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I don't know about you, but I have yet to encounter a President or presidential candidate who did not have a more than ample helping of confident drive wrapped in a very muscular ego.
Hello, people! If you believe you are qualified to lead the most powerful country in the free world (still) you had better believe that you know what is right, what is best and have the courage of your convictions. ...
I believe it was arrogant of George W. Bush to distort the power of the White House into a weapon that he used to execute countless end runs around the Constitutional checks and balances of our government; but I don't hear Pat Buchanan complaining about that display of "entitlement."
If you are wondering why people like me get so peeved when words like "arrogant" or "uppity" are thrown around with such velocity, it's because some of us understand that there was a time in America that black men and women who were deemed "uppity" were tortured and lynched for being proud of who they were and successful. Black people who "did not know their place" and who owned land and businesses and sought to exercise their American rights were slaughtered, entire communities burned to the ground.
And there's the rub. Even today, for some people, it's just too much to see a relatively young, self-identified black man who displays such composure and fearlessness. It makes them feel, oh I don't know, it makes them feel like "he just makes me nervous" or "he and Michelle just seem to think they are entitled."
Here's the kicker. They ARE entitled. Barack and Michelle Obama are entitled to every opportunity and benefit this country has to offer every citizen. No more, no less. They get to claim it ALL just like the rest of us.
Silly identity adjectives are unnecessary distractions in the current political campaign. We don't have a moment to let our focus drift away from the big issues our nation had better deal with.
Comments: (174)
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By: Renee on 8/07/2008 10:47AM
I am having trouble understanding all the rheortic concerning Barack. First, he is just as entitled as any other American no matter what his background is. We have trouble trusting him? Blacks have had trouble trusting themselves and others who have been in place to lead including the Presidents of the U.S. Whites don't trust him because of his skin color. They allowed Bush into the white house with very little experience. He wrote in on his father's coattail. I am for change no matter who is in the position to get it done. If we are doing the same thing over and over again, why do we expect things to change? The way I see it, we should give Barack the opportunity to try, he couldn't possibly screw up any worse than G.W.Bush.
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By: John on 8/07/2008 10:53AM
I sit here reading all these comments. Anyone one who has ran for president or any public office are new and they had to prove themselves. All that have ran for president, have not been a president before. They learn to do what is good by trail and errors.
This is suppose the the land of free. Maybe, but we the people are the ones dividing it, making everything a racial issue.
As for Xantu, his comments are based on race, and by what the blacks are saying about obama. Yet gas is over priced, men are dying in tha war that should not have been started. We only want to put a republican back in office because he is running against a black man. They have not had enough with Bush, so we will elect MaCain to continue killing our men in war, and keep what we have now. Foreclose on homes due to the bad decisions of our current leaders. But it was a white man that has put everyone in hard times.
Now it is time for a change. Some just hate that a Black man, beat a white woman, who can't remember if there was bombing around her during her visit to the east. That's OK, because she's white.
Wen need to removed the republican from office and elect a democrate, who just happen to be a black man.
An to all the blacks asking what Obama can do for use, what has the other done for us? The million man march to washington. then spent money to get to washington, for LF to tell them to go hame and take care of their family. That was a joke. What are we doing now with that advice?
From what I see, the blacks are the one hurting Obama with all the negitive comments, and the cup just spills over to the whites, and off they go.
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By: Diana on 8/07/2008 10:36AM
Being a black woman,mother,grandmother and wife, I find myself wondering if Obama can lead the nation. He's wishy washy on the issues. being for something one week and the next time he speaks, against it. I sit back and I listen to him speak and realize he's not saying anything. To much time is spent playing grade school games with McCain(you talked about me first)instead of giving us that information we need to make that final decision. Can Obama lead this nation? No, I don't think so, whether he be black, white, brown, yellow, blue or any color
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By: Maxine Gooden on 8/07/2008 10:46AM
Mr. Xantu: If Barack Obama does lose this election to Old Man McCain, then history repeats itself. NA NA NA BOO BOO! You will have to suffer the consequences with the rest of us just as you have under the Bush Administration. Don't misunderstand, I know that you (and others of your ilk) would rather starve to death than have a Black man for President of the United States. Wake up People of all races and political persuasions! What are the choices? A bitter, doddering old man possibly suffering from postwar psychosis OR an articulate, intelligent man with the energy and vision to lead this Country back to some place other than this hell hole we (all) live in today!
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By: Joe Winfield on 8/07/2008 11:23AM
People are referring to Mr. Obama as bein uppity and arrogant. I see him as being confident, not only in himself, but also in this country. His mother was all about him getting the best eduction that was available. He worked, saved, and applied for scholarships to attend one of the ivy league colleges. That is a good thing. All of us, and our children, should aspire for the same. Where are the voices against McCain. Mr. McCain fought very hard to defeat the Arizona recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. He was eventually defeated. Mr. McCain strongly opposed, and voted, against federally funded aid to the areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Mr. McCain does not support Roe v. Wade, which gives women the right to an abortion. Mr. McCain believes that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel, which would really put the Middle East in a turmoil. Mr. McCain strongly denied giving any support to people caught up in this downward spiral of the realestate mess, people losing their homse and being forced into foreclosures. Mr. McCain believes that the U.S. should maintain an active presence in Irac, even though, this has been proven to be a war that the U.S. should not have undertaken in the first place. Mr. McCain supports all-out offshore drilling for oil off the coastal areas of the U.S., even most of the states that this would effect even don't want off-shore drilling. Mr. McCain wants to continue the tax breaks of the largest corporations, as the corporations continue to rack in large profits, and also continue to layoff many of their employees, swelling the unemployment levels. These are just some of the things about Mr. McCain. So, people vote for the candidate of your choice.
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By: Cedrick on 8/07/2008 11:24AM
Who want's an 71 year old man running this country. McCain should be somewhere taking it easy. Instead of trying to run the GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. As a young voter I want to see Obama win this.
FOR OBAMA 08'
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By: Brenda J on 8/07/2008 11:23AM
When I read the original email on this topic (i.e., "uppity, entitled, arrogance" when used by some to describe Barrack Obama) my reaction was one of sheer and utter agreement with the author, and finally "relief". Relief to learn that many (particularly African-Americans, and possibly others)do CLEARLY understand the blatent intent and purpose behind these references. The Black Spin author of this article was pointed and dead on in the analysis of this "not so subtle" tact that the Republicans and others have employed to distract the "uninformed" voter. Their obvious message is "how dare this well-educated, PREPARED, confident, ENTITLED (as is ANY other American) Black man ingratiate himself to the American people as the next possible Leader of this country." The fact that these "spin masters" are hard at work "manipulating" public perception (at any cost) only confirms their fear that Obama could quite conceivably become the next Commander in Chief. As a native of Montgomery, Alabama, I deciphered the true intent of the adjective "arrogance" when it FIRST surfaced in the media as a description of Obama. While I was in no way suprised, it confirmed for me yet again the length to which many in this country would travel to prevent a BLACK (Male, especially) person from holding the highest seat in this land. It conjured up the "unspoken" but still widely held (by many) antebellum belief, that "a Black person shouldn't forget their place". I can only hope that many (particularly Black Americans) realize the "spin" associated here with the misappropriate application of this term when used to describe Obama. Interestly, the term is noticeably absent in describing some of the most "arrogant" White males of recent times -- George Bush (W and HW), Dick Cheyney (whose picture appears beside the dictionary definition), Bill Clinton, Ronald Regan, Nixon, JFK, etc., to name just a few. For this reason, I have made it a personal mission to ensure that this "undertone" is unmasked and made clearly evident to each Black person (particularly the young) that I encounter and engage in discussion of the upcoming most monumental and pivotal Presidential campaign in the history of these United States of America, thus far. We must ALL keep vigilant through the next few months to ensure that a REAL CHANGE occurs in this country in November 2008!!
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By: Vincent Richardson(Emani Muhammad) on 8/07/2008 11:49AM
I, too, in America have been called arrogant because i walk with my head up and speak well and think highly of myself. Even Black people in America have a problem with Black people who walk proudly and feel great about themselves. They will say; who does he think he is? I have grown fund of the Obama family and i am proud to see a man who resembles me get as far as he has gotten, I forget, most of the time when a person appears to be very proud of themselves or walks tall; does not mean that they are not approachable or they think they are better than you. Try talking with them and you will see they are good, down home people. I am a living withness to that. Keep on rising Obama; you are polishing the images of every self respectful Black man in America; for the few centures i have lived here i have been called a drug dealer; crack head, followed around stores by security guards, harassed by the police, beaten up by the police,called a nigger, fired from jobs,discriminated on jobs and all because i am Black. Mr. Obama, show America that there more good, civilized Black men in America than bad, untamed Black men. For some reason the untamed get more media attention than those who are working toward the better for America.
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By: tony n on 8/07/2008 11:50AM
WHAT A SHAME THAT SOME OF OUR OWN (BLACK AMERICANS)FIND IT HARD TO BELEVE THAT A BLACK MAN CAN AND WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT I GIVE MY FULL SUPPORT TO OBAMA AND WHAT WE NEED TO REALIZE IS HE CAN'T JUST HELP US BUT ALL PEOPLE OF THE U.S. "WAKE UP BLACK AMERICA" THIS IS OUR TIME TO SHINE AND BE COUNTED IT'S A SHAME HE HAS TO SAY SORRY OR DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM ONE THING OR ANOTHER THE MAN NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO PUT ALL HIS ATTENTION ON WINNING THE NOMANATION OF PRESIDENT HELP HIM DON'T DOWN HIM AT EVERY TURN I'M NOT SAYING HE'S THE COMING OF GOD BUT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO RIGHT THE WRONGS THAT G.W.BUSH HAS DONE AND I FEEL MCCAIN WILL BE MORE IF NOT SAME AS BUSH WE NEED NEW IDEAS "NOW" NOT LATER THAT'S WHEN IT WILL BE TO LATE WE NEED TO TAKE A NEW DIRECTION STEP OUT OF THE BOX WE NEED NO MORE COOKIE CUTTER PRESIDENTS OPEN YOUR "NARROW ASS MINDS"DAMNIT.........
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By: pablo cai cedo on 8/07/2008 12:02PM
black,white,whites waiting for a desaster to happen after he is elected,'''what a shame on the most beatiful race closed to god ever '''''the white race'''full of fear that after mr obama, it may be some body from another race to become the president of the good old U.S ,OH BUT WHEN THE TERMINATOR BECAME CALIFORNIA;S GOBERNOR ,YA GOOD OLD PURE AMERICANS KEPT YOUR FILTY MOUTHS CLOSED,WHY? OHH CUZ HE LOOKS JUST LIKE YA,'''WHITE ''ANGLO '''NO FEAR THEN, BUT FEAR NOW'''WHY? OHH CUZ OBAMA'S MAME IS 'PHONY'' AND HIS MIDLE NAME IS HUSSAIN, OHHH YA DONT LIKE THAT, OK I SEE HE IS NOT GONNA LOOK GOOD ON THE $ BILL CUZ HE IS GONNA LOOK KINDA PHONY,BUT GUESS WHAT THE MANSWHAREHOUSE TOLD MR OBAMA?'''YOU GONNA LIKE THE WAY YOU LOOK I GARANTEE IT''',I LEAVE IT AS THAT,SHAME ON SOME OF YA CAUCASIANS HATER GROW UP.
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