--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not saying that President Obama…" description: "\"I'm not saying that President Obama should be exempt from criticism, nor do I believe it is some act of racial treason for a black person to hold our p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg" --- # I'm not saying that President Obama should be exempt from… ![“I'm not saying that President Obama should be exempt from criticism, nor do I believe it is some act of racial treason for a black person to hold our president accountable for his actions.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg) > “I'm not saying that President Obama should be exempt from criticism, nor do I believe it is some act of racial treason for a black person to hold our president accountable for his actions.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Holding leaders accountable is essential, regardless of race or status **In simple terms:** Criticize leaders fairly, not by race Key Takeaway Demand accountability, not prejudice Themes justice politics ethics Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political debates - media commentary - public protests - election cycles Key Concepts Critical theory public discourse racial equity Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate policy critique from identity politics? - What standards should apply to all leaders? A Different Perspective Criticism can be misinterpreted as personal attack ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-person/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Exempt Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exempt-criticism-3332840/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Obama Exempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-exempt-5331979/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Accountable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-accountable-1993334/) [President obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-obama/) [Racial Treason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-treason-5331980/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Treason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treason/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [The whole point of free expression is not to make ideas exempt from criticism but to expose them to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-wills/the-whole-point-of-free-expression-is-not-to-make-ideas-exempt-from/) [Garry Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-wills/) > [Nothing is complete and thus nothing is exempt from criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-luther-adams/nothing-is-complete-and-thus-nothing-is-exempt-from-criticism/) [James Luther Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-luther-adams/) > [We in the press have a special role since there is no other institution in our society that can hold the President accountable. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/we-in-the-press-have-a-special-role-since-there-is-no-other/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) > [A President can obstruct justice and Congress has the full right to hold a President accountable for such law-breaking through impeachment. After a President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sestak/a-president-can-obstruct-justice-and-congress-has-the-full-right-to/) [Joe Sestak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sestak/) > [Congress has lost its way if we don't hold this President accountable for his actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/congress-has-lost-its-way-if-we-don-t-hold-this-president-accountable/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [The most dangerous thing in American society is a self-respecting and self-loving black person, because they're on the road to freedom and that means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-most-dangerous-thing-in-american-society-is-a-self-respecting-and/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Part of the popularity with Louis Farrakhan has less to do with the content of his message and more to do with the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/part-of-the-popularity-with-louis-farrakhan-has-less-to-do-with-the/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't understand most blacks, they think that it's all white peoples fault. All this is just distraction from what's really happening in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-davoti/i-don-t-understand-most-blacks-they-think-that-it-s-all-white-peoples/) [Kristen Davoti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-davoti/) > [...people will go for anything they don't understand if it's got enough hype. They want to be hip, want always to be in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/people-will-go-for-anything-they-don-t-understand-if-it-s-got-enough/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [“Athletes, we were supposed to just be there, and in class I made it a point that I was prepared for every exam, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-wilkens/athletes-we-were-supposed-to-just-be-there-and-in-class-i-made-it-a/) [Lenny Wilkens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-wilkens/) > [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever again have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/no-poor-rural-weak-or-black-person-should-ever-again-have-to-bear-the/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I don't think I'm really so unique. If every black person looked at their life they would quickly discover that they have been influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-ayers/i-don-t-think-i-m-really-so-unique-if-every-black-person-looked-at/) [Roy Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-ayers/) > [For me, music doesn't have a color. 'Teen Spirit' is a fire song made by a white guy that me as a black person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldlink/for-me-music-doesn-t-have-a-color-teen-spirit-is-a-fire-song-made-by/) [Goldlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldlink/) > [I don't understand how any black person can tell me that they're not pro-gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-don-t-understand-how-any-black-person-can-tell-me-that-they-re-not/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not saying that President Obama should be exempt from criticism, nor do I believe it is some act of racial treason for a black person to hold our president accountable for his actions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornel West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-should-be-exempt-from-criticism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Action" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-should-be-exempt-from-criticism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/cornel-west-708_action_i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-shou_671805.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not saying that President Obama should be exempt from criticism, nor do I believe it is some act of…” — Cornel West", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cornel West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not saying that President Obama...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-should-be-exempt-from-criticism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-m-not-saying-that-president-obama-should-be-exempt-from-criticism/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```