Shame on You, Oprah Winfrey, by Derryck Green

green_smOprah Winfrey, a prominent billionaire member of America’s racial grievance industry, is claiming once again that the society that idolizes her is racist to the core.

In a recent interview with the BBC to promote the European release of “Lee Daniel’s The Butler,” a movie in which she stars and is considered an Oscar contender, Winfrey said about her friend, President Barack Obama:

There’s a level of disrespect for the office that occurs in some cases, and maybe even many cases, because he’s African-American. There’s no question about that. And it’s the kind of thing no one ever says, but everybody’s thinking.

What disrespect, exactly? Despite “some cases” and “even many cases,” what examples prove Winfrey’s flimsy accusation?

Winfrey gives but one example — when Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) rudely yelled out “You lie!” during Obama’s address to Congress about ObamaCare in 2009. It was rude for Wilson to do it, as he later apologized for it. But that’s it?

This one example, from four years ago, cannot buttress Winfrey’s claim of widespread disrespect rooted in racism.

It’s disingenuous for Winfrey to think people disrespect Obama because he’s black, not because:

  • Obama apparently lied over 40 times about ObamaCare, saying people could keep their doctors and policies if they liked them;
  • Obama drew his “red line” regarding Syria, saying, “We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation.” When it came time for action, Obama said, “I didn’t set a red line. The world set a red line”;
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin upstaged and bailed out Obama by acting as peacemaker in Syria — preventing an unwanted military strike. It rescued Obama from his self-created stalemate after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons despite Obama’s red line;
  • Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is similarly eating Obama’s lunch in nuclear negotiations;
  • The NSA snooped on Americans and world leaders under Obama’s oversight;
  • Obama’s IRS appears to have knowingly targeted conservatives and other political opponents of the White House;
  • This administration shows apparent disinterest and inept stewardship over a stagnant economy. The unemployment rate is 7.3 percent, not including the more than 11 million people AWOL from the labor force since Obama’s first month in office. There are also about 47 million Americans receiving food assistance;
  • Around $800 billion in “stimulus” spending Obama demanded didn’t perform as he promised;
  • Obama helped redefine marriage by directing Attorney General Eric Holder not to defend federal law protecting traditional marriage and “evolved” to personally support same-sex marriage;
  • Our military weakens with Obama repealing the “don’t ask-don’t tell” policy against open homosexuality, politicizing commands and budget cuts hollowing out forces;
  • Under Obama, the “Operation Fast and Furious” gun-smuggling sting turned into a scandal after countless guns were lost and one was used to kill Border Patrol agent Brian Terry;
  • Billions of dollars were wasted on Obama’s “green energy” and “climate change” agendas;
  • Obama hasn’t done or said a meaningful thing about the four Americans killed in Benghazi. Obama seems to have lied about the events, then sent then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice out on television to lie about how and why this tragedy happened. The allegation that it was all due to a video on the Internet considered disrespectful to Islam was quickly proven false, yet was still embraced by the White House.

Despite Winfrey’s assertion, the race card once so effective in shielding Obama from criticism no longer works. Obama’s lies, breathtaking ineptness and poor stewardship transcend skin color.

All this leaves one thing that needs to be said: shame on you, Oprah Winfrey.

Shame on you for intentionally mischaracterizing the philosophical and ideological differences people have with the President as racial “disrespect.” You have some nerve considering who the bulk of your fan base used to be.

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Derryck Green, a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network, received a M.A. in Theological Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his doctorate in ministry at Azusa Pacific University. Comments may be sent to [email protected].

Published by the National Center for Public Policy Research. Reprints permitted provided source is credited. New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21, other Project 21 members, or the National Center for Public Policy Research, its board or staff.



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