Racism In Barack Obama's United States...?

I have been following with interest the story of Oprah Winfrey's comments to a British Television reporter that people who don't like President Obama are mostly racist and the reaction around the nation.

Oprah was promoting her new movie "The Butler" on the BBC and was asked by Will Gompertz if she thought “some of the treatment of Obama and the challenges he’s faced…is because he’s an African-American.”

Winfrey responded: “Has it ever crossed my mind?…Probably it’s crossed my mind more times than it’s crossed your mind. Just the level of disrespect. When the senator yelled out, ‘You’re a liar’—remember that? Yeah, I think that there is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs, and that occurs in some cases, and maybe even many cases, because he’s African-American.”

She continued "There are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.”

Now, I understand that Winfrey did not mean people who hold racist beliefs should be killed but merely need to die off so younger, more enlightened people can rid the country of racism.  As if that's going to happen.  This country seems more racially divided than at any other point in my lifetime and part of it is because Obama supporters continuously scream racism toward anyone who opposes Obama, regardless of the reason for their opposition.  On Facebook just this morning an African American woman who works for the federal government posted "It's so sad how many of you all are Racist in the Country. Obama's in his last term and I support him."  That's a complete generalization of anyone who doesn't support President Obama's actions and policies.

Obama told continuous lies for three years concerning the health care bill and about people being able to keep their plans.  When that's pointed out those who mention it are called racists.  Congressman Joe Wilson yelled out "You lie" during a State Of The Union address and he was labeled a racist.  Jamelle Bouie of The Daily Beast says "even if it’s impossible to know Rep. Joe Wilson’s motivations - that the first black president is also the first to have his State of the Union address interrupted is significant, Wilson’s intent regardless."

I have some news for Mr. Bouie - if President Obama is impeached because he continues to violate the Constitution by arbitrarily changing laws without going through Congress to do it, or for fraud against the American people by lying to them continuously about keeping their health care plans - he'll be the first black president to be impeached as well.  But that won't mean it's happening because he's black.  It means he'll be held accountable for his actions.  But you won't get the left to believe that.

Mr. Bouie also says that Winfrey "isn’t saying Republicans oppose Obama because of his race, nor is she generalizing to all conservative opposition."  Really?  Let's look at that for a moment.  She referenced Joe Wilson, a Republican.  She followed that reference with "Yeah, I think that there is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs, and that occurs in some cases, and maybe even many cases, because he’s African-American.”  If she's not talking about Republicans and conservatives, who then?  Random individuals?  And does it include Democrats who didn't vote for Obama because he's black?  You never hear about them but we all know they're out there.  The Democrats, after all, were the party of segregation and the KKK.  I wonder if Oprah includes them in her generalization?

I can't help but wonder if, when she makes that statement, Oprah includes people of color who hate whites? My guess is that she doesn't.  Contrary to what some believe, racism is not a "whites only" infliction. There are plenty of people in this country and around the world who hate people of other colors, races, and ethnicities.  It's human nature.  And lately it seems African-Americans in the U.S. are becoming more and more hostile toward whites.  The new "Knockout Game" comes to mind, as well as the instances of black on white crime prefaced by "This is for Trayvon."

Former Representative Allen West said it best.  "I must be a racist because I oppose Obama."  Sadly, I know Obama supporters who would agree with that statement because West is a black conservative.  It seems you can't be "truly black" if you're a conservative.  You just don't understand that struggles of the black man in America if you're conservative.  At least - that's what many liberals and African Americans like to say.

I agree there may be a lack of respect for the President that is greater than has happened at other times in history.  Although George W. Bush was vilified by the left continuously and I didn't hear Oprah or anyone else on the left talk about how wrong it was.  Perhaps that lack of respect comes from the fact that many Americans simply abhor what President Obama has done?  He forced the health care bill down the throats of Americans with a 72% opposition rate.  His first month in office he apologized to the rest of the world for the nation we love.  He says America is the greatest nation in the world but he wants to fundamentally change it.  Maybe he's not getting respect because he demonstrates a complete lack of respect for us, the American citizens...?

Are there people who oppose Obama because he's black?  Absolutely.  Are they the majority?  Absolutely not.  Liberals like to pretend the only reason people oppose Obama is because he's black.  That way they can ignore the fundamental differences between conservatism and liberalism for their own convenience.  The fact is that most people who oppose Obama oppose his policies, his goal to "fundamentally change America" and the fact that he goes around the law to accomplish it.  Most of us opposed Clinton as well.  And one day, God forbid, may have to again....