Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post Reporter: Obama "Much More White Than Black"

During an online chat Monday at WashingtonPost.com, Washington Post Congressional Reporter Jonathan Weisman said that Barack Obama is "much more white than black." The comment came as part of an answer to a question asking why a recent Obama ad, seen below, was "playing up his white family." Obama's mother was white and his father, who he was not close to growing up, was black.

The full question and answer:

Alexandria, Va.: Obama's new ad (which plays a lot in Alexandria) shows pictures of his mother and grandparents, playing up his white family. Until now he's been "African American"; now suddenly he's a white Midwesterner? During the primary Hillary was criticized for changing her image too many times. Won't Obama be criticized for doing the same thing?

Jonathan Weisman: I haven't heard that criticism, but it is striking. Not a single picture of his father. Now, that really is consistent with his upbringing. He really did not become immersed in black American culture until he left college and went to Chicago. The great irony is that he is much more white than black, beyond skin color.

Watch the ad in question below:

Read the entire WashingtonPost.com Q&A here.

Comments

[afrographia]

Let's also be clear about this: This ad is intended to address the racial fears of white folks: Will a black president share my values? Will he use his power to repay us for centuries of slavery, lynching and marginalization? Will he desecrate our White House with his rap music and wild parties? Is he really intelligent enough, or perhaps is he too smart for his own good?

Cue the soft acoustic guitar solo. Please, nothing too funky. Find clips where he is touching white women, but make sure they're too old for it to be construed miscegenationally. If he is with a soldier, make sure he's white. In fact, eliminate all shots with anything other than white folks...

Is this phony? To some extent, yes, but that is politics. He already has the votes of us who aren't afraid. And the reality is that we have to be patient. These folks are dealing with the psychological trauma of being confronted with the idea that being white does not make them superior to others. Until we have universal mental health care, Obama and the rest of us Black folk are going to have to bend over backward just to be seen as human.

[mypov123]

You're right on the money with that response! And Obama isn't selling out or becoming an "Uncle Tom" with this ad. Those who suggest that he is don't understand the significance of this moment. For the very first time, a person of color has a viable chance of being POTUS. While we have progressed a great deal in terms of race relations, we're not exactly "there" yet, there being a place where skin color doesn't have the significance that it still has when it comes to how we view one another.

[nerakami]

The statement is true. The majority of his upbringing was in a white environment... he absorbed what came from his mother and grandparents, both white. Even where he grew up in Hawaii, did not have a lot of blacks to identify with. Even though he was aware of his skin color and oftentimes was made to feel like an outsider, he did not know the authentic "black" experience as other black Americans did. Upon moving to the mainland, color became a more stark "culture shock", as America makes one painfully aware of their skin color. Since his is obviously of a dark hue, he endeavored to immerse himself in the black culture as a way of "belonging".

So the truth is: Barack Obama has truly lived both the white and black experience, which I think is pretty cool.

[Jazzcomedian]

This is a little off topic, but it's a question I've been mulling in light of Senator Obama's nomination and the reaction to it. Here is the question:

Why is Senator Obama's candidacy considered a more landmark achievement than Nelson Mandela becoming the first Black president of South Africa--a nation that ended it's far more racially oppressive apartheid policy in a Whites only referendum vote in 1992, and allowed its Black citizens to vote for the first time in 1994?

Any thoughts on that?

[ohiodem250]

It's not. We're just living in the midst of this particular moment so it seems bigger. I don't know of any newscaster or historian who has ever explicitly said this is bigger than Nelson Mandela.

[ohiodem250]

As a biracial male I have experienced similar reactions. Obviously those reactions were not broadcast to the world. Barack Obama's racial make-up is a blessing and a curse: he can be seen as all things by all people. In some ways, Obama can be a mirror to almost anyone he sits down with. At the same time, he can also be 'the other' to everyone he meets. I've noticed that he modulates his voice depending on the racial make-up of his audience. I find this funny because I do the same thing. Maybe it makes us fake. But I find when I do it it is unintentional. When I'm with a group of black men I will typically fall into their way of speaking. It's usually because they view me as a fellow minority and use certain speech patterns as a method of inclusion i.e. they speak to me differently than they would speak to a white man. On the other shoe, I have had many white friends use the n-word in front of me very casually and, once they remember that I am half-black, apologize and say it's a bad habit picked up from parents. They literally forgot that I was bi-racial. Maybe this is because I'm a contemptible social chameleon, particularly adept at social interaction, or just the product of racially sensitive Cincinnati. Does anyone else have similar experiences? What are reactions to my way of interacting from non-minorities?

[Heru1]

News flash. This happens to all African Americans who exist in a white environment. Your white racist friends are playing you.

[Agnim]

lol

That is funny as hell. lol

[vonniewit]

ohiodem250 - I am also from Cincinnati. I am not considered to be bi-racial unless you consider the fact that my ancestors were forced to mate while enslaved. I am 87% African and 17% European. At any rate - it has been my experience (and the experiences of others) that Cincinnati is conservative and allows racism (both covert and overt) to dwell there. A lot of the racism/ignorance that I experienced happened while I worked as a professional at UC. For example, a white co-worker told me that her family accepted her out-of-wedlock niece who was mixed with Jamaican blood because "at least the father wasn't black." The last I checked, geography - not race - separates "blacks" of the African Diaspora. Second, a white co-worker encouraged me to apply for the promotion since I was black. Well, she did not know that white women benefit from affirmative action more than blacks. And she did not consider the fact that she did not have a college degree while I had a bachelor’s degree and professional license. Finally, my white boss went off when I asked him when his daughter was due to have her baby. He informed me that the father was black and my boss was concerned about his grandson having a hard time in society. I thought, Damn, does he realize that he is saying to me that I don't have a chance being black (because he knows how white folks are).

[Veman]

The "Black experience" in the US, not unlike the "white experience", is as much a function of economics, and social constructs, as it is one of physical appearance and, to some significant degree (esp. in the case of bi-racial ppl born of mixed marriages) self-definition.

What remains however, even when all other factors are equal (income, education, etc.), is the reality that an individual who is black or brown, to the naked eye, will still encounter prejudice and/or racism as evidenced, most prominently, by racial profiling in context of law enforcement.

That said, and despite some limitations, one of the unique things about US culture is that it allows one to define and redefine oneself within society. "Identity", as defined by how one exhibits oneself to community and how one relates to that community, can evolve, morph; and in doing so, transmogrify the very community one inhabits.

[Jazzcomedian]

This is the election America had to have to find out objectively where this country is 2008 after our tortured history, with regard to Black/White racial attitudes. Not what we think we are, not what we hope we are, but what we truly are. Everything bad and ugly about race, and everything good and beautiful about race in our society is going to be exposed once and for all, for all to see. This election is where the racial rubber hits the road. We can't run from it, but we shouldn't fear it. My clarinet teacher used to say when I was struggling with a daunting piece, "Look your demons in the eye. It is the only way you can defeat them."

We should embrace this watershed journey to the unvarnished truth about our country. We can only grow from knowing our reality--be it good or bad. Personally, whether Obama wins or loses, I think the good and beautiful is going to prevail. Because it must.

[tojoi]

WOW! Now this IS a first. This country was founded on the premiss of slavery that instituted the "one-drop rule." For you youngsters who dont know, it states if you have ONE DROP of black blood in you, YOU ARE BLACK .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

Now, Obama's no longer black or, ahem, less black, because he could become President of the United States? WTH!!!

[Leota2]

Americans are the most insidiously screwed up people in the world about race and culture.

[djwfutbol]

You have apparently never been to Latin America (Peru, Colombia, Argentina or Brazil, for example) or England or India, for that matter. Believe me it is much worse in all of those places. Here, at least, we all talk about it as though we can fix it.

[GravitonX]

Look, Black people ain't mad at Barack. White people hold the cards and know if Obama wants the top job from white people, he has to accentuate his "white" credentials. Black people of every shade have perform this theater every time they interview for any meaningful job. White America has NEVER been comfortable, so Blacks have to play on the "you're not that Black" thing to survive. Don't hate the playa. Hate the game.

[democritus]

Obama, the Harvard Law Review editor, is more steeped in old-line east coast white culture than is McCain. Hence the attempt to paint him as an elitist who doesn't appeal to the working class. And this is a narrative that works for the Republicans. Even while McCain has the advantage of the family jet. OK his wife's jet.
So who is whiter, the Harvard guy or the guy with the jet? Makes you think.
Obama's gotta come up with some real beef. Stupid as it was, McCain's 300 million dollar battery got publicity. And what's with Obama and the biofuels? That is NOT the way to go.
I think what we need is another hotheaded shoot-from-the-hip economic ignoramus fighter pilot. Normally, these are young men with ultra-fast reflexes and perfect eyesight. Or the children of admirals and other political scions. Not masters of strategery. But Obama should not underestimate the ability of McW and the media to manufacure a Reagan-like image as a tough persevering straight-talker.
Although, he was against torture before he was for it.

[PAposter]

"Alexandria, Va.: Obama's new ad (which plays a lot in Alexandria) shows pictures of his mother and grandparents, playing up his white family. Until now he's been "African American"; now suddenly he's a white Midwesterner? During the primary Hillary was criticized for changing her image too many times. Won't Obama be criticized for doing the same thing?"

The stupidest question posed during this entire Presidential race, and the most asinine answer.

I wonder if this same reporter asked Hillary how she could be from Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Guam, Puerto Rico and Bosnia....did I miss any?

[kas70]

Another reason to not trip about the ad (I think the ad is great), he OF COURSE would showcase his American side. His American family is all white. If his black side were American, some of them may have made the ad as well, but that is not the case.

Just because he has always experienced life as a black person doesn't mean his family isn't still white. Family photos are just family photos, no matter the shade of the people in them.

[marymansour]

I am an elderly white woman born in Alabama. When I see Obama, I don't see white or black. I see HOPE and CHANGE and a chance for this country to overcome the stain of the Bush years.

[vaughan]

Beautiful comment!

[qdog112]

I think Weisman's statement that he is more white than black oversimplifies the issue. However, You have to admit that Barack's influences during his most formative years - were probably white. It's impossible to grow up in that environment without that being the case.

That being said, there is no reason for him to show his biological father who was absent from his life. That is no different from most single mother-led families. The parent who is there is emphasized and many times the other one is not mentioned.

If blackness or whiteness is more than skin color, then Barack's family history would reflect the people who were around him, not someone he didn't know.

[naschkatze]

An excellent comment.

[Faithtoo]

Well said.

[LawSource]

qdog112,

YEP, You Said It Best!!

WHY Highlight Someone Who Was Not Present To Raise Him?

In addition, because of his skin color, WHEN PEOPLE LOOK at Obama They Automatically See His Black heritage. UNLIKE HIS WHITE HERITAGE you Can Never Tell For Sure If He Has any!

THEREFORE, Jonathan Weisman Comments IS JUST PLAIN DUM!!

[tojoi]

Quiet as its kept, there was and still is the “One-Drop Rule,” which for those of you who don’t know, states if you have one drop of black blood in you, YOU ARE BLACK. It didnt matter how or who you grew up with or how far down the line that drop occurred, you were still black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

Now we have people trying to justify their choice in Obama by saying he’s more white than black? Face it, right or wrong this country labels people according to their race. Now that Obama may `become President, they want to DISCREDIT HIS BLACKNESS. WOW!

[EuroPreacher]

The truth is:He is an american (African father and american mother,thus literally african-american...He is both white and black and he is none taken alone...But the question should be about content of character and not skin calor just like MLK advocated...