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Just over three years into his presidency, the idea that we really don't know who President Obama really is remains a key element not only of Republican counter-attacks, but also of media narrative. The GOP hitting him on biography is code for "other," which is so well understood by many that there's a danger of becoming numb to it. But for a man who wrote two autobiographical books before he ever ran for President and had to prove his citizenship (again) a year ago with his long-form birth certificate, you'd think that we'd be done asking (as above), "Who are you?"
Now we have a soon-to-be published book, "Barack Obama: The Story," in which the President's old girlfriends were tracked down. Excerpts from the book were released this week in Vanity Fair, and folks got caught up in the various juicy bits. But there's a deeper conversation about personal biography and identity to be had, and Melissa will get into that today with guests such as MSNBC political analyst Karen Finney, Colorlines editorial director Kai Wright, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the director of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center.
You couldn't be blamed for forgetting that the whole long-form birth certificate stuff went down immediately prior to Osama bin Laden being killed by a SEAL strike team one year ago this week. The President, to the dismay of conservatives, wasn't shy about reminding voters of his role, and really drove home the foreign-policy cred with a surprise trip to Afghanistan to sign a 10-year peace accord with the country we've been occupying since late 2001. And to boot, 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is being arraigned today.
But with the economy growing slower than expected, does anyone care about the President's record on foreign policy? Melissa will ask that question of retired Army General and former presidential candidate Wesley Clark and Wired staff writer Spencer Ackerman.
Melissa will also preview the President's official campaign launch later today, and talk about the manner in which black and gay constituencies are divided for political gain (especially in North Carolina over the anti-gay Amendment 1). The rest of our guest list is as follows:
- Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP State Conference and a national NAACP board member.
- Aisha Moodie-Mills, director of the FIRE Initiative and advisor for LGBT Policy & Racial Justice at the Center for American Progress.
- Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Equality Council.
As always, folks -- be sure to interact with us during the show on Facebook and on Twitter, using the hashtag #nerdland. We look forward to having you join us at 10am ET!
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Are we going to talk about Jodie Brunstetter, wife of state Sen. Peter Brunstetter (R), saying "the reason my husband wrote Amendment 1 was because the Caucasian race is diminishing?" Seems like it, more than anything, points to Rev. Barber's points about a common enemy for people of color and LGBT North Carolinians.
Loved the Pop Quiz, especially the sound effects. Do it again, please.
For what it's worth, I think it has been a serious mistake for those who have a voice in the public discussion to virtually ignore US poverty, especially over the past 3 years. The same needs to be said about the Democratic Party. Yes, it's good to call for job creation, which is why we've been doing just that for 30-some years. It's great to see some new jobs being created. But the reality is that not everyone can work (due to health or circumstances), and there are nowhere near enough family-supporting jobs for those who desperately need them. You can't buy a loaf of bread with the promise of eventual job creation. So many people voted for President Obama because there was at least a chance that today's "Invisible America" would finally be seen, and the suffering of poverty would legitimately be addressed. That hasn't happened. We don't know what President Obama actually thinks of poverty. But we do know that the failure of media to realistically address this issue, finding it more profitable to focus on the worries of the better off middle class alone, has caused so many people to give up the hope that anything will change. (Sorry, we just don't buy that trickle-down economics notion anymore.)
Pres. Obama needs to be strong in the face of GOP opposition. Advocating for the needs of the poor, the elderly, and the disabled, will automatically bring the hysterical shrieks of outrage from the conservative, right-wing faction of the Republican party. The labels of 'communist', 'socialist', 'marxist', and someone who is waging 'class warfare' are the typical, tiresome responses we usually hear. Pres. Obama needs to confront them about the hypocrisy of their lack of Christianity--as they love to crow about their Christian and family values at every opportunity. He needs to confront them about the "Red" states as being the HIGHEST users of social welfare programs. He needs to confront them about the GOP legislators themselves, and their constituents, who are benefiting from Pres. Obama's own policies! He needs to confront them about how we have seen the failure of "trickle-down economics" for over 30 years, and how austerity programs are threatening our recovery right now! Pres. Obama needs to grow a spine and blow back as hard as he can against the conservative right-wing of the GOP, whose policies are going to tank our nation--again, if Romney gets elected. He has nothing to fear, and nothing to lose. He needs to stand up to those bullies. They wouldn't give a cup of water to a drowning man. Stand up to them! Romney, Canter, Ryan, and their ilk don't give a damn about the poor. Their policies prove it. Why Pres. Obama is not going after them fiercely is mystifying! Even the Catholic Church has condemned them! Poverty needs to be a policy issue! Make it a public health issue. Make it a children's issue. Make it an educational issue. Do SOMETHING that will attach it to some sort of policy so it isn't just a vague idea floating out in political space. Pres. Obama, the ball is in your corner. Smack it out of the park and close the mouths of the team in opposition. You will win on this matter.