Ta-Nehisi Coates on Trump vs. Obama: The Bar Is Higher for Black Politicians

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

HAYES: "So people, this article you wrote I think is in the context of a conversation that's been happening, happening about why trump won for lack of a better question. And there sort of, it's like one of those arguments of the thrusts and counterthrusts have been gamed out several stems. Have you ever been from an Israeli-Palestinian or abortion one people have one of the counters, one of the sort of counter moves is, when you say this was about white supremacy, the power of whiteness, people say, well, what about Barack Obama meeting Mitt Romney and John McCain and it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 million people that voted for Barack Obama and turned around for Donald Trump. How could race be the thing that's motivating?"
COATES: "Because like Jackie Robinson imgreat MLB, MLB was no longer racist. The fact that one black person being extraordinary and, therefore, accomplishes something is not to the credit to the obstacle that they had to conquer. Do you understand the fact that you have to be a highly educated lawyer, a particularly gifted politician, and accomplish something and someone who has no career at all in public life can do the same thing. That's a statement. Racism works by raising the barrier for certain people and lowering the barrier considerably for other people. The test all ways is go through a list of things that Donald Trump has said. From, you know, effectively bragging and sexual assaults, just on the down, just take anything on any day. Randomly look on Twitter on any day and say, what would happen if Barack Obama had said that? Just ask yourself. If you can construct a world in which Barack Obama can get away with saying all of those things and being president, you are better tan me, because I don't have those powers of packingation."