Presidential Pretender

[dgs49]

What if there were a President who was shown to have reached his high level of "achievement" through false pretenses?

Consider: Barak Hussein "Barry" Obama has been going through life availing himself of untold preferences, benefits, and - yes, even riches by pretending to be a "Black Man." Without this pretense, one suspects he would be nothing more than a highly-respected history teacher somewhere in urban Chicago.

You see, "Black Man" is a term that refers to a dark-skinned (f/k/a, "Negro") American who is the lineal descendant of at least one black African slave.

Black Men have much in common. In addition to being descended from slaves, they have a family and cultural history of being oppressed and repressed. Their ancestors started with less than nothing, they suffered discrimination, persecution, and indignities that are almost unimaginable today. Turned away from restaurants and other public accommodations, forced to sit in the back of the bus, couldn't drink from the white man's water fountain or use the same toilet facilities...the list of indignities goes on and on. Lived in terrible neighborhoods, went to sub-standard schools, assumed to be incapable of meeting even the most ordinary of challenges.

But NONE of this applies to Barry. He has no ancestors who were American slaves (or any other kind of slaves, for that matter). His father and paternal family were highly educated and accomplished - his father came here by choice, on a plane. His mother was white. Barry never experienced any significant discrimination; on the contrary, he was something of a novelty in most of his homes and schools, and we treated well because of it.

He ended up living in an urban ghetto (very briefly) because he chose to do so. He had to learn to learn "Ebonics" as though it were a second language. How else would he pick it up? He never lived anywhere near any African Americans. He even had to learn how to play basketball, and did so because he knew it was expected.

What about his education? Without his "Black Costume" he never would have gotten into Columbia, and certainly not Harvard Law. He has declined to release any of his academic records, but to get into Columbia as a transfer student is virtually impossible. They allow only a handful of in-transfers every year, and they invariably have the highest academics - which Barry apparently did not have. If he had not been able to take advantage of the pretense of being "Black," he couldn't have gotten a job as a janitor at Columbia, let alone come in as an upper classman.

When he moved to Chicago to don the glorious mantle of "Community Activist," he never could have pulled it off without his Black Costume. He had NOTHING in common with his constituents except the color of his skin. He was no more an "African American" than was Teresa Heinz Kerry (who actually WAS born in Africa). Had the Chicagoans who elected him known that he was NOT a Black Man, he never would have won his first election - which was based on a lie.

Had he not had the Black Costume, he never would have been permitted to give that rousing speech at the 2004 Democrat Convention, and it is almost too obvious to say that if had not had the Black Costume in 2008, his candidacy for President in 2008 would have been recognized as the Joke that it actually was.

I don't hate our Beloved President, and frankly, I think he is capable of doing a fine job despite his fraudulent previous life. His background is analogous to other politicians who have been successful because of family wealth (Kennedy), political connections, and what-have-you. It is not really relevant.

But I think he has been a horrible president because his unreal personal biography has led him to patently false conclusions about American economics, financial success, socialism vs. capitalism, and so forth. I fervently hope that we - the American people - can retire him at the first opportunity, so that he can pursue whatever foolishness or opportunities are available to him. Hell, maybe Hillary will appoint him to the Supreme Court.

But one should not forget that ethnically and culturally he is a complete fraud. He is not now, and he has never been, the Black Man that he pretends to be.

[Rick]

Yer sounding a lot like someone else.

I've tried finding yer definition of "Black Man" and hve yet to find it...

[Scooter]

Yeah, I'm sure that in the Jim Crow days, sitting at the back of the bus had nothing to do with skin colour and was required only for those who were descended from slaves

[Sue U]

Gee, just when I was starting to think that Dave might not be a complete asshole ...

[Scooter]

Unless there are two people posting from his computer...

[Grim Reaper]

Just more racist garbage from dgs49.

Sounds like the Birthers have moved from "not a real American" to "not a real black person".

[Sean]

You see, "Black Man" is a term that refers to a dark-skinned (f/k/a, "Negro") American who is the lineal descendant of at least one black African slave.

Fuck! Who's going to tell Nelson Mandela that he's not actually black?

[loCAtek]

Pffft, he's not only 'black', he's African. You understand the difference?

[Sean]

Well he's not a "dark-skinned (f/k/a, "Negro") American" so he doesn't fit in with the new criteria.

[loCAtek]

Verily

[dales]

Obama is bi-racial who identifies himself as "black".

-30-

[dgs49]

Interesting reactions here.

The most recent posting by "dales" is one with which I completely agree. In fact, it is simply a restatement of my original posting.

Nothing I posted is "racist," and G.R., if you would care to articulate a rationale for your idiotic charge, I'd be glad to address it. Nelson Mandela, last time I checked, was not claiming to be an "African American." If he moved here and became naturalized, he would be African and he would be American, but he decidedly would not be, "African American," as that term is commonly used.

What I have written above is nothing more than a re-statement of arguments that have taken place within the Black community about Barry ever since he got into politics.

Most of it is factual, and because of that, none of you has challenged it. Barry never experienced any meaningful personal discrimination, and in fact has been the beneficiary of discrimination at every turn in his public and private life. Anyony deny that?

Name another President in the 20th century who ran for office with anything like his paper-thin resume.

As for the "Black" point, it is clearly demonstrable to anyone who has even a fleeting knowledge of American "Black" culture.

Being "Black" in America has little to do with the color of one's skin. Halle Berry and Mariah Carey proudly identify themselves as "Black," yet they are no darker complected than many Italians. I work with engineers from the Indian subcontinent who are much darker complected than many "Blacks," yet no one would ever call them "Black."

Visit a college campus and listen to "Blacks" talking about African students and professors. Clearly, the African American community does not consider Nigerians and Kenyans to be, per se, members of the "Black" community, although they can become such if they choose to do so. Listen to how Blacks in New York talk about black-African Jamaicans and Cubans. They are obviously talking about people whom they consider to be outsiders.

Our Beloved President shares none of the historical and cultural antecedents that bind together America's "Black" community. He self-identified as an "African American" because he had a Messianic view of himself, and knew that with his intelligence and knowledge he could "kick ass" in the African American community - which he manifestly did. He could just as easily have self-identified as a member of the mainstream, taking a white wife, working in a lawfirm, and living a life that was for most intents and purposes, "White."

But he chose - much to his own credit - to be not the first "African American President," that title goes to Bill Clinton, but rather the first "Affirmative Action president." Never could have happened if he had not chosen to live as an African American.

Ironically, this morning's newspaper contains the obituary of one, "Johnny Otis," a white man who chose to live as a "Black" man, and was an icon in the "Rythm & Blues" community ("Willie and the Hand Jive")

[Rick]

I'm NOT a WASP does that mean I'm NOT white? Neither is Jim for that matter...

[Grim Reaper]

Nothing I posted is "racist," and G.R., if you would care to articulate a rationale for your idiotic charge, I'd be glad to address it

You made up this stupid definition solely so you could say that President Obama is not really a black person.

"Black", for people living in the US, refers to any individual of African descent, not just those who were slaves.

All you've really shown is that you disagree with everything President Obama does, or has ever done, including his decision to call himself "black". You've also shown that you've run out of arguments that might actually have some degree of merit and instead have resorted to making up definitions to attack anything he's ever said or done.

Most of it is factual, and because of that, none of you has challenged it. Barry never experienced any meaningful personal discrimination, and in fact has been the beneficiary of discrimination at every turn in his public and private life. Anyony deny that?

So now you have to be discriminated against in order to call yourself a "black" person? That's an amazingly stupid and racist definition.

[dgs49]

Reaper, read this closely. Take a deep breath.

"Black" does NOT refer to, "any individual of African descent."

Gary Player. Teresa Heinz Kerry. Gary Anderson (former football kicker). All Africans. All naturalized U.S. citizens. Not considered "African American," are they?

Do you follow?

I have given examples of people who are of BLACK African ethnicity whom "African Americans" generally do not consider to be within their community. Native Kenyans, etc., who typically show up on university campuses. I have overheard these specific conversations among "Blacks" many times. And even the popular culture recognizes that "African Americans" do not consider immigrant Haitians or Jamaicans to be within their community.

Our Beloved President is also such a person. He is African. He is American. He has chosen to identify himself as "Black." Fraudulently. This is not an original line of discussion on my part; it was openly discussed in the Black press when Barry was first running for President.

If you are unable or unwilling to countenance this line of reasoning, consider the judge-made phenomenon called, "Affirmative Action." It was justified as a package of "preferences" to be given to AFRICAN AMERICANS to compensate them for PAST DISCRIMINATION. (Let's not get into a discussion of whether Affirmative Action has been relegated to the dustbin of history).

Let's take a hypothetical person with dark skin - a so-called "Negro" - a recent immigrant from, say, Nigeria, about whom it could truthfully be said that neither he nor any of his ancestors had ever been victims of American discrimination. Should that person rightly be able to avail himself of the preferences of Affirmative Action?

Well, what do you think?

It would be like saying I can retaliate against someone who punched another person named, "Dave."

[Joe Guy]

Let's take a hypothetical person with dark skin - a so-called "Negro" - a recent immigrant from, say, Nigeria, about whom it could truthfully be said that neither he nor any of his ancestors had ever been victims of American discrimination. Should that person rightly be able to avail himself of the preferences of Affirmative Action?

Yes, that person should benefit from affirmative action. Because discrimination at the workplace has been focused on minority populations and women. Black skinned people are perceived as part of the overall black population based on skin color alone, not where they are from.

[Lord Jim]

Personally, I would prefer to see "affirmative action" set up on a needs based criteria rather than race...

To me, a better question than whether or not a recent emigre from Nigeria should be eligible to take advantage of affirmative action programs, is whether it makes sense for say, Bill Cosby's kids to be eligible for them.

[Grim Reaper]

Gary Player. Teresa Heinz Kerry. Gary Anderson (former football kicker). All Africans. All naturalized U.S. citizens. Not considered "African American," are they?

Now you're just being deliberately obtuse. And Gary Player is still South African. And Teresa Heinz Kerry has described herself as an African-American. I can't find anything about Gary Anderson's thoughts on the subject.

Our Beloved President is also such a person. He is African. He is American. He has chosen to identify himself as "Black." Fraudulently. This is not an original line of discussion on my part; it was openly discussed in the Black press when Barry was first running for President.

More racist garbage. He's not a fraud just because of your made up definition.

Let's take a hypothetical person with dark skin - a so-called "Negro" - a recent immigrant from, say, Nigeria, about whom it could truthfully be said that neither he nor any of his ancestors had ever been victims of American discrimination. Should that person rightly be able to avail himself of the preferences of Affirmative Action?

Affirmative action is about putting a grinding halt to all future discrimination, not just to make up for past actions.

[dgs49]

Mr Reaper, if you please, please set forth your personal definition of the term, "racist," and relate it to anything I've posted here.

As for your other stupid remarks, I will address them if you present a cogent definition to this word with which you seem to be so infatuated.

[Grim Reaper]

Oh, let's see here. This whole thread maybe? You made up a stupid definition of what you think defines a black person just so you could make fun of our current President.

At this point, I think you'd bitch about how he was born. C-section? Obviously too elite to enter this world the way common people do. Normal birth? Obviously done in a ploy to appeal to the common people. Breech birth? Obviously a ploy to show that he doesn't play by the rules.