Is the word articulate off the table now for complimenting how someone speaks?

This comment was made on a Facebook thread:

Damn, this guy is really smart and articulate. There are so few of them out there nowadays.

It was regarding this clip from the between the scenes of The Daily Show about reparations for African Americans. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RjTu1NmQLP8

After the statement a Facebook user asked who is “them.” Then a short discussion followed about how black people could be offended. I took “them” to mean anyone in media when I first read the original comment, but the person was questioning if “them” meant black people, similar to the huge upset that happened when Obama was complimented for being articulate.

I always think the word articulate is a compliment. Race doesn’t even occur to me. Everyone was complimenting Obama on his speeches and speaking ability, and in the same vein Biden says Obama is articulate and it gets turned into a racist word by the media. In my opinion it was a piece of propaganda, but I except that now the word articulate is probably taboo. I don’t want anyone to be hurt.

I’ve used the word in the past to describe why I can understand some Spanish speaking accents better than others. I use “enunciate” also, maybe that’s bad too. I remember Charlize Theron talking about learning American English, and that the trick is we enunciate our words fully. Each word is separate. Is enunciate a trigger word also? No more describing how well people can express themselves, or if they speak clearly?