Was Oprah Winfrey Correct when she said that criticism of Barack Obama was because he was African American?

Question

On balance I believe there is an element of truth in the statement Oprah Winfrey made, I am sure there are people out there who do despise the fact that he is described as African American.
In my opinion Obama is no better than Bush was and deserve the same objective criticism. For example it is thought Hilary Clinton stood aside to allow Obama to run for president (Affirmative Action perhaps?) Secondly he made promises that he has not kept, The patriot act is stronger than ever and Guantanamo is still open. He promised change and hope which was not delivered (although he did inherit a mess from Bush) Debt is out of control and finally he is clearly not African American but 'Mixed Race'. Now does my criticism or yours come from the notion that he is Black or is Oprah Winfrey just playing the race card again because a perceived AA president is a lame duck president?
Or in reality is there people who just hate the fact that there is a Black Man in the White House?

Answer 1

I think that Oprah was a tad short-sighted in advancing her sentiments the way she did. All right, there are people who would be critical of Obama on racial grounds no matter what. However, the majority of people around the globe are critical of him on grounds he cannot be trusted to keep his words, as someone who has allowed himself to be pushed around by those with vested interests in activities not beneficial to both the USA citizens and the wider world, and as someone with no mind of his own. He has presented himself as a chameleon. One never is sure what part of his personality is on show at any particular time, based on the colour on display at the time in question.



Given that he talks a lot and orates splendidly, it has taken some time for people both inside and outside of the USA to realise this is a man that can neither be believed nor trusted. A real shame, since he had started off so well with the world as his oyster. In letting all those full of expectation and who believed in him down, he has let himself down. Therefore, Oprah should take off the rose-tinted glasses in order that she may see the real Obama for the person he really is.

Answer 2

There is no question that racism still exists in America and many Americans dislike Obama because he is black. There truly are people who dislike the fact that there is a black man in the White House.



That said, that does not mean all criticism of Obama is racially motivated. Your criticisms of the Patriot Act and Gitmo are well-founded. Your statement that he inherited a mess is also valid, particularly when blaming him for the deficit. There's no question if Bush had been a better president, Obama would have looked better as well; but then, if Bush had been a better president, Obama might not have beaten McCain in 2008.



Also, Hillary did NOT "step aside" for Obama. Obama won the Democratic nomination fair and square, and on his merits.

Answer 3

I argued politics for 16 years with my first wife's father. He was a staunch Democrat and a Teamster. He would have rather died than vote for a Republican, yet, he voted for McCain and Romney. Can you explain it any other way? Interestingly, he wasn't from the South. He was from the Midwest.



I voted for McCain and Romney as well but I've been a Republican since 1979. I criticize Obama about the same amount as I criticized Bush 43. Bush was a failure so far as I'm concerned. Aside from his screwed up web site, Obama is only guilty of doing Democrat things.

Answer 4

If that is the only thing people can come up with then give me a break. The blacks did not vote him into office, the whites did (because of the white population). So, if most whites are racists, he would not have been President...but so many people can't get that through their head and want to stir up trouble. Look at the people that bashed Bush (and still do)? Are they all racists? It works both ways. I wish people would get over it and move on. You see what we got as a President. How he has failed and deceived the Americans. Nothing to do with his color...he could turn green tomorrow....he still failed and still deceived and most Americans don't trust him OR Congress, for that matter.

Answer 5

There are racists in this country - they come in all stripes. There are probably just as many people who hated Romney because he was white, or Mormon, or wealthy. I'm sure there are people who hate Obama because he is black, but I'm sure there are just as many who ignore his incompetence, his failed policies, his dishonesty and his disdain for the Constitution for that same reason - because he is black.



"If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail".



For people who are focused on racisim, who cannot see beyond it, Oprah's comment is the only truth they need.



I don't believe Clinton "stepped aside" for Obama for affirmative action or any other reason. She "stepped aside" because the power brokers in the Democrat party - i.e., the Kennedys and others, threw their support behind him. My personal feeling is that they believed, as the Republicans believed in 1860, that an inexperienced junior Senator would be easily controlled in the White House, that there would be more power retained by Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid. Clinton was too strong a figure for them to support.



Barack Obama is a "symbol" for America - he is not a president. The same truths that emerged when he was running for president exist today - he has no idea what it is like to run a business in this country, he has no idea how to run a state or local government, he does not understand diplomacy or foreign policy, he has an academic view of economy, and his agenda and ideology are based on "fairness" and some misguided idea that the major responsibility of government is to level the playing field, to punish the successful in favor of the downtrodden.



In the meantime, he STILL looks great at the podium. He is STILL able to cast his eyes toward distant shores, and eloquently describe his vision for America, There is STILL the notion of "Barack Hussein Obama ... mmm mmm mmm!", though it is not voiced as publicly as it was in 2008.



65% of Americans are not racists. More than 25% of this country has not changed their opinion of Obama because they suddenly realized he's black.

Answer 6

One would have to be delusional , or worse, to deny that much of the criticism of President Obama is racially motivated .



I suspect,therefore, that we will have to wait some time before we see a dispassionate and rational appraisal of his performance as President .



As an outsider , however, I would add one thing --- I am not an Obama supporter , but I think the tenor of many of the attacks on this Presidency have been disgraceful ; they have shown the US in a bad light ,and ultimately ,many have simply been insulting to the office of President.

Answer 7

Oprah is a race-baiter and a phoney. She showed her true colors after the OJ verdict and again during Obama s campaign. Why stupid women screamed and gave standing o s to this typical Hollywood liberal is beyond me...Only Conservative Blacks can be scorned and viciously attacked without fear of libs being called racists.

Answer 8

I think it's a fair point when applied to some of the weirder criticism: e.g. the "Birther" nonsense. (I don't recall GWB being asked for his long form birth certificate.)



However people should feel free to criticise his policies without being served the race card. There is a great danger of the whole "race thing" having a chilling effect on free speech and debate.

Answer 9

Was that not Oprah who told us of a incident in Europe were she claimed a sales clerk refuse to show her a $38,000 purse and the owner of the store and sales clerk said that did not happen an told us they had a video of her going all ghetto on them but for some reason they now don't want to release said video

Is that not the same Oprah who lives in a house worth $58,000,000 in Santa Barbra Calif? America sure has let her done

Answer 10

Im sure theres a VERY little bit of people like that.



I live in the south I have seen a "racist" maybe about 5 times.



And i workat walmart dude I see 100s a day

Answer 11

Oprah Winfrey is a well known racist who seems to have forgot that the Ku Klux Klan was the terrorist arm of the DEMOCRAT Party.

Answer 12

There may be a very few who just don't like a black man in the white house. However, most people who criticize Obama do so for his policies. They made the same criticisms of Hillary when she tried to take over health care too.

Answer 13

Some of it is ... some of it isn't.



Every single thing said about him being born in Kenya and not being eligible to be president, everything said about his parents and extended family, everything said about him being connected to terrorists and being a Muslim. All that is coming from racism.



Anything said about the economy, abortion, gun control, and most other legitimate political issue ... that ISN'T about his skin color.

Answer 14

No. I believe that criticism of Barack Obama is based on the fact that he's a Democrat. We just live in a time when partisanship and political mudslinging has reached the level of rhetoric of racists, sexists, and other bigots. People today are biased against others for ideological reasons in the same stereotypical and irrational manner that people a hundred years ago were biased against blacks. I believe this is why political slander is often mistaken for racism, especially by those with experience being exposed to this kind of blind cynicism and contempt.



I think you are being unfairly hard on Obama. The Democratic primaries in 2008 went to the very last state, so claiming Hillary Clinton stepped aside for Obama is absurd. Also, Obama was blocked from closing Gitmo because of action taken by Congressional Republicans. Unprecedented obstructionism is to blame for weak economic recovery, too.

Answer 15

Exit polls say there are legions of Democrats who HATED voting for a black guy.



As for us conservatives, do you really think we've opposed the SAME MOVEMENT for more than 100 years BECAUSE a brown guy led it for the last 5?

Answer 16

As much as there is truth to the fact that people voted against McCain or Romney because they were white. There is and always will be racism. You can't completely eradicate it from any human society. But it is no longer pervasive or significant. After tens of thousands of years of existence, we are ALL white, black, brown and yellow...which is why I check 'African American' on my census form. I think, next time, I'll be Pacific Islander. I'd be supportive of eliminating the race question from all government forms. Let's move on.

Answer 17

Oprah Winfrey has worn the numbers off her race card from overuse.

Answer 18

Absolutely, Oprah does not think Obama is doing bad things because he is incompetent…it is probably bad luck or Bush's fault

Answer 19

She probably also thinks that's why her OWN channel has lost a billion dollars since it started.



Couldn;t Possibly be because the concept is flawed.

Answer 20

That's her opinion. I disagree with her opinion.

Answer 21

N***A Please....!



Death Penalty Baby....!



May I ask where yo get your Facts and Statements about Obama-care that you say are in conflict of whatever Health Care we are Looking for....!

Answer 22

NO, people criticize Obama because everything he has done or is doing hurts the country.

Answer 23

I think she's partly correct.



@death penalty baby Could you provide even a fraction of evidence about your list?

Answer 24

Definitely NOT.

Answer 25

No, she wasn't by any means.

Answer 26

Yes ... !

Answer 27

No.

Answer 28

#1 Today there are 88 million working age Americans that are not employed and that are not looking for employment. That is an all-time record high.



#2 When Barack Obama was elected, the percentage of unemployed Americans that had been out of work for more than 52 weeks was less than 15%. Today, it is above 30%.



#3 There are 1.2 million fewer jobs in America today than there were when Barack Obama was inaugurated.



#4 When Barack Obama first took office, the number of "long-term unemployed workers" in the United States was approximately 2.6 million. Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.



#5 The average duration of unemployment in the United States is hovering close to an all-time record high.



#6 During the Obama administration, worker health insurance costs have risen by 23 percent.



#7 Since Barack Obama has been president, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has increased by 90 percent.



#8 Since Barack Obama has been president, home values in the United States have declined by another 13 percent.



#9 Under Barack Obama, new home sales in the U.S. set a brand new all-time record low in 2009, they set a brand new all-time record low again in 2010, and they set a brand new all-time record low once again during 2011.



#10 Since Barack Obama took office, the number of Americans living in poverty has risen by more than 6 million.



#11 Since Barack Obama entered the White House, the number of Americans on food stamps has increased from 32 million to 46 million.



#12 The amount of money that the federal government gives directly to Americans has increased by 32 percent since Barack Obama entered the White House.



#13 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of Americans living in "extreme poverty" is now sitting at an all-time high.



#14 When Barack Obama first took office, an ounce of gold was going for about $850. Today an ounce of gold costs more than $1300 an ounce.



#15 Since Barack Obama became president; the size of the U.S. national debt has increased by 44 percent.



#16 During Barack Obama's first two years in office, the U.S. government added more to the U.S. national debt than the first 100 U.S. Congresses combined.



#17 During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.



#18 The U.S. national debt has been increasing by an average of more than 4 billion dollars per day since the beginning of the Obama administration.



#19 Now he has told one of his biggest lies (although all he does is lie) by telling you that you could keep your insurance/doctor if you wanted to. Well it's painfully clear to hundreds of thousands , that was also a lie.

Add to that he said he insurance premiums would be reduced by up to 2500 per family, and it's going up 100% to 500% and more by some.

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•First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.

•First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in. Taken from a dead man from CT -- same SS#

•First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States

•First President to violate the War Powers Act. .

•First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico .

•First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.

•First President to spend a trillion dollars on 'shovel-ready' jobs when there was no such thing as 'shovel-ready' jobs.

•First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.

•First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.

•First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S. , including those with criminal convictions.

•First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.

•First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign.

•First President to terminate America 's ability to put a man in space.

•First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation.

•First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.

•First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it. First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke-out on the reasons for their rate increases.

•First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory.

•First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN). First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.

•First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal).

•First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-Corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.

•First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.

•First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists.

•First President to golf 73 separate times in his first two and a half years in office, 102 to date. First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.

•First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.

•First President to go on multiple global "apology tours" and concurrent "insult our friends" tours. First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayer.

•First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.

•First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.

•First President to repeat the Holy Quran & tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.

•First President to tell the military men and women that they should pay for their own private insurance because they "volunteered to go to war and knew the consequences".

•Then he was the First President to tell the members of the military that THEY were UNPATRIOTIC for balking at the last suggestion.

•First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states ( Mexico vs. Arizona ). How is this hope and change working out for you?



DO I NEED TO MENTION OBAMACARE? it ain't about being BLACK!