--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther…" description: "\"Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther King, sometimes, he a black militant from the Sixties, then he's a Baptist minister. He can be so different. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/shelby-steele-3370_baptists_sometimes-barack-obama-is-martin-luther_2579247.png" --- # Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther King, sometimes… ![“Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther King, sometimes, he a black militant from the Sixties, then he's a Baptist minister. He can be so different. There's not yet an Obama voice.” quote by Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/shelby-steele-3370_baptists_sometimes-barack-obama-is-martin-luther_2579247.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/shelby-steele-3370_baptists_sometimes-barack-obama-is-martin-luther_2579247.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/shelby-steele-3370_baptists_sometimes-barack-obama-is-martin-luther_2579247.png) > “Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther King, sometimes, he a black militant from the Sixties, then he's a Baptist minister. He can be so different. There's not yet an Obama voice.” [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obama’s public persona shifts among various archetypes, lacking a consistent, recognizable voice. **In simple terms:** Obama’s image is inconsistent and fragmented. Key Takeaway Seek consistency in personal branding. Themes media identity politics public perception Mood skeptical thoughtful Type analysis critical When to use this quote - public image - political analysis Key Concepts branding political communication media framing Questions to Reflect On - What core values should define a public figure’s voice? - How does media framing shape perception? A Different Perspective Inconsistent messaging can erode trust and credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baptists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptists/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [All politicians are going to mask to some degree in order to present themselves in away they think will get them votes. What's different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/all-politicians-are-going-to-mask-to-some-degree-in-order-to-present/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Ordained Baptist minister; I make no apology for my faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/ordained-baptist-minister-i-make-no-apology-for-my-faith/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [As a Baptist minister, I don't have the right to impose my views on anyone else. If committed gay and lesbian couples want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/as-a-baptist-minister-i-don-t-have-the-right-to-impose-my-views-on/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [You see, I was the son of a baptist minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deforest-kelley/you-see-i-was-the-son-of-a-baptist-minister/) [DeForest Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deforest-kelley/) > [He was a Baptist minister who prayed through his six-shooter which he claimed was the most efficacious form of prayer, especially in dealing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-mosby/he-was-a-baptist-minister-who-prayed-through-his-six-shooter-which-he/) [John S. Mosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-mosby/) > [Being the chief minister of a regional government is just a pastime compared with the hellish job of being prime minister of two different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elio-di-rupo/being-the-chief-minister-of-a-regional-government-is-just-a-pastime/) Elio Di Rupo > [Hillary Clinton isn't that different from Obama in terms of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-nairn/hillary-clinton-isn-t-that-different-from-obama-in-terms-of-policy/) [Allan Nairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-nairn/) > [Each government minister views the circumstances of each issue differently. An interior minister has a different view of visa liberalization than does a foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-maiziere/each-government-minister-views-the-circumstances-of-each-issue/) [Thomas de Maiziere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-maiziere/) > [The American people on the ground need a clearer, stronger, Lyndon B. Johnson-type voice from their president. Obama has that voice. It has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-american-people-on-the-ground-need-a-clearer-stronger-lyndon-b/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [When every high school graduate can spell the word, 'inauguration,' let's put lampshades on our heads and listen to his speeches until Obama's voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-poundstone/when-every-high-school-graduate-can-spell-the-word-inauguration-let-s/) [Paula Poundstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-poundstone/) > [ I can’t stand to hear his \[Obama’s\] voice anymore. He’s a liar, and worse. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-kennedy/i-can-t-stand-to-hear-his-obama-s-voice-anymore-he-s-a-liar-and-worse/) [Caroline Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-kennedy/) > [My parents wanted me to be a Baptist minister. I was a youth minister in my church when I was still in college. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/my-parents-wanted-me-to-be-a-baptist-minister-i-was-a-youth-minister/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [“Octavius Winslow was a Baptist minister in the 19th century.  Born in England, Winslow became one of the most famous evangelical preachers of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavius-winslow/octavius-winslow-was-a-baptist-minister-in-the-19th-century-born-in/) [Octavius Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavius-winslow/) > [My dad didn't want me to listen to Zeppelin, I think because it reminded him of his wilder days, and now he's a retired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-paul/my-dad-didn-t-want-me-to-listen-to-zeppelin-i-think-because-it/) [Aaron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-paul/) > [My ordination in the Church of God in Christ was at age 9, and I later became a Baptist minister, which I am today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/my-ordination-in-the-church-of-god-in-christ-was-at-age-9-and-i-later/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) ## More by Shelby Steele > [When blacks become humanly visible, when their true beliefs are known, their mask shatters and their symbiotic bond with whites is broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/when-blacks-become-humanly-visible-when-their-true-beliefs-are-known/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [I alienated myself from the academic world almost entirely because it's a left-wing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/i-alienated-myself-from-the-academic-world-almost-entirely-because-it/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Freedom is just freedom. It is a condition, not an agent of change. It does not develop or uplift those who win it. Freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/freedom-is-just-freedom-it-is-a-condition-not-an-agent-of-change-it/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [In Vietnam, America fought one whose communism was driven by an underlying nationalism, the desire to live free of the West. Whatever one may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/in-vietnam-america-fought-one-whose-communism-was-driven-by-an/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Our great presidents have been stewards, men who broadly identified with the whole of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/our-great-presidents-have-been-stewards-men-who-broadly-identified/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [No doubt Israel and America have made mistakes in the Middle East. Certainly, Israel was born at the price of considerable dislocation and suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/no-doubt-israel-and-america-have-made-mistakes-in-the-middle-east/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [And if you want to make many of our black leaders angry, just tell them that racism is not the number problem that black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/and-if-you-want-to-make-many-of-our-black-leaders-angry-just-tell/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Thomas Sowell, among many others, has articulated the power of individual responsibility as an antidote to black poverty for over 40 years. Black thinkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/thomas-sowell-among-many-others-has-articulated-the-power-of/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton cannot write a timeless letter to us from a Birmingham jail or walk, as John Lewis did in 1965,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/jesse-jackson-and-al-sharpton-cannot-write-a-timeless-letter-to-us/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [My father bought three ramshackle houses, rebuilt them, rented them out, kept clawing his way up the ladder. A man with a third grade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/my-father-bought-three-ramshackle-houses-rebuilt-them-rented-them-out/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Whatever I'm doing, I try to write well. I try to give the reader a nice, clean well-written surface, where the writing is transparent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/whatever-i-m-doing-i-try-to-write-well-i-try-to-give-the-reader-a/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [We have laws on the books. If somebody's discriminating against you, I strongly advocate suing them. That's the most effective thing you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/we-have-laws-on-the-books-if-somebody-s-discriminating-against-you-i/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [The first thing I ever heard about Barack Obama was that he had a white mother and a black father. Interestingly, the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/the-first-thing-i-ever-heard-about-barack-obama-was-that-he-had-a/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Racism is endemic to the human condition, just as stupidity is. We will always have to be on guard against it. But now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/racism-is-endemic-to-the-human-condition-just-as-stupidity-is-we-will/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Without an ugly America to loathe, there is no automatic esteem to receive. Thus liberalism's unrelenting current of anti-Americanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/without-an-ugly-america-to-loathe-there-is-no-automatic-esteem-to/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) [Explore all 132 Shelby Steele quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) ## More Baptists quotes > [I was overcome by the Holy Ghost one time, but in a Baptist way. I was six or seven, and I was saved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-overcome-by-the-holy-ghost-one-time-but-in-a-baptist-way-i-was/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I grew up in a Southern Baptist-style church with a choir, a band, and music, but I've been asking myself my whole life, 'Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-grew-up-in-a-southern-baptist-style-church-with-a-choir-a-band-and/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [My family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic. I don't believe in man-made religions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/my-family-is-jewish-buddhist-baptist-and-catholic-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [Martha Stewart contributes more to our civility than the Baptist Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hickey/martha-stewart-contributes-more-to-our-civility-than-the-baptist/) [Dave Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hickey/) > [If my ruling disposition is self-interest, I perceive that everything that happens to me is always for or against my self-interest; if, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-my-ruling-disposition-is-self-interest-i-perceive-that-everything/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Christianity has a built-in defense system: anything that questions a belief, no matter how logical the argument is, is the work of Satan by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/christianity-has-a-built-in-defense-system-anything-that-questions-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I grew up in that minority. I grew up in the South, in Roswell, Georgia, and it was heavily white, Baptist, conservative. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/i-grew-up-in-that-minority-i-grew-up-in-the-south-in-roswell-georgia/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [John the Baptist never performed any miracles. Yet, he was greater than any of the Old Testament prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/john-the-baptist-never-performed-any-miracles-yet-he-was-greater-than/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [He's a Catholic, a Hindy, an atheist, a Chein, a Buddhist, a Baptist and a Jew, and he knows, he shouldn't kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-sainte-marie/he-s-a-catholic-a-hindy-an-atheist-a-chein-a-buddhist-a-baptist-and-a/) [Buffy Sainte-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-sainte-marie/) > [The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-biological-evolutionary-perception-of-life-and-of-human-qualities/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [I was baptized a Baptist, but I'm just Christian, as far as I'm concerned. I could go in any church, doesn't matter if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-latifah/i-was-baptized-a-baptist-but-i-m-just-christian-as-far-as-i-m/) [Queen Latifah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-latifah/) > [When Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan and was baptized by John the Baptist, he did so not because he was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/when-jesus-stepped-into-the-waters-of-the-jordan-and-was-baptized-by/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [It has never been recommended to confuse "loving" with "seeking to please"... ...Salome pleased Herod's guests; I can hardly believe she was burning with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-maritain/it-has-never-been-recommended-to-confuse-loving-with-seeking-to/) [Jacques Maritain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-maritain/) > [A Roman Catholic worships a god who speaks through the Pope, while a Baptist worships a god who does not. They cannot be worshipping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-hayes/a-roman-catholic-worships-a-god-who-speaks-through-the-pope-while-a/) [Judith Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-hayes/) > [I'm a 48-year-old writer who can remember being a 10-year-old writer and who expects someday to be an 80-year-old writer. I'm also comfortably asocial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-a-48-year-old-writer-who-can-remember-being-a-10-year-old-writer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 283 Baptists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther King, sometimes, he a black militant from the Sixties, then he's a Baptist minister. He can be so different. 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