Obama is doing a great job w/his speech

zoosermom · March 19, 2008, 9:16am

Did you see what Chris Matthews said, Hunt? He was practically orgasmic. His comments were so over the top that I wonder if he even listened to the speech.

SouthJerseyChessMom · March 19, 2008, 9:22am

Bill Maher on Chris Matthews tonight-should be enlightening

bulletandpima · March 19, 2008, 9:25am

Well let’s see Bill Maher said we were cowards, it isn’t a stretch what he is going to say, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Maher joined that church

Hunt · March 19, 2008, 9:30am

I read the Washington Post. Its editorial was complimentary. On the Op-Ed page, there was an editorial from Eugene Robinson praising the speech, and one from Michael Gerson slamming it.
I read the speech for myself, though, and I think it’s one of the finest political speeches I’ve ever read.

zoosermom · March 19, 2008, 9:33am

See the thing is this. If it was an important speech addressing an important issue, then the “republican slime machine” meme has to be taken off the table because you can’t have it both ways. Either it IS an important issue worthy of an important speech, or it’s a baseless attack. Which is it?

epistrophy · March 19, 2008, 9:34am

You must have missed today’s NYT editorial on the speech (a newspaper that, it should be noted, previously endorsed Clinton):

March 19, 2008
Editorial
Mr. Obamas Profile in Courage

There are moments increasingly rare in risk-abhorrent modern campaigns when politicians are called upon to bare their fundamental beliefs. In the best of these moments, the speaker does not just salve the current political wound, but also illuminates larger, troubling issues that the nation is wrestling with.

Inaugural addresses by Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt come to mind, as does John F. Kennedys 1960 speech on religion, with its enduring vision of the separation between church and state. Senator Barack Obama, who has not faced such tests of character this year, faced one on Tuesday. It is hard to imagine how he could have handled it better.

Mr. Obama had to address race and religion, the two most toxic subjects in politics. He was as powerful and frank as Mitt Romney was weak and calculating earlier this year in his attempt to persuade the religious right that his Mormonism is Christian enough for them.

<hr>

Mr. Obamas eloquent speech should end the debate over his ties to Mr. Wright since there is nothing to suggest that he would carry religion into government. But he did not stop there. He put Mr. Wright, his beliefs and the reaction to them into the larger context of race relations with an honesty seldom heard in public life.

Mr. Obama spoke of the nations ugly racial history, which started with slavery and Jim Crow, and continues today in racial segregation, the school achievement gap and discrimination in everything from banking services to law enforcement.

He did not hide from the often-unspoken reality that people on both sides of the color line are angry. For the men and women of Reverend Wrights generation, he said, the memories of humiliation and fear have not gone away, nor the anger and the bitterness of those years.

At the same time, many white Americans, Mr. Obama noted, do not feel privileged by their race. In an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero-sum game, he said, adding that both sides must acknowledge that the others grievances are not imaginary.

He made the powerful point that while these feelings are not always voiced publicly, they are used in politics. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan coalition, he said.

Against this backdrop, he said, he could not repudiate his pastor. I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community, he said. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother. That woman whom he loves deeply, he said, once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street and more than once uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

There have been times when we wondered what Mr. Obama meant when he talked about rising above traditional divides. This was not such a moment.

We cant know how effective Mr. Obamas words will be with those who will not draw the distinctions between faith and politics that he drew, or who will reject his frank talk about race. What is evident, though, is that he not only cleared the air over a particular controversy he raised the discussion to a higher plane.

<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/opinion/19wed1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/opinion/19wed1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin</a>

1sokkermom · March 19, 2008, 10:08am

As predicted, the pundits who are chanting “too little too late” are the ones who had no intention of ever endorsing or supporting Obama anyway. (Includes the more conservative republicans and the die-hard Clinton supporters.)

Gee, what a surprise! :rolleyes:

curmudgeon · March 19, 2008, 10:12am

I agree with the excerpts epistrophy posted from the NYT. My favorite line was when he ended a segment of the speech outlining his heritage and life with (paraphrased) “and I never forget for one moment that in only one nation on earth is my story even possible”. It was a particularly good line and my paraphrase is unquestionably weaker than the original delivery.

Overall I was impressed with the speech. His reasonably direct contradiction of Wright’s position on the Middle East was excellent. His harsh repudiation of some other Wright themes was very good.

I would have done it differently (as I posted before the speech). I would have had him set each one of Wright’s statements up (without repeating the noxious statements themselves), and then knock it down, close it down without leaving any crack or crevasse for the slime machine to ooze it’s way in.

I don’t think he did that. And I think the evil-doers feel there is still a play there.

If he was giving the the non-Wright specific parts of the speech in a vacuum it would have been one of the finer speeches I have heard. For those who want to catch the whole thing , it’s on youtube.

bulletandpima · March 19, 2008, 10:35am

An Op-Ed is different than a journalistic report. It is the writer’s opinion, not feet on the street.

Here is the NYT story I was referring to.

An Effort to Bridge a Divide
By JODI KANTOR
Since he was very young, Senator Barack Obama has been something of a mediator of racial concerns, shuttling between black and white worlds and trying to translate the concerns of one to the other. 

He did it in his family. He did it at Harvard Law School. And on Tuesday morning, he assumed that role nationally, trying to allay voters’ concerns about statements by his pastor, Jeremiah A. Wright, and staking his presidential candidacy on his ability to explain black grievances to white people and white resentment to black people.

In a way, Mr. Obama seemed to be arguing not only for his own candidacy but also against the often-reductive nature of presidential politics. To answer the brief, incendiary clips of his pastor’s statements that have been dominating television airwaves and the Internet, Mr. Obama made a long, nuanced speech, seeming to bet that voters will care enough about him and the race to give it many minutes of attention and thought. 

The address, which Mr. Obama wrote himself, seemed partly like a historical refresher course for white voters on discrimination against African-Americans. 

“We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country,” he said. He proceeded to do just that, referring to slavery, Jim Crow laws, Brown v. Board of Education, economic and job discrimination against blacks, and a lack of services in urban neighborhoods. These are the conditions, he said, which gave rise to the kind of anger that fueled Mr. Wright’s statements, which earned the pastor accusations of being unpatriotic and anti-white.

But a moment later, Mr. Obama seemed to turn his words toward African-Americans, explaining why white people often seem just as resentful about racial matters as those who have faced more discrimination.

“When they are told to bus their children to a school across town, when they hear that an African-American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed, when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudice, resentment builds over time,” Mr. Obama said.

The speech violated several conventions of campaign discourse — for one, the injunction that all politicians must speak about racial and ethnic groups in upbeat stereotypes. “He didn’t romanticize us,” said Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a professor of Politics and African-American Studies at Princeton University, who used to attend services at Mr. Wright’s church, Trinity United Church of Christ, when she lived in Chicago. “We’re brilliant, and we’re stupid,” she said, echoing Mr. Obama. “We’re hopeful, and we’re angry.”

Presidential politics usually requires candidates to either wholly adopt or reject positions and people. Mr. Obama did neither with his pastor, rejecting his most divisive statements but also filling in the picture of Mr. Wright and his church.

“The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and, yes, the bitterness and biases that make up the black experience in America,” Mr. Obama said.

It was one of several times that Mr. Obama seemed to be quite purposefully arguing two ideas at once — another dangerous tactic in presidential politics, in which statements are sifted for hints of contradiction and every speech is an attack ad waiting to happen. He admitted that his pastor is both a divisive figure and an inspiring one. He said that his candidacy should not be viewed through a merely racial lens, though racial reconciliation is one of the reasons he ran. 

In interviews, Democratic and Republican strategists, scholars, and voters all agreed that Mr. Obama had given a brave, incisive speech about one of the topics most difficult to address in American life. But nearly all of them expressed doubt that his address will fully put to rest the firestorm over Mr. Wright’s statements. 

“It was a superb speech,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist not currently affiliated with any presidential campaign. “It was a speech every bit as powerful as you’d expect from Barack Obama. But I don’t know that it solves his problem.”

“The thing that would really help him is if Reverend Wright came out and apologized,” said Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative group that studies religious issues and public policy. One of Mr. Wright’s most criticized comments is his assertion that corrupt United States foreign policy brought about the Sept. 11 attacks; now he must retract that statement, said Mr. Cromartie, just as the Rev. Jerry Falwell apologized after he blamed the attacks in part on gay people and those who have performed abortions.

Mr. Obama aimed his speech directly at voters like Linda Smith, a 64-year-old retired teacher from Fishers, Ind., a lifelong Republican who flirted with voting for her first Democrat — Mr. Obama — until she heard his pastor’s words. “To me Wright’s comments were outrageous and undo everything Barack says he’s trying to do, which is unite people,” she said. She tuned in eagerly to hear Mr. Obama’s address, which struck her as sincere and thoughtful. “It helped me understand a little bit how he could tolerate Wright’s comments,” she said.

But Mr. Obama has not yet won her back to his side. “I still don’t quite understand completely why he would stay in a church like that, unless it’s a typical black church,” she said.

“There’s a large black church here in Indianapolis,” she mused, “and I just can’t believe the minister talks like that.”

The last 2 lines is the sentiment many people are feeling, including myself. I have stated before had Huck or Romney won the rep. nom, I was voting Obama, thus don’t lump me in with people who never supported him. Yet, I have the same questions. He needs to explain to me more, give me positive sermons from Wright, to offset these vitroliac words that were stated from the pulpit. Yes, I have read his excerpt from his 1st book, and the entire book Audacity of Hope. I still need more. If anyone has them, download a site to reference, I am not about to download his dvd’s that the church sells

b_smom · March 19, 2008, 10:36am

Loved the speech-and he wrote it himself! I hope Americans will really take the time to read it and listen to it-rather than rely on snippets and commentary from Fox and Republican commentators.

Also for those commentators who continue to hammer Senator Obama for sticking with his church, I guess they will need to ask the same of Senator Clinton:

Why did you stay with your husband all these years despite his lies and infidelity?

And of Senator McCain:

Why do you embrace President Bush despite his lies and support of torture?

1sokkermom · March 19, 2008, 10:37am

Post #71 Reinforces post #69.

bulletandpima · March 19, 2008, 10:45am

Are you serious? I do not live in their marriage, but I think her level of love and commitment is a little different than Obama’s relationship. Last time I checked, marriage vows say for better or worse. I never made that promise to my church.

Also I am pretty sure Obama and Wright did not have a child together and were college sweethearts

1sokkermom · March 19, 2008, 10:49am

Quote: “Also I am pretty sure Obama and Wright did not have a child together and were college sweethearts”

Maybe that will be the next scandal that the media grasps on to.

zoosermom · March 19, 2008, 10:51am

Sokkermom, in that vein, I read on Andrew Sullivan today that there are folks in the Middle East who are concerned that Senator Obama is actually a Jew because of the similarity of his name to Ehud Barak.

The cool thing (to me) about Senator Obama is that he has a sense of humor about things. He could really riff on his various religions given the right circumstances.

bulletandpima · March 19, 2008, 10:52am

Well, at least we all could laugh at the stupidity of the media on that one.

It would also flash a big light on the gullible people!

Youdon_tsay · March 19, 2008, 10:54am

He’s a Jew, he’s a Muslim, he’s a Christian – a candidate for everyone!

katliamom · March 19, 2008, 10:55am

Sigh… the thing is, I can’t shake the feeling that Obama’s presidency will make this a better country… and us a better people. He won’t immediately solve the conundrum of Iraq or the tanking economy (because no one can any time soon). But he’ll be a magnet for youth and idealism in Washington, and there’s never been a time we’ve needed youth and idealism in Washington more than now… And he’ll make a profound statement about America’s ability to change (for the better this time) - showing that we can get past 300 years of racism and bigotry and elect a man whose father was African and whose middle name is Hussein. And he’ll be a profound statement about America to the rest of the world: despite our faults, we are still a nation of hope.

Hunt · March 19, 2008, 10:59am

“Either it IS an important issue worthy of an important speech, or it’s a baseless attack. Which is it?”

It’s like Certs–it’s both! It’s a baseless attack that gave Obama the opportunity to make an important speech on an important topic. In that respect, it’s like Kennedy’s speech on his Catholicism–surely no sensible people really thought that he would be taking his marching orders from the Pope. (Let me say in fairness that the attack isn’t entirely baseless–I think Obama did have a responsibility to explain where he stood on Wright’s statements, and to explain his relationship with Wright. But he did a lot more than that in this speech.)

zoosermom · March 19, 2008, 11:00am

Katliamom, I think those are very worthy aspirations and I do think that Senator Obama embodies them. The difference on the right is that he is very, very liberal (which is fine if that’s what you are), but a lot of people aren’t sure that moving to the left is the right way to go. It’s pretty clear that he will be nominee on the democratic side and who knows what will happen in November? I won’t vote for Senator Obama, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were elected – and if he did become the next president I wouldn’t cry about it. Unlike Hillary. (As a side note, Zoosergirl just called to say that she and a couple of friends had wandered into the crowd outside a Bill appearance. I told her to stay back because the man is dangerous to attractive young women!).

bulletandpima · March 19, 2008, 11:01am

Isn’t that an oxymoron? ;)

Are you saying we’re not? If so, why do we have so many illegal aliens? I think they are here hoping for a better life for themselves and their children

Obama is doing a great job w/his speech

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