Obama's race speech: the media reacts

Barack Obama's speech on race in Philadelphia yesterday has polarised the US media, with much of the liberal press lauding him as the wise man of US politics and many on the right dismissing him as an apologist for anti-American and anti-white sentiment.

Here's a selection of comment from both sides of the political divide:

Andrew Sullivan on the Daily Dish, TheAtlantic.com:

"This searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime. It is a speech we have all been waiting for for a generation. Its ability to embrace both the legitimate fears and resentments of whites and the understandable anger and dashed hopes of many blacks was, in my view, unique in recent American history. ... I have never felt more convinced that this man's candidacy - not this man, his candidacy - and what he can bring us to achieve - is an historic opportunity."

The Trail, Washington Post:

"Neither Obama nor his advisers can know at this point where the Wright controversy will lead. It is not likely that one speech, however well-crafted, can put it to rest. But the test of leadership is to turn adversity into opportunity and on Tuesday Obama took it. Now he must await the judgment of the voters."

Michael Crowley, The New Republic:

"Today, Barack Obama gave a brilliant, inspiring, intellectually supple speech - but one that may have done little to solve his festering problem with working class white Americans. It's important to distinguish between these two dimensions of today's remarkable address. Those who actually heard or read Obama's entire speech will be reminded that he is a true intellectual - a talented writer and lyrical speaker. ...

"But those weren't the people Obama needed to reach today. His target audience was working class white voters - Reagan Democrats with a historic tendency to let racial prejudice and fear override their other social and economic interests, and whose view of Obama the Jeremiah Wright controversy threatens to permanently warp."

Powerline:

"If Reverend Wright was so profoundly mistaken about this key issue -- the "genius," of America and its capacity to change -- why did Obama embrace Wright's church? Why did Wright become his spiritual adviser and "uncle" figure? Why was it Wright who was able to lead Obama to Christ?

"... This, then, is the evasion of Obama's speech. Why such a close and longstanding association with someone this "profoundly mistaken"? The answer, I have argued, is opportunism in part, but also a left-wing ideology that, whatever Obama may say now, is not so far removed from Wright's deplorable views."

Michelle Malkin:

"For all of his supposedly unique and transcendent understanding of race in America, Obama’s talk amounted to the same old, same old. The Glowbama mystique has gone the way of the Emperor’s clothes. Instead of accountability, we got excuses. Instead of disavowal of demagoguery, we got whacked with the moral equivalence card. Instead of rejecting the Blame America mantra of left-wing black nationalism, we got more Blame Whitey. Same old, same old."

Right on the Right:

"I want to be very clear in saying that Barack Obama's candidacy is now, and forever will be, defined by his apologist rhetoric in the midst of a conflict about race. He has shown very clearly that he doesn't have the judgment to lead this nation, given that he didn't have the judgment to leave his own church in the face of radical anti-American and conspiracy-mongering slurs."

Comments

[Tonya C.]

I think that it is sad that it has to come to a black n white racial debate. America is harboring a lot of issues, especially the economy and healthcare and to have to focus on the division of black n white instead of what is good for the Americans is very sad. There should not be any other distractions taken away from the primaries. Obama , should not be convicted of what his minister thoughts.

[John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada]

Obama is simply remarkable.

How refreshing to have an American national politician dealing with substance.

We've had so many years of blubbering, lies, and careless words, you begin to think it impossible to hear anything else.

It is in precisely that sense that Obama offers hope, genuine hope.

Contrary to Clinton's shrill epithets about his offering false hope, this speech goes directly to our sense of what is right and fair and decent.

The intelligence and humanity displayed are at least an entire order of magnitude above any contender.

[pierce]

I really don't understand how people can be calling Obama "apologist". He obviously disagrees with what Wright was saying, but does that mean that they can't still have mutual respect for each other?

Why do so many believe that people should only keep the company of others who believe the same as they do on 100% of the issues?

If you actually listen to what he is saying, Wright was just fed up that the US is killing people in the name of his god, when it very clearly says in the bible that murder is wrong. This isn't "hatred" or "anti-american", this is a dissatisfaction and a disappointment in how the US government is being run.

Obama happens to be more of an optimist than Wright. If the best his opponents can dig up on Obama is that his old reverend can be pessimistic about politics at times, they are going to have to try a lot harder than that.

[Al]

Surely we should not be judged on what we say but rather on what we actually do. Mr Obama recently gave a great speech and said all sorts of brave things - but he actually sat for twenty years listening to Mr Wrights drivel and did nothing. What says more about him - what he says now or what he did then?

[Charlie]

Mr. Obama's speech did nothing but add to my support to his presidential bid, and I'm a 48 year old white man from near the bottom of the social / economic scale. A great speech from a great guy, Go Obama !

[loandbehold]

wow, if so many of you love the united states, how can you embrace obama who has been attending an extremely racist, anti-everything american church for 20 years? now, i know the united states and its culture is faced w/ ambivalence from every corner of the globe, but to say this man is a visionary and such is just irresponsible and naive. how can you applaud someone who has been VERY CLOSELY associating w/ a radically hateful man for so long? i suppose it's the speeches...as many have noted, hitler gave good speeches too.

[colleen]

I back Obama one hundred percent. He is going to be the first African American President. This is not about race or religion, it is about loyalty and honesty. I can see this in Obama. I am a white teen and rae or religion doesn't change my opinions. I believe this will brighten our future, and that one day white and blacks will not judge eachother. Cause with Obama i can see Americans forgetting about RACE.

[Noel B. Diaz]

Senator Obama's message is of hope and for a better America, addressing the problems that have long existed on the issue of race, that have polarized the country. He wants us to move forward together to a future we all want to have. Why can't the media see this message of hope in a positive light? Has the media truly and honestly look at it and analysed it objectively? Or are they so biased and have just one agenda of bringing Barack Obama down and no amount of reason will change their view? Obama had expected this from some of the media when he said "Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not.".

[Martin, Chicago]

"Given that he didn't have the judgment to leave his own church in the face of radical anti-American and conspiracy-mongering slurs." Um, that would describe most of the Republican field. Have you never heard of Rev. Hagee? How about Bob Jones University? Better agents of bigotry and intolerance you probably could not find. There's a real double-standard here from the right, but it's all done in an effort to distract from the real issues facing America: the Iraq War, the mess the economy is in, the ballooning deficit, our crumbling infrastructure, lack of affordable healthcare, and lack of energy policy.

[Hector]

Mr Obama's speech will go down the annals as one of the great speeches of our time. If only we, in South Africa had a leader of his calibre and sensitivity to say the things that need to be said. I sincerely hope the American people elect him to be their president. It is time America had a statesman.

[LAllen]

Rev. Wright's comments were divisive, unacceptable, and wrong - and Sen. Obama made that clear. But as any Christian knows, you can (and are supposed to) condemn the sin, but forgive the sinner. As to whether Rev. Wright is unpatriotic, remember he served as a U.S. Marine with honor and dignity. Sen. Obama did something politicians rarely are willing to do - tell us the truth. He may end up losing the election because of his display of political courage, but we will be a better nation because of his courage.

[dave]

Obama is a huckster by comparing his white grandmother to Rev. Wright who clearly said things far more invective than I think his grandmother. Obama 1st said he had never heard those comments, then he said he had. Now, he wants a pass, because he is black and whites don't understand how blacks feel. I say, maybe blacks don't know how whites feel ie; a level playing field for all and not exceptions for people who feel put upon. If a white person said the things that Rev. Wright said and replaced the phrase "white people" with blacks, there would be hell to pay and that is the double standard that Obama is using.

[Eric]

I'm a white middleclass male who is now more convinced than ever that Obama is the right candidate to lead our great nation!

[Patrick N. Muigai]

My comments are directed to the white conservative rural American folk, who, understandably express their fears of an Obama nomination, after his pastor's extreme apathy towards white americans. No one can honestly say that their lives have never being touched by someone with partisan bias over race, tribe or religion. The fact that Obama's pastor had made some anti-white comments years ago, have very little or any impact in making Obama what he is today. For him to be blatantly hostile to a people over a historical injustice which took place hundreds of years ago, would be overdoing it. The black race have had to endure coloured epithets from white extremes but it would be stupid for the black to put Clinton on the defence just because she might have been around or known to have attended a meeting or church service with a member of the Ku-Klux clan...Here we have a tribal demon; over there the skin hue seems to be too deeply ingrained into mainstream American psyche.... Obama represents a new dawn for America.

[chris]

If Obama doesn't become the next president I wish he could run for Prime Minister of Canada. I would vote for him in a second.

[Martin]

To those commenters who say, "how can you embrace a man who has been attending a racist church for 20 years"? Have you taken a look at your own churches? Your neighbors? Your family? How can you embrace that racist uncle of yours? Why have you not disowned him? How can you stay friends with that racist acquaintance? How many times have you kept your mouth shut when something racist was spoken at a party or a joke told? How can you stay living in a neighborhood where there are racist people? How can you criticize his pastor, when there are plenty of white pastors whose views are every bit as incendiary? Obama is being held to a double standard, and people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

[geena]

Barack Obama's speeches are advocating unity and understanding among people who often midunderstand each other. The church he has been attending has advocated for a society that will live up to the American ideals of freedom and justice for all and shown anger when it has not. People get angry when something or someone they love don't live up to their expectations. Anger can be a sign of love.

[chilifire]

A black man making a speech about race to save his political career is not a landmark event. I consider racial tolerance to be expected of people, so I am not impressed by his speech. I thought it was cheap. Words always are.

[Daphne Kenward]

The way I see it, some issues have come up that otherwise would never be mentioned, yes, America has had some violent past issues, and I hope that, we can have the change Obama speaks of, because America really needs change. Or else the old soars will not heal, and we need to unite the country for the first time, and that would be a positive thing, Obama is undoubtedly the only candidate, with the ability to do that and bring the country forward into this 21st century, to build a country that the world can look to as an example, rather than a distructive force. And bring hope to the many.