"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," he said.
"And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,"
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: ; 'It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father:
I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, Dubois and Mandela.'
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: 'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating> myself to whites.'
.
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: 'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mothers race.'
.
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: 'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'
Obama is not Black he is ~Half Caste~ BIRACIAL why he iscalled Black i dont know its very extremley SICK because he is Half-White he is White/Black he is just as much White as he is Black and just as much Black as he is White. But he looks more White and there are White people who go 2 shades darker than Obama when in hot sunny countries like Spain and Madrid..Obama the White president.
It is true that Obama is half & half, however he is half African rather than African American. African Americans, on average, are much more likely to have some Native American and/or White ancestry than Africans and thus Barrack is a little more "African" than the average half White-half African American person. Henceforth, Barrack can more closely identify as a "Black Man", phenotypically than the average "Mulatto"/half White-half African American person.
@KratosHatred In Africa Obama is clasified as White I myself am ~Half Caste~ like Obama directley inbetween Black/White and im called White Muzungu in Africa in South-Africa we are none as Coloureds since we have a copper bronze skin-tone There are many people in South-Africa who are much more darker than Obama and they are still seen as Coloured not Black.
@KratosHatred Obama is realy African-European since White people inherited from Europe and Black people inherited from Africa as Bob-Marley once said you cant forget your past and history America is native-indian land and Obama consists of 2 race-groups like myself. Obama Clearly looks more White and shares the same White parents as White people same grand-parents great-grand-parents ancestors uncles aunties cousins and is half-brothers with White people so he is a White Tanned Biracial man.
Who's more the racist, the person who voted for Obama because of his skin color, or the person who didn't vote for him because of his skin color?
Mr Steele is not an Uncle Tom just because he doesn't march lock step with Afrocentrism. A lot of you don't like him because he isn't using "whitey" as an excuse anymore. There is no law in this land that prevents a man or woman, because of their race, from doing anything. No Law.
someone who is not black,latino or american indian simply does not understand something you have not expeirenced.shelby steele is a classic
example of what we as a people know
as a a person that it has been so painful to be black that he is out to prove im not one of "them".this man does not know anything about the president has never even met him.
I voted for Barack Obama because he looked like change. His name was different. His skin was different. Surely his ideas would be different too? But no, he promotes the same old disastrous ideas, he will not fight for healthcare, he will not get our troops out of Afghanistan. He hasn't changed SH**!
This man is disgusting. I am 22 years old and can recognize self-hatred when I see it. He has more han likely benefitted from his "high-yellow" complexion, yet makes a living demeaning african americans.
How bitter and hateful can one get as to say that Obama is only a canidate because of his race?!?!?!?!?! Sad.
that i almost feel sorry for him.how is he an expert on race,when he does not even know himself.he does not even know barack obama.i have always wanted to ask black republicans what do you think
that racist like the anchors and owners on fox news say about them?it is so so sad.
I can't understand why most blacks follow the Democratic party. A party still controlled by whites with money. The party panders to those who have nothing with promises that they can't keep. I believe "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life." The Democratic party just gives you the fish. Black America are still slaves, but slaves to a political party that uses them when it wants and keeps them happy with scraps. That is what is sad and pathetic.
@freein2339 Because the two party system is retarded. By supporting the Democrats, you're supporting the same party that upheld slavery and black codes that also helped destroyed the inner cities with moronic social programs. The Republicans may have actually done less damage in recent times simply because they don't give two shits about blacks.
Basically, both parties suck and by supporting either, you're aiding the machine which keeps all but a handful of Americans.
@bigalisme The democrats at least have a few "brothers and sisters" in congress and they have the first president of color...Neither party is perfect but I'll take my chancse with the the party that at least fakes it...
@freein2339 Haha, a shockingly honest point of view from a (I suppose) liberal-minded individual. And whereas I agree with your cynicism, I disagree with the conclusion you draw.
Votes come from the free market of the electorate. The democrats are carried by non-whites and it is, therefore, in their interest to keep them feeling non-white. They are faking affection, and stoking racial tension. Progressives try to jump on racist slip-ups and try to ignore their own slip-ups.
@countertreason "Conservatives" are more racist right now then liberals...The KKK style tea party rallies are proof of that along with the racist GOP leadership of Beck , Limpballs, Palin , Bachman , Boenhner and the rest of the Hitler youth.
@freein2339 Odd... and I saw above that you called this man an Uncle Tom as if attacking a man for holding a different point of view dismisses his beliefs as irrelevant.
I don't know what to say to you. I realize now that I misread you. The inclusion of the reference to the Hitler Youth at the bottom indicates a level of paranoia or hyperbole that there is no serious reply to. You are either being frivolous or you are sick.
@countertreason I merely state facts...the people that I mentioned are all well known racists...just like the Hitler youth was ...is...so what's your problemn with the truth..???..By the way...defending tacism like this useless uncle tom does is not a "different point of view"...It is the parrotting of a salve mentality....
It's pretty amusing how the posts here that disagree with Steele consist almost entirely of cussing and name-calling. They have nothing sensible to say, and are incapable of expressing themselves in a civil manner.
But then, that's what you sink to when you never have to explain your positions because you only talk with people you assume will agree with you in the same foul terms you use.
It's not "liberty" that defines Republican policies these days but rabid racism, ignorance, and religious fundamentalism. It's sad that silly self-hating Uncle Shelby Steele can't see that. To most white Republicans, he's just a black ape with a fancy vocabulary.
steele speaks the closest thing to the truth on race in america than any other figure. im an african-american woman and i cried when i first read his work.
@gracer99 If you really cried at any of this man's writings I feel very sorry for you. This man is the biggest Uncle Tom of all time and he despises his own people and is a disgrace to black people everywhere.
it's pretty HILARIOUS that people who are PRO "government hand outs" and PRO "relying on the governement" and PRO "the government owes me something" are the ones calling people who believe in personal responsibility "Uncle Toms." You got it backwards! you're the one that's saying, "Masta, please give me money" and "Masta make the man give me a job" and "Masta let me in college . . . ."
To say that his mother wouldnt feel comfortable in Trinity Church is disingenuous because Steele knows that his mother had diminutive affinity towards all organized religions. Steels goal is trying to pimp disaffected white men especially those with disposable income.
Shelby Steele is outrageously missing leading. You have to remember that this man is an academician, and therefore is well versed on the historical facts about Obama as well as our society. To suggest that a black man by mere fact that he is black will garner a greater source of attention on a world wide platform is juvenile.
Shelby Steele has imploded by pushing the button on his white guilt suicide vest that he wrapped himself in. i mean beyond his skin color *Obama has no other qualifications*, no further ideas to distinguish himself & bla bla bla. What a serious intellectual fellow is Shelby Steele. That he would exert himself to the point of RUNNING INTERFERENCE FOR THE CONSERVATIVE NOISE MACHINE means he must have had a subprime loan outstanding. Thanks for not bleeding on anyone else except yourself.
I think your the "Uncle Tom" and not him. He's saying black's don't need white reparations ( just read his books like I have). People that think white people owe them something are the real Uncle Toms. Not Dr. Steele.
Steele is not only full of shit, his time has passed and he knows that, no more use for him, no more yesa mista benny, He has the green eye of envy and jealousy towards President Obama
Obama's race is the only reason why he is where he is. Never would a 100% white guy give a speech, spend 2 years in the Senate then gain a crowd of follower to his messianic cult of personality to ascend to the Presidency for the purpose of proving that we are no longer racist.
Yeah, real bright! A genius, in fact. Steele was so brilliant, so insightful, especially the way he called it so accurately in the presidential election.
Steele was so "on the mark", insisting that Barack Obama just can't be elected. And right he was!!! Oh,eh, uh, wait a minute, he wasn't. Eh...never mind.
Shelby Steele: Blowhard, Sellout, Bootlicker. As obtuse as he is shameless in his groveling.
Steele never made the case that Obama COULDN'T be elected; he simply made the case that he didn't think Obama WOULD be elected - that, inevitably, Obama would have to reveal his political ideals in order for the public to vote for him.
Instead, since 'white guilt' is SO deep and SO wide, coupled with the electrifying opportunity for black America to vote one of their own, he was elected - and it didn't MATTER to those who voted WHERE he stood on issues.
shelby is right but the fact that he voted for mccain over obama makes absolutely no sense. out of the 2 evils obama is the better candidate. in a nutshell i think steele is saying that blacks need to separate from whites because they'll never be treated equally at any cost. but due to their circumstances they've been made too dependant.. if whites had a real "seperate but equal" policy during the civil rights era i dont think blacks would've complained.
Mr. Steele doesn't hold to any of the positions that President Obama subscribes to (bigger government, racial politics, etc.) - so there was no reason he would have voted for Obama.
Steele isn't saying that blacks should separate from whites; he's saying that they shouldn't beholden themselves to the government. The Civil Rights Movement had such dignity from the mid-50's to the mid-60's, but squandered all of its moral authority by aligning itself with liberal politics - to its great peril.
My guess is that he wasn't perceived to be a serious candidate (by either the media or the public), so his views weren't heard by a large number of people.
i dont agree with shelby when he says black must be treated equally by whites because i believe whites will never treat blacks equally. like he said, obama being nominated is the illusion that blacks are now equal to whites in society. gains have been made but i believe the too much damage has already been done to blacks by whites (in the past).
As a white man, I try hard to treat everyone the same. I sincerely believe that, generally speaking, whites desire, and try, to treat blacks as they would themselves.
The 'lovefest' that people in America gave President Obama, particularly the media, showed condescension towards the man. They never challenged him with hard questions, they treated him as someone with as 'superhuman' qualities.
It was absurd; nobody can live up to those standards. As a result, he was NOT treated equally.
Correction:Americans are hungry for change from the present state of affairs. Another fact:a higher percentage of whites voted for Carter than Obama. The Obama campaign did not make race an issue. Most people voted for him because he presented the best choice available. True, Obama is brilliant, but one denies that he is limited to the shortcomings of all men. People like Mr. Steel perpetuate the racial polarization and are more obsessed with it that the average American.
I would tend to agree. He definitely seems to make it a focus. I don't deny there is this white guilt phenomenon, but I think its only a public phenomenon. Privately, most whites are indifferent and at worse, hostile to black America. The fact that they choose to vote for Obama is precisely b/c he is skilled at not being, in their eyes, truly black. But neither would they vote him if he was a Republican, change is change is change, and this has nothing to do with race.
His victory margin was similar to reagans'making it the largest since then.saw it on the news.There are a lot of white folks who have a child with someone who is not white but they see the stares&scowls when out in public so they must have the feeling that in good ole u.s.a.one drop of Black-African DNA makes one a mulata or mulato in this culture.They know he's mostly Black and some are mature enough to not dwell on it.
Also, if all white america sees in Obama is an opportunity to address their white guilt, then how come as the economy worsens, people are beginning to move toward Obama?? Obviously, there are is a significant, if not overwhelming voting bloc that is voting on issues, and not race. In fact, they could be racist, and STILL vote for obama, in fact I think the majority of whites fall into that category. This guys spews bs
Shelby Steele is unable to transcend his subjective views regarding white guilt. Any white guilt is easily negated by whites who would never elect a black. I believe he uses the white guilt argument because he is jealous.
i've watched this a thousand times and i still can't get past his shrug at 3:53. it just casts a disingenuous pall over his whole attempt an impartial argument.
LOL! The shrug is located around his comment @ Obama winning the nomination, which he doubts (partly b/c of America's history & b/c of Steele's belief that Obama won't be able 2 weather the scrutiny). I think we're missing the point: Steele posits that his entire candidacy is @ Whites' need to get '...racial reconciliation on the cheap'-race. He believes that the need for reconciliation is so great that ppl have fallen in love w/ the idea. W/ Obama u get some racial reconciliation 4 free.
a lot of what you say could well be true. but racial reconciliation, is where you find it, and like gold, its value is consistent. i think we're probably voting on ourselves as a nation as much as we may or may not be voting for Barack. this kind of referendum on the national psyche only comes up every couple of generations.
Overall, i thing Steele makes a good argument.
it just disturbs me to no end that that moment of jealousy, or whatever is was, actually came though.
I can c how the 'shrug' could b misconstrued as contempt/jealousy. But IMO it's a shrug of exasperation/futility - he knows that america is struggling w/ 4 ideas:
1) racial reconciliation (guilt),
2) voting for a minority confirms inherent racism (exposing dirty laundry/history)
3) WP dealing w/ their own myth of superiority/privilege, and oh yeah,
4) The issues (LOL!)
In his mind (and most of the world's) he doesn't believe that the US will make the right choice: the better candidate.
Race? Let's dissect this a bit. If George W. Bush was black do you think America would vote for him?...NO,NO,NO,NO,NO!!!!!!!!!!!Barack Obama, Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian is a brilliant man. How can anyone deny that?! Yes he served on the Illinois state senate, and yes he's a first term senator, and yes he was a community organizer...what's so terribly wrong with that? He's only 48 years old for cryin' out loud. If he was John McCain's age he would have just as much experience...48y/72y?????
If whites made as much of a statement on how white someone is we would be called racists! Shame on all of you who buy into a racial issue. You're all playing the race card. This man keeps saying Blacks and Whites. White America? Wtf is that? That statement in itself is racist.
Obama: is a man who is 6% black, black enough to even qualify for that race? My husband is 1/16th American Indian, if he was 1/8th Indian, we'd qualify for all kinds of help. Obama got into Harvard with affirmative action that the same percentage did not prevent him from getting help as with descendants of American Indians. What matters is how you look! If black is more than just on the outside, is 1/16th black enough to think black? Affirmative actions gets you in where qualifications won't.
There is just so much wrong with your line of thinking. 1) If Barack Obama's father is black (African) and his mother is white (American), how the hell could he only be 6% black. Let us refer back to elementary math. (1/2 or 50% + 1/2 or 50% = 1). 2) If you are so ignorant to think that Affirmative Action is some kind of free pass for people of color than you need to do some reading. I also suppose that becoming the President of the Harvard Law Review and graduating top of his class was race 2.
You should do a little research, his father was dark, didn't mean he was all black. There was a lot of Arab in him, some say as much as 7/8 of his father's ethnicity. It is all genetics. And just because there are a variety of races walking on the African continent, does it mean that all are Negro. Arabs are Semites, the same as Jews, and like India, many people are just as dark as black, but are racially Caucasian. Dark skin is usually dominant but not always. Read up on his ethnic makeup.
Just because a person is dark does not mean he is 100% black. Having any percentage of black makes a mulatto. Obama is most likely a Quadroon. His lineage from Kenya shows much Arab blood. He is not 1/2 negro as you suppose. The native religion of Africans before Christianity & Islam were the many native animistic religions. His name is Arab because he has Arab blood. A person who is half black is still very dark. It is a dominant gene so to get as light as he is means he is only slightly black.
Being a black person from the Caribbean I am pretty sure that I can decipher that being dark does not equal being black. Since in such locations you do not have to be of african lineage to have darker skin. In addition I have an arab name, but once again that does not make me arab. You have no cited proof of what you "suppose" and I have given you some. At this point you are just a lost cause.
Why? Because it is so important that he is "black". He has made such an issue of it. If a person has qualifications that make him good at his job, that is what is important, not his color. If the doctor who operates on me only got gratised through because he was "of color" while 4.0 students with great SAT's got turned away (and it happens) it scares me. NO ONE WANTS THE DOCTOR WHO OPERATES ON THEM TO BE NOT QUALIFIED! In cases of law, that is JUST AS IMPORTANT. He votes "present"... why!
Did you or did you not make it a point to pose the inference that Barack Obama was Arab-American. Now because your ridiculous notion was disproved you are going to infer that because he is of color he is now unqualified and merely a product of affirmative action. Two things, 1) you need to research affirmative action before you shamefully quote what you think it means. 2) Obama was top of his class. All senators vote present at times (McCain included.)
You don't know anything about his lineage, you breathed the air and somehow got some "revelation". Look up his ancestry.
Is his only qualification for you is that he is black? He is in favor of killing babies born alive after abortion. Yes, that happens, and they call that infanticide. So you vote for him, you are in favor of killing babies. Glad I'm not you on judgment day! You'll probably claim that isn't true either.
You are sadly mistaken if you think suddenly people of color get ahead based on their appearances. Especially since affirmative action is not about color, it is about minority: black, white, male, female, asian; wherever diversity is needed. How dare you state that someone as overtly talented as Barack Obama is somehow in his place because he was given some kind of "black pass".
Many of the things Obama has already said would have disqualified him totally if it had been said by a white man. Wake up. There is nothing more insulting to a really intelligent black man than affirmative action, that they have to play the race card to get ahead because they have no confidence in their own abilities or their accomplishments. This is not about anyone else but Obama. Is he even a citizen? He traveled to Pakistan on an Indonesian passport, you get that because you are a citizen.
You are the one posing the notice of justifying Obama's intelligence by affirmative action. And please refrain from continuing any further conversation with me because you are obviously ill-equipped. I was born in the United States, yet I have both a US and St. Vincent passport. Do you know why? I have this little thing called dual citizenship. If your parents are born abroad, it is very simple to attain such a thing. Your lack of overall knowledge requires no further reply. Dismissed!
You favor Obama and he is in favor of INFANTICIDE. This is like applauding a gladiator, or cheering when a person murders. You are morally the same filth when you do not put a stop to this. The most babies aborted every year in the U.S. are for black mothers. My best girl friend who died of Sickle Cell Anemia was black and part Chinese. She was a wonderful person. The amount of black babies aborted alone constitute genocide. Your people would be far in the majority if this stopped.
diversity is not needed - 100 years from now, that University of Michigan Court decision that stated that diversity was good will be regarded as we regard plessy v ferguson now - just say it - you hate white christian males - be honest
If you want to focus on academic achievement and people in positions of power who are unqualified. Talk to me about John McCain and George Bush. Here are people who have or are close to running the country, yet niether of them has the academic background of a Barack Obama. Maybe they got in where someone with better SAT scores could have. I would definitely prefer a student like Barack Obama performing surgery on me than a student like George Bush or John McCain.
Is it really truly believed that the whole ground swell towards this run for the highest office and most powerful position in the country and prehaps the world is souly based on this guy being black; white quilt & black victimhood and manipulation of quilt? Then other countries need to study America and examine it's racial dynamics and bottle it because it must be the most powerful thing ever to develop in human history.
Shelby teele is a disgrace. its men like him that make you think that just because they have a drop of black blood we shouldn't embrace them as black.
In recent years, there is a widely held belief (which I happen to share) that the Democratic party is more sensitive to the needs of minorities than the Republican party, which is notorious for favoring wealthy white corporate executives and gun-toting rednecks. Shelby Steele your a uncle tom, you hear that it's your white masters calling lol.
Shelby's got a real point. Obama's blackness is his ticket to the White House. It's a good thing, in that it'd be healthy to acknowledge how far US society has come on race (farther than all other societies, by the way). It's a negative too, however, since the guy is more of a lightweight than either JFK or W were upon election.
This guy is an ass. If we were in the 90's and had no problems his arguement would've been valid. But the "white appeal" to Obama might just have to do with the CRISIS the country is in.
I tell you why his candidacy isn't about race, i don't care if he hadn't cast a single vote ever, America knows what his policies are now or what he's promised anyway; if he does get elected, and doesn't deliver WHOOOOOOO WEEEEEEE you think Bush is hated MAN, people will be at the white house with pitch forks, you think he didn't know that when he ran? Why do you think he initially didn't want to run.
Oh, ok, thanks for explaining it to me. I thought African Americans were denied voting rights and rights to run in elections, up until just four decades ago, because of their skin color. Didn't know it was because they were all insane.
I don't get this guy's logic. To say that because Obama doesn't bring race into his campaign, then his campaignis 100% about race. What kind of twisted logic is that?
"I don't get this guy's logic. To say that because Obama doesn't bring race into his campaign, then his campaignis 100% about race. What kind of twisted logic is that?"
+1
Steele's let's his real agenda slip out close to the end... he's pandering to conservatives who will never be happy with a black man in the white house.
I think he's partially right. But at the same time, some people just find Clinton a bit creepy and suspicious. They don't trust her, so they go for Obama instead. He is the only other option, after all.
I don't get how 'creepy and suspicious' describe HRC. Where is that coming from? It seems to be a rationalized projection in an effort to support your decision for Obama...not based on substance or truth.
After all the crap with Reverend Wright anyone who thinks Obama is "post racial" or that his candidacy is "not about race" is way out of touch. Obama's positions are typical left of center politics. He and Hillary even agree that there is little difference in their policies... In that he is an extremely typical Democrat just like his grandmother is a "typical white person". The only thing about Obama that is not typical is the man he is accused of being.
The sad thing about the old civil rights leadership is that they are old. There is a passing of the torch to the next generation and nobody told them about it. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Shelby Steele, they need to get with the program or find themselves left behind.
Obama's candidacy is a huge opportunity for everyone, including the civil rights movement. They should take it.
(because no modern politician has been able to achieve it) is also Stupid. This is not to say that race is not a factor in his candidacy, it is but that does not mean that he has been running a agenda of race. If this guy is making the argument that white people are only voting for obama to compensate for past racist behavior againt the black community, then he is stupid and so are those people who are voting for him. But as i have shown you, that is not the case :) Good Day
This Shelby guy is stupid. He is stupid for 2 reasons:
A: He is blind to the fact that the pillar of Obama's campaign stands on a "New Kind of Politics", which has nothing to do with race. Not seeing this is Stupid.
B: His political base is not a majority black or a majority white...his political base is the youth of this country. He appeals to the future generation, where race is not a factor. Being dismissive of this powerful fact
Shelby is not stupid, but he's exercising an agenda here.
You gave two reasons,I'll give one.
A) On one hand he says Barack needs to talk about the realities of race in the same way he (Steele) does, or else he must be "concealing" his true feelings ("being a bargainer"). On the other hand, he applies a special standard against Barack over other politicians who do/say whatever it takes to get elected.
He wants Barack to be an Al Sharpton who cannot be elected. Yet Barack is on his way.
Shelby Steele has built his career on being the devils advocate on race. He is all they (bigots, racists, Republicans) need to shift the focus from them to him. They say "See it must be true- a 'Negroe' said it too." Hopefully his career as race expert will end on Nov. 4, 2008. People are voting for Sen. Obama and will vote for him because he is sincerely "IN TOUCH" with middle-class Americans. It's sad that people still follow Hillary after she has repeatedly shown her lack of integrity.
Until we eliminate stupid people and irresponsibility we have some other options before villifying the rich and socializing healthcare... besides, look up The Audacity of Barrack Obama... see what good ole Barrack and Michelle have done for about healthcare costs in their home state of Illinois.
You've quoted a few lines from Obama like "corporate greed." Sorry, but that's not a policy. What legal policies that Obama is endorsing make him a Marxist?
I know a lot of retards who don't buy health insurance because that money goes to pay for beer, dip, casinos, and food and vet bills for their 8 dogs. Then they go to the emergency room when they have a heart attack and guess who foots the bill?
He's irresponsible, inexperienced and has no proven track record of success... his foreign policy is mimmick what everyone else would do with different rhetoric and his plans for redistribution of wealth are marxist (Marxism: which he is noted to have embraced earlier in life) and would be a disaster for everyone.
Irresponsible? Not more so than Clinton or McCain (who SANG about bombing Iran on stage). And his foreign policy is completely different than "everyone else" - John McCain wants to stay in Iraq, he wants to get out. Big difference there. Last, about the Marxism: being briefly involved in a Marxist club in college is no indication that he's Marxist now. That's like saying the Pope is currently a Nazi or that Hillary is a Republican (which she used to be).
We are a capitalist nation so no, health care is not the president's business. The reason health care is so outrageous is the irresponsible retards who have decided for years not to buy it have caused prices to go up for those that have been paying for it. Have you honestly read all of Obama's economic policy ideas? They're ridiculous... he will win the election because of very very ignorant people... we'll see what happens. But you are wrong.
Sorry, but being a capitalist country isn't an excuse for a terrible healthcare system. And people don't buy healthcare because they're "retards" but because they can't afford it. The insurance companies are making record profits, by the way.
You accuse Obama of having "ridiculous" policy ideas, and yet you fail to even say what policy you are referring to and why it is flawed.
That's their job... just like everyone else. Do you ever make money? They have every right to make money. Everyone gets healthcare- not everyone pays for insurance. It has gotten outrageous because of opportunism... frivolous lawsuits and government bail outs. Universal healthcare is a horrible idea and the money is not there to fund it. His global poverty payment to the UN will cost over 800 billion dollars!
Universal healthcare is a horrible idea? Right, and that's why the countries with universal healthcare spend a smaller % of their GDP on healthcare than the US and have better standards of care. Next, his global poverty payment will cost 800 billion dollars? Source please.
Just google Global Poverty Act of 2007. Just proves that Obama doesn't really care as long as it isn't his money. That's the story of his political life... beg money from rich business men who have earned their money to fund campaigns so he can raise taxes and spend more peoples' hard earned money for whatever he feels like.
Yes their is. It's a bill that is on the Senate floor. Look it up. It only makes you look ignorant to simply dismiss something so important to support a candidate you obviously know very little about. Sounds like you're a democrat though... looking for a hand out... just look it up and bite your tongue.
He still clings to marxist ideals. It's painfully obvious in his rhetoric and policies. Wants to get out while talking to some and staying and withdrawing responsibly in front of others... (withdraw responsibly over time is any republican) I didn't vote for the pope and I won't be voting for Hillary either... not a great comparison.
Since when is it greedy to make profits? That's business. The American dream was never "free crap for everybody". It was work hard and reap the benefits. Reap what you sow... not work hard to have Barrack Obama take it from you and do what he wants with it.
This is some bullshit.White people are only voting for Barack Obama out of white guilt? He has an advantage because he's black? WTF? Are people serious? Is that really what's going on?10,000,000 or so white people are voting for Obama because they're suffering from some kind of new mental disorder called White Guilt syndrome?My black ass better go apply for CEO of Wal-Mart before someone comes out with the NIGZANEX pill to cure this horrible disorder.
....if that's the case...can you imagine how European white people (and others) feel about the perpetual occupation of the "NativeAmerican's" lands and people...you know the so-called USA and other States and foreigners in the "Americas"!
Recent events give validity to Shelby Steele's comments.
Obama's candidacy as a 'post-racial' candidate was severely interrupted in March by the relationship he has to his church and its pastor. To say you're a 'post-racial' candidate - and then spend 20 years in a congregation that literally DEFINES itself as an Afro-centric organization (with a man like Jeremiah Wright as your pastor) will, I think, do him in this November.
Steele is clearly jealous of Obama. He is stereotyping all whites and blacka and that why it is difficult to take him seriously. Steele has isolated himself from blacks and doesn't do interviews on black radio - only white radio. He is afaid to have a dialogue with blacks but keeps writing about a group of people he is hostile towards.
I hope Steel gets a chance to meet Obama one day so Obama can teach him to be comfortable with his mied race heritage.
Steele implies that Obama's popularity is primarily due to his skin colour. But he fails to answer these questions... What about Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war, his reptutation as an honest, genuine person, his unmatched ability to inspire, and his 20 years of experience as community activist, constitutional law prof, state legislator, and Illinois senator?
Few care about his opposing the war... anyone could have in his position. Honest: Very deceiving actually. Inspire: Sure, but to do what? 20 year activist: Not quite... and what exactly did he accomplish? Senator for less than 1/3 of a term. Said it was like "trying to drink from a fire hose". Said himself he wouldn't be ready to be President in 2008-
No, many people care about his opposing the war, and that is one of the main reasons why Hillary Clinton is currently losing. At the time, there was a "herd" reaction among US politicians to support the war in order to appease the American people, who were eager to go to war with Iraq after 9/11, even though there was not a connection. Very few senators opposed the war because it risked their political careers. Obama, however, opposed it even though he was in a tough race for the Senate.
That is what we need in a President - to be able to make decisions on what is right, not what is popular. Furthermore, you mentioned that his inspiration would serve no purpose. I disagree. We need inspiration to end the hyperpartisanship in Washington that has caused our government unable to sufficiently deal with the pressing issues of our time: illegal immigration, the declining middle class, health care, etc.
Health care isn't the president's business, he's all about amnesty, his policies will cause an economic depression and EVERYONE will be poor... he talks about working with everyone but to work with Obama would be dangerous for this country and therefore no Republicans (or half intelligent democrats) will do it. He's an articulate, novelty black poster boy for the Democratic party to do what they want with.
On healthcare, yes it is the president's business, because right now the US has one of the worst healthcare systems of any industrialized countries. Not only are millions uninsured, but it takes up a larger % GDP than in other industrialized countries. His policies will cause economic depression? Hmm, that's what ppl said about Bill Clinton (who had similar policies), and his term saw a record economic expansion.
I couldn't agree more with Shelby Steele. He's one of the best authors out there. I also agree that white liberals are seeking redemption (from our racist past/present) in the voting booth. They certainly aren't supporting BO based on his positions...he's been maddeningly vague on the issues. If BO is elected, stand by for the letdown; I don't think there's much he'll be able to do to heal the racial divide. I think true healing will be mostly a function of time.
Furthermore, Watch his race speech, he is the realest politician and he addresses the true issues, not the distractions that we choose to talk about because we want to avoid the real problems of our culture and of today.
Steele is a Republican. Many Republicans do not like Obama. I respect Steele as a Black American, but I do not agree with his position on Obama. People need to view Wright's sermons in full context and then judge.
Poor Geraldine Ferrero was almost burned at the state for essentially saying this, that Obama would not be where he is today if he were white, or a woman of any race. People still need to see all the boys succeed before looking around for a woman to raise up, and white men will gladly accept a black man into their midst--see sports, business, music industry, film industry, etc.--before a "bitch" takes a place next to them. Geraldine, you're a brave woman, and Mr. Steele could have had your back.
I love listening to people smarter than me and I am an an arrogant ass! this guy blows me away with his insight,intellect and composure.
yetitracker 1 year ago
4 /4
From Obama’s speech in San Fransico:
"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," he said.
"And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,"
ThunderheadNebula 1 year ago
3 /4
From Obama’s Audacity of Hope: 'I will stand with the {Muslims} should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.' page 261.
ThunderheadNebula 1 year ago
2 /4
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: ; 'It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father:
I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, Dubois and Mandela.'
ThunderheadNebula 1 year ago
1 /4 Obama’s Anti-American sentiment.
.
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: 'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating> myself to whites.'
.
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: 'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mothers race.'
.
From Obama’s Dreams of My Father: 'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'
ThunderheadNebula 1 year ago
Racial trancendence...how did that work out?!
ashken79 1 year ago
Steele is .....Another useless uncle tom on the plantation payroll...
freein2339 1 year ago
Obama is not Black he is ~Half Caste~ BIRACIAL why he iscalled Black i dont know its very extremley SICK because he is Half-White he is White/Black he is just as much White as he is Black and just as much Black as he is White. But he looks more White and there are White people who go 2 shades darker than Obama when in hot sunny countries like Spain and Madrid..Obama the White president.
OBAMAisHalfCaste 2 years ago
@OBAMAisHalfCaste
It is true that Obama is half & half, however he is half African rather than African American. African Americans, on average, are much more likely to have some Native American and/or White ancestry than Africans and thus Barrack is a little more "African" than the average half White-half African American person. Henceforth, Barrack can more closely identify as a "Black Man", phenotypically than the average "Mulatto"/half White-half African American person.
KratosHatred 1 year ago
@KratosHatred In Africa Obama is clasified as White I myself am ~Half Caste~ like Obama directley inbetween Black/White and im called White Muzungu in Africa in South-Africa we are none as Coloureds since we have a copper bronze skin-tone There are many people in South-Africa who are much more darker than Obama and they are still seen as Coloured not Black.
OBAMAisHalfCaste 1 year ago
@KratosHatred Obama is realy African-European since White people inherited from Europe and Black people inherited from Africa as Bob-Marley once said you cant forget your past and history America is native-indian land and Obama consists of 2 race-groups like myself. Obama Clearly looks more White and shares the same White parents as White people same grand-parents great-grand-parents ancestors uncles aunties cousins and is half-brothers with White people so he is a White Tanned Biracial man.
OBAMAisHalfCaste 1 year ago
Who's more the racist, the person who voted for Obama because of his skin color, or the person who didn't vote for him because of his skin color?
Mr Steele is not an Uncle Tom just because he doesn't march lock step with Afrocentrism. A lot of you don't like him because he isn't using "whitey" as an excuse anymore. There is no law in this land that prevents a man or woman, because of their race, from doing anything. No Law.
mjgoodman1 2 years ago
someone who is not black,latino or american indian simply does not understand something you have not expeirenced.shelby steele is a classic
example of what we as a people know
as a a person that it has been so painful to be black that he is out to prove im not one of "them".this man does not know anything about the president has never even met him.
sparle222 2 years ago
I voted for Barack Obama because he looked like change. His name was different. His skin was different. Surely his ideas would be different too? But no, he promotes the same old disastrous ideas, he will not fight for healthcare, he will not get our troops out of Afghanistan. He hasn't changed SH**!
Vanidecb 2 years ago
this is a textbook oreo
getDun2012 2 years ago
Nigga Please...
norcalnupe 2 years ago
This man is disgusting. I am 22 years old and can recognize self-hatred when I see it. He has more han likely benefitted from his "high-yellow" complexion, yet makes a living demeaning african americans.
How bitter and hateful can one get as to say that Obama is only a canidate because of his race?!?!?!?!?! Sad.
eloquentarguement 2 years ago
you are right
sparle222 2 years ago
this sad and bitter man is so pathetic and
that i almost feel sorry for him.how is he an expert on race,when he does not even know himself.he does not even know barack obama.i have always wanted to ask black republicans what do you think
that racist like the anchors and owners on fox news say about them?it is so so sad.
sparle222 2 years ago
I can't understand why most blacks follow the Democratic party. A party still controlled by whites with money. The party panders to those who have nothing with promises that they can't keep. I believe "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life." The Democratic party just gives you the fish. Black America are still slaves, but slaves to a political party that uses them when it wants and keeps them happy with scraps. That is what is sad and pathetic.
mjgoodman1 2 years ago
SO WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
Chaz770 2 years ago
@mjgoodman1 Who controls the GOPO...Whites without money..??? You're not making any sense...
freein2339 1 year ago
@freein2339 The same people who control the Democrats.
bigalisme 1 year ago
@bigalisme Then why does the GOP have no solutions but just opposition..???
freein2339 1 year ago
@freein2339 Because the two party system is retarded. By supporting the Democrats, you're supporting the same party that upheld slavery and black codes that also helped destroyed the inner cities with moronic social programs. The Republicans may have actually done less damage in recent times simply because they don't give two shits about blacks.
Basically, both parties suck and by supporting either, you're aiding the machine which keeps all but a handful of Americans.
bigalisme 1 year ago
@bigalisme The democrats at least have a few "brothers and sisters" in congress and they have the first president of color...Neither party is perfect but I'll take my chancse with the the party that at least fakes it...
freein2339 1 year ago
@freein2339 Haha, a shockingly honest point of view from a (I suppose) liberal-minded individual. And whereas I agree with your cynicism, I disagree with the conclusion you draw.
Votes come from the free market of the electorate. The democrats are carried by non-whites and it is, therefore, in their interest to keep them feeling non-white. They are faking affection, and stoking racial tension. Progressives try to jump on racist slip-ups and try to ignore their own slip-ups.
countertreason 1 year ago
@countertreason "Conservatives" are more racist right now then liberals...The KKK style tea party rallies are proof of that along with the racist GOP leadership of Beck , Limpballs, Palin , Bachman , Boenhner and the rest of the Hitler youth.
freein2339 1 year ago
@freein2339 Odd... and I saw above that you called this man an Uncle Tom as if attacking a man for holding a different point of view dismisses his beliefs as irrelevant.
I don't know what to say to you. I realize now that I misread you. The inclusion of the reference to the Hitler Youth at the bottom indicates a level of paranoia or hyperbole that there is no serious reply to. You are either being frivolous or you are sick.
countertreason 1 year ago
@countertreason I merely state facts...the people that I mentioned are all well known racists...just like the Hitler youth was ...is...so what's your problemn with the truth..???..By the way...defending tacism like this useless uncle tom does is not a "different point of view"...It is the parrotting of a salve mentality....
freein2339 1 year ago
It's pretty amusing how the posts here that disagree with Steele consist almost entirely of cussing and name-calling. They have nothing sensible to say, and are incapable of expressing themselves in a civil manner.
But then, that's what you sink to when you never have to explain your positions because you only talk with people you assume will agree with you in the same foul terms you use.
blessedalcuin 2 years ago 3
It's not "liberty" that defines Republican policies these days but rabid racism, ignorance, and religious fundamentalism. It's sad that silly self-hating Uncle Shelby Steele can't see that. To most white Republicans, he's just a black ape with a fancy vocabulary.
Jujuman2003 2 years ago
steele speaks the closest thing to the truth on race in america than any other figure. im an african-american woman and i cried when i first read his work.
gracer99 2 years ago 7
cried for what he is a classic uncle tom
sparle222 2 years ago
I agree gracer, but I wouldn't be a Republican if I were you! :) even though I do agree with what Steele says about Obama.
gamma235 2 years ago
@gracer99 Then you're a stupid woman that needs to face reality...
freein2339 1 year ago
@gracer99 If you really cried at any of this man's writings I feel very sorry for you. This man is the biggest Uncle Tom of all time and he despises his own people and is a disgrace to black people everywhere.
NewYorkCityUSA7 8 months ago
Rabid racism? What party supports the killing of 13 million black babies?
Most republicans are not fundamentalists either moron.
shire2005 2 years ago
You're the real racist. Evidence: The "Uncle Shelby" statement.
ZDWmiamicane 2 years ago
it's pretty HILARIOUS that people who are PRO "government hand outs" and PRO "relying on the governement" and PRO "the government owes me something" are the ones calling people who believe in personal responsibility "Uncle Toms." You got it backwards! you're the one that's saying, "Masta, please give me money" and "Masta make the man give me a job" and "Masta let me in college . . . ."
abdunplugged 2 years ago 2
To say that his mother wouldnt feel comfortable in Trinity Church is disingenuous because Steele knows that his mother had diminutive affinity towards all organized religions. Steels goal is trying to pimp disaffected white men especially those with disposable income.
Chaz770 2 years ago
Shelby Steele is outrageously missing leading. You have to remember that this man is an academician, and therefore is well versed on the historical facts about Obama as well as our society. To suggest that a black man by mere fact that he is black will garner a greater source of attention on a world wide platform is juvenile.
Chaz770 2 years ago
Any relation to Michael Steele? Why do I ask
that question?
danger0usknowledge 2 years ago
danger0usknowledge 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Shelby Steele is just another Uncle Tom loser.
lighwave 3 years ago
I think your the "Uncle Tom" and not him. He's saying black's don't need white reparations ( just read his books like I have). People that think white people owe them something are the real Uncle Toms. Not Dr. Steele.
ZDWmiamicane 2 years ago 2
Absolutely steele wants to liberate blacks from government depndance.
His mother said she refused government assistance because she "didn't want the government raising my children."
White liberals don't respect blacks. You can't respect somebody you view as a helpless victim.
shire2005 2 years ago 2
Shelby Steele is plainly full of shit.
lighwave 3 years ago
Steele is not only full of shit, his time has passed and he knows that, no more use for him, no more yesa mista benny, He has the green eye of envy and jealousy towards President Obama
greenmean1 2 years ago
Apparently "johnlorican" can't read the title of Steele's dumb book. I suggest you go back and do that.
jsoynbnj 3 years ago
HA what screeching comments!
Obama's race is the only reason why he is where he is. Never would a 100% white guy give a speech, spend 2 years in the Senate then gain a crowd of follower to his messianic cult of personality to ascend to the Presidency for the purpose of proving that we are no longer racist.
Americaisgreat123 3 years ago
There is NO ONE brighter on issues of race than Shelby Steele.
NOBODY.
He writes masterfully.
He speaks eloquently.
He's a brilliant thinker.
I recommend his 30 minute interviews on YouTube on the Hoover Institution.
johnlorican 3 years ago
Yeah, real bright! A genius, in fact. Steele was so brilliant, so insightful, especially the way he called it so accurately in the presidential election.
Steele was so "on the mark", insisting that Barack Obama just can't be elected. And right he was!!! Oh,eh, uh, wait a minute, he wasn't. Eh...never mind.
Shelby Steele: Blowhard, Sellout, Bootlicker. As obtuse as he is shameless in his groveling.
jsoynbnj 3 years ago
Incredible comments, jsoynbnj...
Steele never made the case that Obama COULDN'T be elected; he simply made the case that he didn't think Obama WOULD be elected - that, inevitably, Obama would have to reveal his political ideals in order for the public to vote for him.
Instead, since 'white guilt' is SO deep and SO wide, coupled with the electrifying opportunity for black America to vote one of their own, he was elected - and it didn't MATTER to those who voted WHERE he stood on issues.
johnlorican 3 years ago
are you black?, just curious to know before i respond.
turnbacktime 3 years ago
No, I'm caucasian; 48 years old.
johnlorican 3 years ago
shelby is right but the fact that he voted for mccain over obama makes absolutely no sense. out of the 2 evils obama is the better candidate. in a nutshell i think steele is saying that blacks need to separate from whites because they'll never be treated equally at any cost. but due to their circumstances they've been made too dependant.. if whites had a real "seperate but equal" policy during the civil rights era i dont think blacks would've complained.
turnbacktime 3 years ago
Mr. Steele doesn't hold to any of the positions that President Obama subscribes to (bigger government, racial politics, etc.) - so there was no reason he would have voted for Obama.
Steele isn't saying that blacks should separate from whites; he's saying that they shouldn't beholden themselves to the government. The Civil Rights Movement had such dignity from the mid-50's to the mid-60's, but squandered all of its moral authority by aligning itself with liberal politics - to its great peril.
johnlorican 3 years ago
then he should've supported ron paul over mccain.
turnbacktime 3 years ago
Ron Paul never had a chance of winning.
John McCain did - and was leading in the polls prior to the breakdown of the economy in October.
johnlorican 3 years ago
obviously, but ron pauls views seem to be more in line with steeles.
turnbacktime 3 years ago
You might be right.
My guess is that he wasn't perceived to be a serious candidate (by either the media or the public), so his views weren't heard by a large number of people.
johnlorican 3 years ago
i dont agree with shelby when he says black must be treated equally by whites because i believe whites will never treat blacks equally. like he said, obama being nominated is the illusion that blacks are now equal to whites in society. gains have been made but i believe the too much damage has already been done to blacks by whites (in the past).
turnbacktime 3 years ago
As a white man, I try hard to treat everyone the same. I sincerely believe that, generally speaking, whites desire, and try, to treat blacks as they would themselves.
The 'lovefest' that people in America gave President Obama, particularly the media, showed condescension towards the man. They never challenged him with hard questions, they treated him as someone with as 'superhuman' qualities.
It was absurd; nobody can live up to those standards. As a result, he was NOT treated equally.
johnlorican 3 years ago 6
Shelby Steele wrote a book and said Obama could not win. He was WRONG!!
You are wrong, Shelby. You are Wrong, Shelby.
dxvan15 3 years ago 3
dxvan thanx for the clarafication!I have heard&read about steele,conservative,worshipped reagan and he disapproved of Barack Hussein Obama!
tehutimes 3 years ago
Correction:Americans are hungry for change from the present state of affairs. Another fact:a higher percentage of whites voted for Carter than Obama. The Obama campaign did not make race an issue. Most people voted for him because he presented the best choice available. True, Obama is brilliant, but one denies that he is limited to the shortcomings of all men. People like Mr. Steel perpetuate the racial polarization and are more obsessed with it that the average American.
chepenudo 3 years ago
I would tend to agree. He definitely seems to make it a focus. I don't deny there is this white guilt phenomenon, but I think its only a public phenomenon. Privately, most whites are indifferent and at worse, hostile to black America. The fact that they choose to vote for Obama is precisely b/c he is skilled at not being, in their eyes, truly black. But neither would they vote him if he was a Republican, change is change is change, and this has nothing to do with race.
astrixx 3 years ago
His victory margin was similar to reagans'making it the largest since then.saw it on the news.There are a lot of white folks who have a child with someone who is not white but they see the stares&scowls when out in public so they must have the feeling that in good ole u.s.a.one drop of Black-African DNA makes one a mulata or mulato in this culture.They know he's mostly Black and some are mature enough to not dwell on it.
tehutimes 3 years ago
Obama won. This man is an idiot. Just another man hating, look we have a black president so Shelby was dead wrong.
Odunola 3 years ago
Also, if all white america sees in Obama is an opportunity to address their white guilt, then how come as the economy worsens, people are beginning to move toward Obama?? Obviously, there are is a significant, if not overwhelming voting bloc that is voting on issues, and not race. In fact, they could be racist, and STILL vote for obama, in fact I think the majority of whites fall into that category. This guys spews bs
astrixx 3 years ago
i would have to disagree and say your being ignorant
liTheNapsteril 3 years ago 2
astrix:read my latest comment on Shelby and white guilt.
chepenudo 3 years ago
his whole tone, choice of words smacks of jealousy. Of course he'll look like an idiot when obama wins in two weeks
astrixx 3 years ago
Shelby Steele is unable to transcend his subjective views regarding white guilt. Any white guilt is easily negated by whites who would never elect a black. I believe he uses the white guilt argument because he is jealous.
Lousanjr 3 years ago
i've watched this a thousand times and i still can't get past his shrug at 3:53. it just casts a disingenuous pall over his whole attempt an impartial argument.
Jcksht 3 years ago
LOL! The shrug is located around his comment @ Obama winning the nomination, which he doubts (partly b/c of America's history & b/c of Steele's belief that Obama won't be able 2 weather the scrutiny). I think we're missing the point: Steele posits that his entire candidacy is @ Whites' need to get '...racial reconciliation on the cheap'-race. He believes that the need for reconciliation is so great that ppl have fallen in love w/ the idea. W/ Obama u get some racial reconciliation 4 free.
Samphye 3 years ago
a lot of what you say could well be true. but racial reconciliation, is where you find it, and like gold, its value is consistent. i think we're probably voting on ourselves as a nation as much as we may or may not be voting for Barack. this kind of referendum on the national psyche only comes up every couple of generations.
Overall, i thing Steele makes a good argument.
it just disturbs me to no end that that moment of jealousy, or whatever is was, actually came though.
Jcksht 3 years ago
I can c how the 'shrug' could b misconstrued as contempt/jealousy. But IMO it's a shrug of exasperation/futility - he knows that america is struggling w/ 4 ideas:
1) racial reconciliation (guilt),
2) voting for a minority confirms inherent racism (exposing dirty laundry/history)
3) WP dealing w/ their own myth of superiority/privilege, and oh yeah,
4) The issues (LOL!)
In his mind (and most of the world's) he doesn't believe that the US will make the right choice: the better candidate.
Samphye 3 years ago
perhaps. it just seems a little too involuntary for me to join you in seeing any further depth in it.
as for making the right choice, i think we're lucky this time in that the better candidate
comes with the racial reconciliation dinner if you will, as unpleasant as it may be for some to swallow.
we'll all choose to partake, or we won't.
and life will go on, until the next generation to step up, steps up.
Jcksht 3 years ago
Race? Let's dissect this a bit. If George W. Bush was black do you think America would vote for him?...NO,NO,NO,NO,NO!!!!!!!!!!!Barack Obama, Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian is a brilliant man. How can anyone deny that?! Yes he served on the Illinois state senate, and yes he's a first term senator, and yes he was a community organizer...what's so terribly wrong with that? He's only 48 years old for cryin' out loud. If he was John McCain's age he would have just as much experience...48y/72y?????
nupish07 3 years ago
I think you are under the impression that Shelby is critiquing Obama when he is actually making a cultural commentary.
chukmaty 3 years ago 2
Nice Video!
I did one too about this whole debacle. I will send it to you. Tell me what you think.
-TonyaTko
TonyaTko 3 years ago
If whites made as much of a statement on how white someone is we would be called racists! Shame on all of you who buy into a racial issue. You're all playing the race card. This man keeps saying Blacks and Whites. White America? Wtf is that? That statement in itself is racist.
jaguarTN 3 years ago
Obama: is a man who is 6% black, black enough to even qualify for that race? My husband is 1/16th American Indian, if he was 1/8th Indian, we'd qualify for all kinds of help. Obama got into Harvard with affirmative action that the same percentage did not prevent him from getting help as with descendants of American Indians. What matters is how you look! If black is more than just on the outside, is 1/16th black enough to think black? Affirmative actions gets you in where qualifications won't.
courag1 3 years ago
There is just so much wrong with your line of thinking. 1) If Barack Obama's father is black (African) and his mother is white (American), how the hell could he only be 6% black. Let us refer back to elementary math. (1/2 or 50% + 1/2 or 50% = 1). 2) If you are so ignorant to think that Affirmative Action is some kind of free pass for people of color than you need to do some reading. I also suppose that becoming the President of the Harvard Law Review and graduating top of his class was race 2.
mb053085 3 years ago
You should do a little research, his father was dark, didn't mean he was all black. There was a lot of Arab in him, some say as much as 7/8 of his father's ethnicity. It is all genetics. And just because there are a variety of races walking on the African continent, does it mean that all are Negro. Arabs are Semites, the same as Jews, and like India, many people are just as dark as black, but are racially Caucasian. Dark skin is usually dominant but not always. Read up on his ethnic makeup.
courag1 3 years ago
Just because a person is dark does not mean he is 100% black. Having any percentage of black makes a mulatto. Obama is most likely a Quadroon. His lineage from Kenya shows much Arab blood. He is not 1/2 negro as you suppose. The native religion of Africans before Christianity & Islam were the many native animistic religions. His name is Arab because he has Arab blood. A person who is half black is still very dark. It is a dominant gene so to get as light as he is means he is only slightly black.
courag1 3 years ago
Being a black person from the Caribbean I am pretty sure that I can decipher that being dark does not equal being black. Since in such locations you do not have to be of african lineage to have darker skin. In addition I have an arab name, but once again that does not make me arab. You have no cited proof of what you "suppose" and I have given you some. At this point you are just a lost cause.
mb053085 3 years ago
Why? Because it is so important that he is "black". He has made such an issue of it. If a person has qualifications that make him good at his job, that is what is important, not his color. If the doctor who operates on me only got gratised through because he was "of color" while 4.0 students with great SAT's got turned away (and it happens) it scares me. NO ONE WANTS THE DOCTOR WHO OPERATES ON THEM TO BE NOT QUALIFIED! In cases of law, that is JUST AS IMPORTANT. He votes "present"... why!
courag1 3 years ago
Did you or did you not make it a point to pose the inference that Barack Obama was Arab-American. Now because your ridiculous notion was disproved you are going to infer that because he is of color he is now unqualified and merely a product of affirmative action. Two things, 1) you need to research affirmative action before you shamefully quote what you think it means. 2) Obama was top of his class. All senators vote present at times (McCain included.)
mb053085 3 years ago
You don't know anything about his lineage, you breathed the air and somehow got some "revelation". Look up his ancestry.
Is his only qualification for you is that he is black? He is in favor of killing babies born alive after abortion. Yes, that happens, and they call that infanticide. So you vote for him, you are in favor of killing babies. Glad I'm not you on judgment day! You'll probably claim that isn't true either.
Are you a muslim? You lie like a dog.
courag1 3 years ago
You are sadly mistaken if you think suddenly people of color get ahead based on their appearances. Especially since affirmative action is not about color, it is about minority: black, white, male, female, asian; wherever diversity is needed. How dare you state that someone as overtly talented as Barack Obama is somehow in his place because he was given some kind of "black pass".
mb053085 3 years ago
Many of the things Obama has already said would have disqualified him totally if it had been said by a white man. Wake up. There is nothing more insulting to a really intelligent black man than affirmative action, that they have to play the race card to get ahead because they have no confidence in their own abilities or their accomplishments. This is not about anyone else but Obama. Is he even a citizen? He traveled to Pakistan on an Indonesian passport, you get that because you are a citizen.
courag1 3 years ago
You are the one posing the notice of justifying Obama's intelligence by affirmative action. And please refrain from continuing any further conversation with me because you are obviously ill-equipped. I was born in the United States, yet I have both a US and St. Vincent passport. Do you know why? I have this little thing called dual citizenship. If your parents are born abroad, it is very simple to attain such a thing. Your lack of overall knowledge requires no further reply. Dismissed!
mb053085 3 years ago
You favor Obama and he is in favor of INFANTICIDE. This is like applauding a gladiator, or cheering when a person murders. You are morally the same filth when you do not put a stop to this. The most babies aborted every year in the U.S. are for black mothers. My best girl friend who died of Sickle Cell Anemia was black and part Chinese. She was a wonderful person. The amount of black babies aborted alone constitute genocide. Your people would be far in the majority if this stopped.
courag1 3 years ago
diversity is not needed - 100 years from now, that University of Michigan Court decision that stated that diversity was good will be regarded as we regard plessy v ferguson now - just say it - you hate white christian males - be honest
percybear1 3 years ago
If you want to focus on academic achievement and people in positions of power who are unqualified. Talk to me about John McCain and George Bush. Here are people who have or are close to running the country, yet niether of them has the academic background of a Barack Obama. Maybe they got in where someone with better SAT scores could have. I would definitely prefer a student like Barack Obama performing surgery on me than a student like George Bush or John McCain.
mb053085 3 years ago
Is it really truly believed that the whole ground swell towards this run for the highest office and most powerful position in the country and prehaps the world is souly based on this guy being black; white quilt & black victimhood and manipulation of quilt? Then other countries need to study America and examine it's racial dynamics and bottle it because it must be the most powerful thing ever to develop in human history.
Xelanderthomas 3 years ago
Yeah, sane like Bush and Cheney. Right :/ .
PistonsFan 3 years ago
Shelby teele is a disgrace. its men like him that make you think that just because they have a drop of black blood we shouldn't embrace them as black.
Kingsta2000 3 years ago
In recent years, there is a widely held belief (which I happen to share) that the Democratic party is more sensitive to the needs of minorities than the Republican party, which is notorious for favoring wealthy white corporate executives and gun-toting rednecks. Shelby Steele your a uncle tom, you hear that it's your white masters calling lol.
Kingsta2000 3 years ago
Shelby's got a real point. Obama's blackness is his ticket to the White House. It's a good thing, in that it'd be healthy to acknowledge how far US society has come on race (farther than all other societies, by the way). It's a negative too, however, since the guy is more of a lightweight than either JFK or W were upon election.
Zsagegrouse 3 years ago
It's just sad that people care more about outward perception that we are "passed racism" than actual good policy and qualifications. Blech.
EnonimusTransmission 3 years ago
This guy is an ass. If we were in the 90's and had no problems his arguement would've been valid. But the "white appeal" to Obama might just have to do with the CRISIS the country is in.
degraffs 3 years ago
I tell you why his candidacy isn't about race, i don't care if he hadn't cast a single vote ever, America knows what his policies are now or what he's promised anyway; if he does get elected, and doesn't deliver WHOOOOOOO WEEEEEEE you think Bush is hated MAN, people will be at the white house with pitch forks, you think he didn't know that when he ran? Why do you think he initially didn't want to run.
degraffs 3 years ago
He's my hero =)
stfugine 3 years ago 2
Shelby, your slip be showin.
rankavision 3 years ago
Oh, ok, thanks for explaining it to me. I thought African Americans were denied voting rights and rights to run in elections, up until just four decades ago, because of their skin color. Didn't know it was because they were all insane.
TorreyDDixon 3 years ago
you know...
evette808 3 years ago
"Its very difficult to run a campaign against a black man."? Is that the reason why we have had so many black presidents in the past?
TorreyDDixon 3 years ago
a great man,called uncle tom.
brkncntry 3 years ago
this fucking uncle tom. goddamn sellout.
ESCOXTC 3 years ago
Interesting he said this long before Obama gave the speech on race in Pennsylvania in March.
But yes it when over my head too on the part of Obama's campaign being completely about race.
I wonder what past Black presidential candidates think about this:
Senator Carol Mosley Braun - 2004 candidate
Rev. Al Sharpton - 2004 candidate
Jesse Jackson - 1984, 1988 candidate
tnafever 3 years ago
I don't get this guy's logic. To say that because Obama doesn't bring race into his campaign, then his campaignis 100% about race. What kind of twisted logic is that?
adventurousvictor 3 years ago
he's saying rather than merely having a discussion about race, Barack's campaign, and the election itself, is more a referendum
on the country's attitude about race, at this point in its history..."that's all it's about."
whichever way it goes, it will make quite a statement.
Jcksht 3 years ago
"I don't get this guy's logic. To say that because Obama doesn't bring race into his campaign, then his campaignis 100% about race. What kind of twisted logic is that?"
+1
Steele's let's his real agenda slip out close to the end... he's pandering to conservatives who will never be happy with a black man in the white house.
JimHewittWhite 3 years ago
I think he's partially right. But at the same time, some people just find Clinton a bit creepy and suspicious. They don't trust her, so they go for Obama instead. He is the only other option, after all.
srt0070 3 years ago 2
I don't get how 'creepy and suspicious' describe HRC. Where is that coming from? It seems to be a rationalized projection in an effort to support your decision for Obama...not based on substance or truth.
mzr4mzr 3 years ago
He's got a point.
arenaskies 3 years ago
After all the crap with Reverend Wright anyone who thinks Obama is "post racial" or that his candidacy is "not about race" is way out of touch. Obama's positions are typical left of center politics. He and Hillary even agree that there is little difference in their policies... In that he is an extremely typical Democrat just like his grandmother is a "typical white person". The only thing about Obama that is not typical is the man he is accused of being.
smileykermit 3 years ago
The sad thing about the old civil rights leadership is that they are old. There is a passing of the torch to the next generation and nobody told them about it. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Shelby Steele, they need to get with the program or find themselves left behind.
Obama's candidacy is a huge opportunity for everyone, including the civil rights movement. They should take it.
Obama 08!
tigerone1970 3 years ago
I can't listen to the whole broadcast... using the race card in which I'm so sick of!
Bangedup1 3 years ago
apologies...the second message actually contains the first part of the comment and vice versa.
shoaibr3k 3 years ago
(because no modern politician has been able to achieve it) is also Stupid. This is not to say that race is not a factor in his candidacy, it is but that does not mean that he has been running a agenda of race. If this guy is making the argument that white people are only voting for obama to compensate for past racist behavior againt the black community, then he is stupid and so are those people who are voting for him. But as i have shown you, that is not the case :) Good Day
shoaibr3k 3 years ago
This Shelby guy is stupid. He is stupid for 2 reasons:
A: He is blind to the fact that the pillar of Obama's campaign stands on a "New Kind of Politics", which has nothing to do with race. Not seeing this is Stupid.
B: His political base is not a majority black or a majority white...his political base is the youth of this country. He appeals to the future generation, where race is not a factor. Being dismissive of this powerful fact
shoaibr3k 3 years ago
Shelby is not stupid, but he's exercising an agenda here.
You gave two reasons,I'll give one.
A) On one hand he says Barack needs to talk about the realities of race in the same way he (Steele) does, or else he must be "concealing" his true feelings ("being a bargainer"). On the other hand, he applies a special standard against Barack over other politicians who do/say whatever it takes to get elected.
He wants Barack to be an Al Sharpton who cannot be elected. Yet Barack is on his way.
Hypnotron2006 3 years ago
Shelby Steele has built his career on being the devils advocate on race. He is all they (bigots, racists, Republicans) need to shift the focus from them to him. They say "See it must be true- a 'Negroe' said it too." Hopefully his career as race expert will end on Nov. 4, 2008. People are voting for Sen. Obama and will vote for him because he is sincerely "IN TOUCH" with middle-class Americans. It's sad that people still follow Hillary after she has repeatedly shown her lack of integrity.
tolbertme 3 years ago
Until we eliminate stupid people and irresponsibility we have some other options before villifying the rich and socializing healthcare... besides, look up The Audacity of Barrack Obama... see what good ole Barrack and Michelle have done for about healthcare costs in their home state of Illinois.
ptricky15 3 years ago
You've quoted a few lines from Obama like "corporate greed." Sorry, but that's not a policy. What legal policies that Obama is endorsing make him a Marxist?
rumrum88 3 years ago
I know a lot of retards who don't buy health insurance because that money goes to pay for beer, dip, casinos, and food and vet bills for their 8 dogs. Then they go to the emergency room when they have a heart attack and guess who foots the bill?
ptricky15 3 years ago
He's irresponsible, inexperienced and has no proven track record of success... his foreign policy is mimmick what everyone else would do with different rhetoric and his plans for redistribution of wealth are marxist (Marxism: which he is noted to have embraced earlier in life) and would be a disaster for everyone.
ptricky15 3 years ago
Irresponsible? Not more so than Clinton or McCain (who SANG about bombing Iran on stage). And his foreign policy is completely different than "everyone else" - John McCain wants to stay in Iraq, he wants to get out. Big difference there. Last, about the Marxism: being briefly involved in a Marxist club in college is no indication that he's Marxist now. That's like saying the Pope is currently a Nazi or that Hillary is a Republican (which she used to be).
rumrum88 3 years ago
We are a capitalist nation so no, health care is not the president's business. The reason health care is so outrageous is the irresponsible retards who have decided for years not to buy it have caused prices to go up for those that have been paying for it. Have you honestly read all of Obama's economic policy ideas? They're ridiculous... he will win the election because of very very ignorant people... we'll see what happens. But you are wrong.
ptricky15 3 years ago
Sorry, but being a capitalist country isn't an excuse for a terrible healthcare system. And people don't buy healthcare because they're "retards" but because they can't afford it. The insurance companies are making record profits, by the way.
You accuse Obama of having "ridiculous" policy ideas, and yet you fail to even say what policy you are referring to and why it is flawed.
rumrum88 3 years ago
That's their job... just like everyone else. Do you ever make money? They have every right to make money. Everyone gets healthcare- not everyone pays for insurance. It has gotten outrageous because of opportunism... frivolous lawsuits and government bail outs. Universal healthcare is a horrible idea and the money is not there to fund it. His global poverty payment to the UN will cost over 800 billion dollars!
ptricky15 3 years ago
Universal healthcare is a horrible idea? Right, and that's why the countries with universal healthcare spend a smaller % of their GDP on healthcare than the US and have better standards of care. Next, his global poverty payment will cost 800 billion dollars? Source please.
rumrum88 3 years ago
Just google Global Poverty Act of 2007. Just proves that Obama doesn't really care as long as it isn't his money. That's the story of his political life... beg money from rich business men who have earned their money to fund campaigns so he can raise taxes and spend more peoples' hard earned money for whatever he feels like.
ptricky15 3 years ago
LOL, and once again you fail to provide a source. That's because there is none.
rumrum88 3 years ago
Yes their is. It's a bill that is on the Senate floor. Look it up. It only makes you look ignorant to simply dismiss something so important to support a candidate you obviously know very little about. Sounds like you're a democrat though... looking for a hand out... just look it up and bite your tongue.
ptricky15 3 years ago
And once again, no source. Oh the irony.
rumrum88 3 years ago
Are you incapable of looking it up? That's not irony.
ptricky15 3 years ago
Yes, in fact we're both incapable of finding it, because it doesn't exist.
rumrum88 3 years ago
Yes it does
ptricky15 3 years ago
He still clings to marxist ideals. It's painfully obvious in his rhetoric and policies. Wants to get out while talking to some and staying and withdrawing responsibly in front of others... (withdraw responsibly over time is any republican) I didn't vote for the pope and I won't be voting for Hillary either... not a great comparison.
ptricky15 3 years ago
It's easy to call someone a Marxist, but it's harder to make a rational argument that outlines precisely which policies are Marxist in nature.
rumrum88 3 years ago
"redistribution of wealth"
"re-slicing the pie"
"coorporate greed"
Since when is it greedy to make profits? That's business. The American dream was never "free crap for everybody". It was work hard and reap the benefits. Reap what you sow... not work hard to have Barrack Obama take it from you and do what he wants with it.
ptricky15 3 years ago
this is a thoughtful lecture.
its insights can be more than compelling.
but i can't get past the shrug of the shoulders at 3:53.
is jealousy a visual thing, or does it have a smell to it ?
Jcksht 3 years ago
This is some bullshit.White people are only voting for Barack Obama out of white guilt? He has an advantage because he's black? WTF? Are people serious? Is that really what's going on?10,000,000 or so white people are voting for Obama because they're suffering from some kind of new mental disorder called White Guilt syndrome?My black ass better go apply for CEO of Wal-Mart before someone comes out with the NIGZANEX pill to cure this horrible disorder.
Get the fuck outta here.
LOLOLOLOLOLOMFL
youngdrodeau 3 years ago
....if that's the case...can you imagine how European white people (and others) feel about the perpetual occupation of the "NativeAmerican's" lands and people...you know the so-called USA and other States and foreigners in the "Americas"!
Dangerdoom68 3 years ago
Recent events give validity to Shelby Steele's comments.
Obama's candidacy as a 'post-racial' candidate was severely interrupted in March by the relationship he has to his church and its pastor. To say you're a 'post-racial' candidate - and then spend 20 years in a congregation that literally DEFINES itself as an Afro-centric organization (with a man like Jeremiah Wright as your pastor) will, I think, do him in this November.
Steele is right; Obama is a 'bound man.'
johnlorican 3 years ago
Now Shelby Steele is a man of substance and insight. That is exactly what Obama lacks. No way is he ready to be President.
sowhatsthatthere 3 years ago
Steele is very insightful. Great to hear from someone with common sense and great judgment.
doreen274 3 years ago
Steele is clearly jealous of Obama. He is stereotyping all whites and blacka and that why it is difficult to take him seriously. Steele has isolated himself from blacks and doesn't do interviews on black radio - only white radio. He is afaid to have a dialogue with blacks but keeps writing about a group of people he is hostile towards.
I hope Steel gets a chance to meet Obama one day so Obama can teach him to be comfortable with his mied race heritage.
texastootall 3 years ago 2
Steele implies that Obama's popularity is primarily due to his skin colour. But he fails to answer these questions... What about Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war, his reptutation as an honest, genuine person, his unmatched ability to inspire, and his 20 years of experience as community activist, constitutional law prof, state legislator, and Illinois senator?
rumrum88 3 years ago
Few care about his opposing the war... anyone could have in his position. Honest: Very deceiving actually. Inspire: Sure, but to do what? 20 year activist: Not quite... and what exactly did he accomplish? Senator for less than 1/3 of a term. Said it was like "trying to drink from a fire hose". Said himself he wouldn't be ready to be President in 2008-
ptricky15 3 years ago
No, many people care about his opposing the war, and that is one of the main reasons why Hillary Clinton is currently losing. At the time, there was a "herd" reaction among US politicians to support the war in order to appease the American people, who were eager to go to war with Iraq after 9/11, even though there was not a connection. Very few senators opposed the war because it risked their political careers. Obama, however, opposed it even though he was in a tough race for the Senate.
rumrum88 3 years ago
That is what we need in a President - to be able to make decisions on what is right, not what is popular. Furthermore, you mentioned that his inspiration would serve no purpose. I disagree. We need inspiration to end the hyperpartisanship in Washington that has caused our government unable to sufficiently deal with the pressing issues of our time: illegal immigration, the declining middle class, health care, etc.
rumrum88 3 years ago
Health care isn't the president's business, he's all about amnesty, his policies will cause an economic depression and EVERYONE will be poor... he talks about working with everyone but to work with Obama would be dangerous for this country and therefore no Republicans (or half intelligent democrats) will do it. He's an articulate, novelty black poster boy for the Democratic party to do what they want with.
ptricky15 3 years ago
On healthcare, yes it is the president's business, because right now the US has one of the worst healthcare systems of any industrialized countries. Not only are millions uninsured, but it takes up a larger % GDP than in other industrialized countries. His policies will cause economic depression? Hmm, that's what ppl said about Bill Clinton (who had similar policies), and his term saw a record economic expansion.
rumrum88 3 years ago
I couldn't agree more with Shelby Steele. He's one of the best authors out there. I also agree that white liberals are seeking redemption (from our racist past/present) in the voting booth. They certainly aren't supporting BO based on his positions...he's been maddeningly vague on the issues. If BO is elected, stand by for the letdown; I don't think there's much he'll be able to do to heal the racial divide. I think true healing will be mostly a function of time.
JohnR22926 3 years ago
Furthermore, Watch his race speech, he is the realest politician and he addresses the true issues, not the distractions that we choose to talk about because we want to avoid the real problems of our culture and of today.
dome62 3 years ago
Steele is a Republican. Many Republicans do not like Obama. I respect Steele as a Black American, but I do not agree with his position on Obama. People need to view Wright's sermons in full context and then judge.
crunk4christ2006 3 years ago
Poor Geraldine Ferrero was almost burned at the state for essentially saying this, that Obama would not be where he is today if he were white, or a woman of any race. People still need to see all the boys succeed before looking around for a woman to raise up, and white men will gladly accept a black man into their midst--see sports, business, music industry, film industry, etc.--before a "bitch" takes a place next to them. Geraldine, you're a brave woman, and Mr. Steele could have had your back.
azusasky1963 3 years ago
Shelby Steele, stop hating on Obama. you just have a theory and you want it to be true
appolo08 3 years ago