Obama Out of Touch on Race Relations in America

Barack Obama thinks that, in terms of “day-to-day interactions,” America is “less racially divided” than it was six years ago when he took office; however, that’s not the case according to recent polling.

In fact, a majority, 53 percent of Americans think race relations have gotten worse under Obama. Thirty-six percent believe they’ve stayed the same, while 9 percent feel they’ve improved, according to Bloomberg Politics.

Another poll released by CNN/ORC earlier this week found that 57 percent of white Americans believe few police officers, if any, treat black people differently, while only a quarter of nonwhite respondents held the same view.

The NPR interview took place Dec. 18, a day after People magazine published remarks by the president and first lady Michelle Obama saying that they themselves had experienced racial prejudice.

At the same time, it often seems that both Barack and Michelle Obama spend a fair amount of time highlighting racial issues from their past, despite having lived in the White House for six years.

“I think people forget that we’ve lived in the White House for six years,” the first lady said.

“Before that, Barack Obama was a black man that lived on the South Side of Chicago, who had his share of troubles catching cabs,” she added.

“There’s no black male my age, who’s a professional, who hasn’t come out of a restaurant and is waiting for their car and somebody didn’t hand them their car keys,” the president said.