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Skinny Boy

A couple of incredulous friends have emailed me this argument that

any discussion of Obama's "skinniness" and its impact on the typical American voter can't avoid being interpreted as a coded discussion of race

and despite my true respect for Tim Noah, I share their reaction. At times it feels as though every single observation/accusation about Obama has to be cross-referenced with every racist trope in history and disqualified if there's even a vague accidental match. I don't think Obama's defenders do him any favors with this sort of deconstructionism.

On a lighter note, another good song comes to mind here.

--Michael Crowley