I'm sure it also has something to do with the fact that Johnson publications, Ebony's parent, has deep ties in black Chicago. You know all them bougie South Side Negroes run together!
UPDATE: J Starr points us to this dope, dope cover from Ebony
« The Messiah Myth | Main | Rocking the new Q-Tip » You know your president is black when...14 Nov 2008 12:25 pm
...he paraphrases Sam Cooke in his acceptance speech, has an office of urban policy, and gives Ebony the first photo shoot.
I'm sure it also has something to do with the fact that Johnson publications, Ebony's parent, has deep ties in black Chicago. You know all them bougie South Side Negroes run together! UPDATE: J Starr points us to this dope, dope cover from Ebony TrackBackTrackBack URL for this entry: Listed below are links to weblogs that reference You know your president is black when...:
» Too Hot To Be Preznit from What Do I Know? Comments (21)
Can I just say the that picture on the cover of Ebony has a picture of Obama that makes him look cool in a way most can never even come close to and only dream about. 
"You know your President is black when..." TNC, you could be the black Jeff Foxworthy!!
I still can't believe we have a hot president. Change we can believe in indeed!
Listen, I'm pretty comfortable with my sexuality. Barack is only 'hot' he carries himself like a cool, confident, badass. People, and especially women, really respond to that. If we're just going off looks, he's decent, but I don't think he's in Michelle's league.
YEAH. How could our President possibly look that cool? In this pic, Barack meets JFK and raises the bar. Aside from the color in his tie, he also looks like an official member of M.I.B. "O," meet Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. (inside, though, Barack is actually a big geek.)
On election night, the Johnson Publications lobby was open for photo-ops with a life-size cardboard cut-out of Obama, and they had all their Obama Ebony and Jet covers on display, enlarged to poster size. It's just down the street from Grant Park, so I went there right after the rally. So it's only fitting that Obama would make it his first stop,too.
When my GOP friends would complain that I was only supporting President Elect Obama because he was Black, I said they were wrong, that I was supporting him because he is Black and FINE! Seriously though, back in 1989, Ebony got another White House first--Barbara Bush. That's right, Mrs. Bush's first magazine interview as First lady was with Ebony. I know that because as her press secretary, I set it up and she was more than happy to do it. And while we didn't go to Johnson Pub. offices for the interview and photo shoot, I think the Ebony folks were just as happy with the venue--upstairs in the private White House residence.
hmpph I am offended. Southside born and raised. LOL at deva...the West Side IS a foreign country... and, let's not even talk about the North Side. I absolutey LOVE that Ebony got that interview and the pics. The interview might be iffy, but the pics will be on spot. If Ebony knows how to do one thing - it's make Black people LOOK beautiful. Plus, giving it to a Black-owned publication - smart politics. You know I spent last Friday trying to find Time and Newsweek. I spent Sunday morning trying to find the collector editions of our newspapers. I felt so smug, until it hit me: I HAD MISSED JET you know it was a Collector's Edition. So now, the only copy I have is via my subscription.
If Barack were following Bill Clinton, people wouldn't think he was unusually cool. But he's following Gomer Fucking Pyle. In that context he's James Brown (or even Jim Brown) circa 1968. Good riddance to Dumbya, who disgraced this country utterly.
Sweet Jesus that man is hot!
There's a real JFK/MIB cool thing working for him there. It makes me want to get a sharp black suit and shades, even though I wear jeans and t-shirts to everything except funerals and weddings.
(inside, though, Barack is actually a big geek.) Part of what makes him so hot, hm?
When I see this pic, I see my husband. Fine, hardworking, and taking care of business. The Obama's are so f*cking tight! Many of us have been movin' on up for years, but never on this scale. My gawd.
gwangung:
Firstly, that cover is legit. That said, is it that different from the "W. is a Cowboy" construct? We all love Barry but I imagine very few of us were similarly awestruck by Bush in a Cowboy hat and boots. I'm just putting it out there.
@ Arjun I feel you. You're definitely got a point but I think the difference is that Bush created & cultivated what was essentially a false image. I don't think Obama went out of his way to create a "cool" image. I think they are, and had been in the last couple of months, playing up the cool image. "Obama is cool" is more media & supporter driven though than Bush as cowboy was, and it's a fact. Obama is cool, in his actions & manner. Bush is not a cowboy, never was, never will be.
well, for those who really, really loved W., his cowboy image might have been attractive. I was going to type "hot", but I just can't. I know some people thought W. was a messenger from God, literally. But that is soooo far from my own place in the world, I just can't even picture it. None the less, I don't begrudge them their image, or their enthusiasm. I just don't share it, in the deepest possible way. I know that my impression of BHO is an image. I choose to believe that it is not too far from the reality. Face it, we'll never know who ANY politician "really" is. And I intend to keep my critical thinking hat on as he governs and criticize when he deserves it. But I'm not embarrassed to drool a little over this cover. A politician this hot does not come along very often, and I'm not going to waste the opportunity.
I think Obama's image is just as cultivated. You could argue that him and his people have done it more effectively but as the above poster said, he's an image. It's all about perception. And for most liberals, this perception is much more attractive than the Bush Cowboy. So we're willing to go with it because it complements our sensibilities.
"It's all about perception. And for most liberals, this perception is much more attractive than the Bush Cowboy. So we're willing to go with it because it complements our sensibilities." Sure, but that's because each image accentuated positive aspects in the eyes of some groups and negative ones in others. To liberals, Bush's "cowboy" image implied recklessness (which was obviously vindicated) while to conservatives it implied strength and decisiveness (also vindicated but not in a particularly agreeable way). On the other hand, Obama appears cool and in command to liberals and weak and reticent to conservatives. I do think there's an interesting side-trend over the past decade, exemplified fairly well in the Bond movie franchise. We've gone from daring, suave, self-assured heroes to somber, quiet heroes. Where's Pierce Brosnan right now? Which persona comes closest to Obama's image, Brosnan or Craig?
Obama is badass like Mr. Spock. Sure it gets played up 'cuz he's got it, but you either got it or you don't.
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You know all them bougie South Side Negroes run together!
too true! i'm a former southside negro with aspirations toward bougie-ness who moved in with my westside partner. you'd think i moved to another country the way folks act. but, to be fair, O has love for the westside too. he plays ball over here a lot.
Posted by deva | November 14, 2008 1:14 PM