House Boy

Jonathan Capehart, a black opinion writer for the WaPo, writes about the problems of a black person criticizing a black President:

The vitriol hit its peak during the first blow-up over the sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright last year. One over-the-top emailer wrote, "What kind of step-n-fetchit, house boy are you? You are DISGRACING Black people....God curse your house with tragedy, calamity, and poverty for the rest of your slimy, miserable days, you minstrel show clown."

The pride among African Americans in having one of our own as president is understandable. As Gene Robinson noted in his column last week, it just makes you feel good to see him not only represent you as a black American, but also represent the United States of America as he's done in Europe. But it does him no good and does the nation a disservice if he is not made to answer tough questions about his policies and decisions. Black reporters fought hard to get into positions from which they can hold the president to account. That cannot change now that the president himself is black.

It isn't close to being the same, but I feel somewhat like a traitor when I, a strong Obama supporter during the campaign, find myself criticizing him for his positions, like on the banks and his Af-Pk policy. There is definitely a split in the 'progressive' community, for lack of a better term, over the direction Obama is going, that is sad and unfortunate. But all we can do is be true to ourselves and let the chips fall where they may.