John McWhorter - For a President Today, Talkin' Down Is Speaking American

Peggy Noonan doesn’t think Obama should be dropping his g’s. But in our swaggery age, even a president has to be able to get down.

 Peggy Noonan has joined the chorus of people who think that when

President Obama hips it up a little when he talks, he is compromising the dignity of his office and even dividing the country. “He shouldn't be out there,” she wrote, “dropping his g's, slouching around a podium, complaining about his ill treatment, describing his opponents with disdain: ‘Stop just hatin' all the time.’

” No, Ms. Noonan. You and the rest -- and some of you are black -- need to realize that when Obama does things like “dropping his g’s,” he is enhancing the dignity of his office and helping bring the country together.

First, let’s get the “fake” part out of the way.

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