CBS Poll: Good Reviews For Obama Speech

But Problems For Democratic Candidate Remain As Fewer Think He Could Unite The Country

(CBS)  Sen. Barack Obama's speech on race this week, in which he discussed his relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his controversial longtime minister, has received largely positive reviews, according to a new CBS News poll.

But the percentage of voters who think Obama would unite the country as president has dropped since late February.

Sixty-nine percent of voters who have heard or read about Obama’s speech say he did a good job addressing the issue of race relations, and 63 percent of voters following the events say they agree with Obama's views on race relations. Seventy-one percent say he did a good job explaining his relationship with Wright.

Read The Complete Poll Results

When registered voters were asked if Obama would unite the country, however, 52 percent said yes - down from 67 percent last month.

Obama's favorable rating, which stands at 43 percent, continues to outweigh his unfavorable rating of 30 percent.

Most voters following the events say they will make no difference in their vote. Seventy percent say the events will make no difference in their vote. Among those who said it would, 14 percent said it makes them more likely to vote for Obama while an equal number said it makes them less likely to support him.

Nearly a quarter of Democrats say the events have made them more likely to back Obama, while a similar number of Republicans say they are now less likely to do so. Three in four independents say the events make no difference, and the remainder are nearly evenly split between those more likely to support him and those less likely to do so.

For this poll, CBS News re-interviewed voters who were first surveyed between March 15th and 18th, 2008, in the midst of the Wright controversy and mostly before Obama’s speech on race. The goal was to gauge their reactions to Tuesday’s speech and the continuing controversy over Wright’s comments. The poll was conducted on the night of March 20th.

Among voters who supported Obama over presumptive Republican nominee John McCain before the speech, 23 percent say they are now more likely to support the Illinois senator. Just six percent are less likely to support him, while 69 percent say it makes no difference.

Overall, the speech and events surrounding the matter have found a wide audience. Most voters say they have heard or read some about these events, including 42 percent who have heard a lot about it. Just four percent of those surveyed had not heard about the controversy.

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Interviews were conducted among 542 registered voters by telephone on March 20, 2008. These respondents were originally interviewed in a CBS News Poll conducted March 15 - 18, 2008. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points.

[besscannon-2009]

Why is everyone thinking Obama will unite the country? I think it is just the opposite. Can''t you see the "Change" he talks about but doesn''t explain is that he wants to change this country from favoring whites to favoring blacks, and, now with Richardson in his camp, the Hispanics, too. We have been trying to get unity and equal rights going in this country. However, the blacks and Hispanics want to take over the country and oppress the whites to get "even" for what they consider all the ''wrongs'' done them. This will disunite the country only, this time, the whites will be crying for "rights" that our black president and Hispanic VP took away from us. Better beware of how you vote, better be VERY aware!!!!

[truthbug]

Historic it is... the so called uniter trashed everybody in his speach. What can you expect from a person who is advised by WRIGHT. Take note.. OBAMA CAN NOT DISOWN WRIGHT.

Ask OBAMA''s ADVISERS: RICHARDSON(judas), WRIGHT(antiamerican), RENZO(scumlord), FARRAQ(terrorislam).

Let''s vote for the FIRST MUSLIM PRESIDENT!

[Frisky1989]

Obama go home!!!

[kmccliment]

good reviews (referring to above story) ? Not a fat chance in my book.

[bob4usa]

Which candidate has no details how to get out of Iraq too fast? Which candidate has no details on all issues? Which candidate has the least amount of experience in national policy making, the economy, health care, foreign relations? Which candidate waits for the other candidates to come out with speeches on major issues then copies them and claims the ideas as this person''s own ideas? Which candidate excites the emotions of the people during speeches telling true heart wrenching stories of the great people of the USA then twists the words of opponents to make them look disingenuous, untrustworthy, divisive, etc... then quotes inspiring messages from great Orators of the past? What kind of effect has this had on the people listening to the speeches? Which candidate has the potential to have a very dangerous hidden agenda that could potentially hurt most Americans? Which candidate has long time associations with people who bombed the Pentagon, immoral, and corrupt people. Is this the candidate who we want making important decisions for us and our country? Clue he is a Democratic Candidate for President of the USA.

[hinnis]

Obama has the Audacity to Hope that we are all stupid enough to forget that he lied about NAFTA, that he lies about his "continual" opposition to the Iraq war, that he plays the race card whenever things get too hot (for which he was busted by Tim Russert in one of the debates), that he is uncomfortably close to the indicted slumlord Rezko, that he has been going to a church for 20 years whose racist and anti-American pastor he calls his "mentor and spiritual advisor," that he has been exposing his innocent children to this hate speech for most of their lives, that he will throw his own grandmother under the bus to further his goals, and that he is now trying his best to disenfranchise millions of voters in Michigan and Florida to further his political ambitions. Yes, he has the Audacity to Hope . . .

[libra127]

the audacity to say ''Lil Hillary was someone to be taken seriously...

Posted by BLKPRESIDENT at 12:29 PM : Mar 24, 2008

Blkpresident, you better believe she''s someone to be taken seriously. You, on the other hand, are NOT to be taken seriously, due to your consistently sexist comments. Throughout your many posts, it is evident that you dismiss and demean Senator Clinton as a candidate for President SIMPLY because she is a woman. You have never made any other "claim" against her. That is sexism, pure and simple. Discrimination based on gender alone is illegal in the good ole U.S. of A.

[hinnis]

I%u2019M SURE OBAMA HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THIS, EITHER, EVEN THOUGH IT HAPPENED IN JULY OF 2007 -- JERUSALEM %u2013 Sen. Barack Obama''s Chicago church reprinted a manifesto by Hamas that defended terrorism as legitimate resistance, refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist and compared the terror group''s official charter %u2013 which calls for the murder of Jews %u2013 to America''s Declaration of Independence.
The Hamas piece was published on the "Pastor''s Page" of the Trinity United Church of Christ newsletter reserved for Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., whose anti-American, anti-Israel remarks landed Obama in hot water, prompting the presidential candidate to deliver a major race speech earlier this week.
Hamas, responsible for scores of shootings, suicide bombings and rocket launchings against civilian population centers, is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department.

[mudrose-2009]

There''s an echo on these sites. Are you noticing that when the Media or some party pundit puts it''s spin on an issue,like the Rev. Wright''s rants were taken out of context, the party faithful thoughtlessly echo the same interpretation? I find it mindless, thoughless, gutless and disturbingly ignorant. Don''t you?

[hinnis]

Taddles: And by the way, I have the book I referred to and read it cover to cover.

[hinnis]

Taddles: Please explain a "context" within which such horrible quotes would be acceptable. Thank you.

[taddles-2009]

"Taddles: Prove me wrong. Wright admits in interviews and on his website that he teaches black liberation theology. He also points to Rev. James Cone as his theological mentor. The quotes I have are directly from James Cone. Why don''''t you read one of his books before you decide what is "absurd and patently false." I would recommend his seminal book on black liberation theology called "Black Theology and Black Power." Good day.

Posted by hinnis at 11:54 AM : Mar 24, 2008"


Your quotes are taken out of context and as such I''m quite sure you haven''t read any of his books yourself. Taking other peoples words out of context to justify a false assumption is "patently false".

[hinnis]

Taddles: Prove me wrong. Wright admits in interviews and on his website that he teaches black liberation theology. He also points to Rev. James Cone as his theological mentor. The quotes I have are directly from James Cone. Why don''t you read one of his books before you decide what is "absurd and patently false." I would recommend his seminal book on black liberation theology called "Black Theology and Black Power." Good day.

[mudrose-2009]

Okay, I''''''''m taking a consensus. How many "typical white persons" out there feel we have a racial problem? Raise your hands.

Look at all those eyeballs rolling. I asked you to raise your hands.

Okay now. How many "typical black people" feel we have a racial problem?

Wow! Look at all those middle fingers pointing up to the sky.

Houston, do we have a racial problem? Negative. We have an anti-American problem.

Roger Houston. Over and out. I

[taddles-2009]

mudrose do you even understand the quote you posted or do you just look for incendiary *** to throw on this forum regardless of you understanding it.

[mudrose-2009]

Okay, I''''m taking a consensus. How many "typical white persons" out there feel we have a racial problem? Raise your hands.

Look at all those eyeballs rolling. I asked you to raise your hands.

Okay now. How many "typical black people" feel we have a racial problem?

Wow! Look at all those middle fingers pointing up to the sky.

Houston, do we have a racial problem? Negative. We have an anti-American problem.

Roger Houston. Over and out. I

[taddles-2009]

"The teachings of Obama''''s "mentor and spiritual adviser" are racist and divisive.

Posted by hinnis at 11:42 AM : Mar 24, 2008"


Your post is absurd and patently false.

[mudrose-2009]

Obama=Wright=Farrakhan=Wrong for the USA. Defeat these haters in ''''08. Obama is a true socialist.
Posted by dante805

Now tie that in with the Liberation Theology of the Trinity Church. The tenents of Liberation Theology are a belief that would require dismantling the free-market system that has made our country''s economy the most prosperous in all of human history. In contrast to Liberation Theology, the Christian orthodoxy teaches about the nature of God, the nature of man, the relationship between the two in this life, and about the hereafter. Liberation Theology, on the other hand, is a belief system about political agendas, socialistic economic policy, and redistribution of wealth. Proponents of Liberation Theology, like Rev. Wright, teach that God commands us to form a government that will supervise our economy to create government-subsidized jobs under central-government planning; guarantee healthcare and education by having government control both; and achieve ''''economic equality'''' by redistributing wealth through massive taxes on the affluent and massive government entitlements for the poor. And it advocates replacing governments that do not embrace this socialistic agenda. Those are the beliefs of Liberation Theology." Seems that Obama embraced a great deal of this theology as he is a socialist and above are the underpinnings of socialism. It''s extremely anti-American.

[hinnis]

The theology that Wright has been teaching Obama and others is called black liberation theology, which is based upon the struggle between the white oppressor vs. the black oppressed. This is why Wright refers to Jesus as black, and his killers as white, so that the story of Jesus fits within this brand of theology. Wright cites James Cone, another black liberation theologist, as his inspiration. Here are just a couple of his quotes: 1.To be Christian is to be one of those whom God has chosen. God has chosen black people. 2.While it is true that blacks do hate whites, black hatred is not racism. 3.All white men are responsible for white oppression. 4.Theologically, Malcolm X was not far wrong when he called the white man the devil. 5.Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community %u2026 Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love. ** The teachings of Obama''s "mentor and spiritual adviser" are racist and divisive.

[taddles-2009]

"Houston, do we have a racial problem? Negative. We have an anti-American problem.

Roger Houston. Over and out. I

Posted by mudrose at 11:35 AM : Mar 24, 2008"


What we have here is an intellect problem.