Althouse: "He's ethnic but nonthreateningly ethnic — and so this is the Obama thing again."

November 10, 2010

"He's ethnic but nonthreateningly ethnic — and so this is the Obama thing again."

John McWhorter, musing about the presidential potential of Marco Rubio.

(Via Insta.)

48 comments:

bagoh20 said...: How do you achieve non-ethnicity? Are non-ethnics all non-threatening?; 11/10/10, 8:40 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Once you read his comment:

""He's ethnic but nonthreateningly ethnic,..."

Didn't you get that McFartFace was also projecting?; 11/10/10, 8:42 AM
bagoh20 said...: Should I feel good or bad if people say I'm not ethnic?; 11/10/10, 8:42 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Yes...what we really need is more threatening politicians. That usually works out well.; 11/10/10, 8:43 AM
bagoh20 said...: I bet most people would consider Obama to be ehtnic, but not a 100% genetic Irishman. Libs have destroyed English.

I feel quite threatened by most politicians, and I don't have to even see their faces or know their names.; 11/10/10, 8:46 AM
bagoh20 said...: My dog is Black and quite uppity.; 11/10/10, 8:47 AM
traditionalguy said...: The Spanish were here 130 years before Anglos joined them in a Real Estate venture they called America. It is the white skinned, blue eyed folks who are the ethnics when compared to the Spanish in Cuba. Nobody sees Rubio as anything other than American through Cuba which had been settled by Spanish Europeans around 1500, thanks to an Italian Sea Captain's courage. Rubio seems to have that same courage in his ancestry.; 11/10/10, 8:53 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Bagoh20,

My dog is Black and quite uppity.

He'll never be president, featured on Bloggingheads, or liked by Glenn Reynolds:

Submission, my friend - that's what gets you ahead in this brave new world.

On the other hand - tell the truth - he gets all the dog food he can handle, don't he?; 11/10/10, 8:53 AM
TMink said...: I think it is Rubio's story, his fine speaking style, and his love for America that will make him a great presidential candidate. I hope he stays conservative.

Trey; 11/10/10, 8:55 AM
Original Mike said...: Both McWhorter and Loury agree that Obama's color helped him become President.

I thought we were forbidden from saying, nay, forbidden from thinking, such things.; 11/10/10, 8:55 AM
Anonymous said...: This "nonthreatening" thing is a boring bit.

I'm impatient for some new ideas. Anybody got any?

New ideas are in incredibly short supply, aren't they.

The "threatening" minority bit has been going on forever. If you're an old fart like me, you can remember when leftists were condemning Louis Armstrong for being "nonthreatening." Like Armstrong was supposed to be a political firebrand.

If the greatest popular musician in modern history cannot be exempted from this bullshit... well, what can you say about this discussion?

It's idiocy.; 11/10/10, 8:58 AM
bagoh20 said...: "On the other hand - tell the truth - he gets all the dog food he can handle, don't he?"

She's an ethnic, threatening, uppity bitch, so she eats only raw meat...or else my non-ethnic, cracker ass will pay.; 11/10/10, 8:59 AM
Triangle Man said...: I thought we were forbidden from saying, nay, forbidden from thinking, such things.

I guess you were wrong. That's like caring what the checkout clerk thinks about what you buy.; 11/10/10, 9:04 AM
bagoh20 said...: "I'm impatient for some new ideas. Anybody got any?"

Well, it's not a new idea, but it's never been tried: Libertarianism - very small government.

Since caveman days most of our choices have been ruled by a small group of leaders.; 11/10/10, 9:04 AM
MadisonMan said...: i had some non-ethnic food last night. Kind of bland.; 11/10/10, 9:06 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Bagoh20,

She eats only raw meat...or else my non-ethnic, cracker ass will pay.

Well, alright then. "Good doggie." LOL; 11/10/10, 9:08 AM
SteveR said...: I didn't like when Obama was slotted for the presidency in 2004 at the convention, very premature and led to unrealistic expectations.

Marco Rubio should serve at least one full term. Wishful thinking is not a good way to elect a president.; 11/10/10, 9:11 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Does this mean we can never have an authentic Goombah in the White House?

wv= hothed; 11/10/10, 9:15 AM
Shanna said...: Yes...what we really need is more threatening politicians. That usually works out well.

Heh. That reminds me of when somebody complained about the ad that had that one I think Fannie Mae person on it (who was a black guy) and somebody said that he was "threatening" when he actually looked like a total dork in coke bottle glasses. Sometimes people are a little off when they start imagining what everybody else is seeing, you know?

Rubio is pretty good looking, btw. That can only help him.; 11/10/10, 9:18 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Btw the smarter of the two parties will make a break with the past and get rid of committee/ etc leaders who are baby boomers. Choose leaders who are 45 or younger. Retire the baby boomers - we have done enough damage to the country.; 11/10/10, 9:18 AM
Matthew Noto said...: Amen to that, AJ Lynch!

I'd even go as far as a program of carefully-planned euthanasia for anyone born between 1946 and 1960 at the first sign of any expensive-and-covered-by-Medicare disease.

Freakin' hipies ruined the economy!; 11/10/10, 9:24 AM
bagoh20 said...: "Retire the baby boomers - we have done enough damage to the country."

I agree, this is what the country needs now. We are the first generation to leave our progeny a worse nation. Good intentions run amok. When you start out imagining yourself superior to all human history you're gonna make mistakes. We are stardust - we are golden.; 11/10/10, 9:25 AM
Phil 314 said...: I'm getting so tired of this meme.

So I guess Hailey Barbour doesn't have a snowball's chance in heel because he looks/sounds like a threatening white to non-whites.

Racism, the gift that keeps on giving.

For some reason reminds me of this exchange from Annie Hall:

Annie Hall: You're what Grammy Hall would call a real Jew.
Alvy Singer: Oh. Thank you.; 11/10/10, 9:30 AM
former law student said...: A's fans used to chant

Mar-co
Scoooootero

So GOPsters could chant

Mar-co
Roooooooobio; 11/10/10, 9:39 AM
Unknown said...: As far as non-threatening ethnics, the same could be said of Christine O'Donnell (Irish) or Ann Althouse (German).

That Meade guy, though, I dunno...

AJ Lynch said...

Retire the baby boomers - we have done enough damage to the country.

This was the rationale Jack Kennedy used to retire the Eisenhower generation.

PS I think we're going to be a little leery of Presidential candidates coming out of Congress for the next half century of so. Rubio's resume is better than The Zero's was in '04, but, if he wants to be POTUS, he might want to run for Governor somewhere.; 11/10/10, 9:43 AM
Anonymous said...: I'd even go as far as a program of carefully-planned euthanasia for anyone born between 1946 and 1960 at the first sign of any expensive-and-covered-by-Medicare disease.

Suggested long ago in Robert Crumb's Zap Comics.

At a certain age, a clown should visit the offending Baby Boomer. The clown should bring with him a delicious, psychedelic and poisonous pie. Sedatives and pain killers provided, too.

Suicide by pie.

Yes, we Baby Boomers were absolutely terrible and shameless. We've got it coming.; 11/10/10, 9:46 AM
Tank said...: We could form a Club - the Self-Hating Baby Boomers Club.; 11/10/10, 9:51 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Matthew: I would not go that far. Afterall I have worked so hard [like Barbara Boxer] for many years and would like to enjoy things after I am done working.; 11/10/10, 9:52 AM
Anonymous said...: We could form a Club - the Self-Hating Baby Boomers Club.

One of the things I really hate about Baby Boomers is that we had too many fucking clubs.

Crack would call them Cults.

Doesn't the Democratic Party already serve this function for self-hating white Baby Boomers?

Seems redundant.; 11/10/10, 9:53 AM
holdfast said...: I find the character "Erkel" to be very threatening too.

Come to think of it, he wore "mom jeans" before they were even called that.

Doubly threatening!; 11/10/10, 9:56 AM
Matthew Noto said...: "I would not go that far. Afterall I have worked so hard [like Barbara Boxer] for many years and would like to enjoy things after I am done working."

Fair enough -- so long as you can pay your own freight. I'm sick and tired of being taxed to death to keep people alive and in Viagra or Boniva longer than had any right to expect.; 11/10/10, 9:56 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: ST,

One of the things I really hate about Baby Boomers is that we had too many fucking clubs.

Crack would call them Cults.

And there's the Boomer's other problem:

They can't spell either.; 11/10/10, 9:59 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: The analysis is rejected. All the emphasis is put on image and atmospherics and none at all on Rubio's message. It shows how McWhorter processes, not what is happening or will happen. Similarly lower in the comments. Christie too fat, Jindal too geeky. Not so.

It would be interesting to know what in McWhorter's experience informs a phrase like 'non-threatening minority' so as to apply a construction of conservative motivation. I find the emphasis placed on skin tone particularly irksome.

Es proyección pura. Él puede llevar sus opinions y empujarlas donde el sol no hace brillo. (Es decir, en su ano.); 11/10/10, 10:06 AM
former law student said...: All the emphasis is put on image and atmospherics and none at all on Rubio's message.

Messages change; character doesn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGDwvAbx_fg

Likability matters. From a Richard Benedetto column for USA Today, in September 2004:

A recent Zogby/Williams Identity Poll reflected that. It found that 57% of undecided voters would rather have a beer with Bush than Kerry. (In Bush's case, it would be a nonalcoholic beer.)

...

But for the most part, Bush is seen as the friendly neighbor next door. A new Pew Research Center Poll asked swing voters who comes off more as a "real person," Bush or Kerry? Bush won, 56% to 38%.

The more likeable guy won, of course.; 11/10/10, 10:28 AM
cubanbob said...: I like Rubio and I voted for him but presidential speculation is a bit premature. Like others have mentioned let him serve as a governor first before running for the presidency.; 11/10/10, 10:41 AM
MadisonMan said...: Like others have mentioned let him serve as a governor first before running for the presidency.

What if he resigns halfway through his first term? Does that damage his prospects?; 11/10/10, 11:05 AM
Methadras said...: He's not ethnic, he's an OREO!!!; 11/10/10, 11:17 AM
former law student said...: Does that damage his prospects?

Not if he goes on Facebook right away.; 11/10/10, 11:34 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: FYI folks, Rubio was elected US Senator not governor.; 11/10/10, 11:44 AM
Phil 314 said...: But let's be clear, if Marco Rubio has any Presidential intentions he must first...

write a book; 11/10/10, 11:46 AM
Penny said...: In last night's thread about this discussion, there were a good number of comments suggesting that McWhorter and Loury were shallow thinkers because they were talking about "style over substance".

That's rubbish. These guys, and so many others out there, are merely going to the heart of the matter. For a large portion of our population, style IS more important than substance. How a candidate looks and how he or she presents on the campaign trail and in the media is more important than prior relevant experience or leadership skills.; 11/10/10, 12:08 PM
bagoh20 said...: "These guys, and so many others out there, are merely going to the heart of the matter. For a large portion of our population, style IS more important than substance. "

Chicken or the egg. There was time when most voters never saw or heard the candidates, but still made a choice. I think the media helps to lower the level of the evaluation of candidates below what people would otherwise employ.

Watch the coverage. It's entirely about 3 things: style, gotchas and the horse race. That's all they discuss. There is very little about explaining or evaluating the policy questions. Only how people are reacting to them - polls, polls and more polls.; 11/10/10, 1:08 PM
Mick said...: The question is, were his parents US citizens when Marco was born.
His parents arrived here in 1959, and Marco was born in Miami in 1971. Cuban exiles are given fast track US Citizenship, so presumably in those 12 years his parents did naturalize. That would need to be definitely determined. If his parents were naturalized prior to Rubio's birth in 1971, then Marco is a natural born Citizen.

Obama though, is not a natural born Citizen due to his Kenyan father, and neither is Jindal (parents were unnaturalized Indians).; 11/10/10, 1:33 PM
Rocco said...: AJLynch wrote:
"Does this mean we can never have an authentic Goombah in the White House?"

I thought JFK had quite a few.; 11/10/10, 1:52 PM
bagoh20 said...: Goombah Bimbo = Jersey Shore Starlet; 11/10/10, 2:04 PM
Jim said...: The more likeable guy won, of course.

That's pure desperation spin there. Bush won because Kerry was AWFUL. It had nothing to do with whether or not people wanted to have a beer with him.

Does "I voted for it before I voted against it" ring a bell with anyone?

How about being forced to recant the memory that was "seared" into his brain about spending Christmas in Cambodia?

How about the fact that the economy was doing pretty darned well in 2004, and it's been shown over and over again that the economy weighs heavily on whether or not an incumbent president gets re-elected?

But yeah...it was all about which one was coming over on Sunday to watch the game....

Latest projection is that unemployment will be at 8.5% in 2012 which would be 18% higher than when Obama took office and higher than what he and his economic team said it would ever get if Porkulus was passed. You think that's going to be less important to voters than trying to figure out which beer Obama will be having on Sunday?; 11/10/10, 2:42 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

First term senators make bad presidents.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.; 11/10/10, 8:46 PM
Methadras said...: John Lynch said...

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

First term senators make bad presidents.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Senators in general make bad presidents and before Erkle there was only two who went from directly serving in the senate to POTUS; JFK and Harding.

Erkle wasn't even a full term Senator when he made the run and killed a country.; 11/11/10, 4:19 PM