# Did you think Obama would be assassinated? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2017, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018 "2017-01-13T07:26:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/41 "2017-01-14T01:44:28Z")
I think an assassination of Obama would have brought the wrath of the state down on the anti-Obama side very quickly. I expect almost none of the self-declared white supremacists wanted a piece of that. Now, W Bush, he was supposed to be assassinated, in accordance with tradition. We, the American people, got careless there. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/42 "2017-01-14T03:29:19Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > But he’s going to declare martial law, refuse to leave the White House, have all our guns rounded up and put out the worldwide call for jihadi immigrants. And when he does, he’ll have the gratitude of a grateful nation. > [@](#): > > He just hasn’t gotten around to it, with so many things cropping up at the last moment. Great Zarquon, cut the guy some slack. Hey, putting this stuff off 'til the last hour is a great way to end up doing a sloppy job. What’s he going to do, finally remember it on the way to Trump’s swearing-in? I can see it now, Barry desperately trying to strangle the Donald with a necktie as they ride together in the Presidential armored auto in the parade. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/43 "2017-01-14T03:40:46Z")
> [@amateur barbarian](#): > > you missed noting that of the 53 men who have been president, 48 are dead. That’s a 91% fatality rate… 43, 38, 88%. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/44 "2017-01-14T03:57:21Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Was more worried than usual. Also worried about the incoming administration more than usual (and not because I love Trump so much, but I can hardly think of anything that would be worse for the country than having something bad happen to him). Boy, I sure can. Where’s your imagination? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/45 "2017-01-14T04:51:10Z")
I think the internet helps. Between venues to ‘let off steam’…or places to out yourself. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/46 "2017-01-14T04:59:05Z")
Assassins tend to be leftists so I felt he’d be pretty safe. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/47 "2017-01-14T05:10:09Z")
[Dopers thoughts on the subject from 2008](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=490948&highlight=Obama) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/48 "2017-01-14T05:59:06Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I think an assassination of Obama would have brought the wrath of the state down on the anti-Obama side very quickly. I expect almost none of the self-declared white supremacists wanted a piece of that. . . . I don’t think the typical assassin, let alone the typical white supremacist, is rational enough to think that far ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/49 "2017-01-14T07:49:20Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > EVERY President is the subject of assassination nuts and their fantasies. The fact that Obama is black is way, way overshadowed by the fact he’s President. > > The Secret Service is just getting incredibly good at what they do, knock on wood. I suspect they probably stop a lot of would-be assassins before they get as close as John Hinckley - a lot of them probably by paying close attention to what the John Hinckleys of the 21st century post on the Internet. ^This ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/50 "2017-01-14T08:38:11Z")
I think all presidents are a target for assassination but the chances are low. I didn’t believe things would be different with Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/51 "2017-01-14T09:04:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > EVERY President is the subject of assassination nuts and their fantasies. The fact that Obama is black is way, way overshadowed by the fact he’s President. > > The Secret Service is just getting incredibly good at what they do, knock on wood. I suspect they probably stop a lot of would-be assassins before they get as close as John Hinckley - a lot of them probably by paying close attention to what the John Hinckleys of the 21st century post on the Internet. Exactly what I was thinking. Bush and Clinton had plenty of nut-jobs after them. But like you said, the Secret Service is just phenomenal. Read about their countersnipers sometime, with their bespoke guns built for each individual shooter. Living in DC, I’ve had a couple of run-ins with Secret Service (not adversarial, just precautionary), and they are scary professional. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/52 "2017-01-14T15:58:04Z")
Not particularly. The number of crazed (or not so crazed racists) running around was and still is being trumped up for tactical purposes. Related question…eight years ago did you think that Obama might make a greater effort to improve race relations? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/53 "2017-01-15T01:56:17Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Related question…eight years ago did you think that Obama might make a greater effort to improve race relations? Possibly worthy of another thread. Short answer – 8 years back I thought he would make a greater effort on a lot of fronts. Which is why he didn’t get my vote 4 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/54 "2017-01-15T17:41:34Z")
[Nice essay](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/opinion/sunday/how-black-america-saw-obama.html?partner=rss&emc=rss) on exactly this topic - basic theme, the black community has been holding its breath for eight years - in today’s NYT. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/55 "2017-01-15T19:10:02Z")
I thought someone might try, but they would be thwarted. Now, about Trump. I’d dance on his grave if he should die of natural causes. I utterly despise the man. But once he’s sworn in I’ll be seriously pissed if ANYBODY assasinated him, whatever their ideology. He will be POTUS, and any attack on him is an attack on the country as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/56 "2017-01-15T21:02:52Z")
Yes, I did. And I’m worried about after his presidency, too. I’m glad they restored lifetime protection for ex-presidents. Honestly, writing anything about this topic gives me the creeps. There are tons of news stories out there of people posting dumb comments on social media and then being unpleasantly surprised when the Secret Service shows up at their door. I prefer not to go anywhere near it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/57 "2017-01-15T22:45:27Z")
Oh my, I was worried. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/58 "2017-01-15T23:21:10Z")
I didn’t think Obama was PARTICULARLY likely to be assassinated. That is, I never thought (as many black Americans did) “America is so full of violent racists that a black President is in grave danger.” But hey, four US Presidents HAVE been murdered, Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt were shot, Truman and Ford were nearly killed… it’s a dangerous job. Trump faces exactly the same dangers Obama did. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/59 "2017-01-16T11:58:39Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Trump faces exactly the same dangers Obama did. But Trump is safe, because: President Pence. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018/60 "2017-01-16T12:49:31Z")
I’m quite worried about Trump. There’s so much anger from the Left. I could easily see several crazy people doing something. Much like Ford had several nutcases try to get him. I was worried about Obama for his first year. But it became apparent the racists didn’t seem to care that he was elected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-think-obama-would-be-assassinated/777018.md?page=4)