Hey, you're posting pretty much everywhere on the 'nets, aren't you? I've seen this comment in a few places...

Good luck with that.

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While he seemed to find a summary of his point in, "I'm here for Ashley," one could summarize Obama's campaign message as, "I'm here for America." It sounds naive on its own in this supposedly post-ironic age, but this is the reason I voted for him: I believe he means it.

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I believe he means it too, which is why I support him.

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Exactly.

To the nay-sayers, and the "empty suit" proponents -- sure, he's trying to save his own hide.

But where others would simply throw their pastor under a bus, Obama says the harsh truths we don't like to talk about. The Archie Bunkers of the world are still out there, amongst the people we care about. And it's in how we continue to love the sinner, but hate the sin, that we develop as...well, he says Americans, but I would say, people.

It's not prefect. Legitimate questions can, and should, be asked about his association. But let them be legitimate, and with full knowledge of the situation.

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Frankly, it's the fact that he's not abandoning his minister that strikes me. "Sure, my guy did wrong and said something I think is stupid. But that's not enough for me to walk away from him. There's room for disagreement."

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http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2008/03/barack-obamas-big-race-speech-who.html

That was a pretty cool post about it, a liveblog of it.

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In full agreement here. Well said, Ferrett.

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THANK YOU for pointing this out to me. (I've been distracted elsewhere.)

I for one ADORE Obama, and will probably move to Canada (oh, wait, no, there's that baby-seal-bashing thang they do) if he's not elected. I just can't take no more of business as usual. Obie Wan Obama, you're my only hope!

(hey, where can I get an icon of that?)

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Obie Wan Obama, you're my only hope!

I totally want an icon of that too!

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Agreed in full. I read the text, will watch the YouTube video later when I can sit in one place that long.

And tomorrow's Town Hall in Charlotte, NC sold out in two hours or less, before I could get tickets. :( I wanted to take my kids. I saw Reagan speak at the Omni in Atlanta when I was in 7th grade, which is where Son1 is now. Don't remember the exact words but I'll always remember how amazing a speaker he was.

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I'm going! I've been working volunteer here for the campaign, so I get to work the event, as well. This will be very, very cool.

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Amazing and beautiful.

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Thank you for linking to this. I've been for Obama since the beginning, but it's things like this that make my heart swell and feel so glad that he is here, and running.

I've linked to it. Thanks.

N.

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Sure is nice to see a politician who isn't chewing on his cowboy boots all day long, innit?

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Oh, you can say THAT again! And again!

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That's a very inspiring speech. I'd be happy if he got elected and tried to put that into practice.

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If I were running for President, this would be the kind of densely-layered text I'd be terrified to put out there, because frankly, any summary is going to leave out parts that are vital to an understanding of the whole.


I don't think he had any choice but to give the densely-layered version.

What surprised me most about this whole Reverand Wright flapdoodle was Juan Williams' reaction to it.

Juan seemed to be a bit cynical to me. Personally when this (and the Ferraro story) broke, the first thought that came to my mind was: "Jesus tap dancing Christ. Are we getting into this kind of political bullshit again? Aren't there more important things we should be discussing?"

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I don't think he had any choice but to give the densely-layered version.

Frankly, I think he could have cut his pastor loose without much of a flap. Sure, he'd lose some of the black vote, but he's got enough pull that he could ride that.

Instead, sticking by your man? Difficult. Veeery difficult. Especially when it's hitting him where he's weak.

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This speech just proves that Obama is ready on "Day 1". He is a statesman, and very wise to stand up for his pastor.

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Dang... that's some good writing, there.

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Ferret, have you read his books?

I just posted about finishing The Audacity of Hope, and goddamn, the Senator can write.

CU

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I have. That's why I'm voting for him. Everything in that book resounded of truth, especially the part where he talks about how people become politicians.

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With all due respect, I disagree.

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So effectively, your issues with Obama's speech is a spuriously worded phrase?

Wow. I thought I was bad for "But the Constitutional Convention was 215 years ago, not 221..."

EDIT: Not intending to flame, just realized this came off that way.

I can understand your questioning, but I think that's looking deeper into the phrase than even he did when he wrote it. (or his speechwriter, depending.) I just read it as being similar to, "it's not just necrophilia, but pedophilic necrophilia." Both are wrong, but when put together, it just reaches into new depths of wrongness.

Edited at 2008-03-18 07:16 pm (UTC)

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Thanks for that link. I read big hunks of the speech to my coworkers. We all teared up at one point. I really hope he wins.

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It's so rare for me to hear a politician who actually tells the truth, even if it's an unpopular truth. Not surprising, since I came of age during Dubya's first term. Everytime I listen to a politician talk I feel like I'm translating the real message from the doublethink. Obama is the first exception I've seen so far, and it's a nice change to just be able to listen, and not have to translate.

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I don't think anyone denies the man can give a speech, and it would be very nice to have a President who can string three consecutive coherent sentences together.. but still.. is he really up to this? I hope he truly understands what he's getting into; BushCo is leaving a giant flaming radioactive ruin behind them. (And yes, I'll vote for him, or Clinton, if she still somehow manages to pull this out.)

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I've said it before and I'll say it again: nobody who has not been President is qualified to be President. Ever.

That said, Obama is as "up to this" as either of the other two remaining major-party candidates (and, in my opinion, considerably more so, although obviously there are many who disagree).

The paradox of the next Presidency is that, to succeed in getting rid of much of the flaming radioactive ruin of the Bush Presidency, the incoming President will have to cede some of the executive powers that the Bush administration's "unitary executive" has claimed for itself, and be able to work with the other coequal branches of government instead of dictating to them. Of the three remaining candidates, only one is temperamentally suited to such a task, willing to admit personal errors, and apparently capable of understanding the complexity not only of situations but of individuals. Today's speech confirmed it, but it's something most Obama voters have felt about the candidate since early on.

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I feel like up to the point of the first applause, he was DREADING the speech. He seemed to loosen up after that.

It was nothing short of magnificent.

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It would be really nice to have a President who can think.
*crosses fingers for Obama*

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This was the first speech in my life where I was not only really impressed with what was said, and how it was said, but I was also eager to read the text immediately afterwards. I was incredibly impressed, and moved.

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I'm proud to be an American today because this man is a presidential candidate.

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I was impressed with the speech, even though I do not agree with chunks of it. I greatly respect Sen. Obama for not throwing Rev. Wright under the bus, even though it would have been expedient to do so. I also really liked his phrase about "binding our particular grievances .. to the larger aspirations of all Americans" - that is a beautiful phrase, and a noble sentiment. More please.

However, let's look a little bit more closely:

But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family.

But later on, he says This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.</blockquote>

So wait - the special interests are to blame? In the words of Walt Kelly's Pogo, "we have met the enemy, and he is us." All of the special interests represent some particular community - there are no faceless lobbyists yearning to oppress the citizenry! Instead, what's there are legions of people who have a particular focus, who care deeply about something, and who think that their particular interest is what should recieve government assistance / money / favorable treatment.

So while the speech was excellent in a way that political speeches (very) rarely are - it inspired, and frankly dealt with an issue which has been pretty radioactive until now - I see a type of populism which could easily become demagoguery. I would love to be wrong about this, but have not yet seen that which would make me think that I am.

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He means by "special interests", the organizations that use money to gain vastly extended access. Right or not, he sees the strong influence of money in the process as a major problem.
This is something he's worked hard on in his limited time in the Senate, and a quick search around the Internet will give you plenty of his takes on the situation, and the bills he's either sponsored or co-voted on regard the matter. Indeed, I linked to one such bill elsewhere in this post.

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I held my breath and looked to see how Fox News was spinning it. So far, even their response was pretty positive. I think he's suceeded in taking the closest thing to a successful smear against his campaign and made it go to work for him.

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I held my breath and looked to see how Fox News was spinning it. So far, even their response was pretty positive. I think he's suceeded in taking the closest thing to a successful smear against his campaign and made it go to work for him.

There's some precedent for that. Nixon got a lot of mileage out of his Checkers speech, for example, which I think is the first and last time Nixon and Obama have ever been compared.

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