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