Apparently, some are calling it the most important speech about race since MLK's "I Have A Dream" an (IMO) over reaction which is prompting the equal and opposite (IMO) over reaction that this is camouflage to sweep the mini-crisis of Obama's Pastor under the rug.
Just speaking as a Canadian (not really neutral) I found it to be a very moving and intelligent speech that carefully distanced Obama from his Pastor's remarks while not distancing himself from his Pastor - a very tricky thing to do.
I think it was a little long to be considered a GREAT speech and the lackluster reaction of the crowd ruined it a bit for me. (Although the Gettysburg Address famously got a very mild reaction when originally given.)
Ultimately, I believe that he needed to address the issue of his Pastor's remarks and he used that need to deliver a very powerful speech that turned this mini-crisis into an opportunity.
Here's my sort of thought out reaction to this from the perspective of a sometimes student of USAmerican political oratory. Let me preface my remarks by saying that there is absolutely no way I would ever vote for Barack Obama for any office at any level. His politics aren't mine and we disagree on most of the significant issues of the day.
Having said that, this was a great speech ... full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Obama is easily the best speaker of the remaining candidates and one of the best of his generation and he delivered a masterfully polished presentation that had some great lines and some gaping holes. If you like Obama, you probably liked this speech and found it convincing. If, like me, you don't like Obama, you probably found this speech to be trite, hypocritical, and filled with empty platitudes.
Llakor's half right in my opinion, Obama tried to do a very good job of distancing himself from his pastor's remarks while not distancing himself from Wright. Unfortunately, that entire section of the speech rang entirely false and really came across as Obama being a typical politician who wanted to have it both ways. If you really felt that Wright's remarks were beyond the pale, why in the world would you stay in his church for 20 years? At least to me, Obama's reasoning here was very weak.
Originally posted by Barack Obama"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."
Why is he so sure? I can honestly say that I haven't heard those remarks in the pews in which I've sat. I can also say that if my pastor was spouting comparable language, I'd be finding a new church. If Obama really found those remarks so offensive, why was Pastor Wright still his "spiritual advisor" until it became apparent that he was going to be a source of controversy?
All in all, a good try, but certainly not the resounding success some would have you to believe. Of course, it wasn't the resounding failure that others would have you to believe either.
Tim
Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit. -- Erasmus
All others things being equal, the simplest solution is usually stupidity. -- Darwin Minor
For all of the outrage flying around about three soundbites of 15, 30, and 40 seconds out of a 30-year ministry, I'd like to see some reporting on the Rev. Wright, his congregation and the community works of this church before I damn anyone for guilt-by-association.
I'm not holding my breath for the media (particularly cable news) to have the patience or interest to do this.
Purely from a political standpoint, Obama accomplished at least two substantial things: This should reassure his supporters, and those at least inclined to consider his candidacy. (Those who would never consider voting for Obama for the basest of reasons obviously are not consuming a lot of news in the first place.) Also, he was able to correct a misstatement in his initial response, that yes, he did hear 'controversial' remarks while in the pews of his church. So his political enemies can chill out trying to find a "gotcha" moment from a sermon Obama attended.
I took a couple of minutes to try and think of another speech since Dr. King that was this important about race, but considering Obama's position when he made it - I'll agree with the analysts on the point.
Now we'll see if the coverage turns back to actual political issues, or if the conservatives are able to keep this in the headlines. If they manage to sink his campaign on *this, I think we are doomed to 51-49 partisan politics for another generation. But it smells more of desperation that this may be their best chance to stop the outsider.
I love how Obama is somehow culpable for what his pastor says, yet Huckabee himself said hateful, dumbass things in his own days as a pastor, and 'moderate' Republicans like McCain are encouraged to seek out the likes of Falwell and Robertson in order to win over the 15% of America that actually listens to those morons.
“How is it that I am a good actor? What I do is I... pretend to be the person I’m portraying. You’re confused. Case in point: in Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson comes to me and says ‘I would like you to be Gandalf the Wizard,’ and I said ‘You are aware that I am not really a wizard?’ and Peter Jackson said ‘I would like you to use your acting skills to portray a wizard for the duration of the show.’ So I said ‘Okay’ and then I said to myself ‘Mmm.. How do I do that?’ And this is what I did: I imagined that I was a wizard, and then I pretended, and acted, in that way on the stage. How did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script. How did I know where to stand? People told me where to stand." -- Sir Ian McKellen, Extras
Originally posted by Big BadI love how Obama is somehow culpable for what his pastor says, yet Huckabee himself said hateful, dumbass things in his own days as a pastor, and 'moderate' Republicans like McCain are encouraged to seek out the likes of Falwell and Robertson in order to win over the 15% of America that actually listens to those morons.
Not to threadjack, but the two that McCain recently sought out who chill me to the bone are John Hagee, who claimed that Hurricane Katrina was "the Judgement of God against New Orleans" and Rod Parsley, who claims that the United States dating back to Columbus was created to destroy Islam.
Getting back to Obama's speech, I feel like he's doing his best to explain a complicated issue in a way that isn't talking down to anyone. It's got to be hard to do, and he's not America's "Magic Black Man", but that he's even trying to have this discussion that nobody seems to want to have is a brave, even if he was going to have to do it sooner than later.
Originally posted by Brian P. DermodyGetting back to Obama's speech, I feel like he's doing his best to explain a complicated issue in a way that isn't talking down to anyone. It's got to be hard to do, and he's not America's "Magic Black Man", but that he's even trying to have this discussion that nobody seems to want to have is a brave, even if he was going to have to do it sooner than later.
He's doing it in a way that's inclusive - which is incredibly hard to do effectively. It may cost him some of his "he's so charming and eloquent" capital, but I never thought I'd hear a candidate, with a legitimate shot at a nomination, address these kinds of issues during an actual campaign.
Originally posted by Brian P. DermodyGetting back to Obama's speech, I feel like he's doing his best to explain a complicated issue in a way that isn't talking down to anyone. It's got to be hard to do, and he's not America's "Magic Black Man", but that he's even trying to have this discussion that nobody seems to want to have is a brave, even if he was going to have to do it sooner than later.
He's doing it in a way that's inclusive - which is incredibly hard to do effectively. It may cost him some of his "he's so charming and eloquent" capital, but I never thought I'd hear a candidate, with a legitimate shot at a nomination, address these kinds of issues during an actual campaign.
It was a good speech and he didn't take the easy way out but he only gave it because he had to put out the fire. I guess he is brave but the bravest thing would be to totally disassociate himself from the church.
And I have been around whacky ministers and I walked away because it was the right thing to do.
What if homosexuality is genetic? Then you're denying someone a right _ the right to get married _ based on their genetics. Which is EXACTLY the same thing as denying black people the right to vote.