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"Black and More Than Black": Obama's Daring and Unique Speech on Race
With racial sentiments swirling in the 2008 campaign—notably, Geraldine Ferraro's claim that Barack Obama is not much more than an affirmative action case and the controversy over his former pastor's over-the-top remarks—Senator Obama on Tuesday morning responded to these recent fusses with a speech unlike any delivered by a major political figure in modern American history. While explaining—not excusing—Reverend Jeremiah Wright's remarks (which Obama had already criticized), he called on all Americans to recognize that even though the United States has experienced progress on the racial reconciliation front in recent decades (Exhibit A: Barack Obama), racial anger exists among both whites and blacks, and he said that this anger and its causes must be fully acknowledged before further progress can be achieved. Obama did this without displaying a trace of anger himself.
Speaking in Philadelphia, Obama celebrated his own racial heritage but also demonstrated his ability to view the black community with a measure of objectivity and, when necessary, criticism—caring criticism. But this was no Sister Souljah moment. He did not sacrifice Wright for political ends. He hailed the good deeds of his former minister, noting that Wright's claim that America continues to be a racist society is rooted in Wright's generational experiences. And Obama identified the sources of racial resentment held by whites without being judgmental. With this address, Obama was trying to show the nation a pathway to a society free of racial gridlock and denial. Moreover, he declared that bridging the very real racial divide of today is essential to forging the popular coalition necessary to transform America into a society with a universal and effective health care system, an education system that serves poor and rich children, and an economy that yields a decent-paying jobs for all. Obama was not playing the race card. He was shooting the moon.
Obama delivered his speech in a stiff manner. The melodious lilt and cascading tones that typically characterize his campaign addresses were not present. This was a speech in which the words—not the delivery—counted. He began with a predictable notion: slavery was the original sin of the glorious American project. Removing that stain has been the nation's burden ever since, and he tied his campaign to that long-running endeavor: "This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign—to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America." And he proclaimed that due to his own personal story—"I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas"—he both recognizes the need to heal this divide and possesses an "unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people." Unlike the black leaders of recent years, Obama identified with both the winners and losers of America: "I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible." He is E Pluribus Unum.
Without being coy about it, Obama declared that race has been an issue in the campaign. "Some commentators have deemed me either 'too black' or 'not black enough,'" he said. "We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn."
He was referring to the remarks of Ferraro and Wright. About his onetime pastor, Obama said, "For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in the church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely—just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed." Yet Obama did not leave it at that. He didn't dismiss Wright as another pissed-off black person stuck in racial conflict:
The truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a United States Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth—by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Obama went on to explain what moves Wright and those in the pews who cheered his now-controversial remarks:
Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity Church embodies the black community in its entirety—the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger....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 bias that make up the black experience in America.
And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions—the good and the bad—of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.
Obama added that he could "no more disown" Wright "than I can disown the black community" or "my white grandmother—a woman who helped raise me...and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love."
As Obama noted, he was not taking the "politically safe" route of denouncing Wright and moving on, hoping the controversy would fade. He embraced the Wright matter to address uncomfortable truths about race: In fact, in assessing America's ills and needs, Obama declared, references to race are unavoidable. "We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country," he said. "But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist between the African-American community and the larger American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow." Obama recited the list of past grievances: segregated schools, legalized discrimination, the exclusion of blacks from unions, obstacles to black homeownership, etc. Not ducking a point that does peeve some whites, Obama noted that all this history "helps explain" the present wealth and income gap between blacks and whites:
A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families—a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods—parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement—all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continues to haunt us.
Obama noted, that "this is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up." Consequently, for Wright and his peers, "questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways." As if he was taking White America on a guided tour of Black America, Obama was saying very gently, this is how it works over there:
For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or the beauty shop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings. And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews.
Not that this makes it right. Obama did not let Wright and others off the hook: "That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races."
This is as sophisticated a discussion of race as any American politician has sought to present to the public. And Obama was not done. He turned to whites:
A similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience—as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So 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 prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
Obama was not condemning anyone. His key to post-racial transformation? End the blame game. In the end, he argued, black-and-white matters less—or should matter less—than issues of class and economic power:
And just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze—a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns—this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
His bottom line: "This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years." How to climb out of this hole? Obama offered no ten-point plans or facile answers. Heavy lifting has to happen on both sides. African Americans must embrace "the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances—for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs—to the larger aspirations of all Americans: the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for our own lives—by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny."
As for the white community, he added, "the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination—and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past—are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds—by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper."
Obama ended up at an obvious point: can't we all just get along and "do unto others as we would have them do unto us." But the path he took was not without some courage. He dared to explain—and somewhat justify—black anger that can lead to comments that upset whites, while calling for blacks to move past such anger. And he did not dump Wright. He also dared to understand white resentment, but he chided whites (without castigating them) for dismissing or ignoring black anger. Events beyond Obama's control pushed him to make this speech. And, no doubt, political foes and conservative antagonists will continue their crusade to tar Obama with Wright's words. But with this address, Obama presented a candid approach to race. Still, there's no telling if this will help him in his fierce battle with Hillary Clinton—let alone in a general election, should he secure the Democratic presidential nomination.
While discussing his years of worship at the Trinity Church, Obama noted that by attending services there and imagining "the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion’s den, Ezekiel’s field of dry bones," he came to realize that "our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black." With this speech—and throughout his campaign—as he merges his own story with the story of race in America, he is presenting himself also as "black and more than black." And that is a story with no ending yet.
Full speech here:
Comments
If this man wants to have some political ambitions and wants to represent every one in the country he has to keep better company. It is too late for him in my book. I will not vote for some one with such poor judgment something he say of Hillary for voting for the war - She is a New Yorker in the middle of the Twin Tower collapse - he pursues her relentlessly - he is not honest - he has a standard for himself and another for others. Ferroro did not say anything about affirmative action - the press created this. I condemn him for his lack of judgment. I will vote McCain if he is the nominee.
DC,
Excellent piece, the best in a while.
Thanks
Posted by: capt - Hussein on 03/18/08 at 11:08 AM Respond
Did Obama just "throw his grandma under the bus"....so that he could be president?
Hey Obama, just so you know, not everyone's..."Pastor talks that way...".
Posted by: Bob on 03/18/08 at 11:21 AM Respond
I have for a long time been torn about which democratic candidate is the best for this country.
I have not yet choosen not because I am uninformed but rather I choose to see who can accompish the most during their tenure as Commander and Chief.
After this speech, I will cast my vote for Senator Obama.
I think that only general policy he and Senator Clinton have similar goals, but I think that only Obama has the courage and background to address the underlying issues which face our nation.
Yes we must find solutions for education, climate change, and our job market. However, it is equally important that we tackle the underbelly of race relations, and economic disparity in this country if we are to succeed in the long run.
For example, if a young black many from the rough side of rough robs a home owned by a hard-working suburban family; this is a lose-lose.
If we can change the underlying issues that created a situtaion where this young man didn't have the resources or the community support to do something other than risk hislife and the lives of others for a quick buck, then he can have another way to live and the we don't have to worry about him coming into our house the next night.
Acknowledging this issue, and have the audacity to talk about it in plain term, and inspire us to strive for better is why Senator Obama has earned my vote.
Posted by: dsw on 03/18/08 at 11:30 AM Respond
All that Obama did in this speech is to once again spin comments made by his pastor that were ANTI AMERICAN into a race issue.
Posted by: Phil S on 03/18/08 at 11:30 AM Respond
Thanks for the great commentary --
Posted by: Kevin on 03/18/08 at 11:33 AM Respond
Another brave and honest speech from the next President of the United States.
If we let this moment pass, and do not elect this man, then we deserve what we get.
Posted by: snarkyspice on 03/18/08 at 11:35 AM Respond
Oh and it would be nice if we could get past simplistic and unhelpful constructions like 'anti-american' when we're discussing complex issues. Sometimes reading comments on these sites I wonder where Obama gets the patience. I really do.
Posted by: snarkyspice on 03/18/08 at 11:37 AM Respond
He did not throw his grandma under the bus. If she said bigoted things should he have disowned her. Does he represent her bigoted views because he is her grandson. This is the false premise of ascribing everything that a third party says to the candidate. It is especially true in this case because the clips we are watching are the only parts we see of a 40 year career. Is there no context to be given? There are many things that America does that make people angry and there are many things that make people proud. Only acting as if these things are mutually exclusive means that you are not thinking - regardless of whether you are angry or proud. This country is not perfect and will never be perfect. It is better than many and Rev. Wright has not left even with the arguments he made. Obama has spoken to a fundamental issue that will determine whether this country will ever move beyond race. I believe that the stakes in this contest just went WAY up.
Posted by: John K on 03/18/08 at 11:37 AM Respond
Direct url to Obama speech: http://msnbc.vo.llnwd.net/e1/video/flash/n_politics_obama_080318.flv
Posted by: PaulC on 03/18/08 at 11:38 AM Respond
Trying to make Wright=Ferraro was, I think, a little disingenuous. Apples and Oranges.
I don't disagree with most of what Obama said, but as his campaign has been painting every criticism against him by the Clinton camp as somehow sinister and racist (and long before two weeks ago,) I think he has made his own bed. Time to lie in it.
Posted by: Karl on 03/18/08 at 11:39 AM Respond
Terrific commentary. And a great, thoughtful speech.
Posted by: Melody on 03/18/08 at 11:41 AM Respond
He handled a situation that no one in politics to date has had the courage to address. If that isn't Presidential, no one is.
Posted by: Deanna on 03/18/08 at 11:44 AM Respond
I am sure the majority of Democrats will nod their heads and accept Obama's explanation of the Rev. Wright issue, and consider it settled.
In fact, I think most liberal Democrats agree with the basic message contained in Wright's sermons that America is a racist, uneducated, evil society that is not worthy of its place in the world. They will agree that Obama should condemn the harsher edges of the language used, but not its ani-american message because they agree with it.
It will be interesting to see if the rest of the country agrees with this view in November.
Posted by: scs on 03/18/08 at 11:46 AM Respond
god, i was hoping obama would do something like this. rather than back down and betray the interests and experiences of his community he showed some balls. all the "change" rhetoric was beginning to get a little tired, but this is indeed an important moment. are we, as a nation, going to discuss this, or just blow it off as "unamerican," like we do everything else that makes us uncomfortable?
Posted by: nmc on 03/18/08 at 11:48 AM Respond
so true everything he said. i cried...what a intelligent man GO OBAMA!
Posted by: camy on 03/18/08 at 11:48 AM Respond
um... they're connected. that's a rather critical part of the takeaway. and scathing criticism of hypocrisy, destruction, and unfulfilled promise is not the same as being 'anti-american.' rev. wright believes things should, and can, be different, that america and americans deserve better.
Posted by: Kevin on 03/18/08 at 11:49 AM Respond
Has any other politician in memory had the intelligence or the courage to make a speech like this? I am surprized most at the personal evaluation this speech has caused in me--No other politician I know of has suggested the golden rule when interacting with others--This was a courageous speech, a call to action for thinking Americans, and the best of Chrisitianity rolled into one.
Posted by: Diane on 03/18/08 at 11:55 AM Respond
There are lots of great amercians who are black who would be great president. Obama is not one of them.
I was not there...I understand he said some things but I was not there...I was there but he did not say...I was there and I heard but this is who we are..
Which is it? Another lying politician.
Posted by: Bob on 03/18/08 at 11:55 AM Respond
A good piece. Thanks. For me, Sen. Obama's campaign has been a test of faith in my fellow citizens. Time and again I have thought "he cannot say these things and succeed. He cannot play by these rules without being destroyed." Time and again the rest of the country has proved me wrong. I remain open, tentative, and hopeful that outside of the shrill and unrepresentative blogosphere everyone is listening and thinking.
Posted by: Mark on 03/18/08 at 11:59 AM Respond
I thought it was a brave speech and historic. Let's see if Americans can add valor to the moment by embracing the message and rewarding that level of candor with respect and the votes he'll need to be our leader. I have been behind Obama for a while now; today it gelled. It's disheartening to read some of the negative posts and see how greedy people are for simplistic spin and to polarize issues by making it a 'Obama was mean to granny' thing when in fact it was a complex, well-reasoned and frank discussion about our shared and divided American experience. You can't make dullards bright, but you can keep reaching out to those who will put down the boxing gloves long enough to listen, Mr. Obama. We are out there and we will vote.
Posted by: Paul Miller on 03/18/08 at 11:59 AM Respond
"Rev. Wright believes things should, and can, be different, that America and Americans deserve better."
Hmm. So for "God damn America" we should read, "America can be better"? Interesting interpretation. I generally think of damning something as consigning it to hell for all eternity - as something beyond and/or not worthy of redemption. It should be interesting to see if the majority of Americans consider being damned as you do.
Posted by: Jay on 03/18/08 at 12:00 PM Respond
Bait and switch!
I thought he was going to explain his racist church's views, instead it was about America's racism!
What happened?
Posted by: l cole on 03/18/08 at 12:00 PM Respond
BHO can say anything in a speech. Make all the DVDs you want and analyze it however you like, you are trying to discern him through the image of speech he wants you to hear.
Choices of association and community are largely based on a symbiosis of differing yet likeminded connection; one relates to those one chooses to associate with.
BHO has congratulated Wright and Farrakhan and his actions back that up through association with a community which also admires these men ... for better than 20 years.
There is no racial judgment in pointing this out. It just gives us helpful indication of where his values truly are.
Sometimes labels are ok, they keep you from drinking poison.
Posted by: WSH on 03/18/08 at 12:01 PM Respond
the people in that church support the absurd fallacious hate speech and expose their children to it. Obama lacks either the awareness or the courage to keep his children and the children of his church from exposure to that hate every sunday. He has failed.
Posted by: clancy on 03/18/08 at 12:02 PM Respond
It was a good speech, but I think it failed in its central purpose, which was presumably to quell this controversy among mainstream and middle America. I think Obama was once again preaching to the choir of African American and progressive liberal America. While it may be a brilliant piece of oratory, and while it may make some wish that he were president, I don't think he gets it - in politics, sometimes you have to acknowledge that you have made mistakes in your (supposedly superior) judgement.
Clinton has acknowledged that her support of the Iraq war was a failure of judgement, and would take back her vote. When has Obama ever said he made a mistake? Wasn't this the perfect time to do so?
Posted by: Mike on 03/18/08 at 12:08 PM Respond
Obama is a great writer and orator. But, in this instance, he did not clearly address and resolve the fundamental issue that many parts of the broader American population who are having issues with his relationship with his incendiary pastor. If my church leader made such illogical, irrational statements, I would walk out...no matter how "buddy, buddy" I was with him/her. Obama lets Wright off the hook. He essentially argues that Wright is a victom of Black history and racial injustice--that is why he has those distorted views. Obama was unsuccessful today with the reality of the situation he is in--no matter how many folks buy into his fluffy rhetoric.
Posted by: Leroy on 03/18/08 at 12:10 PM Respond
Let's see. Wright is an extremist using religion and God to spread hate. Obama then says we have racial problems in the US, therefore we should accept Wright because sort of 2 wrongs make a right.
Then he blames Clinton for bringing rave into the primaries but subtly implies that voting for him is a way to heal the wounds made to African Americans.
Wow! What Ferraro said was lame relative to Wright yet she had to be repudiated and treated as a racist, even though she moderated her statement. Wright clearly issues overt racist statements and that is OK?
Wow the media is toast!!!
Posted by: vinnyt on 03/18/08 at 12:11 PM Respond
I will never vote for Barack Obama. This is ridiculous. The media wants us to swallow whole this nonsense. NEVER!
Posted by: Nate on 03/18/08 at 12:11 PM Respond
I listened to the message delivered by Barack Obama this morning, hoping he would say more. Instead, he offered to excuse and explain away the comments by Reverend Wright through the use of the history of America and by exploiting the plight of African Americans to justify Wrights Characterizations. As an African American male, I think there is no justification for Wright's comments. I grew up in a black Church in Atlanta, and I have never in my life heard such rhetoric in the pulpit.
Obama speaks abut Wright’s words in these terms:
“But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. “
But Wright's words were more than just anger, they were both racist and anti-American, and they and he should be rejected by Obama. It one thing to talk about issues facing African Americans, but his comments were not limited to that. He talked about rich White people and condemned them. He condemned America and asked God to Damn America. He also insinuated that the US created AIDS to kill people.
These comments do not speak to the African American experience in any way, and I do not see how Barack Obama can justify or explain these comments in any way by trying to use the plight of African-Americans. I have not heard comment about America like that from the Hispanic community who is in many ways in a parallel to the Black community on many fronts. Also, I have never heard such language from Native Americans, who have more rights to make such statements that anyone.
Further Obama described the church he knows when he said, “People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend’s voice up into the rafters…” However, that is the same thing the congregation did as Wright made his comments. So were they condoning the comments?
The most disappointing moments in the speech was when he answered the questions that have been engrained in everyone’s mind, did he know about these types of comments during his time in the church.
“I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed. “
He simply answered yes. I was so hurt by the fact that he admitted that he had known about these types of comments, but also said he would continue to surround himself by reverend Wright. This means that he lied to America when he said he had never heard any of these comments, and that he saw them for the first time on TV with us. I believed he had the judgment to lead America, but he has clearly failed in that judgment.
While there were many truths about racism tied into the speech, they do not excuse Wright’s comments, place them in an acceptable context, and do not excuse Barack’s judgment and decision to surround himself, and continue to surround himself, with Wright. Obama has proven to be a masterful orator, and disguises the truth within powerful oratory, but that does not hide the truth. It only disguises the truth.
Posted by: John on 03/18/08 at 12:12 PM Respond
I actually think Obama's message was fairly clear:
"That rule I made early in the campaign. The rule that said you could take anything a supporter said out of context and use it to cast an opposing candidate as racist. That rule was only for Sen. Clinton. Not for me. Now shut up."
Posted by: Karl on 03/18/08 at 12:18 PM Respond
Jonathan Mayhew (October 8, 1720 – July 9, 1766) was a noted American clergyman and minister at Old West Church, Boston, Massachusetts. He is credited with coining the phrase "no taxation without representation."
"A people, really oppressed to a great degree by their sovereign, cannot well be insensible when they are so oppressed. And such a people (if I may allude to an ancient fable) have, like the hesperian fruit, a DRAGON for their protector and guardian: Nor would they have any reason to mourn, if some HERCULES should appear to dispatch him--For a nation thus abused to arise unanimously, and to resist their prince, even to the dethroning him, is not criminal; but a reasonable way of indicating their liberties and just rights; it is making use of the means, and the only means, which God has put into their power, for mutual and self-defense. And it would be highly criminal in them, not to make use of this means. It would be stupid tameness, and unaccountable folly, for whole nations to suffer one unreasonable, ambitious and cruel man, to wanton and riot in their misery. And in such a case it would, of the two, be more rational to suppose, that they that did NOT resist, than that they who did, would receive to themselves damnation."
Seems to me like a little mayhem from the pulpit is part of our great American tradition.
Question:
How many Black American Senators in the 210 years of the United States Senate?
For you to look up.
Then ponder if that number equals Jonathan Mayhew's concept of representation.
Posted by: Historical Context on 03/18/08 at 12:20 PM Respond
A very thoughtful commentary on an important and revealing speech. Obama handled with tact and honesty the very difficult and complex issue of race and America. People who try and simply dismiss his speech as just mere words, didn't read or listen to the speech in its entirety, simply because they don't want to. To do so would require them to to lessen their death grip on their sense of self righteousness. Thank you Senator Obama for addressing this difficult subject of American history with grace and candor, qualities that are truly presidential.
Posted by: Taylor on 03/18/08 at 12:25 PM Respond
Excellent speech. Great commentary. Was the speech too intelligent and too nuanced for most Bush or ex-Bosh voters?
Posted by: demetrio on 03/18/08 at 12:30 PM Respond
I read the speech Obama delivered today. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It is very obvious that this man has thought about and struggled with the issue of race in the US for a very long time. As a Canadian looking at what is going on in the US I think that Obama represents such a break from the past and so much potential it would be a shame if he were not your next President. If he does become President there is no way in the world that he will be able to meet the expectations of him -- but if he makes even a modest contribution to the political discourse along the lines of his articulated beliefs and values the US wins. He might even be able to restore some of the squandered international goodwill.
Posted by: tony on 03/18/08 at 12:31 PM Respond
"Was the speech too intelligent and too nuanced for most Bush or ex-Bosh voters?"
Interesting observation - likely spot on.
Posted by: capt - Hussein on 03/18/08 at 12:34 PM Respond
Yeah. Go ahead and vote for the McCain dunce, who was in the Middle East today and couldn't even identify who was supporting Al-Qaeda and who wasn't. He needed to have Lieberman whisper in his ear to get everything straightened out. If the majority in the U.S. reasons like you, then we are all finished.
Posted by: Erik H on 03/18/08 at 12:36 PM Respond
I cannot vote for a man with his record of support for abortion and expansion of gun control. However, I am moved by the speech. This the first attempt I have heard in my life by a prominent poltitician to deal so openly with our unique problem.
Say what you will about Obama, he is not a monster. In this context I define a monster as a politician whose ambition and circumstances have led him or her to the willingness to destroy institutions at any human cost in order to acquire and keep power. Obama is not there yet, may never get there. However, Hillary is there.
If she is elected in Nov., in 2012 the democrats' litigation model, improved after its trial run in Florida in 2000, will be applied throughout the country, but this time with police protection to prevent observation and possible disruption of any last minute corrections of vote tallies. Our institution of contested elections will be dead, and the Clinton gang would be in power indefinitely. Dissidents and critics would already have begun to disappear. The inexorable dynamics of domestic terror are familiar, all too familiar to a student of history.
If Obama faces McCain in the fall, at least the electorate will be offered a fairly clear choice between ideologies.
Hillary has no ideology, only tactics. As an astute analyst of human nature (Richard Nixon) said, she inspires fear, and well she should. So let's not sweat Wright.
Posted by: redmanrt on 03/18/08 at 12:37 PM Respond
Historical Context:
A couple of your fallacies in logic are too glaring to let slide.
1. Equating Wright to Mayhew just doesn't fly. Your argument seems to be: Mayhew made comments that were, at the time, radical. Ergo, Wright is like Mayhew and we should welcome his vitriol because he is like a true patriot. Unfortunately, that analysis completely ignores the content of the respective statements. Under your logic, all radical statements made from the pulpit are created equal.
2. To argue that very few (I didn't look it up, but I can only think of 2) US Senators are/have been black is the equivalent of taxing black Americans without representation is similarly absurd. To accept that, we would have to conclude that only a black person can represent black Americans. Thus, even if African-Americans vote for a white person, they are really only the equivalent of American colonialists who had no vote or representation at all. That just doesn't quite add up, does it?
Posted by: Jay on 03/18/08 at 12:38 PM Respond
I think this speech will put the Rev. Wright scandalette to rest with rank-and-file Democrats. I hope the dialog continues.
It's a difficult issue for voters because the history of racism in the USA is such a complex subject. But based on polls I've seen over the last few days, Democrats seem to have considered their votes and decided to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. This portends very well for November.
As for the Ferraro-Wright comparison, I had some trouble with that initially too. However, when your big kid and your little kid fight, you often give the big kid less latitude. Whites are still the majority in this country, and as such they have to be conscious of their collective power relative to minorities and choose their words carefully.
Plus, if this election turns out to be about who you'd rather have a beer with, Wright wins that one over Ferraro hands down :)
OBAMA '08
Posted by: B. Mull on 03/18/08 at 12:40 PM Respond
Did anyone doubt that the media would swoon over this speech. I didn't even need to read it before knowing that the words "daring" "courageous" and "bold" would be used to describe it. But this speech was made to do those things, and was made to once again highlight America's love for a good speech and influential public speaking tactics. ENOUGH WITH THESE WORDS. LIVE BY THEM. STAND BY THEM. This speech should have been made when Mr. Obama and others realized the pastor was infused with a sense of hate a long time ago. This does not go for just the pastor, but any human being in our lives. There are those who do something about it then and those who make a historical moment out of it for political gain. I am so tired of using the public and the media as a means to be courageous. Real courage takes place in our backyards and closed windows. Real courage will never be in the form of a speech alone. If anyone doubted that Barack would use this moment to his advantage, they had to be living under a rock. He is here to stay and I am so tired of having figured out what one needs to do to succeed in politics in this country. It's to know how the human psyche works and give it what it wants.
Posted by: sarah on 03/18/08 at 12:41 PM Respond
Thank you so much for this great article about Obama's recent speech. I knew he could do it with intelligence and grace.
Posted by: Carolyn Carson on 03/18/08 at 12:41 PM Respond
You know, I am constantly amazed by people.
I truly think there are 2 kinds of people in this world: those that are smart and "get it", and will vote for Obama, and those who just will never have a clue and continue to drag our race into the dumps, and they are the ones that vote Republican or for Clinton.
God Bless America? No, it's more like God Help America.
Posted by: joe on 03/18/08 at 12:45 PM Respond
It seems like there several conservative moles on this thread.
They are trying desperately to simplify Obama's message.
If you are asked to think crticially, take responsibility for your piece of the world, and actually love your neighbor then this speech rings true.
If you wish to blame others, pass judgements, and veiw the world in simple terms then the speech is too little too late.
I say GObama 08!
Posted by: cboas on 03/18/08 at 12:48 PM Respond
The guy is AMAZING! He's got my vote.
Posted by: J. Manuel on 03/18/08 at 12:48 PM Respond
You might be right. Bush supporters are comfortable in thier fear and intolerance
Posted by: fred Sims on 03/18/08 at 12:49 PM Respond
Excellent description of an excellent speech by the next
president.
Posted by: David on 03/18/08 at 12:50 PM Respond
Senator Obama's hopeful eloquence has further solidified my support for his campaign. Our nation needs change!
Posted by: peacefrog on 03/18/08 at 12:50 PM Respond
Obama threw his grandmother under the bus, and it came across to me as really, really cold to compare his grandmother to a "preacher" who has made a career of whipping up emotional crowds a race-hate, hate-America speeches.
It seems to me to be a shallow lack of faith for a "Christian preacher" to criticize and blame the government for ills, and yet also expect a social solution from the government.
Finally, I accept the explanation that Wright was formed by his experiences in the 50's and 60's... BUT I know of many good persons who rose above their past. Too bad Wright, as a "spiritual leader", couldn't rise above his past, but instead used his pulpit to pull down another generation.
From a Christian standpoint Obama's excuse was pathetic on two levels - that a "preacher" of the gospel of Christ was bound up by his grudge-filled past and not transformed by Christ, and that Obama would accept that one's past is more powerful than the transforming power of Christ. But hate is a powerful emotion, and one bound up in hate will never fully love. Clearly, the preaching about forgiveness by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount was lost on both Wright and Obama.
Posted by: JonDoe on 03/18/08 at 12:51 PM Respond
I think that the speech was a great speech in the history of America. It was tactful, respectful and truthful. It was done with a lot of thought and consideration of feelings on all sides. If we as a country cannot get past race, the we are doomed to failure. If America wants more of what GW has given us the last 8 years, then we will deserve again what we get in the future. If anyone thinks that McCain is going to change Bush's economy then reap what you sow. As you are reaping now what GW has sowed. An economy that is teetering on the edge of chaos. Where the goverenment has to help out capitilists using Tax payer money as security. Obama gives America its best chance. As I have said to many in the past. You know America is in trouble when a Black Man has a possiblility to be it's leader. We all should know by now that America is in BIG TROUBLE.
Posted by: Daris Lewis on 03/18/08 at 12:52 PM Respond
I think that the speech was a great speech in the history of America. It was tactful, respectful and truthful. It was done with a lot of thought and consideration of feelings on all sides. If we as a country cannot get past race, the we are doomed to failure. If America wants more of what GW has given us the last 8 years, then we will deserve again what we get in the future. If anyone thinks that McCain is going to change Bush's economy then reap what you sow. As you are reaping now what GW has sowed. An economy that is teetering on the edge of chaos. Where the goverenment has to help out capitilists using Tax payer money as security. Obama gives America its best chance. As I have said to many in the past. You know America is in trouble when a Black Man has a possibility to be it's leader. We all should know by now that America is in BIG TROUBLE.
Posted by: Daris Lewis on 03/18/08 at 12:52 PM Respond
It is a sad commentary that as a non-black American I must accept Obama's explanation without dissent. If I say I disagree with him I'm a racist if I say I agree with him then I'm failing to respect myself. He's given me no room to think or believe in anything other than what he's saying; no matter how outrageous, far fetched or beyond belief. Yes. There are two Americas and Obama is forcing the divide further than ever before and it will remain as a chasm especially if he is elected.
Posted by: R on 03/18/08 at 12:53 PM Respond
Daring and Unique? To explain that he lied when claiming to not be in attendance or have knowledge of Uncle Wright's views and sermons. I guess in that light it was Daring and Unique. He will say and do anything to be elected. Do we really want 4 years of constant lies and bits of information proving he lied?
Posted by: Steve on 03/18/08 at 12:53 PM Respond
Sensitive and candid portrayal of Mr Obamas connection to integrity and his christian beliefs that all individuals really are created equal.
The student has spiritually outgrown the pastor similar to the shepherd and the baptist.
Posted by: Dennis on 03/18/08 at 12:57 PM Respond
Hmmm... I wonder what all the Clinton supporters would have said if he "admited" he should have left that Church.
Get real. Whether or not you vote for him, it was a powerful and excellent speech.
I'm not familiar with ANY politician in recent memory who has spoken so openly about his life and what makes him who he is.
If you don't like him, fine. But please stop inventing the fiction that "the media" is unfair to Sen. Clinton.
Who loses 11 primaries/cacuses in a row and still gets treated as someone neck and neck???
Posted by: Chicago on 03/18/08 at 12:57 PM Respond
To all the comments concerning and critisizing Wright I as a black man have to say these people are totally ignorant and out of touch with the black experience. Insensitive, and unwilling for even a fraction of a second to understand what it is like to be black in America. It is to these people that Barack explicitly delivers his speach to. Unbelievable, the things right before your face and all around you and how they remain a mystery. It is because you would make base decisions and act without thinking, the reason that the country is in it's present situation. Education, education, education.
Posted by: brightledge on 03/18/08 at 12:59 PM Respond
To all the comments concerning and critisizing Wright I as a black man have to say these people are totally ignorant and out of touch with the black experience. Insensitive, and unwilling for even a fraction of a second to understand what it is like to be black in America. It is to these people that Barack explicitly delivers his speach to. Unbelievable, the things right before your face and all around you and how they remain a mystery. It is because you would make base decisions and act without thinking, the reason that the country is in it's present situation. Education, education, education.
Posted by: brightledge on 03/18/08 at 1:00 PM Respond
Amazing speech. One for the ages and the history books. Your children and grandchildren will be reading about it in 100 years.
Will America be bright enough to hear him?
Let's hope that the rest of the country has more sense and listens better than some of the partisans and racists commenting here.
Posted by: ched on 03/18/08 at 1:00 PM Respond
From an European perspective Obama is simply the opposite to all existing prejudices people might have right now about the US.
that´s why we all simply hope, that you guys are somehow able to reinvent one more time and manage to end that rotten government you burdend yourself with in the past...
Posted by: Axel on 03/18/08 at 1:00 PM Respond
"Another brave and honest speech from the next President of the United States.
If we let this moment pass, and do not elect this man, then we deserve what we get."
I read this comment and was reminded of what I used to tell people about George W. Bush--The world doesn't deserve Bush, but America does. This is not an anti-American statement; it is a reasoned statement detesting what my beloved country has become. Hopefully soon we can raise her up from the ashes of anguish and despair and lead the world, not just economically as we have been so adept at over the last hundred years, but socially, governmentally, politically, spiritually, culturally, and artistically.
Posted by: Joe on 03/18/08 at 1:01 PM Respond
To all the comments concerning and critisizing Wright I as a black man have to say these people are totally ignorant and out of touch with the black experience. Insensitive, and unwilling for even a fraction of a second to understand what it is like to be black in America. It is to these people that Barack explicitly delivers his speach to. Unbelievable, the things right before your face and all around you and how they remain a mystery. It is because you would make base decisions and act without thinking, the reason that the country is in it's present situation. Education, education, education.
Posted by: brightledge on 03/18/08 at 1:02 PM Respond
I love it. "I support Obama because smart people like me support Obama."
Posted by: Jay on 03/18/08 at 1:03 PM Respond
I want to believe in Obama. I really do. However, to say, as many have here, essentially "if America votes for Obama, we have arrived as a country" is a stretch. Michelle Obama may "believe" in America again if we vote for her husband, but Americans have good reason to be skeptical of a guy who just started his political career 15, maybe 10 years ago, did nothing in the Senate, and now seeks the most powerful position in the world. For all you obamaniacs, please realize that this may not be such a 'slam dunk' for the rest of us. Wright's speech is serious. Understand then, if the rest of us are more apprehensive about the company Obama keeps, like Wright, and Jesse for that matter. I thought the speech was courageous and deep, but he has made good speeches before. Like I said, I want to believe but it takes some time.
Posted by: Art on 03/18/08 at 1:05 PM Respond
As someone who has consistently opposed the Christian coalition, I am truly amazed by all the liberals willing to turn a blind eye, or deaf ear, to the leftist religious extremism of Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama's efforts to explain it away, rather than unambiguously oppose it.
Posted by: Spengler47 on 03/18/08 at 1:06 PM Respond
Barack Obama gave the speech of his life. Some will accept it and some will reject it. The outcome will ultimately be a judgement on America. For myself, I'd be proud to be able to vote for Barack Obama. As I can't, this is one white man exhorting all of us to hear this man's message and measure it against all the hatred we've seen this past 16 years of American governance.
Posted by: Ken from Barbados on 03/18/08 at 1:07 PM Respond
brightledge:
I suppose you must include Obama among those you're addressing since he condemned Wright's comments, too.
Posted by: Jay on 03/18/08 at 1:08 PM Respond
This was simply the most important speech by an American politician in the thirty years I have been paying attention. It was honest. It was powerful and courageous. That man has it in him to be the greatest president since FDR.
So where do all the gutter comments come from that I have been reading here and elsewhere? I wish I could dismiss them all as coming from wingnuts and Hill-shills. Instead, I think they're largely coming from people who decided they simply didn't like Wright, and didn't bother to read or watch the speech itself.
There is one false note in the speech - the "radical Islam" bit. If Obama has to kiss the ring of the Israel lobby he can do so, and there's no need to denigrate Muslims. I complained about this on his website. It was a flub. I believe he knows better. Nevertheless, this has been a historic moment.
Posted by: Voting Present on 03/18/08 at 1:12 PM Respond
An absolutely amazing speech. Bravo to being daring enough to make a speech about something so controversial, something so many politicians would rather avoid.
My vote is still to be casted for Clinton, but I do not hold Wright against Obama just as I do not hold Ferraro against Clinton.
Hands down, the speech was simply brilliant.
My community is ready to support the eventual nominee, whether it be Clinton or Obama. Both are outstanding figures.
Posted by: Etienne on 03/18/08 at 1:14 PM Respond
Some of the comments here seemed to be made with little understanding.Someone said i wonder was the speech to intelligent for the bush voters and im that seems to ring true.I dont think he at all was comparing the wright comments and the Mayhew comments as the same but because it was perceived in the news as Mayhew being racist in insinuating that obama was only here because of race was in fact racist.The press labeled her comments that so that in itself also adds to the whole underlining race in America that got a violent heave into center court by his paster. To me it didnt seem as though he was siding with anyone but trying to get at the root of the tree instead of sawing at the branches. Some one said he threw his grandma under a bus which is ridicules....I thought he made a great point that i cant disown him the same way i refuse to disown my grandmother who at times half been racist to people of my blacker side. I thought it was a great speech but it can not be compared to Martin Luther King
Posted by: King Koopa on 03/18/08 at 1:15 PM Respond
Obama is clearly smart, capable, and an excellent orator; but what execatly in his record gives any indication that he is anything other than the "same old" politician?
He claims to represent "change" and states that he can "unify" much of the country. Sounds great, but there is this small problem of his record. He has never passed any significant legislation, let alone any that cuts across party lines. His voting record is consistent with democratic party orthodoxy; fine if you are left leaning, but in no way a "break with the past". There is little evidence that he acomplised much in the Illinois state legislature other than building his national reputation and fundraising aparatus. While there is nothing at all wrong with that, it simply sounds like the career path of an ambitous, career politician, not really anything "new".
I fear that many people are supporting him simply to assuage their "guilt" for the percieved mistakes of the previous 8 years. Actually, I think most people who are supporting Obama are more concerned with the "style" of the Bush administration rather than the substance of any policies; and don't like the perception (especially overseas) that America is a nation of "dumb rednecks".
Obama is a great speaker, but, outside of his mixed race heritage, as a politician he seems to be an extension of the past, not a break with it.
Posted by: scs on 03/18/08 at 1:16 PM Respond
Some of the comments here seemed to be made with little understanding.Someone said i wonder was the speech to intelligent for the bush voters and im that seems to ring true.I dont think he at all was comparing the wright comments and the Mayhew comments as the same but because it was perceived in the news as Mayhew being racist in insinuating that obama was only here because of race was in fact racist.The press labeled her comments that so that in itself also adds to the whole underlining race in America that got a violent heave into center court by his paster. To me it didnt seem as though he was siding with anyone but trying to get at the root of the tree instead of sawing at the branches. Some one said he threw his grandma under a bus which is ridicules....I thought he made a great point that i cant disown him the same way i refuse to disown my grandmother who at times half been racist to people of my blacker side. I thought it was a great speech but it can not be compared to Martin Luther King
Posted by: King Koopa on 03/18/08 at 1:17 PM Respond
a GAY MAN THIS SPEECH COULD NOT TOUCH MARTIN LUTHER KINGS SPEECH,AND LIKE YOU SAID KING WOULD NOT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SOMEBODY LIKE JEREMIAH WRIGHT, SO EVEN IF THE SPEECH WOULD HAVE BEEN AS GOOD AS KINGS THE FACT THAT HE HAS NOT DISTANCED HIMSELF FROM ANTI GAY PRECHERS LIKE JERMIAH AND LOIUS FARAKAN MAKES ME AFRAID IF HIILARY DOEN NOT WIN NOMINEE i WILL VOTE FOR MCCAIN BECAUSE I REMBER MCCAINSAID IN IOWA THAT HE SUPPORTEXD GAY MARRIAGEIT WAS HIS TRUE FEELING,AND EVEN THOUGH HE HADTO BACK TRACK ON IT I GUARNTEE HE WILLAT LEAST APPROVE CIVIL UNIONS,AND HE SAID ALITO WAS A RIGHT WING NUT , I GUANTEE HE ILL APPOINT SOMEONE LIKE A SUTTER OR A JOHN PAULSTEPHEN TO THE SUMPREME COURT, SO AS LONG AS I GET HILLARY AND 2ND CHOICE MCCAIN i AM HAPPY BUT OBMA WERE PRESENT THEIR WILL BE BLACK HATE CRIMES BY STRAIGHT BLACK MEN ON GAY BLACK MEN AND GAY WHITE JEWISH MEN LIKE ME JERMIA IS AN ANTI GAY TYPE OF P[ERSONJohn McCain had spent twenty years hanging with Pat Robertson, describing him as his mentor, attending Robertson's church, having his kids baptized by Robertson, having Robertson officiate at his wedding, giving him the inspiration for the title of his career-making autobiography, collaborating with him in political organizing, and then tried to dismiss criticism by calling Robertson his lovable uncle who sometimes goes too far, there is no way on God's green earth Yglesias or his crowd would call this "trumped up."
Posted by: gay guy on 03/18/08 at 1:19 PM Respond
I may be the only one, but I actually hope that Barrack Obama heard the anger and rage expressed from pulpits and homes in his Chicago district. Hearing his voice of reconciliation and hope now is even more meaningful knowing that he has had to transcend the rage of many in the inner city, and rise above it, to articulate a gospel of hope rather than hate. There are plenty of politicians who merely mimic the anger of their constituents, who build their careers on appealing to our worst instincts. Obama is that rare politician who appeals to our best. The Geraldine Farraros of the world could never represent a classic angry “archie bunker” district without hearing tirades of racism and victimization. No one representing the inner city portion of Obama’s state senate district could escape and avoid the expressions of anger and rage found in the inner cities of America. What matters most is not what one hears, it is what one preaches. Jesus himself didn’t walk away from the crowd calling for the stoning of a woman. He listened and heard what they said and then spoke the most memorable words, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” What saddens me about Ferraro is not what she heard from her constituents, but how she continues to mimic their pain with their rhetoric and their fear. What inspires me about Obama is not what he heard from his angry constituents, but how he transcends that in an appeal for genuine tolerance, understanding, and hope that can help heal the pain and traumas of the past. It is far more than a fairy tale. It is the knowledge that one “good Samaritan” can do far more than help one injured stranger. He can change the way we think about Samaritans. Most of us have forgotten that Samaritans were a hated minority. When Jesus spoke of him, he sought not only to redirect our actions toward the injured stranger, but to recast our thinking about the Samaritan.
All of this brings me to thoughts about experience—about how it shapes us, empowers us, and traps us. Obama, Clinton, and McCain all bring a great deal of experience to this race. What we have to examine is not, “who has had ‘experience’ and who hasn’t”, but rather how has their personal experience shaped their lives, their decision making process, and their sense of the possible. I remember my experience as a freshman member of the Oklahoma legislature in 1980 sponsoring and winning a major fight for nursing home reform. After we won, I remember a senior member turning to me and saying, “You could never have done that if you had been here for a long time, because you would have known that it was impossible.” Too often, we respond to our experience by learning what cannot be done rather than learning how to do it. All three of the remaining candidates have lived fascinating and challenging lives. They have all experienced losses and pain. I would not want to have a leader who had lived such a protected life that he or she had never suffered—now there would be someone who would be truly dangerous. The more important question for each of these three is how have they responded to their experience. I suppose what I think our country needs is someone who is strong and yet calm and thoughtful. We certainly don’t need any frantic bullies. I especially think we desperately need a leader with enough humility to seek out and listen to others with intelligence and experience and not have the hubris to believe that one person can contain within themselves all the experience and knowledge necessary to respond to the incredibly complex and challenging realities in today’s world. We need someone whose knees don’t jerk in any direction. The real problem with McCain and Clinton is that they want us to feel comfortable that they have all the answers. They don’t. No one does. Somehow I feel really glad that John Kennedy answered the phone in the Cuban missile crisis rather than those two.
Posted by: Don McCorkell on 03/18/08 at 1:26 PM Respond
Jay,
Don't take the word Critisize out of context in the phrasing it was placed in.
Posted by: brightledge on 03/18/08 at 1:26 PM Respond
I may be the only one, but I actually hope that Barrack Obama heard the anger and rage expressed from pulpits and homes in his Chicago district. Hearing his voice of reconciliation and hope now is even more meaningful knowing that he has had to transcend the rage of many in the inner city, and rise above it, to articulate a gospel of hope rather than hate. There are plenty of politicians who merely mimic the anger of their constituents, who build their careers on appealing to our worst instincts. Obama is that rare politician who appeals to our best. The Geraldine Farraros of the world could never represent a classic angry “archie bunker” district without hearing tirades of racism and victimization. No one representing the inner city portion of Obama’s state senate district could escape and avoid the expressions of anger and rage found in the inner cities of America. What matters most is not what one hears, it is what one preaches. Jesus himself didn’t walk away from the crowd calling for the stoning of a woman. He listened and heard what they said and then spoke the most memorable words, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” What saddens me about Ferraro is not what she heard from her constituents, but how she continues to mimic their pain with their rhetoric and their fear. What inspires me about Obama is not what he heard from his angry constituents, but how he transcends that in an appeal for genuine tolerance, understanding, and hope that can help heal the pain and traumas of the past. It is far more than a fairy tale. It is the knowledge that one “good Samaritan” can do far more than help one injured stranger. He can change the way we think about Samaritans. Most of us have forgotten that Samaritans were a hated minority. When Jesus spoke of him, he sought not only to redirect our actions toward the injured stranger, but to recast our thinking about the Samaritan.
All of this brings me to thoughts about experience—about how it shapes us, empowers us, and traps us. Obama, Clinton, and McCain all bring a great deal of experience to this race. What we have to examine is not, “who has had ‘experience’ and who hasn’t”, but rather how has their personal experience shaped their lives, their decision making process, and their sense of the possible. I remember my experience as a freshman member of the Oklahoma legislature in 1980 sponsoring and winning a major fight for nursing home reform. After we won, I remember a senior member turning to me and saying, “You could never have done that if you had been here for a long time, because you would have known that it was impossible.” Too often, we respond to our experience by learning what cannot be done rather than learning how to do it. All three of the remaining candidates have lived fascinating and challenging lives. They have all experienced losses and pain. I would not want to have a leader who had lived such a protected life that he or she had never suffered—now there would be someone who would be truly dangerous. The more important question for each of these three is how have they responded to their experience. I suppose what I think our country needs is someone who is strong and yet calm and thoughtful. We certainly don’t need any frantic bullies. I especially think we desperately need a leader with enough humility to seek out and listen to others with intelligence and experience and not have the hubris to believe that one person can contain within themselves all the experience and knowledge necessary to respond to the incredibly complex and challenging realities in today’s world. We need someone whose knees don’t jerk in any direction. The real problem with McCain and Clinton is that they want us to feel comfortable that they have all the answers. They don’t. No one does. Somehow I feel really glad that John Kennedy answered the phone in the Cuban missile crisis rather than those two.
Posted by: Don McCorkell on 03/18/08 at 1:27 PM Respond
Dont talk to me about being "bright enough to get it."
I'm smart enough to to understand political doubletalk when I hear it. I heard it from Nixon, Bush I, Bush II, Carter, and Clinton.
Rev. Wright has stirred racial feelings in me that I never had before, and that I hate. God damn him for
that.
Because of Rev. Wright, I will never look at the black community the same ever again. I will always feel that somewhere, on some quiet Sunday morning, racial hatred is being spewed in my direction. When I hold open the door at the nearest restaraunt for my black neighbor after services, I'll wonder "what did your preacher tell you about me today, friend?"
Maybe, as a taxpayer, I would get it if you attached "God Dam America" right next to the "Federal Withholding" line on my paycheck. You know - the one where social payments comes from.
Posted by: Bob on 03/18/08 at 1:31 PM Respond
As a middle class African American, I am disappointed by Obama. This speech was long winded and disingenuous. As long as African Americans talk about the unique "black experience" and use it to excuse their own poor judgment, they deserve to be marginalized.
Middle class blacks like me who live in the suburbs and go to integrated churches are ostracized by urban blacks who consider us "oreos" or "too white." Did some white people move away when we moved in? Yes, but my family has overcome the fear of these bigots and is today part of an integrated community. And we have always been accepted in our church - a church that teaches the true values of Christianity.
I'm sure Obama heard criticisms about being an "Oreo" after he spent a few years in Cambridge. Rather than choosing to live by principle and defending his own success, he chose to embrace the culture of the angry black man.
Its a bit shocking to see how much passion Obama seems to evoke in white liberals. Its also shocking to see their criticisms of prominent black political leaders such as Colin Powell and Condi Rice, because they happen to sit on the other side of the aisle from us. Buy into the culture of the angry black man if it makes you feel better about yourself. Now that Obama's poor judgment has been exposed, I'm willing to bet that most moderate Americans who attend moderate churches will reject his disingenous explanation for his embrace of black separatism.
Posted by: Not an Angry Black Man on 03/18/08 at 1:33 PM Respond
So, if your LAWYER was into faith healing and told you it was a great idea to take herbs for a broken ankle, would you then discount his legal advice?
Wright is a pastor, not a political commentator. While I think he went "off the deep end" with some of his comments, I don't think that would make me stop coming to the church. I would just tune out whenever the preacher started in on politics, just like I would go to the DOCTOR if I was sick.
What's the big deal?
Addendum: Criticizing our government is not just our right as Americans, it is our DUTY. Wright's choice of words makes him sound anti-American but his sentiment is felt by many (that dropping the bomb even if necessary was tragic, and that foreign policy has something to do with how other countries including Arab nations view us). The AIDS thing is kinda cooky, but like I said I would just tune that out since he is not a political commentator.
Posted by: Brian on 03/18/08 at 1:34 PM Respond
Its clear. Anti-white racism must be understood in the context of the speakers past. Anti-black racism is condemned outright.
Obama is a racist and the Democrats don't care.
It is time to form groups that will sue these racists right out of government. No more anti-white hate or no more peace!
Lets start with getting his "church's" i.e. temple of hate, tax exempt status pulled.
Posted by: RA on 03/18/08 at 1:35 PM Respond
Iam freightened to death of rev. jeremiah wright,and the fact that barack did not disown him. I shall move ot amstedam or canada, if barck is president.At least I think Hillary is the best one, for gay rights for black males and white males who are gay. And Iactually think mccainis even more pro gay right than obama or hillary, hillary or obamanever even considered saying they favored gay marriage at least mccain said it evn though he had to back track on .it
Posted by: gay guy on 03/18/08 at 1:37 PM Respond
Barack couldnt change the fact his wife is "proud" of her country for the first time.
Barack was there when his Pastor predicated hate and division in the name the past.
Barack decided to have as his spiritual leader someone full of resentiment.
Barck decided also to follow him for 20 years.
Barack may have all the rights of this world to defend his story. But, Barack is contesting to be seating in an office where past doesnt fit, after all, he represents the future. He is supposed to be the Change.
If those videos didn't have come out; was it possible we had a President seating in the White House not caring much about his Pastor speeches?
Do we have to let Michele Obama be the First Lady of this country to make her be proud of this country? is it that how much it costs to be proud of this country?
We are the most multicultural, multiracial, and multiethnic society in the Earth. Are we perfect? NOT.
Those who lived the past didnt chose to live it, it just happened.
But Barack picked his Pastor, his church. And today, he picked to appear on TV and blame history for his failure, blame us for orchestrating a tragic history.
Shame on You Barack Obama.
Posted by: Antonio Diaz on 03/18/08 at 1:41 PM Respond
He had to address the issure; however, if the reverend comments were not made he would not have addressed.
Posted by: Dr. Mac on 03/18/08 at 1:42 PM Respond
According to Obama, his mentor Wright represents the authentic black community. He cannot reject Wright because that would be rejecting the entire black community. In Obama's world, the millions of blacks who do not share Wright's racist views are not authentic. Good to find out where Obama's vapid talk really comes from. And then to have to listen to his audacious demand that voting for him will atone for America's racist past? Hasn't he been exposed enough yet?
Posted by: shaun on 03/18/08 at 1:42 PM Respond
Mr. Brian
With all due respect, yes, I would discount the advice of anyone whose credibility and judgement is in serious doubt.
With regard to your lawyer example, I would definitely seek out other counsel, and possible report him to the bar for giving such reckless medical advise for a serious injury.
With regard to your pastor example - what else would you "tune out"? Poligamous marriage? Abusing children? Supporting terrorism?
Taking your suggestion further, why not just "tune out" the stuff you dont agree with about Bush, or Clinton, or whomever?
Scary.
Posted by: Brian on 03/18/08 at 1:47 PM Respond
Hey Bob, you really need to get a life! Or were you one of those kids that Obama was talking about that went to bad school? Did you even hear anything he said? We have some real issues in this nation, and they don't have to with color... But people like yourself, feel like america is great! A nation that has turned away from God! A nation that invades another nation. Sells out it's own people for greet! Turn races on each other for power!
I wish he drops out so, this nation can get it's come upping from HRC. And when we are all glowing in the dark for the next 10,057 years..! I can hear it now, What happen?
Posted by: Kevin on 03/18/08 at 1:48 PM Respond
RA
It's obvious some of the good old boy mentality still exists. "no more anti white ahte or no more peace." It seems to me you expect the African American to continue to bend over and recieve the full extent of white oppression or there will be hell to pay. It's exactly words like these that have fostered the hatred of the entire planet against people like you.
Posted by: brightledge on 03/18/08 at 1:49 PM Respond
Did I hear bullshit from this former wiz, now nothing more than the Wizzard of Oz? From what he says, and how he tries to flim-flam us, let me say the only way this boy should get into the White House is through the back door with a pail and a mop.
Posted by: Jimmy on 03/18/08 at 1:51 PM Respond
Antonio Diaz,
It amazes me that minorities like you can enter into an argument and end up arguing for the powers that be. Unbelieveable. It's no wonder black people feel latinos think they're white, and better than other people of color.
Posted by: brightledge on 03/18/08 at 1:53 PM Respond
Mr. Kevin
We have an office pool going on how long it would take for a liberal to engage in ad hominem personal attacks.
We have a winner!!!! Its Kevin!!! And it only took about 5 minutes.
Posted by: Bob on 03/18/08 at 1:54 PM Respond
vinnyt: Okay, let's see. Wright is a decent man and dedicated pastor who speaks to people about many things: their relationship with Christ, love, fellowship, personal responsibility, the need to help the poor and sick and imprisoned, etc. He leads the church in active involvement in doing these good works. He also, being a flawed human being, sometimes says things that are based in anger and bitterness, and that are unacceptable and sometimes really shocking. Obama rejects his extreme statments while continuing to value him for the complex and mostly good person he finds him to be. In the same way, he pointed out, he loves and respects his white grandmother and honors what she has done for him, even though (being a flawed human being) she has comes out with bigotted statements that make him flinch.
This is honest. This is reality. He stayed with a pastor who inspired him, and whom he mostly admired, even though that same pastor sometimes said outrageous things. If there are no people in your life whom you love and respect who also have some flat-out wrong and unexceptable views, then you are either stunningly fortunate or you're lying to yourself.
I'm white, I grew up mostly in the SOuth, I have loved and cherished people who were mostly decent and kind but also harshly racist. I wish that weren't so, but I don't apologize for it. Can you wrap your mind around that?
I respect Obama for his honesty, and for the fact that he sees the wrong-headed anger/resentment in both the black and white community but continues to also see the decency in each, and the great potential for positive change this nation still holds.
Posted by: Fiona West on 03/18/08 at 1:56 PM Respond
Obama has delivered a speech about race and his history with Rev. Wright that was one of the most important and powerful speeches to come from this entire campaign. In fact, I would say it was history-making in every respect. As an African-American, (I too am bi-racial, White/Black) I can't help but feel joy and pride to witness this defining moment his speech represents.
It may well be that by September of this year, after the conventions, America will finally face the complex issues of race as never before. Rev. Wright has stepped down, but his words still resonate with truth as they have for many decades.
We have only to review the entire PBS series, "Eyes on the Prize" to realize the vast lack of understanding that still plagues and torments the soul of our country. Yes, there have been many strides in bridging the divides between Blacks and Whites. Yet we continue relentlessly forward, failing to address the deeper context that Blacks in America are still haunted by a legacy from their forefathers, who were forced to lay down their freedoms and their very lives to establish the foundation on which commerce could grow and democracy be defined. (I have relatives who still live under the thundercloud of slavery’s reign, which exists even today—in little shack houses, with no electricity or plumbing—still living the terror-based custom of never making eye contact when addressing a White person for fear of harm, or even death.)
Barack and Michelle Obama are modern day heroes. People from all walks of life realize this. And for all our past failings to understand and respond to the times, they represent a new breed of “We the People”.
With a clarion call to unite, neighbor to neighbor, we face a new opportunity standing squarely before us, the American people--an opportunity ready to embrace us with arms of acceptance and forgiveness, knowing we will do better, that we will be better, together. “Yes we can!”
Ellison Horne
Posted by: Ellison on 03/18/08 at 1:58 PM Respond
Great Speech as always from Obama. But also, as always, he didn't really confront the criticism. The real question is why would you continue going to a church that spews such hate? Saying the pastor is like family doesn't cut it. Family is not something you choose. The church you attend is. Keep in mind that he has been subjecting his daughters to this. In the last part of the speech this article quotes, Obama basically talks about how both white people and black people have anger that is counterproductive. And you raise the next generation to do this by subjecting them to the kind of hatred spewed by this pastor??
Disingenuous at best.
Posted by: JZ on 03/18/08 at 1:59 PM Respond
Ms. West
When you hold a position of influence and authority over people, especially spiritually, your dont get to say "God Damn America", use the N word, and then say "my bad". Why, madame, is that level of tolerance only reserved for those with whom you agree? Why not forgive slave ownes from 200 years ago in the same way? I have certainly forgiven my African brothers - Egyptians, who enslaved my ancestors.
Certainly we can forgive Reverend Wrignt, but we cannot ignore the consequences of his actions, nor can we discount that he is embraced by one who would be President.
Posted by: Bob on 03/18/08 at 2:02 PM Respond
Wow! Two racist posts in a row - must be time for me to leave. Jimmy, shame on you.
Brightledge, shame on you, too. If your post had been directe
Posted by: hrao on 03/18/08 at 11:01 AM Respond