Trying to write a piece about what black people think of the president is a daunting challenge and one that should, as much as possible, avoid lazy generalizations like, “To African-Americans, President Obama just gets it” or “To black supporters, that is more important than Obama’s inability to narrow racial inequalities during his four and a half years in office.”
The relationship between the president and the black community is vastly more complicated than that. But the one thing that seems to unite black opinion and support for the president is the disrespect he receives. Ironically, if the president enjoyed the same respect that other presidents have received, many more black critics would emerge to have their say about where Obama is falling short. And that would weaken him far more than he has been weakened by having to talk about his birth certificate.
It’s comforting to know that the president has a first-hand familiarity with racial profiling and what it’s like to be a black man in modern America, but that doesn’t mean “he gets it” and has a pass to do whatever he wants. If he has a pass, the bigots in the Republican Party gave it to him with their “You Lie” disrespect.