To the editor:
McManus' column on Obama's low approval rating and its impact on the 2016 election omits one key fact: The president probably loses at least five percentage points because he is African American.
In what is supposedly a post-racial era, I have seen blacks regularly denied taxicabs, heard white landlords repeatedly complain about their black tenants, and in one disturbing incident, had a white colleague complain about the language skills of an African American hire I made—a gentleman who holds a master's in business from UCLA. That was just a couple of years ago.
And of course, the number of stories in recent years about police shootings and school suspensions against people and students of color reinforces the fact that prejudice in this country remains widespread.
I have yet to see journalists or pundits discuss whether Obama's racial background contributes to what has been an approval rating that is quite low given the performance of the economy and his overall accomplishments. It is time to stop avoiding this issue.
Ron Shinkman, Sherman Oaks
Note from KBJ: For every vote Barack Obama lost because of his skin color, two votes were gained. Almost every black person voted for him, as did a great many guilt-ridden whites. Let's put it this way: Obama is president only because of the color of his skin. He's our first affirmative-action president.
