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"WE THE PEOPLE...."
There’s a lot of anticipation for Barack Obama’s late-starting and now just-underway speech on race. Some are expecting him to hit it out of the park. The embargoed copy of the speech certainly promises some compelling, even lyrical language. It should be well-received.
And yet, overall, even if Obama hits a home run, can this entire fortnight—which began with Geraldine Ferraro’s comments, was ramped up by all the Rev. Jeremiah Wright YouTube video releases, crescendos today, and will still resonate for a few more days if not weeks—possibly be judged a win for Obama? I doubt it, because all this controversy has done is reinforce that Obama is, as our own Paul Waldman predicts he will be incessantly depicted by his enemies, as “the Other.” You can already see, in the comments from people like MSNBC’s Pat Buchanan, almost delight in pointing out that he and people like Wright are, well, just “different”—meaning, of course, different from the white majority.
Incidentally: If you want to talk about contrasts, it’s amazing that on the same network featuring Buchanan, Sally Quinn did a great job this morning, as the networks were killing time waiting for Obama to arrive on stage, pointing out all the incendiary and unacceptable statements that preachers from Jesse Jackson to Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell to Billy Graham, have made over the years…and the absence of any real expectation that the white politicians who relied on their support give a major speech denouncing them and reflecting on race or religion in American politics.
--Tom Schaller
COMMENTS (6)
Obama's Speech In Full: A More Perfect Union
http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=1lxipd
Posted by: Jimmy Crackcorn | March 18, 2008 11:14 AM
some of us have noted for months that the notion of beloved obama vs. hated clinton (or kerry) (or gore) is simply a temporary artifact.
the right wing's comparative advantage is the excellence of its propagandists: it simply took them a while to figure out the lines of attack on obama, but they have, and the trendlines are not favorable.
this doesn't mean that he can't win in november: it does mean that everyone who says that clinton should get out of the race so as not to ruin the most perfect candidate ever seen in american history might want to pause.
i, for one, have no idea who will run a better race against mccain, but i do know that that's why clinton stays in the race: not out of ego, as such (what politician doesn't have ego), but out of a belief that she and not obama is that person.
Posted by: howard | March 18, 2008 11:18 AM
If you didn't think Obama was going to be portrayed as "the Other" from the outset I've got a bridge to sell you.
Taking into account the imperfect union we live in and the imperfections in us all, Obama hit a home run.
Posted by: joejoejoe | March 18, 2008 12:16 PM
I have no problem with the notion that Reverend Wright should be judged by the entirety of his life and work.
What I find rather galling, however, is that no one here has been particularly willing to extend the same courtesy to Hillary Clinton, to Bill Clinton, or to Geraldine Ferraro.
And the would be leaders of the progressive blogoshere have played a key role in that process ... using the same techniques that we decry from the right wing and even the same sources i.e. Drudge, Faux News, etc.
Posted by: The World's Turned Upside Down | March 18, 2008 12:41 PM
It didn't begin with the Ferraro comments, it began with the "renounce and reject" Farrakhan dance during the debate.
Posted by: David | March 18, 2008 12:59 PM
"It didn't begin with the Ferraro comments, it began with the "renounce and reject" Farrakhan dance during the debate."
Good point. She tried to pull some pretty nasty supremicist rank on him right there:
"Barak, you're not vetted to be president. You need to know which people matter."
Posted by: Anonymous | March 18, 2008 8:43 PM