[Liberty4eva]

I think so. Or at least I think people are more reluctant to openly express displeasure with him because they fear being called a racist. He essentially has the same foreign policy as his predecesor yet doesn't get even close to half of the hate Bush got.

[Zippy]

some do openly hate him

but he's still relatively young and fresh to the job. Plus he's not a republican and they always get openly hated regardless of colour. But to answer your question, no they can easily find other reasons to hate on him without actually referring to his colour.

Give it time and he'll be receiving serious hate just like all who've gone before. The honeymoons barely over.

[Jordan.]

Isn't it like this with anyone who isn't white these day.

[joeysteele]

No, usually Democrat Presidents seem to get less hated than Republican ones but he has been dipping heavy in the polls the last year,however his cool response to the Libyan affair has boosted his ratings.

[letmein]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

No, usually Democrat Presidents seem to get less hated than Republican ones but he has been dipping heavy in the polls the last year,however his cool response to the Libyan affair has boosted his ratings.

His approval rating is 60%.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by letmein

His approval rating is 60%.

He is doing okay then now,guess he'd like it to be a bit more though.

[Glenn.]

I would say Al Qaeda openly dislike him.

[Crimson Dynamo]

He speaks well, he seems a nice guy, i like him. He could do with a name change to Bob Steel but apart from that.

His colour? - meh

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

He speaks well, he seems a nice guy, i like him. He could do with a name change to Bob Steel but apart from that.

His colour? - meh

Yeah, these were two very important things that his predecessor lacked.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Yeah, these were two very important things that his predecessor lacked.

Very much so, he got so mixed up on many important speeches and issues.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

Very much so, he got so mixed up on many important speeches and issues.

Yeah, I think being a good speaker is hugely important in the leader of any country to instil a bit of confidence in the people. We had a similar issue with our last Taoiseach(PM), he sounded drunk everytime he spoke, which doesn't come across well when the country is going through such bad times :/

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Yeah, I think being a good speaker is hugely important in the leader of any country to instil a bit of confidence in the people. We had a similar issue with our last Taoiseach(PM), he sounded drunk everytime he spoke, which doesn't come across well when the country is going through such bad times :/

I always recall a speech Bush was making that went something like this,he said, terrorists will never stop looking for ways to attack America and neither will we.

I just thought then, crumbs and this man holds the power of nuclear weapons.

[InOne]

I think a lot of Black people dislike him. He's done nothing to help to hoods and ghettos of America, I think that is what some were expecting

[Crimson Dynamo]

I dont think he is black anyway, its just bad lighting

[Jords]

The chances are some people will be, but I dont see why it matters..

From what Ive heard, seems a pretty cool bloke!

[InOne]

He is also technically just as white as he is black

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by InOne

He is also technically just as white as he is black

`It never works that way though. I person can have a whole side of the family that is 100% white but they will always be black

[Angus]

Why do people keep calling him black? He has a white mother and a black father, that makes him mixed race. If anything, he is more representative of the general population than either a wholly black or wholly white President, don't you think?

If people don't like him, I can think of any number of reasons why that might be, all of them totally unrelated to his racial background. For one thing, he's a Democrat, what's not to hate?

[letmein]

Originally Posted by angus58

Why do people keep calling him black? He has a white mother and a black father, that makes him mixed race. If anything, he is more representative of the general population than either a wholly black or wholly white President, don't you think?

If people don't like him, I can think of any number of reasons why that might be, all of them totally unrelated to his racial background. For one thing, he's a Democrat, what's not to hate?

Uh, Democrat is an asset, hon.

[Jords]

Its because he 'looks' more black and white...

Id actually say he was brown but its not really a term used lol

[cub]

For a lot of racist-minded people any hint of race other than white in your make-up makes you black.

[Angus]

Originally Posted by cub

For a lot of racist-minded people any hint of race other than white in your make-up makes you black.

Well it's pretty racist against white people to downplay or downright ignore Obama's white heritage isn't it?

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by angus58

Well it's pretty racist against white people to downplay or downright ignore Obama's white heritage isn't it?

Under the rules of segregation in America in the fifties and apartheid in South Africa they used to put up signs saying 'Whites' and 'non-whites'. There were no other distinctions and certainly non for mixed race people . Under those rules the only thing that mattered was if you were fully white. It may well be racist to downplay Obama white background but that how it used to be. Back in the day no one cared how non-white he was they just cared that he was not white.

Regarding his popularity, I thought his approval rating had shot up after he had Bin Laden killed? I think he is quite popular across the board particularly when compared to all the Republican jokers who are likely to run againt him next year.

[ElProximo]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

Under the rules of segregation in America in the fifties and apartheid in South Africa they used to put up signs saying 'Whites' and 'non-whites'. There were no other distinctions and certainly non for mixed race people .

Very few places in the USA had signs saying 'Whites' and 'Non-Whites'.

Under those rules the only thing that mattered was if you were fully white. It may well be racist to downplay Obama white background but that how it used to be. Back in the day no one cared how non-white he was they just cared that he was not white.

That is definitely not the case if you listen to Americans (black or white) who are old enough to remember there were tremendous distinctions made between 'light-skinned blacks' and then dark-skinned blacks. In some parts of the USA there were serious cultural divides. You can even read of the 'paper bag' tests at various clubs and bars where one had to be no darker than a paper bag.

Regarding his popularity, I thought his approval rating had shot up after he had Bin Laden killed? I think he is quite popular across the board particularly when compared to all the Republican jokers who are likely to run againt him next year.

He had a boost with Bin Laden but then again people (rightly or wrongly) also seem to associate the original mission and even the military men as a 'Bush' cause. Not that it hurt Obama either.

But he is not popular across the board. He has low approval ratings and I'm not sure why you are saying 'compared to the Republican jokers' because they may not have a 'Messiah' prepared and preordained like Obama was by Democrats,
but,
they have strong players like Herman Cain and Santorum though Christie could be a real big (no pun intended) big deal IF he did run.

I'd say this.. IF (and we have to see how they develop yet) but IF you got a Cain-Christie run against Obama?
Are you REALLY sure Obama would be safe? I'd suggest Cain sends Obama home like a Principal expelling a bad student.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by ElProximo

Very few places in the USA had signs saying 'Whites' and 'Non-Whites'.

In America they preferred the term 'coloured'.

That is definitely not the case if you listen to Americans (black or white) who are old enough to remember there were tremendous distinctions made between 'light-skinned blacks' and then dark-skinned blacks. In some parts of the USA there were serious cultural divides. You can even read of the 'paper bag' tests at various clubs and bars where one had to be no darker than a paper bag.

What you're referring to here is a mean by which black people discriminated against them self. I agree there is a distinction made within the community but not under law. The law was very clear.

He had a boost with Bin Laden but then again people (rightly or wrongly) also seem to associate the original mission and even the military men as a 'Bush' cause. Not that it hurt Obama either.

But he is not popular across the board. He has low approval ratings and I'm not sure why you are saying 'compared to the Republican jokers' because they may not have a 'Messiah' prepared and preordained like Obama was by Democrats,
but,
they have strong players like Herman Cain and Santorum though Christie could be a real big (no pun intended) big deal IF he did run.

I'd say this.. IF (and we have to see how they develop yet) but IF you got a Cain-Christie run against Obama?
Are you REALLY sure Obama would be safe? I'd suggest Cain sends Obama home like a Principal expelling a bad student.

Herman Cain? No chance. There's no way the King makers in the media, GOP and the tea party will get behind Cain. He'd make a great President but the people he needs to vote for him will probably never vote for him, for obvious reasons. Mitt Romney is now the front runner with Huckerbee's surprise pull out. Romney is too far in bed with big business to appeal to the people who he needs to vote for him . Not only the GOP not have a pre-ordained candidate they also dont have anyone who is likely to appeal to enough of the country to win. If the GOP dont get their act together and move more toward the center I can see a democrat in the white house for at least the next decade.