It’s worth noting that the Wright flap potentially hurts Obama not only by making his race front and center in the campaign, but also his liberalism, which has been obscured by his outreach to Republicans and independents — and I don’t think the speech countered that.
What an unintentionally perfect illustration of the problem with Obama constantly running away from liberalism!
He has painted himself into a corner by parsing away his own progressivism, when he should be steering into it in a year when the conservative brand has completely debased itself.
Which is a stronger play for him in November: “Don’t worry, I’m not a commie Muslim,” or “Bush trashed America, and I’m here to fix it”?
After his wildly overhyped speech yesterday morning, he went on “Nightline” and displayed a side he should show much more, a side that admits there are problems in America that run deeper than naughty partisanship.
More like this, please, Sen. Obama:
What I think is that the African-American community is much more familiar with some of the darker aspects of American life and American history, and so the African-American community can express great rage and anger about this country and love it all the same, in a way that probably is less familiar to white America….I think it is very important — for white America to understand that this anger is not based on nothing. The anger is based on slavery and Jim Crow and a history that continues to have powerful sway over our daily lives.
(video link here may resize browser and is preceded by an ad).
This is how a progressive talks: understanding that people should be angry about injustice, that the fights of previous generations aren’t mere “divisive bickering.”
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wasabi
A major complaint I have about his campaign is not taking advantage of the political situation in America today. If ever there was a time when the foibles of the Republican style of management could be exposed for the damage they have done to our country, it is now. Instead he uses the pox on both their houses meme in hopes of garnering a broader coalition. I can certainly understand why it is advantageous for him to adopt the strategy that he uses.
I just find that today, we as Democrats, have an incredible lifetime opportunity to define to all of America the differences between the parties in a way that would really open peoples eyes to what has happened to our country over years of Republican rule. Instead, he trashes the Democratic brand.
A Healer of Race Relations?
If Obama is “The One” who can transcend race and heal wounds, why is it that he wasn’t capable of healing his mentor of twenty years?
The caustic comments from Rev Wright, that we know of, are recent.
If Obama couldn’t moderate his friend’s radical views, how can he moderate anyone else’s?
I also think “the accuser” cannot be “the healer”, and Obama has been accusing people of racism.
Obama botched it.
By not getting in front of this a long time ago, Obama surrendered the moral and patriotic high ground to the wingnuts.
Forget the “Manchurian Muslim” rumors. Now all the racists have to do is show clips of Rev. Wright’s controversial statements, clutch their pearls and cry “ZOMG! Racism! They hate America!”
All the sycophantic pronouncements about how wonderful yesterday’s speech was and how the issue is settled won’t make the controversy go away.
At FOX News they’re partying like it’s 1999.
Well, it's a splendid move
To get everybody attacking FOX and calling bullshit on their racism.
Now, it does completely divert attention from the fact that Obama completely polluted the campaign with racism by smearing the Clintons with it, but let’s not let that stand in our way when there’s a chance to feel good about ourselves. Dear God.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
Obama claiming the "high road" about race...
Reminds me of an early SNL sketch, where Dan Ackroyd was one of the “Ex-Police.”
He busts into the apartment of two innocent women and frames them for narcotics possession. After he shoots one of them, he gravely intones: “Another senseless, drug-related death.”
Go Left young man.......
and read what Arthur Silber has to say about The Speech.
[apologies to the Pun Police. Everyone else is doing it Officer, so why can’t I?]
Just think of the ads; the hypocrisy will kill him
Bruce, thanks for the Silber link
Interesting take, which stirs up a thought I’ve been musing on lately: imagine a U.S. politician saying s/he’s proud of living in the fourth-greatest country in the world.
If Obama Had Chosen to Move the Overton Window
That was a great link, Bruce, with a lot of very good and true things said on it. And it makes me wonder whether the Wright stuff would’ve been as damaging to Obama if he had moved the Overton window instead of trying to fit through it the way it is. I’m not sure, but I wish he’d tried. Because if ever this country was ready to move on beyond the last forty years of right-wing framing, it’s probably now. And, as we’ve discussed, part of what probably makes Wright so shocking is it’s conflict with the Obama campaign narrative. If Obama were really trying to treat us as adults, he’d sound more like the guy on Nightline and less like some Broder-esque, post-partisan hack.
I think one of the reasons I’m so hard on Obama is that I believe he could’ve made a valuable contribution to the country - win or lose - if he’d fought to change the framing. He clearly has tremendous oratory skills, but he’s chosen to use them to preach post-partisanship rather than change the way America thinks and talks about its problems. Trying to achieve that kind of change might be riskier, but it’s also much more rewarding. And that - unlike his Unity
bullshit - would’ve been change I could believe in.