Glenn Loury ─ Reflections on the Obama Legacy

[@seedhound]

Excellent observations. I had hoped for so much from Obama and he failed. He should return the Peace Prize.

[@kevinmorgan_truth]

I think he's kept it in a closet ever since he got it. I have never heard him talk about it.

[@binmyrtmind]

I don't think it was earned in the first place, peace for what exactly? The whole thing was a farce I'm sorry to say, most unfortunate.

[@pdumpsterful]

@@binmyrtmind he got it because hes black

[@padraigadhastair4783]

Glenn Loury is just amazing.

[@enochgoodfellow8972]

Hold your applause indeed. This is a man with whom I probably disagree on many things, but also one who is clearly seeking, and willing to tell, the truth!

[@BADALICE]

I agree with you about disagreeing on many points. seeking the truth kind of contradicts this statement. The truth is mine.

[@enochgoodfellow8972]

@@BADALICE Two honest, intelligent, and truth seeking individuals will come to different conclusions about the truth when they are shown different evidence and arguments. There is no contradiction. There is no such thing as "My truth," there is only THE truth. An honest and humble seeker of truth would say, "the truth as I see it is..." or "from what I can tell, the truth is..."

[@rollinmark8952]

You "probably disagree on many things" and in the next breath you say he is "willing to tell, the truth"? You are disagreeing with the truth?

[@enochgoodfellow8972]

@@rollinmark8952 Not at all, I just know more things that are true than he does. When he finds the truth and tells it, we agree :)

[@fraa888grindr7]

Barack Obama had ZERO experience. His father was AFRICAN & his mother white American. He was raised by white grandparents until age 10 He was raised romantically/globally - tropical Hawaii & Jakarta, Indonesia - rather, until age 18, than in the Black America of communities in Oakland, South Central, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York, Ferguson, Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Dallas, etc. Yes, he was black on the outside, which allowed whites to pat themselves on the back for voting "Black." However, he wasn't black on the inside - he had no "hood", no "street cred", no lineage of slavery, no black fight upward from a ghetto, and experienced no overt racism in his lifetime. This too allowed white Americans to vote for him, as his vision wasn't one of "Blackness", but instead one of a cosmopolitan and elite air. He appealed to the romantic socialists and globalists. In short, he was the token Black president of white Democratic elites. He was sold to America as the total package deal uniter, but proved to be a divider and in his exodus, duplicitous.

[@Colourbash]

"Hood, street cred, lineage of slavery, black fight upward from a ghetto, and experiencing overt racism in a lifetime" is the precise definition of being a black person and no other???

[@winstonscott4195]

Colourbash true what a racist stereotype of black American that. Black Americans are more diverse than that. Sure Obama was a as he described himself a mutt, but black Americans who come from black homes a variegated. Your description of black American doesn’t even describe the children of immigrant blacks or the existence of the black American middle and upper class.

[@fraa888grindr7]

@@winstonscott4195 read my reply

[@binmyrtmind]

Colourbash always looking backwards rather than seeking for the future is fueling black racism against whites from what Im seeing. How do we solve that problem?

[@raventempest3582]

Token black superioest!

[@justifiedlife1595]

Excuse me. Let me make this clear. From the choice of all the Republican candidates, I chose Trump. I've never watched his shows, or liked him personally, I simply wanted someone that knew business, and how to get things done. I also liked and agreed with every opinion he stated, and his policies. For this, I am labeled a racist. For all you know, I am black.

[@lelamarkham5863]

You could oppose Barack Obama and not care one wit about his skin color. His character and the tenor of his policies was at issue. Not his skin color.

[@marrob357]

Just about all the negative talk about Obama has a lot to do with his skin color so cut the BS!!!

[@skyangel6336]

@@marrob357 never heard that Always about his policies and the BS he would say that was divisive!

[@just_bee9482]

I completely agree

[@youdontsay2181]

@@marrob357 so boring,what's it like going through life having a scapegoat, "RACISM"

[@busolaolagunju3410]

Oh pleeeeease! There was one aspect of his person that was intolerable to his vociferous opponents and we know what aspect that was. I hope Snow White Trump gets re- elected. He will give Americans the policies they deserve.

[@ofrabendavid3900]

Thank your professor Glenn for your perfect analyst !

[@nancynichols2982]

When I found out that Barack Obama, a black Senator, I thought what a great thing this is for US, a black President!! And I, even being a white conservative, immediately start thinking that I might vote for him, specially that he was so charismatic! So I started listening to him to learn about his ideas....and that's when I decided that I couldn't vote for him. On one of his campaign speeches, he said, "I will redistribute the capital"! An another time he said " We are not a Chtistian nation anymore" etc., etc.

[@carlahubbard7251]

I used to love president Obama and thought he was great just because he was articulate and had a drama free family. We'll that wasn't enough and didn't realize how much damage he did to our country.

[@afuzzycreature8387]

In the end its policies and corruption. His policies were terrible and his administration was the most corrupt in modern history.

[@pdumpsterful]

I'm sure they were in on spying on trump. The Democrats go after their political opponents

[@zerobyte802]

The very first time I ever heard Obama was during the 08 primary. He got the mic and started talking. My snake oil salesman detector went off immediately. I do not feel that history has corrected that assessment.

[@henrygarciga]

The biggest cons have been his birthright cover-up. Most important, the retiring of Osama Bin Laden . As a figure who had nothing to do with 9-11 and died in Dec. 2001 , he no longer was useful to the overt imperialist capture of foreign oil reserves obtained under the premise of fighting terrorism . An unknown senator with no history suddenly jumps to the top of the pack ? He repeated the same platitudes all candidates recite. He approved the murder of an American citizen without trial , revealing the kill list unchallenged through the NDAA with congress pitifully silent on such a horrible illegal policy. His aunt was living in public housing in Boston on an expired visa , shameful example of the disconnect Obama had with other immediate family members shoved to the back of the news reports. The media gave him a pass that resulted in a dangerous tolerance of perpetuating Bush policies with many of the same officials in place . Obama was no constitutional lawyer. No one remembers him attending Columbia . That he promised open transparency then prosecuted journalists and jailed whistle-blowers is hard enough to swallow .

[@henrygarciga]

@8 Bit Hero --You mean Blagojevich didn't deserve a pardon ? What I couldn't understand is why Chicago put up with Rahm Emmanuel when it was revealed he failed to disclose evidence of police , uh, murder . I don't think misconduct is the right term. Camping out right on City Hall steps would have put some pressure . Not one leader stepped up to the plate. Jessie Jackson & the Rainbow Coalition lost all the luster once gained.

[@henrygarciga]

@8 Bit Hero --Now I connected the dots . Ayers association with the radical group Weathermen . In 7 years, their signature dynamite bombs totaled only 25 , it was the FBI's most wanted posters of their faces at the post office that put them on the map, wasn't it ? Recently aired on PBS was a documentary on Kent State . The Day the '60s Died kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2iXZJKugduBj7s Barely 14 , the first radical to make me take notice was Abbie Hoffman's 'Steal This Book' . Yet the gripping images of the Chicago Seven meets Mayor Daley's skullcracker goonsquad showed the need to assert authority at the slightest challenge . Then came Kent State & shooting peaceful groups on campus by Nat'l Guards resulted in taking over entire buildings . The police weren't prepared for such a belligerent act . I barely missed the draft and remained aloof through it all. As I moved to Northern Cal. , that history came alive through the SLA when I sat on the stool Patty Hearst ordered a drink from living upstairs from the Monkey Bar in Sacto. That Sara Olson remained a fugitive for 25 years since the 1975 bank robbery and murder of a guard , I realized how often people escaped murder raps to live into old age. Yes I'm rambling.....

[@shanesawyer5103]

LOL, but let me guess- when you first heard trump, you thought he was honest & decent, right? 😆

[@henrygarciga]

@@shanesawyer5103 --He seems to be good with young girls, uh, children as a family man, dedicated to the plight of trafficked children , gives to Epstein charities, golfs with Harvey Weinstein , and never denied any underprivileged teenager entry into his private spas, when accompanied by Ghislaine.

[@steveeric6942]

Glenn has very high standards. Glenn is awesome.

[@jonathanakerele8006]

I kind of wish this Glenn would meet with Glen Ford who also gave interesting talks about the mixed results of Obama's presidency and made some excellent points himself. I think they would have an interesting discussion and probably agree on lots of areas where they feel Obama failed to fulfill certain campaign goals and how that affected everyday citizens. =)

[@sac78008]

1:19:24 “What do you do to come up with a story that people are gonna buy?” THAT’S a smart statement.

[@thb6680]

I just recently started listening to Glenn Loury and I can't seem to get enough. I wanted to add to the many very insightful comments here, that conservatives and apparently many others noticed that during the entire Obama presidency he would never wear the American flag and that seemed very un-American. For all of Trump's faults, he exuded being an American and thus being "one of us." I think this continues to be a strong point for Trump.

[@keenanfinucan8778]

Four Americans died in the Benghazi, that does not make it Pearl Harbor. And somehow, there is more hate for Hillary than the radical militants who actually did the killing. So we're supposed to believe Obama and Hillary woke up and said "lets let our people die and lie about it"? Give me a break. The whole reason Benghazi became as big as it was on the right, so out of proportion with its historical significance, wasn't because of anything Hillary did or didn't do, it was to give people who already hated her more paper thin excuses to hate her. It just sounded too good. Conservatives could have attacked her on policy or effectiveness but believe it or not, Hillary was actually a good secretary of state, who was low key enough, careful enough, moderate enough, that apparently conservatives couldn't find something scandalous that gave them enough political oomph and collectively chose to turn Benghazi into Pearl Harbor 2.0 instead. And as it turns out just giving people a one dimensional, one word chant "BENGHAZI" was pretty effective, because that one word confirmed every negative opinion they ever had about Hillary. Funny how that phenomenon works.

[@thb6680]

In my original post, I deleted some additional facts and opinions about the Obama presidency that added to the topic as to why so many in our country voted for Trump. No debate on these points will make a difference with those wanting to debate them here in the comments section of Mr. Loury's analysis.

[@wouldbegood]

Spent all my hope and got no change.

[@donovankelly7723]

I'd love to hear his analysis of Biden's presidency

[@Keystoneexperience]

I'd like an update to this lecture from Glenn!

[@binmyrtmind]

He also used the IRS to target people.

[@lelamarkham5863]

You take people's jobs and give them government benefits in return. The lack of hope makes drugs very attractive.

[@henrygarciga]

That sounds like Mexico post NAFTA . With the small farm losing out on water rights in a drought stricken country , the ejidos were subsumed within larger parcels. Somewhere between 500,000 on up farm jobs were lost. The Narco economy absorbed some of those displaced , and with the help of readily available weapons across the border, turf wars heated up. Employing the techniques of their training at the School of the Americas, many military personnel found lucrative income opportunities trading protection and intelligence for hard cash . With only 1% of all murders ever prosecuted, there is a high probability many pursue lives in the states if they survive. Think of the family members of those murdered in the scores of thousands that are resigned to accept their anonymous killer . It is far worse today than the peak year of 2007 Juarez, yet Americans barely would comprehend the current crisis as it is deliberately blocked from the news media, except when an American family is mistakenly massacred on a main highway do they get a glimpse.

[@shanesawyer5103]

Yeah, a lot of people are hopeless & using drugs with trump running the country... it is sad.

[@shanesawyer5103]

John Richmond Your big revelation is that people were using drugs before 2017? Wow, how did you get so wise, sir? Seriously- you didn’t instantly realize my comment was obvious trolling? C’mon, kid!

[@binmyrtmind]

shane sawyer you are one of the useful idiots at this point doing exactly what the democratic narrative is feeding you. Please pull yourself out of yhe hole before you ruin your life. It's your choice

[@shanesawyer5103]

binmyrtmind If I don’t support Drump, I’m ruining my life? That’s not a very compelling or sophisticated argument.

[@NineInchTyrone]

Glenn is the BEST

[@gardenladyjimenez1257]

Prescient remarks. I could write a book on my disquiet of his initial election followed by the realities of his 8 years in office. I will look for Mr. Loury's insights, if available, on the current events in our country. Key point...a president of the US who just happened to be black...is this any different than what people of all colors would want? A president of the US who just happens to be...white/black/brown/red/yellow. Look what Obama's failure has reaped as watered and cultivated by the ultra-liberal Dems who have caused all reasonable people to cower and retreat! Failure? Absolutely!

[@rickmemmer5625]

"I'm not a black man singing country music. I'm an American man singing American music." -- Charley Pride I think that's the exact quote, but I can't find it right now to be certain. Had Obama approached the presidency in the same way, we'd be living in a very different world right now. Note: I suspect that Obama didn't want to insert himself into race-related incidents -- but rather that his inner circle (and the Democratic Party establishment) -- pressured him into it. That squares with his record of being weak. Moreover, I don't think Obama has a bone of conviction in his body -- so I don't think for one second that he has any hardline views on race or anything else. He just went the way the wind was blowing (as Democrats notoriously do). . . .

[@rickmemmer5625]

@Annie Springer Clearly, you haven't read my other writings -- because "excuse" has nothing to do with what I wrote. It's just insight into motives and human behavior. It's just something to think about as a way of understanding what is going on and how people operate. You can do that and simultaneously not excuse the behavior. You took what I wrote and responded with what you perceived and assumed -- when simply asking, "Are you saying that excuses Obama?" would have cleared it up. Now if you really wanna know what I think of Obama, here ya go (a piece I wrote weeks ago): =================================== I don’t do slogans, so to me, “Black Lives Matter” is just as empty as its comeback cousin. Blunt instruments for change are just too ham-handed for my taste. Rather than endlessly debate catch phrases, monuments, and movements-I’m far more interested in considering the underlying merit in a point of view. While everyone else spins their wheels on who’s right, I define what I see by factoring for what’s true (isolating and correlating along the way). When it comes to ascertaining the truth, I don’t care what your cause is, who’s in the White House, who controls Congress or the courts. I learned early on in life that what you want gets in the way of what you see. Does the Democratic Party have a history of manipulating racially-charged incidents? Undeniably! Has the left-leaning side of the cable clans increasingly accommodated Democrats over the years? Without question! Can you conclude what happened to Trayvon and Michael Brown with the same certainty as the death of George Floyd? No way-but ya did, and in lickety-split fashion. Zimmerman’s brother perfectly put it: “He had the greater hand in his own demise.” To an apologist, he had no hand at all-a mindset that violates the rules of reality. If you’re pulled over by the police and you cop an attitude, you’re askin’ for trouble. And right on cue, “He was a wannabe cop and was told not to follow him!” So, you want to skip right over what transpired and go right to “gunned down”-because he was armed and didn’t follow instructions? Wishful thinking is not an argument-not to mention the fact that preforming calcified conclusions is prejudice by definition. The Left seeks to eradicate racism while refusing to recognize how they fuel it. The second they painted Trayvon as a child, they contaminated their judgment. The cops made an honest mistake in calling his watermelon drink “iced tea” (simply because of the brand). That the media advocates reported it the same way at first is understandable. That they never corrected it is unforgivable. To conform to fact, we must agree that it was watermelon and consider what it means: Maybe nothing, maybe everything. But you pollute the debate when you won’t even acknowledge the irrefutable. Worse than that-you poison your purpose. You’d think that a party that prides itself on intellectualism would examine the efficacy of their efforts. Perhaps even try some predictive analysis: ************ Hmm, we’ve got the first black president in the White House and we’re marching to Black Lives Matter. That might be overplaying our hand and have unintended consequences. Same goes for the removal of monuments-do we really want to infuriate the opposition for fleeting gain? Maybe the awe-inspiring artistry of historical figures will spark a sense of wonder in the youth. Perhaps they’ll read the plaque and probe for more. Whatever their findings, isn’t there great value in that process of discovery? Wouldn’t it be better if we just let people make up their own minds about whether problematic pieces embody hate or heritage? And even if the monuments could magically vanish from the face of the Earth, would that really solve anything? On top of all that, it seems that the more sensitive we try to be, the more hypersensitive our culture has become. That wasn’t our aim. We elected a sophisticated guy-shouldn’t we seek change in a bold and sophisticated manner? After all, wasn’t that the point of his presidency? Wouldn’t we be more successful in solving problems if we took an honest look at the different dimensions within them? Instead of putting Kaepernick on a pedestal for telling us what we wanna hear, maybe we should be inspired by Kobe who told us what we don’t: "I won't react to something just because I'm supposed to, because I'm an African-American. That argument doesn't make any sense to me. So we want to advance as a society and a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American, we immediately come to his defense? Yet you want to talk about how far we've progressed as a society? Well, then don't jump to somebody's defense just because they're African-American." ************ For immovable conservatives who find comfort in that quote-take a good look in the mirror, because defending the indefensible is your M.O. What we’re seeing today was partly built on a foundation of manufactured outrage (which applies to most controversial issues in America over the last 30 years). Decades of dishonesty in the Gutter Games of Government is not a nation on a path to greatness. I wrote this piece before I came across the accompanying video. I was blown away by these words: “Anti-racism, as currently configured-has gone a long way from what used to be considered intelligent and sincere civil rights activism. Today it's a religion.” kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4WVo5-Amp6Wq7c “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.” ― Leo Tolstoy kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmXLfpmQm7NrjaM mounteverestoftheobvious.com/documentary/prologue/ makeamericagreatforonce.blog/ . . .

[@jirky015]

Yeah Im kind of with you on that. He probably felt pressure to appease his base and I think appease black people mostly. He certainly had a very level attitude before he became president as he claimed if he lost the election it would not be because of racism but because he failed to convince Americans he was the right person for the job. What happened to that guy?

[@smithemile3425]

Thank you Glenn Loury for pointing out how Obama should have come down harder on the banking industry. This would have helped the middle class and Blacks.

[@kevinodom2918]

I know it's so easy & the right thing to do by blaming the"evil" banks & I've got as much of a right to trash them as anyone after what they did to me during the crash. However the truth & facts matter & i see the same disaster on the horizon if we go to far w this "everyone deserves" talk. Since few even know what was behind the mess our great politicians made I wonder if we learned from our mistake. 🤔 Approx 2 decades or so ago a group of politicians felt "everyone deserves to own a house." Sounds great, I mean who cares about credit & if you pay people back after give you a car or lend you money. After adding a bunch of departments , etc , but of course not enough so added more more more then DOJ began to ask nicely & then a lil pressure on the banks .., just think of the mob when they visit local businesses to tell them about the specials they're running on fire & theft +life insurance. When think about it does sound nice...if you're a 3 rd grader. Anyway it was started by Democrats & Republicans were just as involved but w their silence tells me they were a lot more involved than originally thought. They both disgust me. Along w a bunch of other govt programs & puttung all their fingers in the pie they then wanted relaxed lending qualifications to make easier for poor people to own a house because it will just be a nice thing to do. You know college is a right, houses are a right, cars are a right. .. We know how that worked out. Millions of people who had no down payments on homes, zero skin in the game and hell 7 yrs it even falls of credit so hell w it just give the houses back. The media and all tell us the banks are bad anyway so screw em. You know who hates banks ? poor people but If you pay your Bill's on time , dont buy crap you cant afford & that small house your renting for $1400 w good credit you can but w taxes and all appro,x $700 , that $25,000 car = half the monthly payment if good credit etc. Like I said 7 yrs & u can pretty much start over & 2nd chance. credit repair company is a few hundred - under $1000 & 3rd chance, call banks & work out deal to pay off old bad loans & theyll usually do for pennies on the dollar & build back credit w secured credit cards. anyway point is no excuses and u can live for half what spending per month now q good credit . It left the poor who they claimed they wanted to help much worse off, added millions more ti join them in poverty & even wiped out the investments of thise that had finally found a lil wiggle room after spending decades scrownging up & saving up every cent they could for down payments, repairs, working a couple hundred weekends instead of the beach etc w familt ,& friends investments that many Its sad.. They were only trying to help the poor & show compassion w other people's money. It had absolutely nothing to do w continuing to grow the govt inch by inch by inch which would give them more money & power. u

[@afuzzycreature8387]

the banks flaws were engaging in derivative trading and the marking up of bogus securities. The former was stupid but not criminal, the latter is probably a crime. I wish as many banks possible failed. HOWEVER. What the hell does that have to do with the middle class or blacks? Our elites need to own their moral hazards. However, the issue of the middle class is different.

[@ajendo]

The O'paucity of hope

[@carlosgaspar8447]

carpetbagger comment was pretty funny

[@fraa888grindr7]

Don't make fun of O'bama, my Irish president.

[@spinakerann]

President Obama had 8 years to help back people , but did not. I voted for him in trusting a black president would make this change. He failed to do so. ? I might add, that we love his home on St Martha Vineyard. Iam a Democrat

[@larreye8451]

What s a diverse public we have here.

[@sircharlesnot]

Very good Ed!!!

[@jimmiller8389]

Note that Trump has followed thru with his promises.

[@madameclark3453]

20:48 Obama has led his party over the Cliff.

[@jacquelinehernandez2496]

2008 did that! Just by the party and their long time ally and defender the media pushing for his nomination and subsequent election without due vetting and tough questions that a presidential candidate normally goes through. They covered up for him and gave him undeserved veneration throughout his campaign, election, and re-election. With each egregious act and undue reward, b.ho got bolder and stupider and responded with even more egregious acts. It's all coming out now, but some of us saw it from the beginning!

[@CrazyAnimalGaming]

Or... Obama's party helped lead him over the Cliff. I watched Snowden talk about how most people have genuine interest in wanting to lead their nation to a greater era but that the minute they get elected, the so called advisors give them a laundry list of issues that could jeopardize their presidency... It's like walking into never ending cob webs and the only solution is the one at hand and that is the solution these advisors already had planned. It was the same thing that George Bush JR walked into during 9/11. They pushed the idea of WMD in Iraq and he pretty much had to run with it even when there were many conservatives that questioned the facts. The whole idea of our government and how it's a two party dictatorship is mind blowing. A two party system just keeps the power passing from one party to the other like a Baton. It seems that after many years of having this common ground and understanding both parties have become very thirsty for power, which is why the media networks that support either parties are pushing many issues that could easily be perceived as propaganda. From immigration issues to Islamic terror to racism to chemical weapons and policies in other countries. Just a shame how we have handled everything with a half ass approach..

[@pinebluff1971]

But that deep state horrible treatment of current President was led by the “HopeChange Movement “ !! I see Barack all over the current climate with riots and mayhem!

[@binmyrtmind]

No one was listening when he gave his speeches; he smoothly sowed racial tension, stated he would fundamentally change the country, would outsource our jobs by providing a welfare state , etc.

[@sallyfong9843]

Dang ... I can't believe he admitted to voting for Hilary ... shocking.

[@NineInchTyrone]

When was this recorded ?

[@christinewatkins4230]

I disagree that many did not like him because he was black. I was proud that we had a Black president.

[@pdumpsterful]

I dont know anyone that didn't like him because he was black. That's racist

[@austin0031]

Good talk! He makes a lot of excellent points.

[@enochgoodfellow8972]

An hour in and he says what is different about him and most Americans today; most of us will not watch and listen to the other side at all.

[@bluewaters3100]

I do not think that is true at all. My Uncle and I talk on the phone and I get to listen to him tell me how horrible Pres. Trump is and how his health has been affected by his presidency. I can not even get two words in so I just let him talk.

[@enochgoodfellow8972]

@@bluewaters3100 That's what I mean; it's hard to find people with which one can have a good back and forth conversation. My first comment is kind of confusing now as I read it again.

[@Nonukes2024]

Hey..Glen Don't forget spying on a presidential candidate..... Using the IRS as a political tool... .....or the 4 Americans killed.... While he went back too bed.... This Black Muslim sympathizer Was a hopeful....for the transformation....of America Not too build up..... But to tear down. What a plant.....he was..and is. Brennan...Clapper.....McCabe And yup....Barry Obama...Biden All that....Hope He was right....but "Hopelessness" was the Obama Presidential.....way. And Trump....is legally exposing the Obama Hustle , it's just beginning...

[@HeavyK.]

"Those jobs are never coming back. What's he gonna do, wave his magic wand?”

[@David-ky9ns]

Cut Taxes, cut regulations and get out of the way. Thus, creating an attractive business environment and we will see prosperity that will benefit the largest amount of people. NO MAGIC WAND NEEDED.

[@Josh-pe5pl]

Something to factor in for those dissecting the Obama Presidency. I suspect that Obama (1) didn't take racism very seriously, and (2) probably ID'd more with educated American whites than with the uniquely American Black culture. He didn't learn thru osmosis, as American Blacks do, the unique Black American culture. He was raised by whites, is half-white himself, and didn't experience Black racism. His father was from Africa, not an American descended from slaves. Dad left Hawaii for mainland for post-grad while his mother was pregnant with him. BHO didn't even know any American Black families ... The only Blacks in Hawaii back then were in the military. He was the only Black at Punahou, the top college-prep private school in Hawaii. But no harm, no foul. Hawaii residents are all MINORITIES, and we celebrate our multi-cultural history. Seems reasonable to assume he ID'd with his white side since the father was long gone. (He saw him just 2 or 3 times, the last being when he was around 6 or 7 yrs old.) Factoring in the positive influences of worldly Punahou parents, their kids are far more likely to choose their friends by mutual interests, personality, loyalty, etc. Not race! Obama did joke that some of his classmates wondered about his ethnicity and told him they ,figured he was Polynesian.

[@cosmichrist]

There was almost a conservative question in that audience.

[@rickmemmer5625]

I don’t do slogans, so to me, “Black Lives Matter” is just as empty as its comeback cousin. Blunt instruments for change are just too ham-handed for my taste. Rather than endlessly debate catch phrases, monuments, and movements-I’m far more interested in considering the underlying merit in a point of view. While everyone else spins their wheels on who’s right, I define what I see by factoring for what’s true (isolating and correlating along the way). When it comes to ascertaining the truth, I don’t care what your cause is, who’s in the White House, who controls Congress or the courts. I learned early on in life that what you want gets in the way of what you see. Does the Democratic Party have a history of manipulating racially-charged incidents? Undeniably! Has the left-leaning side of the cable clans increasingly accommodated Democrats over the years? Without question! Can you conclude what happened to Trayvon and Michael Brown with the same certainty as the death of George Floyd? No way-but ya did, and in lickety-split fashion. Zimmerman’s brother perfectly put it: “He had the greater hand in his own demise.” To an apologist, he had no hand at all-a mindset that violates the rules of reality. If you’re pulled over by the police and you cop an attitude, you’re askin’ for trouble. And right on cue, “He was a wannabe cop and was told not to follow him!” So, you want to skip right over what transpired and go right to “gunned down”-because he was armed and didn’t follow instructions? Wishful thinking is not an argument-not to mention the fact that preforming calcified conclusions is prejudice by definition. The Left seeks to eradicate racism while refusing to recognize how they fuel it. The second they painted Trayvon as a child, they contaminated their judgment. The cops made an honest mistake in calling his watermelon drink “iced tea” (simply because of the brand). That the media advocates reported it the same way at first is understandable. That they never corrected it is unforgivable. To conform to fact, we must agree that it was watermelon and consider what it means: Maybe nothing, maybe everything. But you pollute the debate when you won’t even acknowledge the irrefutable. Worse than that-you poison your purpose. You’d think that a party that prides itself on intellectualism would examine the efficacy of their efforts. Perhaps even try some predictive analysis: ************************ Hmm, we’ve got the first black president in the White House and we’re marching to Black Lives Matter. That might be overplaying our hand and have unintended consequences. Same goes for the removal of monuments-do we really want to infuriate the opposition for fleeting gain? Maybe the awe-inspiring artistry of historical figures will spark a sense of wonder in the youth. Perhaps they’ll read the plaque and probe for more. Whatever their findings, isn’t there great value in that process of discovery? Wouldn’t it be better if we just let people make up their own minds about whether problematic pieces embody hate or heritage? And even if the monuments could magically vanish from the face of the Earth, would that really solve anything? On top of all that, it seems that the more sensitive we try to be, the more hypersensitive our culture has become. That wasn’t our aim. We elected a sophisticated guy-shouldn’t we seek change in a bold and sophisticated manner? After all, wasn’t that the point of his presidency? Wouldn’t we more successful in solving problems if we took an honest look at the different dimensions within them? Instead of putting Kaepernick on a pedestal for telling us what we wanna hear, maybe we should be inspired by Kobe who told us what we don’t: "I won't react to something just because I'm supposed to, because I'm an African-American. That argument doesn't make any sense to me. So we want to advance as a society and a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American, we immediately come to his defense? Yet you want to talk about how far we've progressed as a society? Well, then don't jump to somebody's defense just because they're African-American." ************************ For immovable conservatives who find comfort in that quote-take a good look in the mirror, because defending the indefensible is your M.O. What we’re seeing today was partly built on a foundation of manufactured outrage (which applies to most controversial issues in America over the last 30 years). Decades of dishonesty in the Gutter Games of Government is not a nation on a path to greatness. I wrote this piece before I came across the accompanying video. I was blown away by these words: “Anti-racism, as currently configured-has gone a long way from what used to be considered intelligent and sincere civil rights activism. Today it's a religion.” kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4WVo5-Amp6Wq7c “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.” ― Leo Tolstoy kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmXLfpmQm7NrjaM . . .

[@binmyrtmind]

You have made some excellent points and it would be nice to have conversations with both sides yet all I get when I ask questions is yelling and shouting racist in my face.

[@rickmemmer5625]

P.S. I should not have assumed which side you're on, but the overall point is what matters.

[@barneycserepka7234]

Again the problem is is that they elected a president not by his character like Martin Luther said they elected him because of his colour everybody was happy gold finally now we've got a black president they shouldn't have focussed on the fact it was a black president. The fact that they based social equality and acceptance on the fact that a black president was being elected versus his character. That's where our world everywhere makes mistakes Martin Luther King made a perfect statement when he said Judge Me by my character not my colour.

[@pdumpsterful]

Completely agree

[@nnaojnoswad9779]

Obama's presidency fell through the cracks, when he took Duncan and Emmanuel to Washington with him. the educator and the lawyer.✍️

[@Madrrrrrrrrrrr]

Remember: Around feb 2020 Trump had the most blacks working ever recorded in history!

[@Madrrrrrrrrrrr]

@Cheryl Brandon are you too lazy to google? And why are you shouting?

[@christinewatkins4230]

Barry did lie!

[@cattycorner8]

The young man in the audience says that "Republicans broke the system" . What on Earth is he talking about? Statements like that make me wonder about the sanity of the Left.

[@realistbob7178]

its always about skin color for black people ,,,,

[@pdumpsterful]

Mostly

[@prybarknives]

"...no next generation bench of political talent being developed..." (17:25) Wow, never occurred to me. He had a wealth of political capital in the first couple of years (at least) and definitely should have spent a but of it on exactly that. A legacy indeed, would that have been.

[@peachessmith2389]

Obama was a nobody that as you said propped himself up. I cried when he was re-elected. Not because of his color or his ability to communicate , but I knew in my heart of hearts that he wanted to turn America into a socialist communist country just as Hillary would have tried to do if she had been elected. I grew up very poor so you can’t say I’m an elitist. I know what hard work is and I’m proud of the fact that God gave me the ability and determination to work. Work and enjoying your work is important. Also abortion and fatherless homes is killing the black community.

[@afuzzycreature8387]

the fatherless homes yes, the abortion? No. More children would not make the black community heal itself. Now, the devaluation of life and the increased incentive to screwing around is a problem, but more children is not the answer to their problems.

[@patrickbeersingh9107]

Wow! You predicted Trump's strategy perfectly.

[@bonsummers2657]

Ya'll thinking too much about this. I just saw him as a cool guy worth a go. But the Trayvon statement was a 'not good' thing by Obama.

[@howardgstrecke]

If Biden wins, what happens to the legacy?

[@howardgstrecke]

@@BocaoZ left legacy

[@fearhungerpride]

Depends on the senate. If the Democrats can get a sizeable progressive majority, then legislation can be changed. Otherwise, Biden will be a sitting duck like Obama was for most of his two terms.

[@frankdracman4084]

Im staunchly non partisan, prolly more of an ANTI-partisan person. So much so even tho I live in CA and the electoral college nullified my vote for president in 2016, I refused to vote for Hillary or Trump and wrote someone in, a dead person no less. In 2020 tho I was kidding when I speculated/joked about making the options any worse, which they may have realized, Id come to see Trump much differently, and papa Joe was arguably as bad or worse than Hillary. I have never overlooked Trump's criticisms, many of which are objectively valid, many of which are total nonsense and unprecedented and began before he even declared. Its 2022 and though theyll have to dig down deep, the parties may yet top 2016 and 2020 in pathetic choices to give us, and the divisions and political disputes are just sinking deeper but sticking to the same old strategies. Who has honestly ever seen the scale of desperation the dems are showing while being the incumbents? And lemme tell you tho I like, more or less considering that line of work he chose, DeSantis and think he might be decent, but FL has alot wrong w/ it besides hurricanes and humidity. I shudder at the thought of the partisantard games if Trump were to be reelected, tho not as much as the image of Kamala or mayor Pete or 4 more years of a mentally impaired Joe pretending he has a clue about the state of the union. I just dont think either side has learned diddly about the mistakes theyre both repeating over and over

[@ihc909]

Avoid 1.09.30 verbal dischutterea

[@googletaqiyya184]

-Obama- Citibank

[@JamesHarris-fi9fh]

The reason obama failed is because we failed we didn't do what MLK preached we judged him black and white people which is probably why he was biracial by the color of his skin and not by the content of his character

[@Boricua-tn7ve]

I’m QA it did happen with Trump -a Democrat walked out.

[@justifiedlife1595]

You think people have gotten past their grief? or given him a chance? no way in hell.

[@chipispowdercoatingcharles8444]

I wonder what his thoughts are on President Trump's maybe getting the NPprize

[@pdumpsterful]

No way! The MSM will shut that down!

[@justifiedlife1595]

Here's my favorite Hillary "candidates cribs" clip. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX2YmaFrd52Hj6s

[@Mr.E.Shoppa]

There is no privilege.

[@BADALICE]

I really want to comment in here. But I don't have time. Some people should spend time outside their circle. You may grow out of touch otherwise.

[@buzzhunta]

In the Whitehouse Looking into Trumps eyes saying my top priority is a smooth transition will be his lasting legacy

[@asaasare220]

please give us reflections on the legacy of your erstwhile friends in the socalled conservative movement... the chosen blacks chosen soley by our enemies.... adam clayton powell on black conservatives... what are they attempting to conserve... paraphrase

[@TheShootist]

Lowery was certainly wordy. As to Obama, his feet were of clay.

[@NineInchTyrone]

Seven minutes intro. Absurd

[@youdontsay2181]

Another "intellectual "with a platform?????

[@just_bee9482]

Watching from Australia. I must admit that Trump is worse than BO.

[@afuzzycreature8387]

says the person who lives in a current prison country.

[@pdumpsterful]

You obviously know little about the history of the Democrats. They are evil racist fascists, past and present. Trump was the best president in 50 years and the media and the Democrats squashed everything he wanted to do.

[@pdumpsterful]

Being from Australia, if Australia was involved in a war like ww2 would you rather have Obama or Biden as our president or trump?

[@pdumpsterful]

Did you know that Obama sent a plane load of cash to Iran? And you don't like trump?

[@williamkeys6782]

We are Glenn Loury (Bloggingheads TV) fans, although we disagree with him philosophically. His comments are +/- 1 year after this speech and in the POTUS elect period. We are Trump supporters and history has proved us right. The assessments in this speech are brilliant and honest. Trump is a leader, Obama was a wet squib.

[@robertbarr6954]

I'm a black conservative and thank God Trump . Love Glenn great man but disagree with some of his assignments , wish more black were open minded.

[@frankmeyer6472]

Yeah, Glen is the best...love his podcasts when he has John mcwhorter

[@williamkeys6782]

In hindsight, it was the Bush Administration that saved the day. Obama was a passenger. Eight years of Obama stagnation. One year after the Trump election and the USA economy is booming. Come on Glenn! do us a favour.

[@madameclark3453]

🙄

[@afuzzycreature8387]

@@madameclark3453 truth hurts. A competent leader doesn't need 8 years to turn around an economy. Obama's policies hurt economic recovery just as Biden economics are harming things right now.

[@comfortsuitesnewbern734]

Total garbage critique!