Transcript: Barack Obama's Speech On Race

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(CBS) 
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.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, 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.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-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.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

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 continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. 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 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. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. 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.

In fact, 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.

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.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing 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 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.

[p200-2009]

Yada Yada Yada, Still not answer my question as to charater as why he stayed associated with Rev Wright for 20 years.
When first asked he said he never heard Wright sermons that he thought were negitive. Today Yes he did.
Then he brought his poor grandmother into the speach to just because she is white, but to have the world know what she may have may not have said is wrong.

This speach has been sitting around for a while and ready to be used when his hand was forced to use it.
Didn,t belive him yesterday don,t belive him today.
But people in MSM are comparing him to MLK.
WAKE UP AMERICA HE IS NOT MLK

[rizabove]

Stop hating'' and start congratulating''---Let''s love each other, come together and fight for one Country, One great Country, AMERICA!!!!!!! Thank God for our young people who can free their minds to hate and open their hearts to love!!! WE HAVE ONE CHOICE, stick together as Americans and defeat our enemies who could care less about Black and White and more about defeating America. So, let us realize that divides will make our Country fold, but standing together to fight and bring the American dollar back, education back, jobs back, and our place in the world back...is what we need and what the majority of Americans want!!! AMERICA the Beautiful, AMERICA the great. Spread love and peace, not division and separation!!! RISE ABOVE!!!!

[kayj81]

The real truth is there is pain and resentment among Americans on all sides when it comes to racial issues. That is the core message here. It''s about time someone spoke openly about this.
To bring people together, one must understand the severity of this pain and resentment. And not alienate people who are angry about injustice and have clouded judgement and a certain degree of paranoia due to their anger.
Remember Psychology 101? Years of injustice and abuse will create paranoid, angry, resentful and unreasonable reactions.
Wake up America, and learn from this speech.
We have to NAME our real differences before we can TRANSCEND them.
We desperately need someone who has compassion for all views to bring us together successfully.

[rbrownjr13]

Sounds like he peformed at his strengths today, a smooth talker! He has a very questionable past, and his judgment is questionable also. He has NO experience and comes from nowhere to be a presidential front runner. I dont understand. But I do understand dontvoteobama.net

[sarahberra76]

This is the best speech I''ve heard on race in my entire life. Obama did an excellent job of looking at race from all points of views but making sure that everyone understands there has been a "historical" issue of race when it comes to African Americans in particular. If you have ever attended a Black church there is a 50/50 chance you may here some of the statements that have come out. Rather you agree with his the reverends comments there still remains an issue of "race" in America.No one has had the guts to talk about until now. I''m so glad Barack did and that he is running for the most important position in America. To the media and others who like to take things out of context, he has spoken and now leave it alone. And to any American who says they have never disagreed with a spiritual leader or anyone for that matter yet remained in contact or association with them is a LIE! Parents, children, co-workers, pastors are all human and make mistakes. "He who has not sinned throw the first stone".

[servingproud]

Without a doubt, Obama is has talent in speaking, motivating and perhaps inspiring.

I still won''t vote for him though.
He''s very clear we shouldn''t have gone to Iraq. Not so straight forward (or at least vocal) on whether we should have gone into Afghanistan.. We didn''t go into Rwanda.. Does he agree with that decision? If a genocide began in Kenya (home to his grandmother) would he feel inclined to commit our forces there?

Under his rationale it would seen that we wouldn''t have gone into Korea.. I think there are a number of individuals in S. Korea that look north across the DMZ and are glad we did.

Obama is clear we''ve been in Iraq too long (the message resonates with a populous opinion). Not so vocal on Afghanistan.. How about the Balkans, for that matter how about Korea, Japan or Germany.. How many years did we spend supporting the German economy as it was rebuilt following WW II? Or Korea? Yes they are fairly vibrant economies now but back in 1960??

Who cares about the Iraqis anyway.. If they can''t establish a free and strong government in 5 years or less then it''s obvious that the people don''t WANT to be FREE.

I probably shouldn''t bring up how long it took us (The U.S.) to get our feet on the ground and figure out a balance between state and federal powers (a Civil War, Civil Rights, socialized services...) Oh wait.. we''re still working on it..

[servingproud]

Without a doubt, Obama is has talent in speaking, motivating and perhaps inspiring.

I still won''t vote for him though.
He''s very clear we shouldn''t have gone to Iraq. Not so straight forward (or at least vocal) on whether we should have gone into Afghanistan.. We didn''t go into Rwanda.. Does he agree with that decision? If a genocide began in Kenya (home to his grandmother) would he feel inclined to commit our forces there?

Under his rationale it would seen that we wouldn''t have gone into Korea.. I think there are a number of individuals in S. Korea that look north across the DMZ and are glad we did.

Obama is clear we''ve been in Iraq too long (the message resonates with a populous opinion). Not so vocal on Afghanistan.. How about the Balkans, for that matter how about Korea, Japan or Germany.. How many years did we spend supporting the German economy as it was rebuilt following WW II? Or Korea? Yes they are fairly vibrant economies now but back in 1960??

Who cares about the Iraqis anyway.. If they can''t establish a free and strong government in 5 years or less then it''s obvious that the people don''t WANT to be FREE.

I probably shouldn''t bring up how long it took us (The U.S.) to get our feet on the ground and figure out a balance between state and federal powers (a Civil War, Civil Rights, socialized services...) Oh wait.. we''re still working on it..

[elle56-2009]

What an insightful and moving speech! Obama''s speech was a call to review our past but more importantly it was a call to UNITE! How beautiful. This speech compelled me to transfer my vote for Hillary Clinton to, hopefully, PresidentElect, Barack Obama!

[bulldogs623]

Barack Obama Is the ONLY candidate that will be able to unite this country. He has more class in his little finger than Hillary or McCain. People say he is not qualified. What qualifies Hillary? She has already been caught in her lies about her "experience". I believe her statements were referred to by a man who was with her at the time, as a "wee bit silly". What qualifies McCain? The fact he was a prisoner of war for five and a half years? Some qualification to be president! Obama is intelligent, and level-headed and will surround himself with capable people. Go Obama!!!

[hhkeller]

Obama created this issue that wasn''t there 6 months ago. Obamas quest to solidify a monolithic African American vote in the South has come back to sting him and America. The man is dumber than Bush.
Now he''s wants to lecture the country about stuff we already know about so that he somehow looks presidential when in fact he created this issue during his campaign. Obama is worse than Bush.

[rbrownjr13]

Yeah, will surround himself with "capable" people like Rev. Wright, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Louis Farrakhan. As a jewish caucasian, that is scary to me, sorry but it is! http://www.dontvoteobama.net

[roach9703]

Obama''s assoication with Reverend Wright should not be considered Obama''s view of the world. We have friends we like,but with which we do no agree.
However, Obama''s background is that of broken homes, mutilple family relatioships, and help from the government. His view of the world is based on a deep faith in the power of the Federal Govenment to change lives. The extent to which one agrees with this view, is the extent one is a supporter of Barak Obama.

[bulldogs623]

To rbrownjr13...Maybe his speech went over your head. He DENOUNCED Rev Wright''s words and postion on race. Go back and read (or have someone read it to you) the text.

[jacqueliner3]

Hillary''s problem is that she overestimates the intelligence of the American voter. Obama goes in the opposite direction but it''s becoming clear you can''t really underestimate it. Anyone who fails to see the cynicism and insincerity in this speech deserves the kind of President they will get if Obama wins - awful.

[element51]

I just read the speech and thought it was the best speech of it''s type I have ever heard. And yet, many of you continue to spout the right wing rhetoric that has been spread. Maybe you didn''t understand what the man was saying. I don''t know. But I do know that to simply spin his words to make them serve your political philosophy is wrong. None are so blind as those who do not see. I will now settle back and wait for the death of a thousand cuts. I know that on this board I have taken the wrong stance but I won''t back down. Go on, take your best shot.

[jlt03218]

Very moving speech. Speechifying is a grand American tradition, making kings of common men from Lincoln to the Wizard of Oz. It is very well organized and thought out, and its use of the vernacular is inspiring.
But we musn''t let one poetic flow from the mouth of an expert politician cut off the blood flow to our cerebral cortex: We have to keep in mind his history, his acceptance of the Rev. Wright''s words (words DO matter, and we all should accept the consequences of what we say). To believe that he didn''t know about the content of these inflammatory statements strains incredulity to beyond the breaking point. Now he''s lecturing us on how we can all get along. Hmm..
I guess he''s changed.
I''m not a liberal, a conservative, a Republican, or a Democrat.
I''m a skeptic.
JLT

[janismus]

He has earned my vote. If this speech did not move you, then nothing will, and I feel very sorry for your lack of intellect and emotion.

[pumaespiritu]

I guess it''s time to displace all of the white supremacists of this country, and allow them to create their own purebred nation. Oh wait, that would take away all of the McCain and Clintion supporters.... nevermind... For all of you purebred whites slandering President Obama go back to school and study history, anthropology, psychology, and learn another language before unleashing your beligerant ignorance on these blog pages. His speech was the best rhetoric in the public sphere since JFK and MLK, and ALL AMERICANS should be appreciative of his message.

[ddrbc]

Brilliant political posturing, as to be expected.

[desertclair]

Obama said, "black anger persists over injustice in America, and whites shouldn''t be surprised that it bursts out in sermons."
Sermons should teach forgiveness as Jesus taught, not justified anger and hatred, even if injustice still exists. What Bible are they reading? The world has been plagued by injustice since time began. Against women; against Jews; against minorities in every civilization. None of these horrible events were ever healed by continuing hatred. Hatred breeds more hatred. Jesus taught that only forgiveness and understanding calms the soul, heals the pain and empowers people.

Obama can not win the general election now! Only Hillary is our chance for "change" from the current Republican agenda.

[ddrbc]

Has Obama gotten past his own racial stalemate?

From Dreams of My Father, " I FOUND A SOLACE IN NURSING A PERVASISVE SENSE OF GRIEVANCE AND ANIMOSITY AGAINST MY MOTHER''S RACE".

From ''Dreams of my Father'', "The emotion between the races could never be pure, even love was tarnished by the desire to find in the other some element that was missing in ourselves. Whether we sought out our demons or salvation, the other race (WHITE) would always remain just that: menacing, alien, and apart."

[ericv2644]

I go to a Mixed Church and my pastor is white, I heard him say some very inflammatory statements, no I don''t agree with those statements but i am not quiting my church and pastor. You probably wouldn''t either.

[citizen8888]

To Element51:
I salute you!

[citizen8888]

rbrownjr13:
Interesting that you try to throw white Jews under the bus by proclaiming that is what you are. Is that supposed to make you more believable or something. Cr@p coming out of the mouth of someone CLAIMING to be Jewish is still cr@p.

[citizen8888]

eastwaviking said:
"Obama could never unify our country when he''''s a 20 year member of a Divisive church. It''''s time for him to step away from politics."

What do you think most churches are if not divisive? Churches are generally trying to divide those who they pick as able to get to heaven from those who they say aren''t. Do you know how many wars, and not just in the recent century, have been fought over religion? Do you know how many churches still believe that Jews are damned? Would you say that because a Christian goes to a church that doesn''t repudiate the New Testament''s anti-semetic bent that they should not be president? I would say that not many Christians are willing to repudiate the New Testament. However, I guess that is okay as long as it is only anti-Semitism and not anti-American or anti-white. The big 3 religions in the US, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all have their bigoted histories and present. I don''t think that most churches could stand up to a deep and true examination of their beliefs. However, you may feel differently----but if you do, it is probably only about your own church.

[rowdytexan2]

"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."

Why foster the bitterness? Why not stand above it.

Your statement alone that says Geraldine Ferraro made racist statements show you are a liar. Ms. Ferraro was not condemning your race...she was point out your total lack of credentials for the job you were applying for and stating the obvious fact that not another man with your credentials could be running for president. You are fostering racism by such a statement!

Again, really good tear jerking speech fostering your racism. Every person in the United States today has the same opportunity as anybody else. If you pick up your freedom, your equality and run like hell with it to better yourself instead of obcessing on how oppressed your are, how abused you are, how separate you should keep yourself, there would be no need for gratituous speeches.

[bulldogs623]

I am old enough to remember when JFK ran for president. Democrats had a dilemma. They had to vote democratic, but they couldn''t vote for a Catholic. I see the very same thing happenning now with Barack Obama. People are afraid of things they don''t understand. Here is a black man with a strange sounding name, and people conjur up all kinds of ridiculous ideas about the man. The fact is, he is an intelligent man with good judgement and a desire to heal this nation that George Bush has torn apart. This country cannot withstand another presidential term with Washington politicians playing their petty little political games. Every country in the world hates us, we are in a war we should never have started. We have 4000 of our young men and women dead because of George Bush. A finding came out this week, that after five years of research , they could find no link between Saddam Hussein and 911. Thanks George Bush. Does anyone really believe Hillary or another George Bush (John MCCain) can heal this countries wounds?

[tomtomasters]

Listening to Rev. Wright%u2019s remarks in concern to damning America only reminds us of our past great spiritual leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He held similar speeches in congregations on Sunday warning us of the perils of a country absorbed in the false ideals of militarism. I stand honestly and willingly to congratulate Rev. Wright and his stand toward seeking a nonviolent country, in seeking a nonviolent President, and speaking from the context that anyone that is sermonizing hate of America; are really the people who support financially the military; to go abroad and kill innocent families in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who are willing to distance them-selves from the harsh realities in hearing such news because they support war and killing will face their crippling realities when their War Crimes eventually come to the courts of heaven acclaiming the death and destruction to millions with the merciful verdict that there will be no welcome to them in our hearts.
Rev. Wright brings home the message loud and clear that violence has no place in our great society. It makes the message clear that those who are disenfranchised and poor in America living in ghettos, and seeing no future have a burning desire to unleash their anger; because of the injustices inside in America to get a better life; they succumb to enlisting in the military. %u201CTake out your anger toward terrorists in foreign lands,%u201D the government declares.

[tomtomasters]

And while we are unable to fix the malady of injustice and discrimination within our own society, we claim to be able to fix other societies in foreign lands. Talk about a disparaging concept when language barriers and customs are so uniquely not our own%u2026.yet we boldly and proudly anticipate benevolent change from the end of a barrel of a gun! It is insanity at its highest level of understanding.
There have only been 3 men in the world%u2019s history who have gone before us telling us and showing us the path toward freedom and peace. They spoke of the need and deliverance of nonviolence. They were Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi, and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. They live this very day in our hearts as our living spirits toward the reality of truth and its goals toward peace and justice.

[tomtomasters]

We honor them as symbols in our lives, having thousands of Churches and Synagogues throughout America revering the Lord Jesus of Nazareth who did acts of kindness while living within the despairing confines of violence in the Middle East. We honor Mahatma Gandhi as a spiritual guru who won the independence of India from Britain by stopping the Opium Trade that caused havoc throughout the worlds societies, through his acts of nonviolence and resistance to the debacles of the Wests War machines. And we have made Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a National Symbol of our American Dream; giving a day of remembrance as a National Holiday because of his unyielding acts and stand of courage for Americas poor and disenfranchised while taking the cause and following his hero%u2019s Jesus and Mahatma toward the ideals of nonviolence and its deliverance from the oppression of military and nuclear ambitions. He is the only leader who stood and still stands for a nonviolent America....making him truly our Nations only beloved and Original Founding Father.

[tomtomasters]

Yet we have leaders today who are not symbols of Americanism or symbols of nonviolent religions. These men disregard Rev. King who has gone before us; in which he was murdered because of his courage and uncowardly stand against violence. There is no Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon, or GW Bush Honorary Day, and so who are they to be proclaiming and declaring War on Gods people? They go to the same churches and lived during the same time Martin Luther King lived while he gave his life to the great sacrifice, yet they to this day continue to beat the war drums, and continue the murdering and discrimination for the sake of power and wealth and disregard of our brothers and sisters who live on this earth. Why would they do this?



It is because of hatred and their unwillingness to surrender their power to Gods benevolence in America, by making Americans believe their lies of authority. They truly are racist and bigots. Let%u2019s be clear that in my earnest Declaration, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is the Original Founder of America. Americans will not admit this; but I will and it is true, because he stood and gave his life for nonviolence in seeking to end discrimination to the people. He is the only leader of our time who stood for positive change, and took the example of Jesus and Mahatma as his guiding light. Some hate to think George Washington is not one of the founding fathers? How could he not be? He is not because he represented violence, and he was a slave owner.

[tomtomasters]

Yet we celebrate Washington and Lincoln%u2019s birthday as a National Obligation in honor to their unearned distinction. We honor a slave owner? We honor a man of violence? Let%u2019s look at Lincoln. Lincoln did not fight the Civil War to end Slavery. The Union was falling apart because of the disagreement of Southern States wanting to share tax revenues with the Northern States. The South was getting richer because of the trade coming from China; ships would dock in the South first. With the South and its free laborers the American Negro Slaves, the South was getting richer and richer, without an outlay of expenses. Americans were trading Opium for goods in China, instead of using their money, and now they wanted to secede from the Union.

[tomtomasters]

Myth #1: Lincoln invaded the South to free the slaves. Ending slavery and racial injustice is not why the North invaded. As Lincoln wrote to Horace Greeley on Aug. 22, 1862 "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it" also Lincoln did not champion equality and natural rights. His words and, more important, his actions, repudiate this myth. "I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and black races," he announced in his Aug. 21, 1858, debate with Stephen Douglas. "I, as well as Judge Douglas, am in favor of the race to which I belong having the superior position." And, "Free them [slaves] and make them politically and socially our equals? My own feelings will not admit of this. We cannot, then, make them equals." In Springfield, Ill., on July 17, 1858, Lincoln said, "What I would most desire would be the separation of the white and black races." On Sept. 18, 1858, in Charleston, Ill., he said: "I will to the very last stand by the law of this state, which forbids the marrying of white people with Negroes."

[tomtomasters]

Lincoln in today%u2019s world would be a racist criminal and would have been impeached, yet we make a Statue of him and honor him in our Great Capitol Washington D.C. as being a symbol of our cause to Freedom. It is an outlandish lie, and the man who really needs to be sitting there should be our Great Black American Leader and truly Original Founder of America, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As we toppled the statues of Saddam in Iraq we still have not cleansed our own house in America. I think real freedom would seek its just beginning by toppling the sadistic untrue virtues of Abe Lincoln. How deep and perverse racism goes in America, and even our Black Youth are made to believe the lies. I pity Barack Obama for his misled beliefs and his poor education on the topic, to include the present lying murderous administration that says it is serving American interest. Clearly they are not. How outlandish we are in not doing more to honor Dr. King, with Schools and Universities teaching youth about supporting real America and equal rights, by practicing nonviolence. How appalling we do not recognize Dr. King as our messenger of hope and as our true founding established father of America. Oh no.. white America did not find or establish America; it was Black America who founded and established America, from their sweat in defeating slavery, to their continued struggle against discrimination of blacks through the Civil Rights era, to even today.

[candide777]

Wow, finally a politician who is willing to talk openly about an issue that all others are running scared from -- you have to respect Obama''s integrity.

[tomtomasters]

President Bush said:as far as I''m concerned, is to never allow our youngsters to die in vain. And I made that pledge to their parents. Withdrawing from the battlefield of Iraq would be just that. And it''s not going to happen under my watch.%u201D
His statement in saying he will not allow our youngsters to die in vain, really means that he will allow Martin Luther King Jr. and his ideals to die in vain instead. Essentially he can not come to grip with knowing his leadership of lies to go to war caused those youngsters to die. And if he took upon the legacy values of Martin Luther King Jr. along with Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi, those youngsters would probably be alive today. If he took upon the cross and followed these great men who spoke of nonviolence in the face of violence; our world would change for peace, instead of more terror and war. Essentially our young black men who join the army fail to see the truths to their lives given in the name of nonviolence. Our young black men who have become members to the governing body in the United States having to be one Black Senator Barack Obama fails to see the truths of Rev. King and his message, due to the forces of propaganda and the deliberate attempt to subvert the truth.

[tomtomasters]

President Bush firmly believes Rev. King died in vain. He firmly believes Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi died in vain as well. If God died in vain, what does that tell us about our present leadership and direction our country has succumbed to? Are we not a Christian nation? Do we not believe that giving our life toward nonviolence really is the answer because God said it was so? I would rather die for peace without a gun in my hand as they did, instead of dying with a gun in my hand full of anger, rage, fear, and discrimination toward someone I never met before. Who is the hero? Clearly those who support nonviolence are the hero%u2019s. So why does our President go on talking about how our spiritual leaders have died in vain? In fact President Bush has no clue to American values, and American culture. America is not; I repeat, is not a GUN.

[timdgrim]

When is Oprah going to put an Obama channel on the air so we can get ALL OBAMA..all the time! CBS''s Website is almost doing it now! Enough already!!

[jesterbelle]

CBS has made the transcript of the speech available,if anybody''s interested.The link is on the main page,top right hand side.

[jesterbelle]

CBS has made the transcript of the speech available,if anybody''s interested.The link is on the main page,top right hand side.

[idiobiblio]

Aside from disparate treatment of left and right and black and white in our mainstream discourse, there''s also a difference in the basic narrative provided. The narrative from the Right - and its representatives in the conservative religious community - is of an America which was once the garden of Eden, until its tragic fall at the hands of (feminists, liberals, civil rights movement, whatever), and they wish to bring the country back to its former state. Thus they can hate the America that is while dreaming of the perfect America that was. Thus there''s no conflict between their unquestioned patriotism and their hatred of the country, as their patriotism is for the True America that was, not its current corrupted incarnation.

While the mirror image rhetoric from the Left is about a country which was flawed, often tragically so, but which has the capacity for improvement. Be disgusted with the country as it was and is, while hoping for an evolution to a better country.

[sonmi-2009]

There is far too much bigotry and division in this country. Many of the comments on this board illustrate that.

It is time that we confront these issues and attempt to heal these deep wounds. We are at a profound junction as a nation. Will we retreat to the same old entrenched patterns of prejudice and fear or will we find the maturity and honesty to take ownership of our country''s legacy and future?

This is much larger than the divisive statements made by Jeremiah Wright, Geraldine Ferraro, Rod Parsley or John Hagee. This is about who we are collectively as a country. Should we remain disparate groups of angry ideologues yelling at one another, each accusing the other for our problems, or should we take pride in our country and band together as Americans of different faiths, races and ethnic identities to actually bring about positive improvements?

I feel Senator Obama''s speech today was precisely the kind of call for reconciliation that''s needed. However, I don''t begrudge those who disagree with his political platform. But as one American to any other, please let''s be civil.

[getacluidiot]

It is time that we confront these issues and attempt to heal these deep wounds.
Posted by Sonmi

OHHH REALLY??? You just come up with that futile and tired old mantra you useless dim wit???

[getacluidiot]

This is much larger than the divisive statements made by ... Geraldine Ferraro
Posted by Sonmi

How was ANYTHING Ferraro said "divisive"??? Maybe you should look the word up. She said NOTHING "against" blacks, no insultys, no slurs...she STATED that if Obama was not black, he would NOT be where he is - he is not that strong of a candidate and his blackness is the novelty of an ARTICULATE black man. He is no leader, he just a black guy with good grammar.

[sonmi-2009]

getacluidiot:
I think you are making my case for me.

Best of luck to you.

[ddrbc]

BILL CLINTON"S FAREWELL SPEECH IN 2000, Farewell Address:
"Third, we must remember that America cannot lead in the world unless here at home we weave the threads of our coat of many colors into the fabric of one America. As we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences, in our hearts and in our laws. We must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of when they arrived in our country-always moving toward the more perfect Union of our Founders'' dreams."

OBAMA''S SPEECH TODAY:"[W]e must remember that America cannot lead in the world unless here at home we weave the threads of our coat of many colors into the fabric of one America. As we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences, in our hearts and in our laws. We must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of when they arrived in our country-always moving toward the more perfect Union of our Founders'' dreams."

Posted by ddrbc
--------------
And your point would be....?

[ddrbc]

Oops, pasted the wrong quote:

OBAMA''S SPEECH TODAY:
This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should''ve been authorized and never should''ve been waged, and we want to talk about how we''ll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

[ddrbc]

From Larry Pinkney,veteran Black Panther on Obama:

As I stared blankly down at the awarded certificate and thought of my deceased father, the tears swelled and streamed down my face and I wondered how many thousands of sons and daughters of US armed forces Black American veterans had received such certificates honoring their fathers or mothers. I thought of the pain, futility and the utter horror of combat and of war for the masses of people. And then, like a lightning bolt, the thought struck me that some in this nation are actually seriously considering the candidacy of Barack Obama to be President of the United States and concomitantly Commander-In-Chief of its potent Armed Forces.

This is a man who has enjoyed the fruits of America at the blood and expense of Black Americans and others, but who has paid virtually no dues.

This is a man whose father had also enjoyed the fruits of university schooling in America but subsequently returned to his native Kenya.

This is a man, who also like his father before him, neither served in a branch of the US military nor in any organization in America opposed to US military adventurism.

This is a man who as a deeply corporate military industrial complex US Presidential candidate, has called for %u201Cunilateral%u201D US military actions in other nations. [And why not? After-all, his father, himself, or his wife and children were not and will not be the ones killing and being killed.]

[ddrbc]

On Obama by Larry Pinkney, veteran Black Panther

This is a man who dares opportunistically to feign admiration for the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but does not share the collective memory, pain and deep concerns of Black America, other people of color, or even of numerous white Americans for that matter - in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in this nation.

This is a man who has de facto contempt for the past supreme sacrifices made by thousands of activists from so-called %u201Cmilitant%u201D organizations such the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), the Student National Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party (BPP), Students For A Democratic Society (SDS), the American Indian Movement (AIM), the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), etc.

This is a man who is silent about the need for reparations for Black American descendants of slaves and the genocide of the indigenous so-called %u201CIndian%u201D peoples on this continent. He is the consummate opportunist who, in reality, cares nothing about the horrors inflicted upon Black, Brown, and Red peoples in this nation, and has repeatedly signaled that he plans to inflict even more %u201Cunilateral%u201D military horrors upon various nations and peoples of the world.

This man, Barack Obama, is but a more articulate, younger, and shinier version of the current and infamous US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, adorning himself dangerously and abundantly in superficiality and double-speak.