Strange Bedfellows

Obama, Ricky Martin Drop Unshocking News

Heather Horn Apr 5, 2010

The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart performs a remarkable rhetorical double-lutz to connect Barack Obama with--wait for it--Ricky Martin. In this self-aware stretch of an analogy, Capehart cites MSNBC.com's comical headline reporting the president's decision to identify as black on the U.S. census: "It's official: Obama is black." Capehart gives a laugh and a shrug:

Obama could have checked multiple boxes on the Census form. And that would have been just fine. After all, he is the son of a black Kenyan father and white Kansan mother, who struggled with his identity in his youth. That he checked "Black, African Am., or Negro" shows a man long comfortable with who he is. Now, had he checked "White," all hell would have broken loose.

So what does this have to do with Ricky Martin? Obama marking "black" on his census form is roughly equivalent to pop star Ricky Martin coming out of the closet last week: neither bit of news is very surprising. As Capehart puts it:

What do President Obama and singer Ricky Martin have in common? Both men made announcements last week that fall into the category of "Yeah, and?"

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Heather Horn

Sources

Stating the Obvious, Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post

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Topics: The President

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