Obama on The View: Racial Labels Don't Matter
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CBS News.com Political Hotsheet
July 29, 2010 11:09 AM
Obama on The View: Racial Labels Don't Matter
Posted by Stephanie Condon 155 comments
(Credit: ABC)
President Obama is less interested in whether people perceive him as
black or multi-racial, he said on ABC's "The View" today, and more
interested in seeing people treat each other with respect.
When asked by Barbara Walters why he does not identify himself as
biracial, Mr. Obama said that after going through an "identity crisis"
as a teenager, he realized "if the world saw me as African American,
then that was something I needn't run away from, that's something that I
could go ahead and embrace."
He added, however, "I'm less interested in how we label ourselves, I'm
more interested in how we treat each other. And if we're treating each
other right, then I can be African American, I can be multi-racial, I
can be you name it, what matter is, am I showing people respect, am I
caring for other people."
The president acknowledged that the recent debacle over former
Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod proved that racial
tensions still exist in the nation.
"There are still inequalities out there. There's still discrimination
out there," he said. "But we've made progress."
He said, however, that the firestorm over Sherrod was a "phony
controversy" generated by the media. He acknowledged his administration
overreacted by forcing Sherrod out of her position after a conservative
website published an edited video misleadingly suggested she
discriminated against a white farmer.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has since apologized and offered
Sherrod a new job at the department.
The criticism the administration faced for its treatment of Sherrod was
just one more burden on the White House in an already difficult month.
When asked what the low point has been, Mr. Obama joked, "Where do I
begin."
"Obviously the country has gone through a tough stretch. Since I took
office when I was sworn in ... the last 20 months have been a nonstop
effort to restart the economy, to stabilize the financial system, to
make sure we are creating jobs and not losing them," Obama said. "As
much as you've been saying it's tough for me, the truth is, it's not
tough for me. You know, I've got pundits on the news who might say
things, but what the American people have gone through -- losing jobs,
seeing their home values go down, their 401ks declining -- those are the
people that I draw inspiration from because I get letters every night
from them and I read them."
The president said that while there was a sense of hopefulness in the
country after his election, he thinks that people did not anticipate how
bad the economy would be. Many of the steps his administration took in
response to the economic decline, such as bailing out the auto industry,
became controversial, he said.
He added, however, "We live at a time when a lot of people are thinking
about the next election instead of the next generation."
The high point for the month, Mr. Obama said, was a family vacation to
Maine with his daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9.
"The girls are getting old enough now where they're not quite teenagers
yet, so they still like you," he said. "They are full of opinions and
ideas and observations and it's just a great age."
The president received some criticism for appearing the talk show. He
joked on the show that he decided to appear on "The View" since First
Lady Michelle Obama enjoys it.
"I was trying to find a show that Michelle actually watched, and so I
thought this is it, right here," he said.
More Coverage:
Shirley Sherrod Vows to Sue Andrew Breitbart
Obama: Shirley Sherrod Deserved Better
Shirley Sherrod's USDA Job Offer: Deputy Director of the Office of
Advocacy and Outreach
Are Liberals Too Concerned with Being "Colorblind?"
Obama Strategy on the Shirley Sherrod Case: Silence is Golden
Andrew Breitbart: Sherrod "Sees Things Through a Racial Prism"
Shirley Sherrod "Very Pleased" After Phone Call with Obama
Tags:
The View ,
Shirley Sherrod ,
race ,
Barack Obama
Topics:
Obama Administration
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