The question of aliens seems to come up sooner or later whenever someone’s fame rises above a certain level. Supermarket gossip magazines are still proclaiming that Elvis is an alien–it’s not enough for him to simply be alive anymore. It’s no harder to find an article asking if Obama is from another planet. Some writers mean this question literally and some mean it humorously, but most mean to ask something much more serious. They’re not interested in whether the president is a green or a grey or even whether he has claws. Instead, they’re asking about his character, his background, and his politics. They’re asking where he comes from.
Citizen or Alien?
During Obama’s campaign for president concerns were raised over everything from his U.S. citizenship to his religious background. For the most part, these questions have been satisfactorily answered. Obama is definitely not an alien—legal or otherwise—when it comes to his citizenship in the U.S. The matter has been thoroughly investigated due to necessity of meeting the strict qualifications for presidential office. That it continues to be raised as an issue says more about potential detractors and their search for material than it does about the president himself. It’s an easy way to express doubts about his overall qualifications for an office meant to be representative of the entire country’s interests.
Is Obama Alienated?
Still other commenters have identified a different quality of alieness in Obama. These observers claim that Obama is an alien in a totally different sense. They’re not being literal. Instead, they are describing the president’s alienation from aspects of his country and his people’s lives. This is a frequent complaint among the opposition, who look at matters like Obama’s budget and see that his priorities are vastly different from their own. They are, in fact, alien to these officials.
Tags: Obama