The Obama Backlash Gave Us Trump
How racial divide propels conservatism and drives Trump’s base
Many people like to point to the election of Barack Obama as proof that the United States eradicated racism. But, what happened during the Obama presidency, and as a result of the Obama presidency, has only served to prove that we have a long way to go. Much of the conservative reaction to the Obama tenure in the oval office was rooted in racism itself. And it’s that racism-fueled backlash that is most likely what led to Donald Trump taking over in 2017.
The Republican Party knew the game they were playing, and they stayed consistent in their approach. Before he was elected, they stoked the fires of racial hatred by questioning Obama’s legitimacy as a candidate, and by questioning his loyalty to the country. This birther movement, led in large part by Donald Trump himself, set the stage for the opposition to freely showcase their own racist prejudices in their chosen forms of protest, whether it was hanging effigies, using Obama photos for target practice, or waving signs with racially insensitive slogans. The more likely it seemed that Obama would win, the more this opposition seemed to dig in their heels.
It then seemed as though the GOP Congress, led by Mitch McConnell, were especially indignant in their stalwart decision to…
