Obama to talk on race
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 - 9:55am
For a while I've thought that Obama's been able to stay ahead because he's a black politician who doesn't talk about "black issues" or being black.
Let's see if I was right.
To clarify, I think there's still a good deal of cultural white guilt in America, justified or not. The fact that people like Jesse Jackson blame everything on race doesn't help. The net result is that a high-profile politician talking about being black can make some people feel threatened. It's certainly an unfair reaction but I wonder if it will have a noticable effect on Obama's campaign.
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I think this is a right thing for him to do at is time. This is the test the trademark candor and confidence which people ascribe to him, and he's doing the right thing by answering the call.
Also, a very shrewd move my itself. Tactically, the situation practically is playing directly into his advantage. He's going to make this speech on the campaign trail in Philly -- the nexst major battleground in the primaries. It's guaranteed now that there's going to be a huge spotlight on it now, and a huge stump for him to talk from. And we all know by know that he has no problems giving speeches. Expect a hell of a speech! I expect that tons of on-the-fence Democrats in PA are going to be converted into Obamahood today.
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He also managed to distance himself from Wright's comments without throwing Wright under the bus.
I couldn't find the text of his actual speech but it sounds like Obama handled it as well as anyone could have and much better than I'd expect from a politician.
And this... would have been the wrong way to handle it. But I wonder, how does the black community feel about this? Is Obama "ignorant of black culture?"
Certainly he's not as in touch with it as this guy:
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Spore
Link to Transcript from Cnn.
Color me impressed.
Politely rude. Briskly vague. Firmly uninformative.
Was about to post the same thing. That was one hell of a speech.
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Wow ... I'm interested to see how McCain or Clinton will spin this.
If I were a bad demoman, I wouldn't be sitting here dicussing it with you, now would I?
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They'll probably play up that Obama still considers Wright to be "like family" and how THEY would never surround themselves with psychos.
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Spore
Unfortunately, you're probably right. Most people didn't see the speech, and won't take the time to read the whole thing. Hopefully the pundits with half a brain will tear the necessary holes in those statements.
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Or they could always point out that last week Obama apparently never heard any such sermons, until today when it turns out that Obama had been there after all...
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Or they could point out that the source of that juicy little tidbit was Newsmax.com and that Obama was actually in Miami at the time.
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Hmm. I believe that's what we in the business call an "oh snap."
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Spore
I like this line:
"As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me," Obama said, after describing his experience at the Trinity United Church of Christ.
This makes me think of times where you're close to someone who says bad things about black people, jews, muslims, etc. and you see it as a flaw rather than as a reason to run away from them. Kind of like, "My father might be a cracker, but that doesn't mean I don't want him at my wedding. There's a lot more to him than that."
It won't please the Limbaugh/angry white voter set, but they're always up in a rage about something.
Politely rude. Briskly vague. Firmly uninformative.
MSNBC has the video, if you'd prefer to watch, rather than read. 37 minutes long:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23691239#23691239
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In-f*cking-credible. That speech was just simply incredible.
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Wow... I am floored. I don't even know what to say.
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No bigger sign that I am out of my league in P&C occured when I realized I did not know what Newsmax.com was. So I took a gander.
If the mainstream press does not succumb to the Fox News Virus, I think Obama's speech this morning should quiet the critics at this point. It was nice to hear him take on the issue head on, and really not try to spin. He also laid out exactly what I was getting at when it comes to solving race relations in this country. We need to understand each other's outrage, and not condemn it. He takes this opportunity to point out the negative forces on each side of this issue, and how they are preventing closure.
But really, he's just such a great speaker. After all of these years of Bush's smirks, it will at least be nice to get a rhetorically competent president, if Obama can close the deal. As far as smirks go, McCain is just as bad, and I really liked him.
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At least since Bill Clinton, who was also a hell of a speaker.
BTW, would you draft already? You're on the frickin' clock, dude!
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Yeah, but if Obama can close the deal he's probably going to get assassinated. And he won't even get to diddle Marilyn Monroe. What a ripoff...
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Spore
I don't care what it says about me, but I actually teared up while READING the transcript in my study hall just now.
Say whatever the hell you want to about Obama and his "deluded groupies"... all I know is that neither Clinton or McCain has ever said anything that has made me believe in the true vision of what our country SHOULD be (what the hell have either of them said about anything that ever inspired anyone?)
Yes, damn right... I need hope. I want to believe that the way our government works isn't the way it has to be. I want a leader who asks me to be a better person, and inspires me to WANT to be a better person.
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Damn straight!
I've always felt like the best balance in government had an inspirational, liberal as president, and a conservative congress to keep spending in check. We are so far from that right now. It is no wonder Obama is capturing the imaginations of millions.
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I was sitting in the back of the conference room, water leak in my office soaked the carpets, and realized that either I had forgotten to blink, or I was having some sort of emotional response towards the end of that speech. But I was certainly glad that the strategy session going on around me was more interesting than the tech-guy catching up on the news!
Politely rude. Briskly vague. Firmly uninformative.
Just got done watching the speech on YouTube. I was a little worried at first because he seemed so tied to the prompter that I thought it was hurting the flow of the speech, but that went away around ten minutes in. Man, I thought he was incredible at the 2004 Democratic Convention, but this speech, on a much more challenging topic and under much more volatile circumstances, just blew that away. I thought (and hoped) he'd rise to the occasion today and he certainly did that. The last time I heard a "politician" speak with his kind of passion I was watching Martin Sheen as Jed Bartlet on The West Wing.
"I'm here because of Ashley."
That line will be with me for quite awhile, I think.
Anyway, has anyone been watching the post-speech CNN/MSNBC coverage? What angle are they running with?
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I'm waiting for the Fox Nuisance coverage to see what kind of monster I'm supposed to think he is.
There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism,... those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.
Fox News reports on its web site:
Newsweek.com (via MSNBC)
and
Are we surprised?
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Jesus Christ, that man's got some good speechwriters in his posse. I'm downright jealous.
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Okay, so he's the obstinant, non-apologizing monster. Now I need to wait for O'Reilly, Hannidy, and Limbaugh to tell me how this relates with his hating America.
There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism,... those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.
Beautiful speech.
I just realized something as I read Jawhawker's post. Fox News is having to talk about Obama having a Christian pastor! For the past couple months Obama has been constantly slandered with lies about being a Muslim. I've personally felt the mis-information about Obama was his greatest enemy, too many idiots believed he was a card carrying Muslim who was for the terrorists and disliked Christianity.
So his Christian pastor causes an uproar, now Obama must apologize for being a Christian who listened to this pastor. Huge advantage for Obama as not only did it allow him to give an amazing speech but to have a scandal that dispels the Muslim rumor, once and for all. Everything about this news cycle is good for Obama.
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He's a Muslim?
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