The Washington Post
August 18, 2011 Obama: The Affirmative Action President By Matt
Patterson (columnist - Washington Post, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner)

Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama
as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, a baffling breed of mass
hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will
wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many
into thinking he could manage the world's largest economy, direct the world's
most powerful military, execute the world's most consequential job?

Imagine a future historian examining Obama's pre-presidential life:
ushered into and through the Ivy League despite unremarkable grades and test
scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a "community organizer"; a brief
career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact
nearly devoid of his attention, so often did he vote "present") ; and
finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety
of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions. He left no academic
legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as a legislator.

And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the
white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama's
"spiritual mentor"; a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama's colleague
and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at
it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?

Not content to wait for history, the incomparable Norman Podhoretz
addressed the question recently in the Wall Street Journal:

To be sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an
outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist
like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was
black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberaldom to have hung out with
protesters against various American injustices, even if they were a bit
extreme, he was given a pass.

Let that sink in: Obama was given a pass -- held to a lower standard --
because of the color of his skin. Podhoretz continues:

And in any case, what did such ancient history matter when he was also so
articulate and elegant and (as he himself had said) "non-threatening," all
of which gave him a fighting chance to become the first black president
and thereby to lay the curse of racism to rest?

Podhoretz puts his finger, I think, on the animating pulse of the Obama
phenomenon -- affirmative action. Not in the legal sense, of course. But
certainly in the motivating sentiment behind all affirmative action laws and
regulations, which are designed primarily to make white people, and
especially white liberals, feel good about themselves.

Unfortunately, minorities often suffer so that whites can pat themselves
on the back. Liberals routinely admit minorities to schools for which they
are not qualified, yet take no responsibility for the inevitable poor
performance and high drop-out rates which follow. Liberals don't care if these
minority students fail; liberals aren't around to witness the emotional
devastation and deflated self esteem resulting from the racist policy that is
affirmative action. Yes, racist.

Holding someone to a separate standard merely because of the color of his
skin -- that's affirmative action in a nutshell, and if that isn't racism,
then nothing is. And that is what America did to Obama.

True, Obama himself was never troubled by his lack of achievements, but
why would he be? As many have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for
Columbia despite undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was
good enough for the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois; he
was told he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the
Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was good
enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary. What
could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display every time
Obama speaks?

In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualifications
nonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character.
Those people -- conservatives included -- ought now to be deeply embarrassed.
The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of clich� and that's when he
has his teleprompter in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can
barely think or speak at all.

And what about his character? Obama is constantly blaming anything and
everything else for his troubles. Bush did it; it was bad luck; I inherited
this mess. It is embarrassing to see a president so willing to advertise
his own power lessness, so comfortable with his own incompetence. But
really, what were we to expect? The man has never been responsible for anything,
so how do we expect him to act responsibly?

In short: our president is a small and small-minded man, with neither the
temperament nor the intellect to handle his job.

True, Obama himself was never troubled by his lack of achievements, but
why would he be? As many have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for
Columbia despite undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was
good enough for the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois; he
was told he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the
Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was good
enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary. What
could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display every time
Obama speaks?

That's the part all the ignorant sheeple disregarded.

They settle for mediocre and no experience.

Many, many, have come to. I see it here, on this forum. His support here is indicative of his worldwide attraction.

The popular, token fad has lost it's interest, as a child loses interest in a new toy.

I never heard of him before he ran for president and the first time I heard him speak; as eloquent a speaker he is, rubbed me the wrong way. As I heard more of him during the debates I knew then he was a hack, a fraud, weakling, coward and soon to be turd in chief. Since the election I have stated he will be a one term hack and as his numbers decline my faith in his one term rise.

That's exactly what sold the progressive liberturds.

Looks like it's winding up to be another one of those, 'Pick the second from the bottom of the cesspool' years again.

Gentlemen, gentlemen...please, NEVER underestimate the power of "George Soros", the "Self-Perpetuating Cycle" or the "Contemptuous, Self-Serving, Self-Proclaimed Omnicient and Psychotic Press" AKA, MSM.

Matt Patterson
Matt Patterson is a columnist and commentator and a contributor to "Proud to Be Right: Voices of the Next Conservative Generation" (HarperCollins, 2010). His email is: mpatterson.column@gmail.com.



it wasnt the entire washington post writing the article,,,lol

To be sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an
outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist
like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was
black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberaldom to have hung out with
protesters against various American injustices, even if they were a bit
extreme, he was given a pass.




...funniest paragraph ever ,, cause we know how advantaged being black makes you in this country and how often being black gets you the benefit of the doubt

just take a look at the disparate sentencing

and unequal school systems

to see all the ADVANTAGES and PASSES the great majority insists on giving minorities,,,,





noo, his election was just cause people were so fond of his color

NOTHING to do with Hilary being caught in what was perceived as an ou tright lie and Mccain picking an absolute nincompoop to run as his VP,,,,

nothing at all, nope, it was just cause he was black,,,,,

To be sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an
outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist
like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was
black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberaldom to have hung out with
protesters against various American injustices, even if they were a bit
extreme, he was given a pass.


I agree with this statement.

Now, that's all subjective and taken out of context.

yeah, unlike carol mosley braun, who met with an african dictator and wasnt elected

or al sharpton

or jesse jackson


,,,I sure would love to know exactly when this shift to 'black preference' happened,,,,,,,,,

Have you listened to Jackson or Not So Sharpton speak?

Yes, I have.

And I have heard them actually say things themself (as opposed to those they are 'associated' with) which were highly controversial and very likely offensive,,,,and yet, that blackness didnt seem to work in getting those things overlooked

IM just wondering why anyone assumes it worked differently for this president,, as opposed to him having just been the candidate that people thought was best,,,

Guess maybe the timing was right for white people to show they're not racist.

HAAAAAA


at the risk of seeming like they are sexist or maybe agist

? there was enough of a diverse choice given, and it proved no such thing,,,

but since its been brought up,, you want to buy a bridge to somewhere in alaska?....

At least Sarah Palin knows there isn't 57 States in the USA.

When General McChrystal went to President Obama to turn in his resignation Barack bitterly stated, "You'll probably intend to piss on my grave someday."

General McChrystal replied, "No, sir, once I'm out of this man's Army, I'm not standing in line for anything ever again!"

Im sure OBAMA does too

The first time I heard him give a speech he said something like "we're all part of the sunshine", the crowd rose up and gave a standing ovation, I threw up in my mouth and flipped the channel.

most candidates are not 'heard of' the first time they run except to the constituents of their own state.....

White people had given America a really bad name and Obama was [selected] to put America back on track.

It has worked...