… We don’t have to wonder what the reaction would be if Obama talked about the racial components of the events in Ferguson, because we’ve seen it before. There would be an explosive backlash on the right, no matter what Obama actually said. …
During the Obama years, the opinions of partisans on issues involving race have become more polarized, with Democrats and Republicans giving starkly different answers on every issue touching on race. This is even true of issues that have nothing explicitly do with race. The fact is that just by virtue of his involvement, Barack Obama can racialize anything, no matter what he does or says. A whole series of studies have found that opinions on health care become racially polarized when Obama is mentioned. CONT.
Paul Waldman, Washington Post