Obama and Birtherism - 21st century news about race and racism

AMERICA: BIRTHERISM & THE OBAMA YEARS

The election of Obama as America’s first Black President was a point of hope as a potential sign that the nation had achieved a post-racial attitude. This hope, however, was quickly displaced by a virulent level of racist backlash across the US. Indeed, Obama’s presidency was deeply shaped by a polarised political climate, with the emergence of the Tea Party–a conservative political movement born in 2009 in response to Obama’s policies, particularly his healthcare reforms and stimulus packages. The movement, which advocated for limited government and fiscal conservatism, framed Obama’s policies as an overreach, often using racially charged rhetoric. At the same time, Obama faced the Birther controversy, which falsely claimed that he was not born in the United States and was therefore ineligible for the presidency. The Birther movement, which was spearheaded by figures like Donald Trump, became a focal point of racial animus, as it played on deep-seated fears about Obama’s Black identity and questioned his legitimacy as America’s first Black president. This controversy was not only an assault on Obama’s personal integrity but also a reflection of the racial divisions that characterised much of his presidency and the years after. Below you will find a selection of news articles and videos exploring aspects of Birtherism and Obama’s presidential term.

“Racial Tensions Roil Dem Race”. CBS News. 12 March 2008.

“Racism in the Presidential Race: Democrats need to consider the monster behind the curtain”. By Bonnie Erbe. US News & World Report. 14 May 2008.

“Race-card flap reopens Clinton camp wounds”. By Ben Smith. Politico. 5 August 2008.

“Birtherism: Where it all began”. By Ben Smith and Byron Tau. Politico. 22 April 2011.

“Fact Check: Did Hillary Clinton start the birther movement?” By Carole Fader. Florida Times-Union. 31 July 2015.

“What motivates a conspiracy theory? Birther beliefs, partisanship, liberal-conservative ideology, and anti-Black attitudes”. By Josh Pasek, Tobias H. Stark, Jon A. Krosnick and Trevor Tompson. Electoral Studies. December 2015.

“The birth of the Obama 'birther' conspiracy”. By Anthony Zurcher. BBC News. 16 September 2016.

“Without Apology, Trump Now Says: 'Obama Was Born In' The U.S.” By Domenico Montanaro. NPR. 16 September 2016.

“Trump is still reportedly pushing his racist “birther” conspiracy theory about Obama”. By German Lopez. Vox. 29 November 2017.

“The Genesis of the Birther Rumor: Partisanship, Racial Attitudes, and Political Knowledge.” By Ashley Jardina and Michael Traugott. Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 20 November 2018.

“Portrait of a birther: White conservatives with political knowledge more likely to believe Obama conspiracy”. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. 15 January 2019.

“Birtherism of a Nation”. By Adam Serwer. The Atlantic. 13 May 2020.

“Trump's new birtherism”. By Zachary Basu. Axios. 1 August 2024.

Origins of a Conspiracy

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."

Bertrand Russell

America Elects

“Obama election spurs race threats, crimes”. NBC News. 15 November 2008.

“Racist attacks surge after Obama's victory”. France 24. 19 November 2008.

“The Radical Right’s Reaction to the Election of Barack Obama”. By Mark Potok. The Southern Poverty Law Center. 30 November 2008.

“Race-baiting hooks 2012 campaign”. By John F. Harris and Maggie Haberman. Politico. 29 August 2012.

“Fear of a Black President”. By Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Atlantic. September 2012.

“The cost of racial animus on a black candidate: Evidence using Google search data”. By Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Journal of Public Economics. October 2014.

“Racial attitudes and visual cues in political judgments: Support for Obama during the 2008 presidential election”. By Tessa V. West, Adam R. Pearson, John F. Dovidio, Blair T. Johnson and Curtis E. Phills. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. 2014.

“Riots test Obama’s power to heal racial divide”. By Nia-Malika Henderson. CNN. 29 April 2015.

“Confronting Racism in the Age of Obama”. By Issac J. Bailey. Nieman Reports. 10 June 2015.

“White America's Obama-era freakout: What research can tell us about racial animus since 2008”. By Sean McElwee. Salon. 17 April 2016.

Obama: A virtual museum of his presidency: “The racist backlash Obama has faced during his presidency”. By Terence Samuel. The Washington Post. 22 April 2016.

Videos

“Race and the 2008 Campaign [With Cornell West]”. C-Span. 13 January 2008.

“Trump takes credit for release of Obama's birth certificate”. CBS News. 27 Apr 2011.

“Romney talks Trump 'birther' controversy”. CNN. 29 May 2012.

“Donald Trump on birthers (Full Interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer)”. CNN. 29 May 2012.

“Trump's long history of birther claims about Obama”. By Peter Stevenson. The Washington Post. 6 September 2016.

“Donald Trump’s Birther Claims Through The Years | NBC News”. NBC News. 16 September 2016.

“Trump defends years of Obama 'birther' rumors”. PBS News. 27 September 2016.

“Videos resurface showing Meadows pushed Obama birtherism in 2012”. CNN. 28 February 2019.