[Stoat]

It is that core of experience – of growing up American – which Obama lacks. His problem is not so much that he is an African-American in the modern political sense of being a black American. It is that he is an African-American in the literal sense of being half African and only half American, who spent much of his boyhood abroad and who borrowed a consciously constructed black American identity from the south side of Chicago.

I thought that was a great way of putting it.
 

I read that Telegraph article as well, and I'm glad that I did.  As is so often the case, the people making comments afterwards at the Telegraph page were sometimes even more insightful than the author, and they brought up many great points.  Although I agree with the author to a point, I also feel that a great deal of the distrust of Obama comes from the fact that his perspective and frame of reference is more that of a EuroSocialist than even a traditional Democrat.  If he had constructed his identity more along the lines of traditional Americans and had even got halfway there I think that it  would be far less of a problem.  The thing is, he's not even really 'trying' to be an American as much as he's trying to be a EuroSocialist, and in this increasingly dangerous world where anyone with an internet connection can see the failure of EuroSocialism, such a stance makes people feel terribly uneasy.

 

It is that core of experience – of growing up American – which Obama lacks. His problem is not so much that he is an African-American in the modern political sense of being a black American. It is that he is an African-American in the literal sense of being half African and only half American, who spent much of his boyhood abroad and who borrowed a consciously constructed black American identity from the south side of Chicago.

I thought that was a great way of putting it.
 

[driftless2]

"traditional Americans"

Obama's disconnect with the yearnings of average Americans was best depicted with his arugula remark. Most Americans have no idea what arugula is. If had said "where are the pork rinds", he would have connected. But I'm sure (even as hard as he tries to depict himself as an average American) he wouldn't understand the problem.