Why do you see this as a blog on a black man?  There is a serious disconnect with some in reading this.  This blog is not about Obama (only tangentally) or the celebration (except again tangentally), but about the racism that surrounds this celebration.  And it is palpable.  Obama is my president regardless of what liberals and the Media want me or you to beleive, and in that he is one of 44 (or 42 as I clarified).  And in that his accomplishments will not be that of a BLACK president, but of A President.  And that is how he should be viewed, judged and evaluated.

But to be constantly bombarded with the mind numbing assault of having to view him differently is racist.  Period.

And if that is your belief, you will never get past it.  America did, in November.  But if you are going to see color first, then you are betraying King's ideals, which this is about.

I really dont think the others see the whole statement you made.  They see color first and dont question why.  They assume it is because that is the way it always was, so always will be.  Never doing any critical thinking of where the race card is coming from.

You hit on a very good point, and one that is part of this article.  Apaprently to many Americans, race does not matter.  But to those with a vested interest, they must keep it the point of focus, or they lose their perceived seat at the power table.  They are not the cold shivering family watching from the Mall at the swearing in.  They sit at comfortable desks in the halls of power, or in front of cameras constantly expounding how King was wrong (though they do not use those words) and that we MUST look at the mans color, and not his character first.

See?  ANother liberal either cant read, understand or is intentionally trying to change the subject. I do wonder why you bother.  Now if you would like to reread the article (and the post) and see where ANYONE said that Obama was betraying anything, be my guest.  Otherwise, why do you bother?

Who said it did?

Of course you will! Because you are a racist.  You only see the color of a man's skin, not the content of his character.  SO you are going to Trust an OJ Simpson, before you trust any white man.

Why?  So you could trash all of us the way you did Heston, and the other marchers?  Or perhaps so you could yell that we are not black enough.  Or that only those in the spotlight did anything - like Jackson and Sharpton?  I dont see a need to feed your racism.  You would not believe anything that would not fit into your racist mold, so why bother?  Racism is not logical, it is emotional, and so appeals to logic and facts do not work.

MM had an article on the worst racist comments he has heard about our new President.  And I see where they are coming from.  The racists that call themselves liberals.  But of course in the new PC world, you cannot possibly be racist since you are part of the noblesse oblige.  At least in your own mind.

I was right about that too.  Obama's election has brought the closet racists out in droves!  And they are as ugly as the overt racists.

You probably said it in rebuttal to someone here, and I just missed it.  But it is the major point (that so many have missed) of this article.

In what way have people emphasised race? I'm sorry I simply don't agree. What I was impressed with was that the campaign actually became one that was based on who was the best for the job and NOT that he was black. You yourself have said that people voted with their wallets.

However, I do think it would be ridiculous to expect no one to make something of a deal of him being the first black President to be inaugurated. From here on in I don't think it will be entioned at all really. But the fact that America has finally reached such a mature stage that it can vote for a man based on his ability to run for the economy, even if he is black is noteworthy. I am impressed with how far you have come as a nation in such a short time. As the President said in his speeech, only 60 years ago his own father might not have been served in a restaurant, and now here he is the elected President. That is important because it shows you are turning a new page and finally accepting the Dream.

That said I also think tht JU conservatives are very good at ignoring the bits that MLK believed in that they don't find convenient for their ideology. But that is another issue for another day.

Racism works both ways.  Affirmative Action is legalized racism, just because it benefits a minority doesn't make it any less racist to treat one person different from another based on the color of their skin.  Based on my admitedly limited knowledge of Dr. King I would think that he would have been completely against Affirmative Action because you are judging someone based on the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.

In that same way the media constantly referring to Obama as a "Black Man" reaching the presidency rather than a "Man" reaching the presidency who happens to be black is against Dr. King's message.

While I can't speak for others please don't lump me in with that group.  While some, maybe even most, see color first that is definitely NOT true of ALL people.

I dont' care whether you voted for him or not.  I didn't ask you if you did.  Some people just seem to deny that race does play an integral role in our country.  President Obama and many of us are trying to get beyond that point, and this is why so many Generation Y and X's and even some of the generations before, are estatic!

I don't need to get over myself in stating a point or opinion.  It is either going to be a discussion or one of insults and that's when I walk away and leave you talking to yourself.  The fac is the media does what has been done time and again.  It is what most of America has learned to do, and what some are learing to step away from.  It is why so many of us are joyful and amazed, that our new President happens to be a bi-racial and that other half of him is Black, where's the racism in that?  What's there to be ashamed of about that fact?  Dr King would have nothing but respect and good things to say!

You seem to forget who created this racial devide?  You seem to forget that just one drop of black blood means you're black period.  How can we forget when it is so rampantly made known everywhere you look.  The only people who will refer to themselves as biracial are the people themselves who are biracial. They usually get qualified as one or the other dependent on how whilte or black, or chinese or latin they look!

But it is about Obama Doc, you said that the people of this country, including the media are betraying Dr. King's dream?  Where is the racism in this celebration when so many came from far and wide to be a part of it?   The fact that the media keep saying he's a "black man" the "first black president"?  It is what it is, and it is what is always done.  Perhaps in time they will get beyond those borders.

Doc, how am I not getting past it? Because I don't see your point or I dont' see yours?  It is quite obvious that everyone did in November, that everyone saw more than just the color of his skin, which is truly wonderful!  What I don't understand is your article seems to be condemming those very same people who voted for the choice they wanted.  Who are celebrating what is an historic occasion because no one thought it would happen, and it has.  This is a moment to find awesome and say, yes, we have stepped further, progressed with a purpose than what it used to be.

This is where the racism is that Doc Guy is talking about.  The constant harping on the fact that he is a "black man" or a "black president".  Just because it is what has always been done doesn't make it right and doesn't make it any less racist.  Just because they are referring to him as a "black man" in a positive light doesn't make it less racist.  Racism is not always negative, it can be both positive and negative.

Snip

Whoot El gets it too!

It seems that race is always going to be an issue. My problem with it falls somewhere in the middle. I grew up in a place without any blacks. My early experiences were watching Sanford and Son every Friday night (I really miss Redd Foxx). My family came to the US  long after the Civil War, so they never owned any slaves. I wasn't really exposed to racism until I joined the military were it was promptly used against me (being a farm boy and all). It was really a black against white period of time. To be fair I did see whites that were just as bad, but I have to say not nearly as many so blatantly racially biased as the black examples I encountered. I was fortunate enough to see those days disappear almost completely. I'd like to think I had a small part in that, as I evaluated everyone on their own merits (and have at times been called a racist for it).

Now here's the dilemma. I'm white and proud of it. I've never participated in any activity to keep any person down, due to race, creed, color or religion. I can empathize with blacks when they talk about slavery (and Jews about the holocaust, and Christians thrown to the lions), but the only people I actually feel sorry for are the people still living that were subjected to inequality. But I don't feel responsible for their past situation in the least bit. There isn't a race on earth that hasn't been slaves at one time in history (and it's still happens in some places, where is the outcry?). So it is offensive to me when someone suggests that because I'm white "I owe" them because their grandfather was mistreated. Some here might have what is known as "white guilt", well great for you. I'm tired of being perceived to have it all because of the color of my skin. Hate to disappoint but nobody gave me a damn thing. That's why I'm a conservative, because I strongly believe you need to make your own way in life.

As far as Obama goes, can't say I like many of the policies he has put forth (those details seem to be  sketchy and changing). That doesn't mean I don't like the man, I don't know him. That said, I'll start him at my personal 50% approval rating. He can go up or down from there. But I'll tell you if he brings those terrorists at Gitmo into the US civilian justice system his rating is going to plummet in my book. I know some people think he's so wonderful, but what has he done to deserve the over abundance of admiration? IMO that's just as bad as hating him for no good reason. As for hope, I look to myself and loved ones to make that, no leader, past or present, gives me that feeling. If some folks need to adore someone, or look to someone else that in all reality doesn't know they exist, to give them a warm fuzzy, good luck, but you'll never really find what your looking for. Want to test my idea? If you can get within handshake distance of Obama, ask him for $10 cab fair and see how much hope and change you get, before the Secret Service escorts you away. If your family would treat you the same, you have bigger issues to worry about.

I wonder if this now means Chinese (or asian) will be the next 'racial' goal or will it be Native American?

I think understand your heart FS.  The media certianly isn't help people move past these borders.  I found it infuriating that NPR accused me of being racist because I didn't vote for Obama.  The other day they said "that the (52%) majority of the US population accepted a black man as president but it's sad that the rest still aren't there." (not directly quoted but my best retelling). 

This is a racially charged manipulating accusation.  According to this statement I could only show that I'm not racist by voting for Obama? What if I had written in Alan Keys, would that make me racist still?

Sadly, I see these kinds of statements coming more frequently from the left than from right or right leaning media.

I'm confused. If Obama's election and inaguration means we are doing better then why do you guys keep referring to most peopels view as racist?

because they have to say "black man" and terms along those lines....you keep racism alive using lables like that

If that is so true, why is it so historically important that he is the first Black President? How do we move beyond racism and the idea that a person is judged by his skin first while making history as the first Black President? I am glad our country is making progress, but why is it that important? Would it be this important if a Latino became President? Why is no one cheering that he is a Minority? I'll never understand this double standard of "we need to get past this but lets not forget".