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History Calls

By W. James Antle, III on 1.19.09 @ 1:50PM

When I read the headline of this Politico story -- "Obama vs. the First Black President" -- my first reaction was: is Bill Clinton acting up again? Many of Obama's critics are annoyed by the constant references to his "historic" election and inauguration. It turns out that Obama himself views the racial angle as a bit of a distraction.

Given the country's history with race, slavery, segregation, and the civil-rights movement, however, it's hard to see how things could be much different. It is an inescapable fact that the inauguration of the first black president is historically significant, no matter how Obama's presidency turns out.

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Dandapani| 1.19.09 @ 4:04PM

Obama is black? I thought he was half white and mostly Arab with a smidgeon of African Black thrown in. I guess the 1-drop rule by the Ole South racists is alive and well. And remind me again, what part of the American Black experience did Obama live through?

Interloper| 1.19.09 @ 10:33PM

Barack Obama has lived through the African-American experience. Anyone in the United States who is visibly of African descent is discriminated against. The amount of abuse varies, but even the wealthy do not completely evade it. And, the Obamas were not wealthy until his books became successes.

Obama senior was Luo. The claims of him being 'Arab' are another effort to try to link the president-elect to radical Islam.

Glad to be of help. James can't assist you because he relies on disinformation about race relations from his pal, white supremacist Steve Sailer.

Frosty| 1.20.09 @ 12:14AM

Obama has been so discriminated against that he's been elected President of The United States!! Wow, some kind of racism in this country. Liberals will never stop whining about it--it's their bread and butter, other than that, they stand for nothing.

Interloper| 1.20.09 @ 11:28AM

Yes, Obama and every other black American has been discriminated against. In fact, he would have won the presidency by an even greater margin if he had not been African-American. As long as conservatives continue to be disproportionately racist they will not even begin to comprehend the complexity of this country's history and present.