Obama vs. Michael Jackson
While the rest of the world praises the life of Michael Jackson, Obama takes a more cautious stance.
It was a day for everyone to celebrate the best elements of Michael Jackson's life and to cast aside its sordid details, at least for the moment. Celebrities like Brooke Shields and Elizabeth Taylor as well as politicians like Nelson Mandela all praised the late singer. Yet, one man has been particularly cautious in his remarks: Barack Obama.
While traveling in Russia, Obama was asked by NBC's Chuck Todd about Michael Jackson's influence, specifically on whether he was instrumental in paving the way for the success of African-Americans like Obama.
"You know, what I do believe is that black sports figures and black entertainers helped to create a comfort level with African-Americans that had an impact historically dating back to people like Sidney Poitier or Louie Armstrong, up through Michael Jackson," Obama told NBC's Chuck Todd.
"So I would say that he's part of a long line of black entertainers that had an impact on the culture," he said, seemingly downplaying the role Jackson played in particular.
These are not the first comments the president has made on the King of Pop's death.
Two days after Jackson passed away, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, issued the following statement from the president, according to Newsweek.
"He said to me that obviously Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer and a music icon," Gibbs said. "I think everybody remembers hearing his songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown's 25th anniversary. But the president also said [Jackson] had aspects of his life that were sad and tragic."
As with his other comments, Obama offers tepid praise of Jackson mixed with a general weariness over the questionable elements of his life. Perhaps, after all the memorial services are over, more people will begin to sift through the meaning of these other parts of Jackson's life.
As a side note, it was announced yesterday that Michael Jackson has won a popularity contest over President Obama. Jackson now has more friends on his Facebook page than Obama does.
