Reactions To Obama's Speech On Race

Washington Post: Candidate Tackled A Sensitive Topic At A Sensitive Moment For Disparate Audiences

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Alec MacGillis and Eli Saslow.

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Kay Farley, a retired high school teacher in Denver, decided to support Barack Obama for president because she thought the senator from Illinois had a better chance of being elected than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). That confidence was shaken last week when incendiary excerpts of sermons by Obama's longtime pastor dominated the airwaves.

So Farley had one question in mind when she watched on television as Obama spoke in Philadelphia yesterday: Could the candidate whose campaign is premised on lifting the country past its divisions elevate himself above the rift exposed by his former minister?

The speech wowed her. But she recognized in it the constraints Obama faced in condemning the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and wondered whether those alienated by Wright's words would be satisfied.

"He was between the devil and deep blue sea, and he did a good job, but I don't know who is convinced or unconvinced," she said. Of the speech's concluding call for the country to move beyond such divisive debates and confront its common problems, she said: "Would that that were true. Saying it doesn't necessarily make it so."

As skilled an orator as Obama is, he has faced few moments as fraught as yesterday's. The clips of his longtime spiritual mentor declaring "God damn America" for its mistreatment of blacks and saying that the country had provoked the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks threatened to undermine Obama's promise to bind up racial and political fissures.

Obama needed to address several audiences with the speech: undecided white voters in Pennsylvania, whose Rust Belt cousins Obama struggled to win over in Ohio even before the Wright controversy; African Americans aggrieved by the opprobrium being heaped on Wright; and staunch supporters such as Farley who needed reassurance about their candidate.

His solution was to grapple broadly with the nation's racial problem, beginning with slavery and Jim Crow and the inequities they produced, but to also acknowledge the roots of resentment among struggling whites who "don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race." He admitted a fundamental disagreement with Wright that went beyond the angry sound bites, saying the minister had made a "profound mistake" in doubting that the United States could be redeemed over time.

He presented himself -- the son of a black African and white American, whose own ancestors did not suffer Southern slavery -- as uniquely able to rise above the fray. And he called on both sides to rise above as well, urging blacks to resist falling into "despair or cynicism" and whites to recognize that the legacy of discrimination is "real and must be addressed." "We can tackle race only as spectacle," he said, or "we can come together and say, 'Not this time.' "

The speech drew praise across the political spectrum, though some on the right questioned Obama's assertion that his liberal agenda could unite different races. But many who heard the speech wondered whether it would be enough to calm the anger generated by the Wright videos. Gerald Shuster, a political scientist at the University of Pittsburgh, found the speech "stylistically persuasve" but thought Obama should have moved aggressively to distance himself from Wright months ago, when reports of his harsher sermons first surfaced. "The rhetoric is convincing, but it's just coming too late," he said.

Martin Medhurst, an expert in rhetoric at Baylor University, was struck by the religious intonations as well as the echoes of John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on his Catholicism, particularly the summons to overcome divisions to confront common threats.

Will yesterday's speech be remembered along with Kennedy's? "If Obama goes on to win the presidency, it will," Medhurst said. "If he wins the presidency, this will be seen as a very important speech."

Attending the speech at Constitution Hall was Bill Hamilton, president of the Teamsters Joint Council 53 in Pennsylvania, whose union has endorsed Obama and has been faced with the challenge of selling him to a blue-collar membership that has been made only more skeptical by Wright's remarks. "Pennsylvania is a very conservative-type state, and the thinking there is very pro-American, so those type of comments could certainly have a negative impact," he said.

But he thought the speech would help repair the damage. "He didn't shirk any of the issues -- he attacked them head-on," he said. The speech "will shore up what we can do to help him and say to people, 'This guy is for real.' "

Watching from the District was Ira Foreman, director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, who is well aware of the anxiety Wright's statements against Israel have provoked in some Jews. "He addressed a lot of the issues that are in the back of people's minds," he said. "I'm confident that when it comes down to November, Democrats will retain a vast majority of Jewish voters whether our candidate is Clinton or Obama."

Also reassured were members of the black church community, who worried after Obama's initial denunciations last week that he had forgotten -- or, worse, ignored -- what drew him to Wright. J. Alfred Smith, the senior pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif., and a friend of Wright's, clapped in his living room as Obama lauded Wright for "housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day-care services and scholarships and prison ministries."

"There's a lot of anger, but Reverend Wright is a human being, and Obama finally showed that," he said. "All of us from that generation had to go around through the back door, had to ride in the segregated portion of the train. That anger can keep us marred down in the mud, or it can be creatively used. Brother Obama has called for our higher selves to rule over our animalistic selves."

[jmichelle3]

I believe that Barack and Rev Wright appear to be very motivational and ambitious speakers, however, Obama%u2019s words are carefully chosen to be socially accepted. I once saw Obama as an eloquent newcomer who did a better job than most politicians at sidestepping issues and telling people what they want to hear. No one really knows his accomplishments (except he drafted a bill that never got passed), yet millions jumped on board because he said he stood for %u201Cchange%u201D. As much as I wanted to admire him, that wasn%u2019t enough for me. Unfortunately, I know see him as someone who was once struggling internally and found his way, his spiritual calling that helped shape him in to the man he is today by someone who is very anti-American. He then went on to marry someone who was never been proud to be American. He makes excuses for these people yet is critical to family that made sacrifices to raise him. I pray that his supporters haven%u2019t been duped. I hope if he somehow continues to receive votes and makes it into the White House that %u201Cchanging America%u201D %u201Cchanging the way things are done in Washington%u201D has a positive result for all of America. I hope he doesn%u2019t have 20 years worth of ideas to implement a secret Farrakahn agenda to a country already in crisis.

[jmichelle3]

I believe that Barack and Rev Wright appear to be very motivational and ambitious speakers, however, Obama%u2019s words are carefully chosen to be socially accepted. I once saw Obama as an eloquent newcomer who did a better job than most politicians at sidestepping issues and telling people what they want to hear. No one really knows his accomplishments (except he drafted a bill that never got passed), yet millions jumped on board because he said he stood for %u201Cchange%u201D. As much as I wanted to admire him, that wasn%u2019t enough for me. Unfortunately, I know see him as someone who was once struggling internally and found his way, his spiritual calling that helped shape him in to the man he is today by someone who is very anti-American. He then went on to marry someone who was never been proud to be American. He makes excuses for these people yet is critical to family that made sacrifices to raise him. I pray that his supporters haven%u2019t been duped. I hope if he somehow continues to receive votes and makes it into the White House that %u201Cchanging America%u201D %u201Cchanging the way things are done in Washington%u201D has a positive result for all of America. I hope he doesn%u2019t have 20 years worth of ideas to implement a secret Farrakahn agenda to a country already in crisis.

[newsthought1]

I think Barack Obama gave a wonderful, brilliant speech. I hope you have taken the time to hear it or read it through. It easily transcends the din of predictable Fox sound-bite harping and reveals Barack as the thoughtful gentleman he truly is. It is this kind of mature perspective that will bridge gaps, and help heal wounds. I have no doubt that this man has the judgment and correct approach to help unify and strengthen America, and set it on a better course.

Barack is bravely addressing the race issue like no one ever has, in a mature and honest perspective. He does so in a way that recognizes, understands, and rejects racism of all sorts, and tries to reach toward the better angels in the nature of each of us. I applaud his efforts and have seen no other candidate do a better job of it. Barack''s words reveal that he is looking to reach out to all races and focus instead on the common issues that confront all of us. The war, the economy, health care, and other such disasters are the truly important matters that should be the focus of the election, and I''m sure that Barack and the rest of us are ready to move on and address them.

The time is right for Barack Obama.

[jambgfsh]

Hey everyone! CNN''s Roland Martin is starting a blog to have people look at Rev. Wright''s sermon''s in full context... What we need to do is get as many people to read this as possible... It''s not an excuse, but it explains more than the snippets that the media is playing... We also need to get the media to do a full story to explain the Whole Story...

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-rev-jeremiah-wrights-911-sermon/

this is the site... please go there and read it.

[phillydazed]

Obama admits that his own White grand mother who loves him, on occasion made denigating remarks about African Americans.
America ought to admit that it has a history of racism and that America''s racism has grown men such as Rev. Wright and his suspicions, his acusations and his anger.
It is not Obama who ought to apologize. It is not Mr. Wright who ought to be embaressed, even if the America he preaches about is not has ugly where race is concerned as the America Mr. Wright grew up in. Mr. Wright has rational reasons for his words and his suspicions.
White America ought to stomach Mr.Wrights words and ponder them. White America ought to allow its self to feel its shame and not mask shame with out rage that an African American Pastor could preach anger towards America; and a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination manages to sit in a church pew where such a pastor as Mr.Wright preaches and manage to *eat the meat from the bone and leave the fat alone.*
phillydazed

[phillydazed]

America shows its unwillingness to acknowedge racism in Amerca by being insulted when an African American woman says finally she can feel pride in her country.
Obama admits that his own White grand mother who loves him, on occasion made denigating remarks about African Americans.
It is not Obama who ought to apologize. It is not Mr. Wright who ought to be embaressed, even if the America he preaches against is not has ugly where race is concerned as the America Mr. Wright grew up in. Mr. Wright has rational reasons for his words and his suspicions.
White America ought to stomach Mr.Wrights words and ponder them. White America ought to allow its self to feel its shame and not mask shame with out rage that an African American Pastor could preach anger towards America; and a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination can manage to sit in a church pew where such a pastor as Mr.Wright preaches and manage to *eat the meat from the bone and leave the fat alone.*
phillydazed

[phillydazed]

America shows its unwillingness to acknowedge racism in Amerca by being insulted when an African American woman says finally she can feel pride in her country.
Obama admits that his own White grand mother who loves him, on occasion made denigating remarks about African Americans.
America ought to admit that it has a history of racism and that America''s racism has grown men such as Rev. Wright and his suspicions, his acusations and his anger.
It is not Obama who ought to apologize. It is not Mr. Wright who ought to be embaressed, even if the America he preaches about is not has ugly where race is concerned as the America Mr. Wright grew up in. Mr. Wright has rational reasons for his words and his suspicions.
White America ought to stomach Mr.Wrights words and ponder them. White America ought to allow its self to feel its shame and not mask shame with out rage that an African American Pastor could preach anger towards America; and a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination manages to sit in a church pew where such a pastor as Mr.Wright preaches and manage to *eat the meat from the bone and leave the fat alone.*
phillydazed

[j0hnwi11iams]

My reaction was to donate to his campaign. He is a mature voice who talks to the american public like an ADULT. He is a welcome relief from all the usual thumb sucking.

[julib55]

JuliB55 comment--p. 1 of 2
Obama proffers a new kind of politics: voter suppression. He''''s happy, like the smarmiest of pols, to shut out 2 states'''' worth of voters because it suits him. He cries "There are rules." Those "rules," imposed by Herr Dean and the Gang of Losers, were not made known to the VOTERS--"We, the people." Where was his foresight when he first heard about these rules? Why didn''''t he speak up then? Why didn''''t he run independent of any political party? Doing so would have constituted true change!

Where was his good judgment when he got mixed up with Rezko? I was also against giving Bush any war powers, so make me president. Easy to make those calls when you''''re not privy to classified info or sitting in the Senate AT THE TIME OF THE VOTE. It''''s easy to make the call when you''''re not a senator from GROUND ZERO, which I lived right across from at the time. Most New Yorkers were in FAVOR OF HILLARY''''S VOTE. Why is OK to adhere to the will of the people in a primary but not anytime else?

[julib55]

JULIB55 comment--p. 2 of 2:
Obama is smug and insincere. The very cadence of his speechifying assaults my intuition. It''s modulated and studied, showing a complete lack of compassion and an inability to speak straight from the heart, sans a script, about an issue that''s so important.

And his adherence, for 20 years, to black liberation theology is an outright dealbreaker! Forget that people have copies of the tapes circulating privately or have watched longer coverage of Rev. Wrong on YouTube. Each 1-minute soundbite is enough to tell us all we need to know. You can''t campaign on a platform of transcending both racial and partisan divisions, and at the same time belong to an extremist, Afro- centric church with a pastor who spews hatred and bitterness instead of inspiring through love. IAnd what about Wright''s invective against Natalie Holloway? How do you explain that to her parents? It just doesn''t wash.

And from a practical standpoint, your boy, if he manages to steal the election from Sen. Clinton, will need to win independents and crossover Republicans in the general election, and he''s now lost too many of them. Not to mention the loss of the Democrats who''re about to be shut out in two states and the rest of us who would never vote for him!

Please, step away from the Kool-Aid. The only candidate fit to run the country is Hillary Clinton. And I intend, with thousands of others, to write in her name on the ballot if the Obamination steals her rightful place.

[actornaught]

Posted by TruthWord08 at 11:42 AM : Mar 20, 2008

I wonder what other nic''s you''ve used to bore people with how much of a slimey lying windbag you are...

[truthword08]

Obama ''08 - Keep Hope Alive!
Posted by Candide777

-Hope for what? The whitehouse being transformed into a Mosque? for McDonald''s to have a name change to "McHammed''s?"

LOL.

[truthword08]

Obama wants us to tackle the issue and to move foward and unite. If we ignore the problem it will never go away.
Posted by sueann702

-If you believe in any words out of that man''s mouth you are more gullible than most people. The man is a liar. If Obama truly wanted to "unite" he would''ve left that racist bigoted anti-Israel Louis Farrakan supporting church a long time ago.

It''s time you take off your blinders and stop desperately trying to defend this wolf in sheep''s clothing, Barrack Hussein Obama.

That is all.

TW08

[greatdrivew]

Are you tired of the transparent misrepresentation of yesterday''s politics?

If so, then welcome to the new American majority! Obama 2008.

[blkpresident]

Rev Wright is NOT running for president. The real issues here should be OLD man McCain''s age and ''lil Hillary''s lack of military expertise. America doesn''t need an OLD man with trembling and feeble hands, nor do we need a housewife pretending to be presidential worthy.

[gamboa46]

I am offended that some compare Obama to Martin Luther King. I know of nothing that Obama has done for race relations in America yet alone the black race. He is just another politician who made a speech. I am black and have never supported the campaign of Obama. He is getting the black vote because he is black. I have friends and family who have not visited the man''s campaign web site or know of his platform. They have stated to me that he gets their vote because he looks like them. This is true ignorance. I have visited the sites of both Clinton and Obama, I''ve seen the debates, read all the articles, and have seen most of their news conferences. I sat through the entire Obama speech and agree that race relations in the U.S. continues to be an issue, however, in this black person''s opinion, Clinton is the better candidate, not only to win the Presidency, but to restore our economy, reputation, and security. I also resent Obama fans who suggest that anyone who "didn''t praise the Obama speech to be ignorant or bigots. We are not. We heard it, read it, we even agree that he delivered it with passion in his voice, but in our view, he excercises poor judgement and does not practice the "change" platform that he is running on. If he did, he would have CHANGED his place of worship 20 years ago as well as the company he keeps.

[sueann702]

LAST WEEK: I never heard those words
YESTERDAY: I heard those words, they''''re terrible
Posted by ThinksFast at 07:27 PM : Mar 19, 2008

For LAST WEEK he was talking about the 3 speeches that made the headlines by Pastor Wright.
For YESTERDAY he was saying this is normal for all black churches.
Wright grew up in the 60''s during the civil rights era. Obama too witnessed racisim from whites.
Blacks won''t forget the past.
Whites are saying that was the past. This cycle will never end if we don''t tackle the issue head on.

Obama wants us to tackle the issue and to move foward and unite. If we ignore the problem it will never go away.

[kstar42]

black co-worker smiled and said %u2018good morning%u2019 that inside she was spewing hatred. I don%u2019t like this truth, but it is always easier
to cope with truth than lies.
So now I know. I won%u2019t forget.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Hillarygrl34 at 08:48 PM : Mar 19, 2008

That''s not fair to say...I know plenty of african americans that feel bad about what Barack is.....

[candide777]

Obama ''08 - Keep Hope Alive!

[chrishh]

Obama adamantly refuses to wear a lapel flag pin

Obama''s wife isn''t proud of America

Obama won''t put his hand to his heart and pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States

We gave them the benefit of the doubt. But suddenly it all makes sense. And not a moment too soon.

WHY WAIT TO LOSE IN NOVEMBER ?
TIME TO CALL FOR RE-VOTES IN ALL THE STATES !

Obama threw his own white grandmother who gave him life under his campaign bus - no compassion for her honest fears. She could be useful.

He gave a "sermon" defending his rabid racist "spiritual adviser".
Suddenly after TWENTY YEARS he needs to save his political butt so he has something to say about this weekly racism.

LAST WEEK: I never heard those words
YESTERDAY: I heard those words, they''re terrible

Wow. Audacity is right.

Obama "refused" a press conference. He "preferred" to give a Sermon - with flags and teleprompters. All of a sudden those flags are USEFUL to him.
Now that he has shnookered voters by not answering these questions for MONTHS - he is trying to prevent Michigan and Florida from having their votes counted.

His campaign is toast

God HAS BLESSED America!