The Wright Stuff

Today we heard a clever speech by a clever politician. It was not, as some suggested, a "Martin Luther King" moment. Instead it was a textbook illustration of how to turn a weakness (The Rev Wright) into a strength (national unity/racial reconciliation)

Right-wing criticism has focused on the "God damn America" language of Wright. So Obama declares this to be an issue of race.

He then had to walk a tight-rope between alienating the African Americans - who have done so much to propel him to frontrunner status - and the Great White Vote threatening to eat him up. So he denounces the words but refuses to renounce the man. It a generational thing, he says, constrast his hope for the future with the understandable anger of the past.

And what about Obama's curious absence from the 9/11 sermon? Wasn't that Sunday a day when every God-fearing American should have been in church? Nope. He was looking after his little baby girl. Family trumps faith.

It was also sensible to admit (belatedly) that he might just once have heard Wright say some controversial stuff in 20 years of attending his church, it was even wiser for Obama to steer clear of specifics.

None of this is meant to dim admiration of what he did today. There was much substance from him on a subject which Americans have as much difficulty talking about as we English do with sex.

And, just because I think it was a speech by a good politician does not mean he had bad motives.

Comments

[Marty Price]

Well Obama will be judged unfairly on this. As my father reminded me that we have been given the Christina religion upon enslavement on these shores, but the basic tenent of the religion, redemptioin is not available for us.
Whites are quick to site King on "the content of his character, not the color of his skin" but overlook the fact that Rev. Wright was amarine in Viet Nam when black marines were thrown into the brig for tearing down the confederate flags of white officers upon learning of King's death.
While I do not agree with most of what he said., especially about Israel. I do think that Iran/contra showed us that drugs were funneled into south Central L.A. by the men who did these arms for drugs deals....Remember Col. Ollie North? We have come a long way, but even if you look at Ferraro's comments, she said the same exact thing about Jesse Jackson' run...Obama is obviously to principled to lead this country!

[sue]

how can anyone drag his poor granny and compared her fears with the extreme racist views of wright? His speech simply went around the bush and didnt address the main issue of his judgement and character integrity regarding his association with wright.
He also used Ferraro's comments as a similar example to Wright... these are so NOT the same thing!! ...

i think everyone missed the pt of ferraro's comments:yes she mentioned Obama wouldnt be in this position if he was a male black... but no one emphasized for her that she was trying to say it was abt how difficult it was for a WOMAN (whether black or white etc) to run for president... the context was mixed up and thought of as racist when it purely wasnt!!

And yes he took us all for a ride by claiming he would be the main mediator for racial integration. All Rubbish.

there r other black leaders who would make far better presidents than obama.

[Bill from Texas]

#

I listened to Obama's speech today and I think it is one of the best speeches I have heard in my adult life - a call to rise above our racism and hatred of fellow Americans different than we are - a call to understand where another may be coming from rather than relying on two minute sound bites and sensationalism by the media. His speech has earned a place in history and regardless of the election outcome, my grandchildren and their children will be reading about it in their history books. It remains to be seen whether Americans can call forth the best within them rather than the worst - whether we can move forward to solve the great problems of our day together or whether we will continue to be mired in the politics of hatred and distrust. I fear that if we choose the latter path, America's greatest days are behind us. Let us choose the better path as we move forward into the 21st century!
We need hope not Fear!!!!!!!

[Sal Ismail]

It was a brilliant and honest speech. I heard this man gives many speeches but not as good as this. This one was full of substance and intelligiance in how to hit the right cord in both spectrum. It would be such a loss to see such a great political talent not elected!

Sal Ismail
Ottawa, Canada

[Mary]

Give me a break, Mr. Baldwin. You insinuate that you have to be "right wing" to be appalled by a "Pastor" preaching "God damn America", and much more! Shame on you! Obama's speach, in Philadelphia, was nothing but a coverup for 20 years of indoctrination to an anti-American, hate-filled ideology. There was nothing admirable said during that speach. It was full of lies. Barack and Michelle Obama fully endorse, and privately embrace, everything that Jeremiah Wright has preached for 20 years. They know it, and you know it.

[george]

Sorry, but Obama has blown it. He was meant to be the candidate to unite the races - but the only reason he made this speech is that it became widely known that his pastor is a racist hate-monger. The sentence saying he could no more disown Pastor Wright than he could disown the black community was disastrous - it will be played over and over alongside Wright's lunatic rantings.

Obama has blown it with the white voters who he needs to win the election. Next.

[William McIlhagga]

Obama's problem is not (and never has been) what he says, but rather the disconnect between what he says and what he does. He made a good speech, but the truth is that only an idiot would associate with Wright.

[Terry Miller]

You are right to focus on Obama the politician, especially now in mid-campaign. But this profound moment was more than a sound-bite-focused, simplistic, hit-all-the-right-talking-points speech, which probably would have played better as a purely political speech. Instead it was both personal and visionary, one man's AND one nation's struggle with two difficult topics, race and religion, that are usually avoided, not confronted.

Unprecedented candor and insight -- and not without considerable political risk that it was too nuanced and involved to be clearly understood in today's YouTube world. But worth hearing and appreciating this unique candidate, his movement and our moment in history.

[Maurice Ferdinando]

What does Obama,s relationship say about his judgement. Is judgement only necessary regarding the war in Iraq

[Politikon]

Obama sure is a clever politician, that's why I support him to the fullest. And after doing this test I found on the internet, I now also know I'm closest to him on the issues that matter. For all undecided voters out there, this could be a very useful tool! Check it out at www.electoralcompass.com

[Chas Johnson]

Tom Baldwin is another left-wing apologised who has missed the key points of Obama. He is angry, crafty, unpatriotic and a clever racist. A smooth talking liar. He deserves to be in the Senate with those credentials. It is what it is.

[Jacques Petit]

The man is speaking from the heart. On top of it, he is doing so intelligently and with eloquence at the same time.

I am dismayed to see that you fail to see his quality as a leader merely in that.

A leader is a man with a vision. That vision is then made real by the experts and advisors he surrounds himself with. We have always voted for people based on the ideas they present... their vision -- their promises.

It is the upmost hypocrisy and the hight of biased cynicism to then turn around and fault Mr. Obama as not being of substance for spending his time discussing his vision.

[Laura]

I realise I might be burnt at the stake in the current climate for this kind of comment, but what exactly is so wrong with Rev Wright suggesting that America had in some part brought 9/11 upon itself? That's what most of the world (and no, not just the Mid East, but much of the West too) were thinking. Clearly there is no justification whatsover for the mass murder of thousands of civilians then an interventionist, hypocritical and bloody foreign policy over a couple of centuries does tend to provoke a backlash. From installing and supporting brutal dictators such as the late Shah of Iran with his death squads (installed to get rid of a democratically elected but not sufficiently pro-American government), essentially triggering the Islamic Revolution(incidentally, the US and British did the same in Afghanistan in the 1800s and the country has never recovered) to Saddam Hussein (rather popular with US politicians while he was gassing the Kurds and using chemical weapons to kill an estimate 1m Iranians) to the School of the Americas, Nicaragua, CIA torture squads, Vietnam (a country which has never recovered), bombing the Sudan, complete disregard for the plight of the Palestinians, seen as somehow inhuman compared to Israelis, the list goes on and on. Until the US understands that the rest of the world wants to be sovereign and proud regardless of how difficult things might get, and drops this "we know best and we'll inflict it on you at gunpoint" attitude, things will never change. The American right (ie most of America) will keep watching the sanitised news, view the images of Iraq and elsewhere that the government wants them to see, believe that they've done nothing wrong ever and why on earth would people hate them? And everyone who thinks differently will be dismissed as a hate-filled anti-American racist.

[Tom]

Only white liberals would continue an obvious racist like Obama because his black racism is ok and to now disown only proves liberals are hypocrites and support racists that actually hate them too! Liberlaism is a mental disorder - you have to be insane to hate yourself and make excuses for Wright and Obama's association with Wright's way over the top racism that would make the KKK blush.How can anyone white vote for Obama for attending this racist tirade for 20 years...we all know he agrees with such hatred otherwise he would have left the church years ago.

[kelly moore]

The bottom line is this...If Whites would be more open and honest about their thoughts, fears and revelations in regards to how racism has efected them and robbed them as much as it has the Blacks of true and fulfilling opportunities and potential, a lot of this trash talk , resentment, bitterness and fear would have been squashed a long time ago. --for those who are sick and tired of the hypocracy!
You can go into any book store and find tons of literature on racisms' effects on Black people but where's the literature from White people? Certain Whites need to stop trying to convince others and themselves that how Whites are portrayed on t.v. is real. And that if racism is discussed on some sitcom or primetime program Whites are always portrayed as one dimensional, closed minded, self-centered bigots. I have yet to see one White politician share their true sense of humanity and that's why we need Barack Obama!!!