Is questioning
where President Obama was born a racist remark or question? If questioned by a
“birther” who has never embraced President Obama, one might surmise that person to be a
racist unless that person is one of color (whatever that means). On the other hand, if used tongue-in-cheek
a la late night comedians such as Jay Leno, David Letterman and others, or by writers who not always be sometimes pen humorous columns, viewers and readers would chuckle at the comic relief. So, in the following narrative, is a remark
about where President Obama was born racist?
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Obamas to Asheville; Michelle for US Senate?
It’s possible,
but not probable, but it could be accomplished in short span. Word (rumor) is
that President Obama and his wife, Michelle, are planning to drop their
citizenship in Illinois (maybe they already have), buy a home in Asheville
(some say that’s underway), and become citizens of the Tar Heel State, a
prerequisite for Michelle to run for the United States Senate, specifically for
the seat currently occupied by Richard Burr. It's all conjecture but, read on.
To become a citizen of the Tar Heel state, owning the home is probably a
must, declaring it as primary residence is on the list, getting a driver’s
license is probably necessary, and paying taxes in North Carolina is definitely
required.
The idea of Michelle running for US Senate,
representing North Carolina, is even more interesting on several fronts. She
would need to declare pretty soon with the election in 2016. She would be
campaigning for the seat while her husband completes his term as President. Her
candidacy would probably suck a lot of money away from and without regard for
other campaigns in North Carolina and across the nation.
The most intriguing part of this is the stare-down
if Hillary Clinton becomes President and Michelle wins a US Senate seat at the
same time. When President Obama was Senator Obama, he had little regard for the
Office of the President (not just the office holder at the time), thinking that
the Senate had to have more influence and governing powers. But then he wasn’t
a very active or effective Senator anyway. Hillary was Obama’s colleague in the Senate, and, because of her eight years as First Lady, she had a much better understanding
of the Presidency and of how to get along from a Senator’s seat than did
Obama.
If Michelle were to be elected to the Senate, her
love of the Presidency would fall by the wayside, especially if Hillary were
the Commander in Chief. Hillary served Obama extremely well as Secretary of
State, but the public airing of disagreements between the two in her book, Hard
Choices, will
be tough for Michelle to swallow if she’s in a position of Senatorial power.
The burning
question has nothing to do with the possible, but not probable, move to
Asheville by the President and Michelle Obama, or, if that happens, the question has nothing
to do with Michelle running for the US Senate from North Carolina.
The question is: If
President Obama becomes a North Carolina citizen before his term is up, is
North Carolina obligated to erect a statue of him on the lawn of the State
Capitol next to Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson?
They were born in North Carolina and they became Presidents of the United States
while residing in Tennessee. The difference, obviously, is that Obama (born who
knows where) would be a President who later became a citizen of North Carolina.
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So, with reference to the first paragraph of this
post, is the parenthetical phrase “born who knows where” a racist comment? I
think not. What do you think? 
