John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance

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Political analysts and journalists often draw analogies between John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic Irish president, and Barack Obama, the first African American president. Their election to the nation s highest office was historic, but for reasons not fully appreciated. In "John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance," Robert C. Smith provides a fascinating comparison of the challenges both men faced in their bid for the presidency, while at the same time providing comparative histories of the Catholic Irish and African American struggles to overcome racial and religious subordination in America. Kennedy s Catholicism was an explicit issue in the 1960 election, and once elected he was extremely careful to avoid appearing either too Irish or too Catholic. While Obama s race was not an explicit issue in the 2008 election, he was just as careful to avoid appearing too black. Paradoxically religion thanks to rumors and lies about whether Obama was a Muslim became a substitute for race, allowing Republican strategists to otherize Obama by raising the issue of religion in the context of national security and terrorism."

Pages: 254

Format: Paperback

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Release: January 02, 2014

ISBN: 1438445601

ISBN 13: 9781438445601

John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance

Robert C. Smith

4/5 ( ratings)

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Pages: 254

Format: Paperback

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Release: January 02, 2014

ISBN: 1438445601

ISBN 13: 9781438445601

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John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance

John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance

John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance

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