In an attempt at humor, in his first press conference as President-elect, Barack Obama made an awkward joke in regard to choosing a puppy for his daughters. As many will recall, there had been much talk about adopting a dog during the campaign after Obama had promised his daughters that they could have one if he won the election. It became the kind of fun political issue that media pundits began reporting on as a light alternative to the heavy issues of the long and drawn-out, and often negative campaign. “We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic,” Obama said. “On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me” (Fram, 2008).

A few nervous chuckles could be heard from the reporters covering the event. During the campaign, Obama had celebrated his biracial background as the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father from Kenya—and many biracial Americans celebrated with him—including this author. But what was one to make of this new comment, one of the first uttered publicly as President-elect? During the campaign, Obama had become known for his self-deprecating style. Most people considered this an amiable expression of humility and audiences seemed to appreciate it. It did not hurt that it had the added bonus of softening his reputation as an elitist. However, the first African American President in history describing himself as a mutt? This simply would not do. Not only was it demeaning to African Americans, but to all Americans who come from a mixed race background. To that group in particular, it is considered perhaps the worst insult one could utter and a slur that carries with it a very specific history of hatred and fear of race mixing. From a purely political perspective, it made the President-elect appear weak and sounded like racial pandering at a time when Obama's reputation and anticipation about his presidency and what it would portend for America was at its absolute highest.