Zelizer: Obama runs risks hobnobing with celebrities

WASHINGTON — President Obama has pledged to use the remainder of his presidency to address income inequality, which he calls “the defining challenge of our time.” This holiday weekend, Mr. Obama had an intimate look at how vast wealth disparities in America have become.

On Monday, Mr. Obama and his family marked the birthday of the civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a visit to the D.C. Central Kitchen, where he, Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, donned aprons and prepared burritos for distribution to local homeless shelters.

On Saturday, the Obamas marked another birthday — Mrs. Obama’s 50th — with a party at the White House, with music by Beyoncé. Guests included entertainment industry A-listers like Stevie Wonder (who also sang), Paul McCartney and Samuel L. Jackson. Those who brought cellphones were asked to check them at the door, presumably to prevent photographs on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook....

All presidents hobnob with celebrities, but for Democrats — and for Mr. Obama in particular — doing so carries particular risks, said Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, because imagery of mingling with the wealthy “becomes a clash with their values and claims they are making in the public sphere.”...