Friday, September 18, 2009

7108: Obama Rejects Racism.


From USA TODAY…

Obama Sunday shows: Race ‘not the overriding issue here’

President Obama has wrapped up five taped interviews to run on various Sunday shows, some of which are offering previews—most of which deal with his rejection of the idea that racism is a factor in some of the criticism he is taking over health care and other issues.

“Are there people out there who don’t like me because of race? I’m sure there are,” Obama said on CNN’s State of the Union With John King. “That’s not the overriding issue here.

He added: I think there are people who are anti-government. I think that there are—there’s been a longstanding debate in this country that is usually that much more fierce during times of transition or when presidents are trying to bring about big changes.”

Obama made similar comments to Bob Schieffer of CBS’ Face The Nation, David Gregory of NBC’s Meet The Press, and George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s This Week. Obama also spoke with Univision.

The president told Stephanopoulos that most Americans are trying to figure out what the health care issue means to them.

“Now there are some who are, setting aside the issue of race, actually … more passionate about the idea of whether government can do anything right. And I think that that’s probably the biggest driver of some of the vitriol.”

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