Obama’s speech on race
(a transcript of the speech is up at politico.com)
Throw a cheap attack at Obama and get a profound speech about the big picture. I love it!
This is an amazing speech. If you have the time to read it or listen to it, I strongly urge you to do so. I think it will be one of the most important speeches of this campaign.
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March 18th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I caught the last half of the speech on CNN. First of all I think it is legitimate to ask if Obama feels the way his pastor does. Pastor Wright has been with Obama for more than 20 years. Did the 24 hour cable networks go to far with the question. Uhhhh? Maybe. But John McCain is being ask about his feelings on Catholics in light of the John Hagee endorsement. So I think it’s fair ask, and not a “cheap attack”.
Some other fair questions: Why is okay for Obama to wear a turban but not a flag lapel? Michelle Obama tells young people that they should not go into corporate America. Specifically she said not to become a corporate lawyer or a hedge fund manager. Seriously? Every employee of a corporation is evil and out to destroy African Americans? That is a ridiculous position and she is his wife. It’s fair to ask about it.
Obama’s skills at public speech rival that of Regan. He’s amazing. But when I look deeper into the speech I find myself very disappointed. He did not tell us anything we did not already know.
Black are angry and rightfully so. Whites have a rising sense of anxiety over what they perceive as unfair advantages of affirmative action. We can’t ignore it any longer.
Okay, Mr. Obama I’ll agree with all of that. But I hear no specific proposal. I hear no specific plan. I hear nothing but observations which I have already made on my own. I suspect that most Americans learned nothing new.
If Obama comes out with specifics there will be people who critique his plan. So, he leaves out the details and gives us a combination of platitudes and warm fuzzies. I want more. What is the plan going forward?
What should the government be doing? Give me specifics. What should I personally be doing? What should my church and other local civic organizations be doing? Details! I want details, Mr. Obama. That’s not a cheap attack. It is a reasonable position.
He could do it if wanted to. He’s got the charm and suave to convince millions of Americans. In my opinion it’s time for Obama to quit cheerleading and start showing signs of leadership. He does NOT lack the talent to get this done. It is simply not politically expedient. I want better, and I hope others feel the same.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
fatDaddy, I would recommend checking out the second half of his speech as well.
If you want specific policy suggestions from Obama, check out his website. http://barackobama.com/issues will get you started. I think that campaign speeches are actually not the best places to talk about policy details. Obama’s success so far seems to bear that out.
There were suggestions of a way forward in his speech today: enforce the laws on the books that target discrimination, and quit trying to kill our most vital public institutions, like schools. If we gave our worst schools the resources our best schools have access to, many of our social ills would heal over a generation.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
We ALL have our faults and foibles. Obama doesn’t need to explain every single soundbite of every one of his supporters words. I find more fault in any christian that can support torture and war than I did in Rev. Wright’s speech. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything like Obama’s speech from a politician before. It was just truth- Unglossed and laid bare- just simple truth about the race divide and how to get past it. And coming from someone who is both black and white- made it all the more credible. We all have our own racism. Black or white, it needs to be addressed in order to deal with it. We have made amazing strides in removing racism from what was, an extremely racist country not very long ago. There are innumerable wounds among the black community. Far more than I feel as a white male. If we denounce every black person’s honesty about how they feel, how do we expect to heal those wounds? We can’t. It was equally important to hear Obama address the white community’s outrage at affirmative action, forced busing,etc. They were necessary tactics to integrate and make reparations to our nation as one whole. Hopefully, with a President like Obama, we won’t have to have such tactics in the future, if we can manage to put our racism behind us.