This is Not Your Grandfather’s Country
Obama doesn't understand Anglo-Saxon culture? He may understand Chicago political culture, but that isn't the same thing. He did goew up in the multicultural paradise of Hawaii but attended a school for the elites. He probably has some familiarity with some form of Yankee culture (especially in its "liberal" form); but that isn't the same as traditional American culture, now, is it? At least not the best part of it.
Who are the primary bearers of culture? Fathers or mothers? When it comes to passing on rules for men, fathers are crucial. There are many "unkind" words that could be used of Obama's mother and her choice in life, including her choice of spouses. What evidence did she give that she is anything but a deracinated white? What evidence has Obama given that he cares about his European heritage?
Yesterday I was looking through some Russell Kirk titles, including America's British Culture and Roots of American Order. Has Obama ever read these books? "Anglo-Saxon" does have a strict meaning, referring to certain Germanic tribes who mingled with the natives, initiating the "English" identity. "British" is more of a multiethnic (and multicultural) identity as it is comprised of 4 countries and their peoples, rejected by some (such as Joseph Pearce). I think the staffer's comments about "Anglo-Saxon," if they were actually made, should be understood as meaning "English."
Something by Daniel Hannan: Mitt Romney's staffer is right: whatever their family origins, Britons and Americans are joint heirs to Anglo-Saxon liberties
"One thing that Britain and the US have in common is that they define nationhood in civic rather than ethnic terms. A hundred years ago, 80 per cent of British subjects were neither white nor Christian. You become British, as you become American, by signing up to a set of values."
Hannan seems to be a believer in the proposition nation. How unfortunate.
Related:
Do We Have an Anglo-Saxon Heritage? by Samuel Goldman
Obama is not Anglo-Saxon
NYT: Churchill's Special Relationship "poisonous," "hateful"
Norman v. Saxon after 946 years
The Prestige of Ignorance
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