Talk:Barack Obama: Difference between revisions
Undid revision 390991911 by 71.182.182.14 (talk) |
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He was NOT born on 9/11, please change it! [[Special:Contributions/94.11.158.183|94.11.158.183]] ([[User talk:94.11.158.183|talk]]) 23:06, 13 October 2010 (UTC) |
He was NOT born on 9/11, please change it! [[Special:Contributions/94.11.158.183|94.11.158.183]] ([[User talk:94.11.158.183|talk]]) 23:06, 13 October 2010 (UTC) |
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:Fixed, vandal cautioned, lather, rinse, repeat. [[User:PhGustaf|PhGustaf]] ([[User talk:PhGustaf|talk]]) 23:10, 13 October 2010 (UTC) |
:Fixed, vandal cautioned, lather, rinse, repeat. [[User:PhGustaf|PhGustaf]] ([[User talk:PhGustaf|talk]]) 23:10, 13 October 2010 (UTC) |
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== Gerald Walpin v. Corporation for National and Community Service, et al. == |
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[[Gerald Walpin v. Corporation for National and Community Service, et al.]] |
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'''''Gerald Walpin v. Corporation for National and Community Service, et al.'''''<ref>[https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2009cv1343-31 Gerald Walpin v. Corporation for National and Community Service, et al., Civil Action No. 09-1343 (RWR), Memorandum Opinion], uscourts.gov</ref> is a lawsuit that was filed by former United States [[Inspector General]] [[Gerald Walpin]] in 2009 after he was fired from his position of Inspector General. Walpin filed the lawsuit because he believed that his termination was unfair. |
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==Background before filing of lawsuit== |
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===Inspector General Walpin uncovers misuse of government funds=== |
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A controversy arose in June 2009, when United States President [[Barack Obama]] fired U.S. Inspector General [[Gerald Walpin]], after Walpin accused [[Sacramento]] mayor [[Kevin Johnson]] and St. HOPE Academy, a non-profit organization, of misuse of [[AmeriCorps]] funding to pay for school-board political activities. According to [[Associated Press]], Johnson is a supporter of Obama's.<ref name = "APJune122009">[http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D98P72OO0 Obama ousts AmeriCorps' IG who investigated friend], Associated Press, June 12, 2009</ref> |
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Johnson and St. HOPE agreed to repay half of the $847,000 in grant money they had received from AmeriCorps between 2004 and 2007.<ref>[http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=177816&provider=top Grassley wants more details on fired AmeriCorps IG], Associated Press, June 15, 2009</ref> |
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===President Obama fires Walpin and gives initial explanation of firing=== |
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In a June 11, 2009 letter to House Speaker [[Nancy Pelosi]] and Vice President [[Joe Biden]], Obama said that the reason for the firing was because "It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general. That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general." According to Associated Press, no other explanation or details were included in the letter.<ref name = "APJune122009"/> |
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====Initial criticism of firing==== |
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On June 16, 2009, U.S. Senator [[Claire McCaskill]] (D-Missouri), said the president failed to follow a law that she had sponsored, which requires that the President give Congress 30 days advance notice of an inspector general's firing, along with the cause for the firing. McCaskill stated, "Loss of confidence is not a sufficient reason." She also stated, "I'm hopeful the White House will provide a more substantive rationale, in writing, as quickly as possible." That same day, a White House lawyer said that Walpin was fired because he was "unduly disruptive" and engaged in "trouble and inappropriate conduct."<ref name=AssociatedPressJune162009>[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009341896_apusamericorpsinspectorgeneral.html White House: IG canned because he was 'disruptive'], Associated Press, June 16, 2009</ref> |
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U.S. Representative [[Darrell Issa]] (R-California) who is the senior Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also asked the White House for specifics about the firing. Issa stated, "Despite the requirement to notify Congress in advance of firing ... the White House moved swiftly to sack an investigator who uncovered wrongdoing and abuse by a political ally of the president."<ref name=AssociatedPressJune162009/> |
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A [[Wall St. Journal]] editorial on Walpin's firing stated, "President Obama swept to office on the promise of a new kind of politics, but then how do you explain last week's dismissal of federal Inspector General Gerald Walpin for the crime of trying to protect taxpayer dollars? This is a case that smells of political favoritism and Chicago rules... last year Congress passed the Inspectors General Reform Act, which requires the President to give Congress 30 days notice, plus a reason, before firing an inspector general. A co-sponsor of that bill was none other than Senator Obama."<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124511811033017539.html The White House Fires a Watchdog]. Wall St. Journal, June 17, 2009</ref> |
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===Obama's second explanation of firing=== |
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In a June 16, 2009 letter to Congress, the White House said that Walpin was fired because he was "confused, disoriented, unable to answer questions and exhibited other behavior that led the Board to question his capacity to serve."<ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23831.html W.H.: Fired IG 'confused, disoriented'], Politico, June 17, 2009</ref> |
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====Criticism of Obama's second explantion==== |
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On June 23, 2009, a [[bipartisan]] group of 145 current and former public officials, attorneys, and legal scholars signed a letter that was sent to the White House, which defended Walpin, said the criticisms of him were not true, and said that his firing was politically motivated. Signers of the letter included [[Michael Mukasey]] (former Attorney General), [[Bernard Nussbaum]] (President Clinton’s former counsel), former U.S. Attorneys Otto Obermaier, [[John Martin]], Zachary Carter, and Andrew Maloney, and six former and current presidents of the [[Federal Bar Council]].<ref>[http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/47280-allies-of-official-fired-by-obama-mount-defense Allies of official fired by Obama mount defense], thehill.com, June 24, 2009</ref> The letter can be read [http://www.nylj.com/nylawyer/adgifs/decisions/070109walpinletter.pdf here]. |
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Fox News host [[Glenn Beck]] gave Walpin an on-air [[Mini-mental state examination|state certified senility test]], which Walpin passed with a perfect score, meaning that he was not senile.<ref name = "PoliticoJune182010">[http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0610/Former_IG_Walpin_loses_suit_over_firing.html Former watchdog Walpin loses suit over firing], Politico, June 18, 2010</ref> |
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==Lawsuit== |
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===Filing of lawsuit=== |
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On July 17, 2009, Walpin filed a civil lawsuit in federal court seeking his reinstatement as CNCS Inspector General, arguing that his removal violated the 2008 Inspector General Act.<ref>[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/07/fired_ig_gerald_walpin_files_s.html Fired IG Gerald Walpin Files Suit], Washingtn Post, July 20, 2009</ref> |
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===Walpin's explanation for lawsuit=== |
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On July 20, 2009, Walpin issued a statement saying the primary reason for his lawsuit was to protect future Inspectors General.<ref>[http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/07/fired-inspector-general-says-his-lawsuit-was-filed-to-protect-future-igs.html Fired Inspector General Says His Lawsuit Was Filed to Protect Future IGs], ABC News, July 20, 2009</ref> |
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===Later criticism of firing=== |
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On November 23, 2009, the [[Washington Examiner]] reported that documents released revealed that "the White House's explanation for Walpin's dismissal -- that it came after the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps, unanimously decided that Walpin must go -- was in fact a public story cobbled together after Walpin was fired, not before." The White House had withheld the documents until after the Senate report was released. The documents revealed that [[Alan Solomont]], a significant Obama donor, had been the only board member having input and expressing disapproval of Walpin's performance.<ref>[http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/New-documents-White-House-scrambled-to-justify-AmeriCorps-firing-after-the-fact-71483647.html New documents: White House scrambled to justify AmeriCorps firing after the fact], The Washington Examiner, November 23, 2009</ref> |
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===Dismissal of lawsuit=== |
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On June 17, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge [[Richard W. Roberts]] dismissed Walpin's wrongful-termination lawsuit.<ref>[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/06/fired_ig_ponders_options_after.html Fired IG ponders options after suit dismissed], Washington Post, June 18, 2010</ref> Judge Roberts also told Walpin that he could appeal the decision.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/21/1692914/federal-official-fired-by-obama.html Federal official fired by Obama won't get his job back], Miama Herald, June 21, 2010</ref> |
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====Critcism of dismissal of lawsuit==== |
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Judge Roberts' dismissal of the lawsuit was considered troublesome. For example, in an editorial published in the [[San Francisco Examiner]], [[Byron York]] wrote, "... if the decision by U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts stands, in the future the White House will be able fire other inspectors general as it fired Walpin without fear of legal consequences. The law requires the president to give Congress 30 days’ notice, plus an explanation, before firing an inspector general, but Walpin was summarily dismissed by the White House without notice to Congress or explanation on June 10, 2009..."<ref>[http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/walpin-defeat-means-president-can-fire-igs-at-will-96714994.html Walpin defeat means president can fire IGs at will], San Francisco Examiner, June 19, 2010</ref> |
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====Alleged conflict of interest in dismissal of lawsuit==== |
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In September 2010, the [[Washington Times]] reported that Judge Roberts had had a [[conflict of interest]] in the case. On April 2010, when Roberts had introduced U.S. Attorney General [[Eric Holder]] to an audience at [[Vassar College]], Holder had stated, "I've got your back." In addition, Holder told the Vassar audience that Roberts' personal relationship with him had existed for "more years than most of you have probably been alive." At the time, Judge Roberts was ignoring several legal deadlines to the benefit of Holder's administration on numerous motions and countermotions in the lawsuit. Furthermore, when Holder had been U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., he had made Roberts his principal deputy. In addition, when Holder had been deputy attorney general in the Clinton Justice Department, Roberts had served him as head of the Civil Rights Division's criminal section. Also, Holder had had some authority in vetting Roberts' 1998 judicial nomination. Judge Roberts first stalled the Walpin case for nearly a full year, and then tried to kill it outright. Walpin's appeal, citing the judge's missed deadlines, requested that the case be reinstated, and that it be reassigned to a different judge.<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/1/walpin-gate-judge-has-conflict/ Walpin-gate judge has conflict], The Washington Times, September 1, 2010</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/07/gerald_walpin_documents.html Federal Eye: Gerald Walpin Documents], Washington Post list of links to 33 documents related to the lawsuit |
Revision as of 02:28, 16 October 2010
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Frequently asked questions To view the response to a question, click the [show] link to the right of the question. Family and religious background Q1: Why isn't Barack Obama's Muslim heritage or education included in this article?
A1: Barack Obama was never a practitioner of Islam. His biological father having been "raised as a Muslim" but being a "confirmed atheist" by the time Obama was born is mentioned in the article. Please see this article on Snopes.com for a fairly in-depth debunking of the myth that Obama is Muslim. Barack Obama did not attend an Islamic or Muslim school while living in Indonesia age 6–10, but Roman Catholic and secular public schools. See [1], [2], [3] The sub-articles Public image of Barack Obama and Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories address this issue. Q2: The article refers to him as African American, but his mother is white and his black father was not an American. Should he be called African American, or something else ("biracial", "mixed", "Kenyan-American", "mulatto", "quadroon", etc.)?
A2: Obama himself and the media identify him, the vast majority of the time, as African American or black. African American is primarily defined as "citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa", a statement that accurately describes Obama and does not preclude or negate origins in the white populations of America as well. Thus we use the term African American in the introduction, and address the specifics of his parentage in the first headed section of the article. Many individuals who identify as black have varieties of ancestors from many countries who may identify with other racial or ethnic groups. See our article on race for more information on this concept. We could call him the first "biracial" candidate or the first "half black half white" candidate or the first candidate with a parent born in Africa, but Wikipedia is a tertiary source which reports what other reliable sources say, and most of those other sources say "first African American". Readers will learn more detail about his ethnic background in the article body. Q3: Why can't we use his full name outside of the lead? It's his name, isn't it?
A3: The relevant part of the Manual of Style says that outside the lead of an article on a person, that person's conventional name is the only one that's appropriate. (Thus one use of "Richard Milhous Nixon" in the lead of Richard Nixon, "Richard Nixon" thereafter.) Talk page consensus has also established this. Q4: Why is Obama referred to as "Barack Hussein Obama II" in the lead sentence rather than "Barack Hussein Obama, Jr."? Isn't "Jr." more common?
A4: Although "Jr." is typically used when a child shares the name of his or her parent, "II" is considered acceptable, as well. And in Obama's case, the usage on his birth certificate is indeed "II", and is thus the form used at the beginning of this article, per manual of style guidelines on names. Q5: Why don't we cover the claims that Obama is not a United States citizen, his birth certificate was forged, he was not born in Hawaii, he is ineligible to be President, etc?
A5: The Barack Obama article consists of an overview of major issues in the life and times of the subject. The controversy over his eligibility, citizenship, birth certificate etc is currently a fairly minor issue in overall terms, and has had no significant legal or mainstream political impact. It is therefore not currently appropriate for inclusion in an overview article. These claims are covered separately in Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories. Controversies, praise, and criticism Q6: Why isn't there a criticisms/controversies section?
A6: Because a section dedicated to criticisms and controversies is no more appropriate than a section dedicated solely to praise and is an indication of a poorly written article. Criticisms/controversies/praises should be worked into the existing prose of the article, per the Criticism essay. Q7: Why isn't a certain controversy/criticism/praise included in this article?
A7: Wikipedia's Biography of living persons policy says that "[c]riticism and praise of the subject should be represented if it is relevant to the subject's notability and can be sourced to reliable secondary sources, and so long as the material is written in a manner that does not overwhelm the article or appear to take sides; it needs to be presented responsibly, conservatively, and in a neutral, encyclopedic tone." Criticism or praise that cannot be reliably sourced cannot be placed in a biography. Also, including everything about Obama in a single article would exceed Wikipedia's article size restrictions. A number of sub-articles have been created and some controversies/criticisms/praises have been summarized here or been left out of this article altogether, but are covered in some detail in the sub-articles. Q8: But this controversy/criticism/praise is all over the news right now! It should be covered in detail in the main article, not buried in a sub-article!
A8: Wikipedia articles should avoid giving undue weight to something just because it is in the news right now. If you feel that the criticism/controversy/praise is not being given enough weight in this article, you can try to start a discussion on the talk page about giving it more. See WP:BRD. Q9: This article needs much more (or much less) criticism/controversy.
A9: Please try to assume good faith. Like all articles on Wikipedia, this article is a work in progress so it is possible for biases to exist at any point in time. If you see a bias that you wish to address, you are more than welcome to start a new discussion, or join in an existing discussion, but please be ready to provide sources to support your viewpoint and try to keep your comments civil. Starting off your discussion by accusing the editors of this article of having a bias is the quickest way to get your comment ignored. Talk and article mechanics Q10: This article is over 275kb long, and the article size guideline says that it should be broken up into sub-articles. Why hasn't this happened?
A10: The restriction mentioned in WP:SIZE is 60kB of readable prose, not the byte count you see when you open the page for editing. As of May 11, 2016, this article had about 10,570 words of readable prose (65 kB according to prosesize tool), only slightly above the guideline. The rest is mainly citations and invisible comments, which do not count towards the limit. Q11: I notice this FAQ mentions starting discussions or joining in on existing discussions a lot. If Wikipedia is supposed to be the encyclopedia anyone can edit, shouldn't I just be bold and fix any biases that I see in the article?
A11: It is true that Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit and no one needs the permission of other editors of this article to make changes to it. But Wikipedia policy is that, "While the consensus process does not require posting to the discussion page, it can be useful and is encouraged." This article attracts editors that have very strong opinions about Obama (positive and negative) and these editors have different opinions about what should and should not be in the article, including differences as to appropriate level of detail. As a result of this it may be helpful, as a way to avoid content disputes, to seek consensus before adding contentious material to or removing it from the article. Q12: The article/talk page has been vandalized! Why hasn't anyone fixed this?
A12: Many editors watch this article, and it is unlikely that vandalism would remain unnoticed for long. It is possible that you are viewing a cached result of the article; If so, try bypassing your cache. Q13: Why are so many discussions closed so quickly?
A13: Swift closure is common for topics that have already been discussed repeatedly, topics pushing fringe theories, and topics that would lead to violations of Wikipedia's policy concerning biographies of living persons, because of their disruptive nature and the unlikelihood that consensus to include the material will arise from the new discussion. In those cases, editors are encouraged to read this FAQ for examples of such common topics. Q14: I added new content to the article, but it was removed!
A14: Double-check that your content addition is not sourced to an opinion blog, editorial, or non-mainstream news source. Wikipedia's policy on biographies of living persons states, in part, "Material about living persons must be sourced very carefully. Without reliable third-party sources, it may include original research and unverifiable statements, and could lead to libel claims." Sources of information must be of a very high quality for biographies. While this does not result in an outright ban of all blogs and opinion pieces, most of them are regarded as questionable. Inflammatory or potentially libelous content cited to a questionable source will be removed immediately without discussion. Q15: I disagree with the policies and content guidelines that prevent my proposed content from being added to the article.
A15: That's understandable. Wikipedia is a work in progress. If you do not approve of a policy cited in the removal of content, it's possible to change it. Making cogent, logical arguments on the policy's talk page is likely to result in a positive alteration. This is highly encouraged. However, this talk page is not the appropriate place to dispute the wording used in policies and guidelines. If you disagree with the interpretation of a policy or guideline, there is also recourse: Dispute resolution. Using the dispute resolution process prevents edit wars, and is encouraged. Q16: I saw someone start a discussion on a topic raised by a blog/opinion piece, and it was reverted!
A16: Unfortunately, due to its high profile, this talk page sees a lot of attempts to argue for policy- and guideline-violating content – sometimes the same violations many times a day. These are regarded as disruptive, as outlined above. Consensus can change; material previously determined to be unacceptable may become acceptable. But it becomes disruptive and exhausting when single-purpose accounts raise the same subject(s) repeatedly in the apparent hopes of overcoming significant objections by other editors. Editors have reached a consensus for dealing with this behavior:
Other Q17: Why aren't the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns covered in more detail?
A17: They are, in sub-articles called Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign and Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign. Things that are notable in the context of the presidential campaigns, but are of minimal notability to Barack Obama's overall biography, belong in the sub-articles. Campaign stops, the presidential debates, and the back-and-forth accusations and claims of the campaigns can all be found there. |
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Barack Obama is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Obama's Faith
I ran across this article and thought it might be an appropriate source identifying Christianity as Obama's declared faith. It also mentions that he draws from Eastern religions, Islam, and Judaism. I hesitate to plop it into the article right away, though, so I thought I'd bring it up here. Ninjatacoshell (talk) 21:40, 30 August 2010 (UTC)
- It is from an interview with a notable journalist (Cathleen Falsani) in a notable publication (Chicago Sun Times), so it should be OK as a source for the article.--JayJasper (talk) 22:15, 30 August 2010 (UTC)
- Looks like a very good interview, and outlines what many have suspected Obama's beliefs were, put into writing with his own words. No particular dogma or exact 'brand' of Christianity, just Christian. I'm sure people who are religious/spiritual but have college degrees can relate. As for using it as a reliable source, I have no problem with it. Dave Dial (talk) 22:37, 30 August 2010 (UTC)
- Contrary to the FAQ above, it would POV to not mention ANY muslim connection to his family roots. Granted he is christian, fair enough and it should be given greatest emphasis, but considering most of his [kenyan] family is Muslim that ought to be mention too.Lihaas (talk) 08:42, 17 September 2010 (UTC)
- Can anyone making edits or reverting edits regarding Obama's religion views/position please reference this talk page, its FAQ, and this section for discussion prior to further edits. Thanks --Topperfalkon (talk) 11:53, 29 September 2010 (UTC)
- I don't agree with Lihas. Obama's beliefs are his own, and have no connection with other family member's belief. The article is about Obama. To bring in the fact that some of his family have different beiliefs would skew into POV. I mean, if for instance, in the same couple of sentences the article states "Obama is Christian" then next to that "But some family members are Wikipedian" seems to be an attempt to skew toward some sort of POV. Thanks. (This is the first time I have edited on the Obama aritcle.) ---- Steve Quinn (talk) 08:30, 4 October 2010 (UTC)
- Agree with Steve Quinn (Welcome, Steve!). The religious beliefs of Obama's relatives are of little consequence when compared with Obama's own stated position, just as his "mixed" race heritage is of little consequence compared with his personal identification as an African-American. Frankly, I'm uncomfortable with some of the calls to note Obama's tenuous connection with Islam, as if that's a bad thing. -- Scjessey (talk) 18:44, 4 October 2010 (UTC)
- I don't agree with Lihas. Obama's beliefs are his own, and have no connection with other family member's belief. The article is about Obama. To bring in the fact that some of his family have different beiliefs would skew into POV. I mean, if for instance, in the same couple of sentences the article states "Obama is Christian" then next to that "But some family members are Wikipedian" seems to be an attempt to skew toward some sort of POV. Thanks. (This is the first time I have edited on the Obama aritcle.) ---- Steve Quinn (talk) 08:30, 4 October 2010 (UTC)
Exeternl links
I dont know if this ahs been said, but WP:Consensus can change and WP:EL wikipedia is not a repository of links, so the lsit needs to be cut.
- certainly dont need a whole list of bios, some can be cited in here (and if they can be then theres no need for EL's)
- news articles dont need to be here, or if a link to a search fo obama 1-2 can suffice
- in linewith the above, directories/news searches can be cut too (some 1-2 combined)
- official sites re the links to have, so this seems good.Lihaas (talk) 09:01, 17 September 2010 (UTC)
Article size
WP:Article size means this page is way too long and takes forever to load, now there already are split off pages, yet at least 2 section still go on for para's on end. A summation and a link to the main page is the point of a split so those 2 can be cut down to size somehow. ill leave it to the page monitors to decide, because this is "their baby" instead of fightingLihaas (talk) 09:08, 17 September 2010 (UTC)
- That is incorrect. Readable prose is well within the proper limit. The physical size of the page is large because of the large body of references (a higher standard/frequency of sourcing prevents disputes on BLPs that can attract controversy). -- Scjessey (talk) 12:18, 29 September 2010 (UTC)
Ownership of article
- This article seems to have WP:OWNERSHIP issues here with various editors promptly removing anything added they dont like. to cite this blatant ownership: [4] says added by "article by new editor" If he means that im a new editor them that is not true, if its to this article then that doesnt mean people are restricted from editing articles on wikipedia. this is an open encyclopaedia and furthermore he blindly reverted EVERYTHING in the edits which is ground for either pov or vandalism (take your pick).
- [5] is written from an WP:RS with the clear caveat that he was accused not that he is or making an affirmation. the editor's own insecurities of an attack are more suited to a weblog.
- Furthermore, when challenging the edit he has not mentioned a word here on talk. If this protecting page by some whitehouse staff members continues it needs to go for admin control.
- i have also already posted above to discuss my edit BEFORE revert, yet Newross reverted the tags (in addition to EVERY other edit in between including the cleanup) without saying anything on talk
- To explain then the other part of the sub-section merger, all the biographical data was put to a logical one section instead of being spread around the page. I just made it a seperate subsection as a reward of recognition to whoever editor took the time to write it. (maybe that was unwarranted too) (Lihaas (talk) 11:31, 19 September 2010 (UTC)).
- I support the reversion made by Brothejr (diff) that you mentioned above. You (Lihaas) made some massive changes to the article by moving some sections and more. In the middle of those changes you introduced a paragraph starting 'He was accused of heading to the "dark side"...' which was correctly reverted because it was someone's opinion written as fact, and it used some inappropriate language (dark side?), and is undue. Re your comment about "admin control", please see the "This article has been placed on article probation" note in the header at the top of this page. Your complaints are unfounded. Per WP:BRD it is up to you to explain why your bold edits should prevail rather than the established version. If you are going to reply to yourself, please leave your original signature because it is confusing to see indented comments when they are all from the same person. Johnuniq (talk) 12:08, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
- There are definitely overreactions to content in the article. Two issues though; it is a featured article and very controversial. The revert [11] removed SmackBot fixes and a bot-added link to the Aymaran Wikipedia as well. Difficult to revert the intermediate edits but better care should have been taken. The revert in [12] was from an opinion piece and cannot hold its own in a BLP. I don't consider you a new editor but Newross may have assumed you didn't know how controversial, BLP and featured articles are treated. It is always best to discuss edits here, particularly if they are large. As far as ownership, there is a group of editors that prowl the Obama and other liberal/conservative pages. Some look more like SPAs and others are legitimately around to help control the quality of articles.--NortyNort (Holla) 12:10, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
- To explain then the other part of the sub-section merger, all the biographical data was put to a logical one section instead of being spread around the page. I just made it a seperate subsection as a reward of recognition to whoever editor took the time to write it. (maybe that was unwarranted too) (Lihaas (talk) 11:31, 19 September 2010 (UTC)).
Also, the article is actually not too long, so I have removed that tag. Article length is judged by "readable prose" as noted at WP:SIZE. Tarc (talk) 13:35, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
- I will say that I agree that (11) was probably incorrect, but (12) was definitely correct. But I would suggest to you that if you are going to make edits on controversial articles that are on probation, you should be aware of the history of changes on the article and accept that your edits may be challenged. Especially if you sandwich edits like this in between what I consider article improvements, while also making bizarre accusations and diving in head first defending a banned sock puppet that has over 75 socks over the last month or so and has been adding the same tired bullshit over and over. You are going to meet resistance to your edits if you are going to come in making these kinds of edits. So I would suggest that instead of making sweeping changes to the article, and unfounded accusations on the talk page, you restart and take a more collaborative tone. Dave Dial (talk) 13:44, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
- I've removed the talk page section again per WP:DENY, and suggest we close down this one as well for the same reason. There is zero chance of any of this getting into the article in this manner. I already moved this discussion[[6]] to the talk page of the editor who asked the question to answer any question about socking or the history of the article. As fond as I am of the sock in question, taking his troll bait here will only encourage him. Aggressively demanding that we take the bait here is not good. - Wikidemon (talk) 14:30, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
Disruptive massive change to article organization
In the first-ever edits to this article by User:Lihaas on September 17, 2010:
- It was inappropriate to make a WP:BRD massive change to the organization of this contentious, on-probation, featured article with absolutely NO prior discussion whatsoever,[7] and it was inappropriate to immediately reinstate [8] the same WP:BRD massive change after it was reverted.[9]
- It was disruptive to move the long "Family and personal life" (trivia) section from the end of the article and insert it into the middle of a chronological account of Obama's career between his work in New York City at Business International Corporation and the New York Public Interest Research Group from 1983–1985 and his community organizing work in Chicago as director of the Developing Communities Project from 1985–1988.[10]
- It was disruptive to move the stale, extraneous "Political positions" section from near the end of the article and insert it into the middle of a chronological account of Obama's career between his work as a civil rights attorney from 1993–1996 and his service as Illinois state Senator from 1997–2004.[11]
- As has been discussed several times ([12][13][14][15][16]) in the talk page archives, the stale, extraneous "Political positions" section does not belong in this article, and should have been removed when a "Presidency" section consuming 40% of the article was added which covers Obama presidential administration political policies.
- It was inappropriate "drive-by tagging" to add "{long|section}" tags[17] to a featured article with no prior (or subsequent) discussion on this talk page about which sections you thought were too long, why you thought the sections were too long, and what material you would suggest removing.[18]
- It was inappropriate (and ignorant) to add a {fact} tag with an edit summary "was before ,mayube after -- bnut NOW?" saying a citation was needed in the infobox to establish that Obama has a private residence in Chicago, Illinois;[19]
- It was inappropriate (and silly) to add a paragraph[22] based on an op-ed column "Obama edges to the dark side" posted that day on Aljazeera.net by history professor and rock guitarist Mark LeVine[23]—and simultaneously add a {long} tag to the article.
- Re: "different titles for sections doesnt mean one can violate the essence -- and why are the refs all lsited here and not inline?"[24]
This article uses shortened footnotes with separate "Notes" and "References" sections; see WP:CITESHORT. - It was unrealistic to begin editing this article with an inappropriate WP:BRD massive change with absolutely NO prior discussion whatsoever, followed by a consecutive series of further inappropriate and uninformed edits, and expect an editor attempting to expeditiously undo[25] the consecutive series of inappropriate edits to preserve the last edit (that removed 11 external links)[26] in the series of edits.
Newross (talk) 02:42, 26 September 2010 (UTC)
- Thanks, Newross, for taking the time to write this up. I agree with your analysis. Tvoz/talk 05:15, 26 September 2010 (UTC)
- Overall I agree. However, this page isn't a good place to go over editor behavior. Could we close this down and take it elsewhere, if at all? - Wikidemon (talk) 06:47, 26 September 2010 (UTC)
- Thanks, Newross, for taking the time to write this up. I agree with your analysis. Tvoz/talk 05:15, 26 September 2010 (UTC)
A question of Race
hatting of endless discussion about race |
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The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it. |
Quick policy question. I'm a little curious about what justifies Obama's inclusion into all the "African American" categories he's in. I mean technically, he is of "mixed race". Can someone point out to me the policy that covers this kind of thing? I'm sure this issue has been discussed ad infinitum, I'm just curious because it relates to seperate debate I'm having. Many thanks, NickCT (talk) 19:05, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
Obama is the first Bi-racial President. To call him African American is technically incorrect. Is a white person born in Kenya that becomes an American citizen, an African American? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.87.83.241 (talk) 21:56, 12 October 2010 (UTC)
All this talk is silly to me. Obama himself identifies as African-American. Just look at the links. Do you have a problem with that? Do you think being of African descent is ugly? What's your game? I think this section shoud be closed like the others.B-Machine (talk) 15:30, 24 September 2010 (UTC)
@y'all...let's dial it down a bit here. Yes, 99% of the time when this subject is brought up it is on bad terms, but this one appears to have been asked in good faith. Everyone return to your corners and play nice, pls. Tarc (talk) 16:58, 24 September 2010 (UTC)
Thank you, Abrazame. These edits people make are nonsense. It's been discussed too much. It's time to put it to rest and close this section. By the way, this is not a place to discuss ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It's here to discuss the improvement of the article. Go somewhere else with that mess. B-Machine (talk) 21:29, 24 September 2010 (UTC)
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Some trivial info
The paragraph about his smoking and some of the details on the teams he supports should be removed to the sub-articles as they're just trivia and don't belong in the main article. Christopher Connor (talk) 23:44, 1 October 2010 (UTC)
- 'Not done: You should establish a WP:CONSENSUS before attempting to make any edits to the article. As for the teams he supports and the smoking - they are in sub-article paragraphs, not the main heading paragraph. -Dillon (talk)
The name's pronunciation
The one given in the article (/[invalid input: 'Barack-Hussein-Obama-en-US-pronunciation.ogg']bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/) raises a question: Is this really THE way his name is pronounced in every-day speech. My impression is that the stress tends to be on the first syllable in his Christian name; and the first sound in the surname is usually reduced to the shwa (at least that seems to be the case in British English).Axxxion (talk) 18:59, 6 October 2010 (UTC)
- As an Englishman living in the US, I can tell you that many British people mispronounce the name. Listen to this Oath of Office clip to hear how it should be pronounced (please forgive the Chief Justice making an arse of it). -- Scjessey (talk) 19:13, 6 October 2010 (UTC)
Assassinations
The fact that the CIA went from spies to assassins should be noted. I mean, the fact that the CIA can kill US citizens without due process and in non-combat zones as a result of his authorization should be noted. Sources: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/01/27/yemen http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/07/assassinations http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/02/04/assassinations http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/09/25/secrecy Every source is cited on those pages. I'm not sure I could make it simpler. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.169.12.219 (talk) 11:37, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
- As I understand it (didn´t read all), he´s reffering to an article from Washington Post, but that article now says Oops, that was wrong. Also, this seems to be the wrong article for it, at least until this become a very notable event in his precidency.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR2010012604239.html?hpid=topnews Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:06, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
- Actually, I'm pretty sure that article has absolutely nothing to do with it whatsover. I don't mean any offense, I just can't seem to see a link with what you're talking about and the document posted. All it seems to say is that Obama has authorized more strikes than Bush has in the past 3 years compared to 1 year of his time. The links I provided are updated information, with updates at theend of the page whenever he finds new sources of information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.169.12.219 (talk) 14:25, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
Commission report on oil spill
A commission report on the Obama Administration's handling of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was released today.[27] Should it be mentioned in the article? Truthsort (talk) 15:25, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
- This is meant to be a biography of Barack Obama's entire life, so I would argue that this report isn't notable enough within that context. There are a couple of daughter articles that would seem more appropriate places. -- Scjessey (talk) 15:34, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
- There should probably be a short mention in this article under the oil spill section. A more detailed entry would be better entered on the main article of the oil spill and the Obama Presidency article. Although I would use references from the Washington Post and New York Times, with an additional link to the Commission's original report documents. Dave Dial (talk) 16:25, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
Suggestion for the external links section
Here is an article from the New York Times that might be worth to add: Education of a President. I'm posting it here before integrating it into the article to see if there is support/consensus for it here or maybe at the Presidency of Barack Obama article.TMCk (talk) 21:19, 13 October 2010 (UTC)
- Yes, read it. Good article.Malke 2010 (talk) 13:00, 14 October 2010 (UTC)
- Since there is no objection I've added it to the external link section.TMCk (talk) 19:21, 15 October 2010 (UTC)
WHAT THE HELL?!
He was NOT born on 9/11, please change it! 94.11.158.183 (talk) 23:06, 13 October 2010 (UTC)
- Fixed, vandal cautioned, lather, rinse, repeat. PhGustaf (talk) 23:10, 13 October 2010 (UTC)
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