The View

[norealityhere]

Oh, I got that. I also know that President Obama is Hillary Clinton's boss and think it's highly unlikely, for speculative example, that he was just waiting for an invitation in the mail and one just never came - dissing him thus - and he was forced to come up with a gracious excuse. I think it is more likely, for speculative example, that they had a discussion and mutually agreed that his being at the wedding would detract since that seems common sense. And I will not be back to discuss that issue further. I believe it's been covered, now.



And Barbara Walters never said to President Obama that he identifies himself as a 'black' president, but rather that other people do and whether it would be helpful if he said he was bi-racial. He answered that question, as he has many times, that he considers himself a sort of mongrel in general, which is typical of American ethnic heritage, but embraces being African American and, indeed, wrote a book -- and this is my interpretation of the book, not what he said yesterday -- about his struggles with identity and race and how he came to embrace himself in an empowering journey of the mind, heart and spirit as well as a literal return, of sorts, to his ancestral Kenya.

I highly recommend Dreams from My Father to anyone who is interested in knowing more about President Obama since, as he said, what's truly important is that which goes beyond labels.

Mr. Obama stated that he was not invited.
That was what he said on the View.


The bi-racial question was asked of him on the View.
It's also been asked of him before.
And many people (including those of us who are bi-racial) have not felt he has really addressed this.

Many of us have read his books and would recommend them.

[nabrudigam]

Does anybody know why he's going on the show?
This will be the first time a sitting president has ever gone on a morning show.
And why on the View?
I'm curious.

To reach the people who need to hear his side of things I guess. I'm surprised he hasn't gone on Oprah yet but she's on summer vacation now.

[nabrudigam]

I just don't think any President, period, should be on a talk show. I'll DVR, no doubt, but I think any talk show is inappropriate for the President.

I disagree. It's about time a President makes himself available to the people who elected him and that means going on shows where the voters get a chance to see him as a real person and not a monarch holed up in a far away castle.

[chrisg]

The bi-racial question was asked of him on the View.
It's also been asked of him before.
And many people (including those of us who are bi-racial) have not felt he has really addressed this.

Many of us have read his books and would recommend them.

It's unclear from the pronoun usage above whether you have read Dreams from My Father, NRH. It deals nearly exclusively with President Obama's struggle with racial identity issues and his being bi-racial in particular. If you have, and have found that inconclusive, perhaps contacting the White House communications office may provide futher details regarding President Obama's views on this. ETA: I, personally, found the book incredibly comprehensive as have my friends of color so that essentially sums up all I'm able to contribute on this one.

[nabrudigam]

I think it's great Obama is going to be on The View this morning. It's sort of a humbling thing. I think it mirrors his humbleness and being down-to-earth.

He's very much a regular guy so it's natural for him to reach out to the people.

[nabrudigam]

Obama "politely corrected" her.

I love the way he deals with his detractors. Very polite and respectful even when they are not.

[nabrudigam]

He did mention that he was not invited to Chelsea's wedding.

I'm still confused by Obama's lack of direct answer to the "bi-racial" question.
I understand he was trying to go with a more politically correct and tolerant answer for the audience.
I like that as we all need to be reminded of the larger picture and the need for people to get beyond these barriers.
However, it would have been helpful for him to answer the question.

My understanding of his answer was that he decided early on that it didn't matter what people perceive him to be. (Aluding to the fact that people will call him "black" no matter what he says) He goes on to say "We're all mongrels--all mixed. So are white people but we (meaning blacks) just know more about it." I'm waiting for the fall out for the use of the word "mongrel".

[nabrudigam]

I suppose anyone has the right to challenge the president of the United States -- he works for us, after all -- but still, it's grating to see someone whose previous claim to fame was appearing on "Survivor" go on Hannity and act as if she's somehow superior. Reminds of another high-profile twit.

I haven't watch the clip of her on Hannity yet but I read that she accuses him of coming on the view to campaign among other things. The clip is already on "you tube" and I'll watch it when I have time for it to download. I have "Real downloader" so I can download it to my computer later.

[nabrudigam]

President Obama was talking about kids in school she shrieked, "Will they have a job when they get out?"

And he was in mid sentence when she asked that in a sarcastic manner. Didn't even let him finish before chiming in. I bet Barbara scolded her for that later.

I love the way he smiles and responds patiently as if tolerating an overly inquisitive child.

[chrisg]

My understanding of his answer was that he decided early on that it didn't matter what people perceive him to be. (Aluding to the fact that people will call him "black" no matter what he says) He goes on to say "We're all mongrels--all mixed. So are white people but we (meaning blacks) just know more about it." I'm waiting for the fall out for the use of the word "mongrel".

There already is fallout nabrudigam. The right wing detractors never sleep! I think President Obama first said something similar when they were talking about getting the dog for Malia and Sasha - Do you remember? A reporter asked him if they were going to get a mixed breed and he joked something to the effect that he would like to get a 'mutt', like himself, but one of the girls is allergic - can't remember which. He's just using a synonym for melting pot --- and he probably should be more careful with his choice of words -- but I feel that just shows his authenticity too.