Part of the Obamas’ appeal has always been their ability to “go high.” At times, this has manifested itself in the image of smugness, an air of elitism that ultimately paved the way for the open and honest belligerence of President Trump. But for worse and for better, the Obamas’ persistent air of “going high” will manifest itself in their legacy.
Jemele Hill’s recent piece for the Atlantic treats that like a bug, not a feature. Hill views their gracious behavior to the Trumps through a racialized lens.
“But had the Obamas behaved like Clinton, they would have been accused of grandstanding and dividing the country even more than it already is,” Hill writes. “Or pundits would have said they lacked the grace and decency befitting a couple who once occupied the White House. A video clip of two black people showcasing visible anger toward the president would have been played over and over again on cable news.”
But this is the very point, and the thing that separates the Obamas from the Clintons and from the Trumps for that matter. In the face of someone who promulgated a ruthless and racist conspiracy against their family, the Obamas rose to the occasion. The Clintons chose not to, forgoing formally acknowledging Donald and Melania Trump at the funeral of a dead president (granted, Donald and Melania did not acknowledge Bill and Hillary either).
I’m no fan of Barack Obama. His divisive politics and unprecedented expansion of the federal government made the country worse, not better. But that he and Michelle always know how to rise to the occasion doesn’t make them pawns of white supremacy or caving to uncivil norms. It makes them special.
