“Racial Politics: President Obama and Me”, Chapter 7 of BE THE PEOPLE

Below are some excerpts from Chapter 7 of my 2011 book, Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise.

All things being equal, I would prefer an American-born president who spent his formative years in this country.

The Office of the Presidency is the highest position in the land, and implicit in that office is the authority to bind the United States to other nations and to actions of international consequence through treaties and executive orders. The individual who holds the position of president holds the reins to the security of our nation and determines the integrity of the office. . .the well-being of our nation rests on both the ability of the people to determine the integrity and voracity of leadership, [as well as] an appropriate process for gaining access to relevant and substantiating information and documentation.

How and where a president was raised matters.

Nontraditional details in the President’s background could hold clues to his attitudes on issues such as gay rights and how he approaches the job of President. During the President’s November 2010 visit to Indonesia, The New York Times published an article on his childhood that included a revelation about his childhood influences. According to reporter Norimitsu Onishi:

His nanny was an openly gay man who, in keeping with Indonesia’s relaxed attitudes toward homosexuality, carried on an affair with a local butcher, longtime residents said. The nanny later joined a group of transvestites called Fantastic Dolls, who, like the many transvestites who remain fixtures of Jakarta’s streetscape, entertained people by dancing and playing volleyball.

President Obama’s close familiarity with Islam and homosexuality has been clearly reflected in his policy preferences.

Purchase a copy of Dr. Swain’s book here:

Dr. Carol M. Swain, Professor of Political Science and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University, is the co-author of Who’s Stealing our Kids?: Revealing the Hidden Agenda to Secularize our Children. (June 7, 2016). Steve Feazel is her co-author.