Fúck off Obama, you race-baiting, Islamist apologising, war-mongering ****

[redgunamo]

Oh, I do appreciate that. You can't run a country that for its first 190-odd years enslaves, disenfranchises and legally discriminates against a large proportion of its citizens on the basis of their race without it being an absolutely epic political fault line.

Our racial (N.B. not religious) situation is vastly better and we have the legacy of having run the biggest empire the world's ever seen, ffs!

However, the mistake lies in thinking that a weight of historical wrongs is enough to convince white people whose lives are shítty now to just put up with it because black folks have had it worse. People just don't work like that and calling them 'racist' because they vote for a guy who says he's going to make it better is a remarkably silly response.

I'm not saying he had nothing but race on his side. I said it was his sole USP. Think about it: would a white senator with Obama's experience, charm, speaking ability, etc have got anywhere near the media traction he did? Of course not. He had the race card and he played it rather skilfully. I don't blame him, I just don't think you can do that and then complain about race being an issue.

As a side note, of course, what's pretty funny is that an awful lot of black Americans don't actually see Obama as properly black. Rich, half-white, born in Hawaii (supposedly ) and with an African father rather than being the descendant of slaves. They would argue that he never really lived the black experience. That's how fücked up questions of race are in the US.

In fairness, President Clinton was fairly popular with the media too.

[Burney]

In fairness, President Clinton was fairly popular with the media too.

Yes, but Clinton - like Blair - got a relatively easy media ride because both ascended after more than a decade of conservative hegemony. The largely left/Democratic-leaning media were always going to lap that up. Although, of course, the backlash to that slavish devotion came in the form of the establishment of Fox News to provide a counterpoint.

[redgunamo]

Yes, but Clinton - like Blair - got a relatively easy media ride because both ascended after more than a decade of conservative hegemony. The largely left/Democratic-leaning media were always going to lap that up. Although, of course, the backlash to that slavish devotion came in the form of the establishment of Fox News to provide a counterpoint.

That hegemony is not overwhelming though, is it. Here, it merely amounts to one extra term in the White House. Both major parties usually get two terms each.

[Burney]

That hegemony is not overwhelming though, is it. Here, it merely amounts to one extra term in the White House. Both major parties usually get two terms each.

No, but there is an inevitable effect on the public mood brought about by long periods of one party in office - especially if that party is right-leaning. Media tend to strain under the perceived yoke and then treat whoever comes along afterwards as though they're Jesus and Geoffrey Boycott rolled up into one for quite a long time.