In a new interview with Ebony, actor Samuel L. Jackson said that he voted for President Barack Obama only because he is black.
Suggested Reading
"I voted for Barack because he was black," Jackson confessed. "Cause that's why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them. That's American politics, pure and simple. Obama's message didn't mean sh— to me."
The 63-year-old highest-grossing actor of all time also talked about his mixed feelings about the president's first term: "I just hoped he would do some of what he said he was gonna do. I know politicians say sh—; they lie because they want to get elected."
Jackson also dropped an n-word-laden rant as he began to talk about Americans' lack of comfort with having a "n—er" in the White House and how Obama isn't a scary one, which helps him:
“When it comes down to it, they wouldn’t have elected a [bleep]. Because, what’s a [bleep]? A [bleep] is scary. Obama ain’t scary at all. [Bleeps] don’t have beers at the White House. [Bleeps] don’t let some white dude, while you in the middle of a speech, call [him] a liar. A [bleep] would have stopped the meeting right there and said, ‘Who the [bleep] said that?’ I hope Obama gets scary in the next four years, ’cuz he ain’t gotta worry about getting re-elected.”
Jackson is a public figure who attended an Obama fundraiser last month. During an election year, the last thing you want to do is give Republicans or Fox News any material to fan the flames of outrage. But the root of what Jackson said is something we can't disagree with. While we vote based on what works best for our own personal interests, many in this country of all colors vote for people based on their ethnicity or who they like. Many white Americans didn't vote for Obama in 2008, not because his policies didn't benefit them but because he is black.
But while we can respect honesty, we wish Jackson had kept quiet on this one because what he revealed to Ebony wasn't necessarily groundbreaking but could be inflammatory.
Read more at Ebony.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.