixed

In fact he was half white. So even in a racist mind he was half right.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/01/my-president-was-black/508793/

I don't always agree with Coates, but he is clearly one hell of a writer. I'm a big fan of his cover stories. This is worth reading, IMO.

elected twice, 57% approval rating currently. not bad.

So Obama isn't considered biracial?

So America can be perfectly happy with a black man with no accomplishments as president. That must be racist.

I said it in a post a long time ago and got laughed at and ridiculed. I said I was proud that America elected a black president. I guess the ridicule was aimed at me because I was not a supporter of his and did not actually vote for him. Nevertheless, I think it was a great point in our history that this was done regardless of what he went on to get done or not. I still feel the same way and I realize it is not at all only his responsibility but I wish the racial situation seemed more improved due to him than it seems now.

When I asked Obama about this perspective [social issues and activists], he fluctuated between understanding where the activists were coming from and being hurt by such brush-offs. “I think that where I’ve gotten frustrated during the course of my presidency has never been because I was getting pushed too hard by activists to see the justness of a cause or the essence of an issue,” he said. “I think where I got frustrated at times was the belief that the president can do anything if he just decides he wants to do it. And that sort of lack of awareness on the part of an activist about the constraints of our political system and the constraints on this office, I think, sometimes would leave me to mutter under my breath. Very rarely did I lose it publicly. Usually I’d just smile.”

He laughed, then continued, “The reason I say that is because those are the times where sometimes you feel actually a little bit hurt. Because you feel like saying to these folks, ‘[Don’t] you think if I could do it, I [would] have just done it? Do you think that the only problem is that I don’t care enough about the plight of poor people, or gay people?’ ”

Mike is definitely one the good ones.

There are no good scientists.

To say he has had no accomplishments as President is foolish.

I'm not sure who said that.

So America can be perfectly happy with a black man with no accomplishments as president. That must be racist.