Video: Obama race speech and reactions

8:59 am on March 18, 2008 by Infidelesto

Obama gave his major race speech today. If you didn’t see it, Drudge has the transcript.

The whole speech:

And here he is refusing to disavow Jeremiah Wright

A whole lot of jargon for a select group of people. Doesn’t disavow Wright, continues to defend him. Blames Talk radio and conservative “commentators” for stirring hatred. mmm, ok

My thoughts: If Obama is so committed to racial unity, why would he attend a church for 20 years that has outright paranoia for white people?

Initial reactions:

Gateway Pundit

The fact that Obama twisted his pastor’s offensive and outrageous remarks and made it into a race issue was clever. It doesn’t excuse his pastor or excuse the fact that he sat with the America-hating racist for 20 years, though.
And, the fact that he plays it off like “all of us are at fault” is insulting.

Malkin:

Obama’s bottom line: Everyone’s a victim. You’re part of the problem if you keep talking about Jeremiah Wright. Everyone’s churches have crazy demagogues. Schools need more money. Leave illegal aliens alone. Never mind all the black grievance-mongers who have built careers sowing seeds of divisions. Look at all the talk show hosts and conservative commentators! Elect Obama. Fixer of souls.

Corner

There’s also this that bothers me: His loyalty to Wright seems to run a little too deep. As a friend e-mailed me during the speech: ‘I always thought what created a controversy was that statements made or positions held might be true, notwithstanding that they were unpopular and even bracing. In that sense, Wright’s statements that Obama heard were crank statements, not controversial statements, no matter how hard he tries to sugarcoat.’ Then, near the end of the speech, he was doing it again: ‘The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society.’

That was never my problem, senator. My problem is he spoke as if he hates America, as if he believes there’s something fundamentally wrong with the greatest nation on earth. You can talk about racism, senator. But what how do you think about America? Is it what we hear from Mrs. Obama and the Obamas’ pastor? How imperfect do you believe our union to be? Coming away from his speech, I’m a little worried that Barack Obama believes America is great as long as she elects him president.

Ed Morrissey

“Hey, let’s focus on the real bad guys — corporations!!”

Did Obama succeed with this speech in containing the damage? It depends on the intended audience. This speech appears aimed at 795 specific individuals — Democratic superdelegates. Obama needed to show that he can address the racial issues in an inclusive manner, and walk the highwire with Wright by scolding him without alienating the black community. While the delivery was uncharacteristically lethargic, the content probably made the sale.

Mary Katharine Ham

Deflect, deflect, deflect. It’s not Rev. Wright’s fault for saying horrible, hateful things, nor my fault for having the bad judgment to associate with him for 20 years. Nope, it’s the fault of the media for presenting Wright as a hateful caricature, despite the fact that Wright is a hateful caricature.

Pamela - Atlas Shrugs

Obama, the “uniter” is dividing. It is painfully clear to me that Obama believes that half of America agrees with G-d damn America Jeremiah Wright and he intends to exploit that hate and play on these terrible, imagine fears. I do not believe he is right. But he is going down the hate mongering ship. Separatism, not inclusion. What unites us is we are Americans, and frankly he just doesn’t get it.

There Are 5 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Paul on 18 March 2008:

    So after slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination etc, were blacks ever justified in being angry ? ever justified in being angry in hating a country that had enshrined laws that made them less than others who happened to be of a lighter complexion. ? OK so that was back in the sixtys but did you expect that after the passing of the civil rights bill that it would all that anger would go away. Was the civil rights bill passed out of the goodness of the then presiding administration? or was it not hard fought and hard won with sacrifices along the way? racism is an evil irrespective of which ever race practices it but to suggest that for those blacks who came of age during the turbulent sixtys should now just simply forget and embrace the flag and not be angry is to patronise them because it does not acknowledge that they have been scarred by their experiences. Rev. Wright was wrong because his anger is destructive but dont say that it is not without justification

  2. Comment by Tim on 18 March 2008:

    Paul, Wright’s anger is without justification because it is directed at the present for events of the past. 95% of living white Americans have no more to do with racism than with the man in the moon. Wright’s anger is explainable, but it is not justifiable. Indeed, the entire “theology” to which the man subscribes assumes that white racism is endemic in American society. It essentially “requires” God to be pro-black and anti-white.

    Wright does not get a pass here because he came out of the King era (barely). American WWII Pacific vets would have a similar “right” to hate Japanese, but such a view is today considered Neanderthal and just plain wrong. Just because Wright grew up in the age of segregation and lynching does not justify his continued anger at practices that have long since disappeared from America. Society now wants to help the black community help itself solve its problems. While white racists still exist, the vast majority of white Americans want to embrace their black neighbors’ pursuit of the American dream. Indeed, we largely look back at slavery and lynching with puzzled horror, and while we can understand Wright’s hatred for those who inflicted these wrongs, we do not excuse it for two reasons. First, Wright is presumably a Christian teacher. While hatred may be understandable, it is not acceptable in any way in Christianity. Second, the wrongs were not imposed by the current generations of whites. It’s bad enough to have anger and hatred, but it is absolutely improper to vent those feelings at people who (a) had nothing to do with the past wrongdoings and (b) want only to have friendly co-prosperous relations but feel a constant wall of separation due to this misplaced hate.

    I believed Obama was sincere in his desire to unite America. I believed he was an idealist with whom I disagreed politically. However, it is very troubling to see him fail to utterly reject the separationist principles espoused by Wright and Trinity, and I now view him as having an ulterior motive in his bid for the presidency. I believe it is fortunate for America that this has come to light, because to elect someone who fails to reject racism this glaring cannot be trusted to be President of the United States due to both lack of judgment and failure to embody the ideals of the American people, black, white, and whatever else.

  3. Comment by Rudy on 18 March 2008:

    Of course Wright neglects to mention that the slaves were SOLD to the white colonists, by other black tribes, and the arabs, who perfected the slave trade. But blame whitey. If Wright wants to be angry, he should look to the mother continent his church puts first, ahead of the US, where he is free to worship as he pleases, unlike Africa where non muslims are being slaughtered in Sudan, and most countries are still run by dictators who sell slaves like we sell t-shirts. But that also is the white man’s fault.

  4. Comment by Catherine on 19 March 2008:

    Obama has no contol over the words or thoughts of his pastor No more then anyone of us who attend church have over ours. To judge Obama based on the actions or words of Wright is just plain ignorant. Come on people think the media is just trying to make a dime by blowing up these controversal words. Instead on dwelling on the negative try focusing on the positive for a minute. Obama is about the betterment of the American people as a whole. Black, white, brown, yellow, purple, whatever. Think for yourselves don’t allow the media to make your decisions for you.

  5. Pingback by Raging Leftist Blogger attacks IAC | Infidels Are Cool on 20 March 2008:

    [...] Philadelphia. Some idiot named “Infidels Are Cool” has done us all the inestimable service of posting the transcript link, the speech video and a roundup of top Rightie crypto-racists (and YES, I’m playing the “race” card, because that’s been the whole point of this clueless [...]

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