The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Ta-Nehisi Coates - "My President Was Black"

Episode Date: November 29, 2021

Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on Barack Obama's presidency in The Atlantic's cover story "My President Was Black." Originally aired December 2016. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Please welcome, Tallahassee Coats. Welcome. See, I gave you the black handshake.

The black, dude. You know what so funny is? You wrote about that? I was reading the piece last night and I was like, oh man, I didn't even, it's just a moment in time where you go, Barack Obama straddles two lines, you know, where he is, yes, president, but you cannot deny that your president was black. Right, right, right. And it's that small moment where you go like, do I, do I make it, do I not? Right, right. So yeah, but welcome to the show. Thanks, man. It's been quite

a journey for you. I remember the first time we spoke and you had exploded onto the scene, the book, a bestseller, everyone talking about you, and your life has changed since then. A little bit. A little bit? A little bit. A lot of bit. It's odd too because I've been writing for 20 years. And for about 18 of those years, no one to today.

And then like a bunch of people were suddenly looking. So it's like the weirdest thing, you know what I I I I I, it's, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to, th to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the thr. the the the th th the, th the weirdest thing, you know what I mean? It's like if you do this, like you just sing on corners, like fun, that's just what you do, you just like singing on corners. And then one day there are a lot of people looking at the corner. You know what I mean? And you can't quite figure out was something that was that is needed. What would you say is the best and worst part of having celebrity though? Oh man I can't believe I'm going to say this. I have to give you an honest answer. It's very challenging to be a college

dropout trying to be a writer financially. My life is a lot less financially challenging now. I have to say that's the best part. I just got to be honest about that. Well, I hope so. We would be honest about that. Yeah, I mean, that's just true. Probably the worst is the amount of people looking at you. I mean, not that. I was one of thi. I, you. I, you. I, you. I, you. I, you. I, you. I, you. I, you. I, I, you. I, I, you. I, you. I, I, I, I, I, you. I, you. I, you. I, I, I, I, you, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I just, I just, I just, I just, I just, I just, I just, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I have.. I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm, t.......................................... I'm, that, that, that's, I, I, I was like, I don't understand what's wrong with Kanye West.

And I kind of understand a little bit now, you know what I mean? Like I kind of got it. I'm not saying, you know, you should have gone to see Trump. But I kind of get it a little bit. You know what I mean? No, I hear what you saying. Like, I think one of how to describe it. Like they'll talk to you and and this is like good and bad like even when they're

complimenting you and it's like it's going like right past you like they're talking to some image of you and you know you have this whole thi to you and you know, you have th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi you you you you you th. I you you you you you you th. I th. I th. I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi're being genuine or not. And even when they're being mean to you, you know, it's like, you're not really being mean to me, you know what I mean? Like, it's like some other thing. It's, it's the idea of you. Yeah, the idea of you, I think. And that idea is exacerb heard you talk about it a bit, you know, even the last time we're here, how you, you sort of shun that. You go, hey, I write, and these are my opinions unless that.

I'm not dictating, I'm not putting it in a place. But this article is really powerful. My president was black. What does that title mean? What it was a moment during the inauguration that, you know, a lot of folks watch the time and I watch with, you know, Young Jeasy and Jay-Z on stage and they do my president as black and it was such a joyous, beautiful moment. And I wanted to conjure that, but at the same time, make it a little bit elegic, like this thing had actually ended.

And so it kind of, you know, just all sort of fit together. And this is a piece where you spent, it seems like you spent a lot of time with the president writing this piece. We did, we actually did spend quite, I was sort of surprised that he spent that much time with me actually because, you know, the fact that I had been, you know, I've been critical to him. Yes. It's specifically about how he addresses black audiences

versus how he addresses a white audience about African-Americans. Like, what was your biggest criticism of that? Well, it was two things. I mean, I felt like the president in one respect, you know, wanted to be as he said the president of president the president the president the president the president of to the president to the president to to the president the president to the president the president to the president to the president, to to the president of the president of the president of the president of to the president of to to to to to to to to to the president, to get, to to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, the, the, the president, the president, the president, the president. the president. the president. the president. the president, the president.. the president. the president, the president in one respect, you know, wanted to be as he said, the president of all people, but in other respects, wanted to, you know, get the sort of black past. So when it came to policy, when it came to talking about policy,

it was always, I'm the president of all people. I can't do anything specific or special for black people, but then when it came to to, you know, you talking, you to to to to talk, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you know, you, you, you know, you, you, you, you, you, you know, to, to, you, to, to, to, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you............ to, you. to, you. to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to. to. to. to. to to to to to to to to to, to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, we call, you know, respectability politics. He was saying things to black folks that probably I would have less of a problem with if he were not the president of the United States and thus the bearer of the heritage and the you know legacy of why black folks and a lot of these conditions in the first place. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast.

And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter's smart technology at Zip Recruiters' powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get get get to get a to get a quality to get a quality to to the quality the quality to to the quality their. their. their. their. their. to their. their the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip Recruiter. Dot com slash zip. Again that's zip recruiter.com slash zip. Zip Recruiter. The smartest way to hire. It's been said that nice guys finish last. But is that really true? I'm Tim Harford, host of The Cautionary Tales podcast, and I'm exploring that very question. Join me for my new miniseries on the Art of Fairness.

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Listen on the IHart Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at.

That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Here's a question I have though. If you are in that position, how do you straddle the line, you know, between saying to, because you are the president, right? Right, you are. And you are talking to a black audience.

Like, is it the difference between nobody hearing you say this to a black audience? Or is it the fact that you are saying it's a black audience? I think it's the fact that you're the president now. Like, you just, it's just a different sort of position. You're no longer Barack in the hood. You know what I mean? Like, you're true, you're black. That sounds like a dope, to be a their. I. I. I. the president. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. the president, you. I. I. the president, you. I. the president, you. the president, anymore. I mean, you represent Andrew Johnson, you represent Andrew Jackson, you represent Widrow Wilson, you have the heritage, you know, of a country that, you know, for most of its history in terms of its policy has not been particularly friendly towards black folks.

And so my feeling was when you then, you know, address them, you know, in this sort of way, you know, why don't you you know I just um man boy it just just totally completely rub me the wrong way you know you were you were you were in a unique situation where you could talk to the president yeah yeah I don't know how effective I was but yeah yeah I was I was and it's a weirdest thing you know it's a weirdest thing you you you you th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th I th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi th th th th th th th th they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're like you're not going to beat the president. You're not. You're not. But you still got to fight, right? So you still have to go in and you got to, you know,

because what he would do is he would summon you. You know what I mean? He would summon these reporters. And he's very tricky, right? places where you have to sit right so everybody has to sit down and then he comes in so it's like you know say it to my face yes you know you know you was all bold when you was right and you know you can touch my face as well you're right next right right right and in the second time I was like I'm like I was like you know what you got to say no you know you know you all brave when you know you know you all brave when you know you you to you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you to you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the ttttttttttttry try try try try try tou tttry ttry try try to th to the the the the the the funny, I picture him saying this to you where he's like, where's your laptop now?

Yeah, yeah, right. You're all great when you got your laptop. Say it to my face, sit in my face. That's funny, that's that idea. But yeah. But you got to say it. And you know, I always tell this the first time I felt, I to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to, you go down there and you don't take no stuff, you don't play, you tell them exactly how you feel, son. She was like, you know what I mean?

And then I went and I kind of overdid it. It was like, well, it's still the precedent. So I don't want your water. Right. Yeah. So I could never quite get it calibrated. You know what I mean? Let's talk about that. Just genuine, because this is the gist of this article. It's you talking about Barack Obama trying to calibrate. It's you as Tanahasi Coa coast trying to calibrate.

That seems to be the recurring theme that you hear being talked about, especially when it comes the same. I know it's it's a different history, but a shared history at the same time. And it is always the conversation. How do you calibrate? How extreme should you be? Yeah. How much conversation should you have? What was the one thing you noticed being with the president for so long in terms of his calibration? Well, for example, I, so this was like a different piece than like everything else I've written like I felt like when it came time time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, time, the the to to to to to the to to to the to to the to to to the to to to to to to to to the the the conversation, how to to to to to thi, how thi, how thi, how thi, how thi, how the conversation, how the conversation, how the conversation, how the conversation, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how th, how th, how th, how th, how th, how th, how th, how th, how th, how the the the the the the the the the the the the the thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to to to to to to to to to to to thi, to to thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, first of all, I, so this was like a different piece than like everything else I've written. Like, I felt like when it came time to write this piece, like, I've taken my shots. People know how I feel. Like, this is not, you know, like I could not rehash the same argument I was having. This was, you know, I guess an attempt to really, really understand him. The first thing I, you know, immediately, you, you, you, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, th, you know, th, you know, you know, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, I, like, like, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, th. I, th. I, th. I th. I th. thin, thin, thin, thin, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the, th. th. immediately felt that I understood was that he was able to address white Americans in a way that I just think very few African Americans could.

And why is that? Because I think Barack Obama was born into a home not just to a white woman and white woman and white grandparents who shockingly told him it was okay that he was black and that he should not be ashamed of it and that he should in fact be proud of it. And I think also, I think in addition to that, you know, he says this, part of the reason why that was possible is the sheer physical distance of being in Hawaii and not growing up against some of the grinding pressures of you know, to grow up and again up against against against against against against against against against against against against against against against, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, and I, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, and thi, that he that he should that he should that he that he should that he that he should that he that he that he that he that he he, and he he, and he he, and he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he, and he he, and he he, and he he, and he he, th...... and he, thi, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, the thin, the thin, the thin, the thin, the the the he he he he think he just that that's a very very unique circumstance you know to grow up and and I think it does kind of shape your approach in a good way in the sense if you want to have the ambition to be president of United States but perhaps in a bad way when it comes to

actually having to deal with the force and the pressures of American racism when you can't actually escape it. way. But now this is a paradox and this is where I struggle because one thing I love about you is that you are the eternal pessimist. No, because I sometimes feel like I'm too optimistic and when I read your stuff I go like, yeah, maybe you know what Trevor just come back to the middle. I think the world will become better and the moral arc and I'm like we can do it guys. I really really. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. T. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. th. th. th. thi. th. the. th. thi. th. the. th, we can do it, guys. I really think like that. And your writing takes me the other way. You know, I find that balance in between. But I go, when you talk about that, essentially what you're saying is, Barack Obama, in your opinion,

may not have ascended to the highest office in the land, were he not someone who was able to see beyond what white people had done to black people in America? Yeah, I mean, I guess, I see beyond strikes me as a little, is a little bit much. I think if he were more personally wounded, he was not traumatized by it. Do you understand, like, like, when I grew up in West Baltimore, like anything associated, like, and I'm talking about my childhood, associated with white people, 99% of the time was something malevolent. Yes. Like it was an explanatory force for something bad.

And in some cases, it was a direct, you know, explanatory force. You know, why do you live in the neighborhood the neighborhood the neighborhood the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, the neighborhood, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you're, in, the the the the the the the the the, you, the the, the the, when when when when when I was, when when when when, when, when when when, when, when when when, when when when, when when, when when, when when when, when when when, when when, when when when, when when when, when when, when when, when, when, when when, when when when, when, when when when, when when when, when, when when when when when when when, when, when the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the, you're, Ia, I'm, I'm, I'm soa, I'm the, you're, I'm soa, I'm the, I'm the, you're, wea, the, we know, force. You know, why do you live in the neighborhood you live in? Why are you worried, you know, in that neighborhood about your personal safety? Why is that neighborhood shaped the way? Why do the police deal with you? And that's not his experience. Why do the school's the way they are? Yeah. Who has the power? to do, that's not, you know, the sort, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, the sort, the sort, the sort, the sort, the sort, the sort, the sort, the sort, the sort, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, to, to, to, to, to......a, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, to. to, this is the problem I have with the Pesmanism, is I go, you're basically saying that you need all of those ingredients

to ever have a black president again. Like, there was one line where you wrote, I mean, I'll paraphrase, but it was basically you saying, we watched the president, and you were talking about the BET party, the last party that the president threw in, it was a black audience that had come together to celebrate. And you know, the feeling was one of loss, but almost a future loss going, we will never see this again.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You genuinely believe that? I don't know. Like, it's harder to predict, because maybe there's another path that I'm not seeing. I didn't see this. Not like I could have written this in advance, right? This is only my assessment of how he did it. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Like maybe there's some other path that I'm completely missing because I certainly didn't see this path at all. That's how he did it and I don't think many African Americans could have done it the same way, you know? It's strange. It's what I picked up in article is it's almost it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's. It's. that I I that I that I that I that I's. that I's what I'm that I'm that I's I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I's I I I I I I I's I I I I I I I I I's I I's I I I I's I's I I's I that I that I that I that I that I that I that I that I that I that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that I'm that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's certainly that's that's that's that's that's that's that anger and then they fear that anger and so they respond differently to the person who's in front of them. It might even be the anger it's just like the

fact of the matter I mean like if I have to go into downstate Illinois I don't know these people yeah literally relates to these people you know it's my grand parents I hear what you're saying I the very like you know the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. the. I'm. the. the. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. I the. I'm. I'm. I'm. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. And it's very like, you know, the chances of me actually, you know, walking into, you know, the kind of places that he walked into. Well, I'm not gonna lie. I know I have a similar thing. Like sometimes people say to me, they go, why aren't you angrier at white people? Why aren't you angry about everything? And then I go, I cannot condemn all of them because I know love from the to................ I, I, I, their, I, their, you, I, you, you, their, you, you, you, you, you, their, you, I, you, you, you, you, you, I, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you the kind, you the kind, you, you the kind, you the kind, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, you the kind, the kind, the kind, I, I the kind, I the kind, I the kind, I the kind, I to, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, it across the board. But I go, but when I see a white man, I see my father. I go like, there's a person who I know who loved me and a black woman and black people and my family. Do you get what I'm saying? Right.

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hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out free at this exclusive web address.zip recruiter.com slash zip. Ziprecruiter.com. Zip Recruiter. The smartest way to hire. It's been said that nice guys finish last. But is that really true? I'm Tim Harford, host of the Cautionary Tales podcast, and I'm exploring that very question. Join me for my new miniseries on the Art of Fairness. We'll travel from New York to Tahiti to India on a quest to learn how to succeed without being a jerk. We'll examine stories of villains undone by their villainy and monstrous self-devaring

egos and will delve into the extraordinary power of decency. We'll face mutiny on the vast Pacific Ocean, blaze a trail with a pioneering skyscraper and dare to confront a formidable empire. The art of fairness on cautionary tales. Listen on the I-Heart radio app, Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. When you're going through the story of Barack Obama, one thing I found interesting was how it's sort of related to what you talk about in your book. Many people of color can relate to it. But it's like even as a president, it feels like Barack Obama had to be twice as good.

Oh, he definitely did. I mean, it's just no question. I mean, it was all of this sort of reporting. No, no, no, no, no, no. If I have to, you know, jump six feet to get the same thing that you have to jump two feet for it. That's how a racism works. It's not global and complete. You can't do it. It's really about raising, you know, it's saying it just means that you got to clear a higher standard. You know, scholarly, intelligent, president, or Harvard, you know, law review, the product of somehow greatest educational institutions capable of talk into two different worlds.

And Donald Trump had to be rich and white. That was it. That's the difference. Well, that's not fair, orange. But I hear what you're saying. I hear what you're saying. But, OK,'re saying. But okay, let me challenge you on this though. I agree with most of what you're saying. I genuinely do, and I grapple with this every single day.

But then I go, if you look at Obama and you track his progress, a lot of the things that Barack Obama ran on are ideas and policies that Donald Trump has run on. And we're not talking about the major, disgusting ideas that Donald Trump has, you know, the deplorable ideas that he has reprehensible feelings. I'm talking more specifically around NAFTA, you know, trade policies. Policies that affect those swing states that we know to be the white working-class bastion. Right. Couldn't it be argued that Barack Obama to be the white working-class bastion. Couldn't it be argued that Barack Obama and Donald Trump tapped into the same thing?

You know, that they both knew that if I go and talk to that factory worker and tell him I'm against those trade deals, that person will vote for me? Couldn't you argue that it's that and not racism? I don't think it's either or. I actually don't think it is either or. I don't really have the data, but my understanding is Hillary Clinton didn't really campaign in Wisconsin. You know, and I think that was a major, major mistake. He spent a lot of time, you know, I think he just, I mean, you can say what you want about how high the barrier is. He just thought he could clear it, you know what I mean, if he went and talk to folks, you know, and

that's a great achievement, but it's also a very, very, very difficult achievement, and I know I keep going back to this. I think, because it has to be said, I think the very thing that made, I think the very why he was so caught off guard and so surprised by the kind of reaction that he got which I think you mean from Congress from you know like the obstruction yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean I mean black folks you know who had come up you know differently you know not the way to the way to the way you know to the way to theyl I mir so told us that you know what Congress the to work with him to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the they. the the they. th is is is is not I to to to to to to to be thi is not I'm to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. the the. the. the. the. the. I's is is not. I's is not. I's is not. I mean you told us that you know what Congress isn't going to work with him at all. What are that of course with what we know about his? Nothing about that, you know what I mean? Like that's not really particularly surprising but he as a senator had had these great relationships you know what I mean?

He was a senator had these great relationships you know what I mean? You're a the highest executive in the country. You know what I mean? You are the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. thoes is is is thoes is thoes is is thoes is thoes is thoes are thoes are th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I's is is is is is is is is is is is th. I th. I th. I th. I'm is th. Congress is th. Congress is the the the the the th. Congress is the the the the thin. Congress is the the the the the threateeeeeeeean. Congress. Congress. Congress is the the threat. the threat. threat. threat. thin. I's is th saying? You're the titular head of the country. You know what I mean? You are the highest executive in the country. It's a very, very, very different relationship. And the notion that a party that's been heavily racialized in a way that the Republican Party has been, the threaten, the site of that it move on. That has been one of the biggest themes that have been talked about, people saying, you know, if Hillary talked to white voters, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. This is the product of making it all about race. If y'all didn't keep bringing up race, we wouldn't have needed it to do this.

Yeah, again, I just don't think it's either or, you know, I thin I just don't just don't just don't just don't just don't just don't just don't just don't just don't just I just don't just I just don't just don't I just don't just don't I just don't just don't just don't I just don't just don't just don't think. You know what I mean? I think it probably is true that she probably should have spent more time in some of those states talking to folks. I think that's true, you know, I'm never against that. You know, at the same time, you know, I don't think it means that you have to not talk about race at all. And given out of democratic party, this isn't 20 years ago. South Carolina, you're going to win Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, you've got to talk to black and brown people. So you don't even have a luxury anymore of getting around it.

It's not a viable path to a democratic primary anymore. And somebody, you know, if you're going to be a viable candidate, you got to figure out. You know, that's the one thing he did do. He did how that figured out, you know? In tom th th th th th th tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi to to thi. You're to to to to to to to to tho to tho thi. You're tho tho tho, tho-a tho-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho. thoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. th one thing he did do. He did have that figured out, you know? In terms of balancing and figuring out. Oh yeah, I mean, he could win in Iowa and then go win in South Carolina. I mean, he's the two very, very, very different states. You know? So that, that, that, you know, Hillary never quite figured that one out, you know. Let's switch it in my mind. I think think think think think a think a think a think a think a think a think a thin thin thin thin thi thi and thin thin thi, I thin thin and thin and to to to to to to to to to the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their one. I their their one. I their one. I their one. I their one. I will. I will try. I will try. I will try. I will try. I will. I will. I will. I will try. I will. I will. I will. I will to to to to to to to to to to ats, because I'm genuinely fascinated by this. I will read something like this. I process it in my mind. I try and, you know, I argue with you in my mind where I don't agree in terms of the pessimism and so on, but for the most part I'm with you. And then I'm always intrigued,

you know, by people who say, um, oh Tanahasi Coats, why didn't you write about Barack Obama's leniency on Wall Street? Why did you leave that out of the article? That was glaringly obvious. Why didn't you write about that? Because I can't. I can't. And I think those people who have special specialties on Wall Street,

and I think those people that I can, you know, about race. This is not, it's not like I, you know, got an idea one day to say, hey, I'm going to write an article about, you know, the president's legacy on race. It's not like you can hand that to any reporter, and it's not because I'm particularly special. It's just that I've been asking for the past eight years. The piece is organic. You can't just you know say hey you know what I'm gonna change my beat today and go take this approach. We published a piece you know a few months back on Barack Obama's foreign policy. It's not my expectation that you know the author come over here and do what I do on race and somehow make those links. I mean, it'd be nice, it'd be awesome.

I wish I could. You know, but it requires a depth of knowledge. It's not just, you know, posing questions to people who's knowing what questions, you know, what the questions are knowing, what questions are the context is. I mean, it's, it, it, it, it, it, it's, it's, it's, it's and forth about, you know, drones, go back and forth with you about business. As a voter, as a private citizen, I can do that. But this, it's a very, very hard thing. It's a much, very hard thing. It's a much, much higher standard to actually write about it with some depth and some intelligence. And that would be a horrible reason. I mean, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. that's that's a that's a th. thi. thathea. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. th. thi. th. tha. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. alcohol don't mix. My type of body, my type of party, brother. Yo, I just want to say to you, I love your writing. I love what you talk about.

You know, it's interesting and strange to me how much pressure is bestowed on you by people. They go, oh, the Baldwin of this generation to this. And I go, no, you're the Tana-Hassey Coatsie Coats, and I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I. And I I that. I that. I that's. I that's. I that's. I that's. I that's I that's I that's I that's I that's I that's I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I that. I love. I that. I love. I that. I that. I that. I that. I that. I that. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I to th. I to to to to to to to to to love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love. I love Thanks so much. Thank you. Thank you. Watch the Daily Show, weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.