I am watching it live. Seems to be, well, reasonable and well thought out and works for me. This portion seems to me to be refreshingly candid and long overdue:
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
It really is quite magnificent, and the fact that Obama is sincere, and means it and is clearly not just reading from a teleprompter makes it even better.
I also really respect the fact that he didn’t just throw Rev. Wright underneath the bus.
*** Update ***
Youtube FTMFW:
Christian Prophet
Obama wants it both ways. He asks America to rise above race and religion, while hoping to appear religious himself. But he is in deep trouble if a spotlight is shined on his own THEOLOGY. See.
Neal
I couldn’t watch it since I’m at work but I read the full transcript on Drudge as soon as it came up. Dear god. Amazing.
I was really anxious to see what he would say. I was a bit worried.
I don’t think it could’ve been better.
Wow.
The Commander Guy
Sounds like he threaded the needle, unlike the lame Romney speech.
Mary
I haven’t watched it — I’ve see comments elsewhere that he seemed tired and off and I can’t stand the dread — but I read the transcript and thought he covered everything sharply and honestly, with the Ashley closer making me cry.
But how well will this work in soundbite culture?
schooner
Could McCain, Clinton, Bush or anyone else on the scene even come close to this eloquent description of what life is really like in America ?
Jake
And this is where he starts to really scare the crap out of people who need the crap beat out of them. I bet this gets little to no mention in the press. Sorry, no time. Too busy covering Rev. Wright!
The Other Steve
And Mickey Mouse is gay!
Ezert
Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem like it’s going to do the trick. Oh well.
In other news, Hey John, got any plans this weekend?
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cas/606270979.html
Zifnab
Hehe. Compare and Contrast.
The Mittens Romney Mormon Speach vs the Barack Obama Race and Politics in America Speach.
I have only one thing to say: Kennedy-esque!
mightygodking
Brilliant speech; a win would have been simply negating the kerfuffle over the Wright comments, but this recontextualized them and practically said “hey, it’s okay for white people to get antsy about affirmative action, we understand, but come on, the real problem is…” and adeptly went on the attack against real, serious targets.
The wider this speech goes, the better it is for him.
The Other Steve
Eloquent?
Surely you jest.
4tehlulz
Why is Obama continually playing the race card by talking about angry white people?
Louise
A wonderful speech. He was low-key, and I thought that worked well for what he was saying. Way too intelligent to be accurately reported by our media. I’m old enough for everything to resonate and he spoke truth throughout.
However, the speech had few sound bites, and therefore will be incomprehensible to the pundits and those who let someone else tell them what to think. He already had my vote, but now I’m going to be even more depressed when our stupid, stupid populace fails to elect him.
myiq2xu
This is the first time I watched a whole Obama speech.
Underwhelming.
myiq2xu
This appears to be a policy statement.
Zifnab
I find that incredibly racist and demand an apology.
srv
Long overdue? For all you who rave about his speeches, you haven’t been listening. Obama has been using the “we have all suffered” meme since his convention speech in 2004 (pdf). There’s nothing new about this, other than it being referred to as a speech about race.
Heh. Chicago isn’t so far from Washington as y’all would like to believe. When Citi explodes in the next few months, I’m sure the his only economics advisor who’s worked outside of a classroom, Michael Froman (on leave from Citi), will have the squeeze for him.
Ed Drone
I like how he points out the problem with Wright’s speeches — that they presuppose an unchanging America, with racism and repression and division as part of the national DNA. Obama’s solution is in effect the application of some stem cells to undo that DNA, and attempt to repair the rift in our society.
The speech is masterful, thoughtful, and needed. I worried when they said he was going to do this speech, but damn, it needed saying, and he said it right.
Of course, the talking heads won’t like it, and, because it’s masterful and thoughtful, it won’t be read or fully listened to by very many people, but those people wouldn’t listen to Christ if he returned and said something that went against their biases anyway.
I am even prouder than ever of this country and this man, and I want him to be our president.
Now, watch McPain and the Right-Whingers try to poke holes in it — “He didn’t condemn his pastor ENOUGH” or “But he STAYED in the church,” or “He forgot to say ‘mother, may I?'”
The Republicans we can expect — count on — to say things like that, but damn the Democrat who does. This is not the subject to nit-pick, not the speech to condemn, not the time to divide the party.
Ed
Jen
Good grief, I teared up reading the transcript. It’s a good thing I can’t watch it or I’d be looking pretty pitiful.
I am going to get back into mode by picturing Bush trying to give this speech.
That’s better.
Fe E
Wow, I’m bummed I could’nt see it live. I wholeheartedly agree with all of what you have excerpted, but I have been waiting DECADES to hear this part especially:
It’ll be “interesting” to see how this plays with the chatterers.
Neal
So Clinton’s shrill is better?
myiq2xu
I was surprised. That was his big finish?
catatonia
BHO quoted Faulkner and even though it’s the stock Faulkner quote about the past not even being the past (I might have preferred Addie Bundren from “As I Lay Dying” — “And when I had Cash, I knew that living was terrible”), that’s a hell of a long way from Louis L’Amore and Bush’s “I read (sic) three Shakespeares.”
myiq2xu
I see the GOS memo has been widely distributed.
4tehlulz
They’ll ignore it and talk about how he refused to throw Scary Black Man(R) under the bus.
Jen
I wanted him to go with “Black is the new president, bitch”, but, in retrospect, his is probably better, given the tenor of the speech.
AkaDad
This is one of the times I agree with Pat Buchanan. This will play well in white America.
Mr Furious
If that guy’s not ready to lead a nation, no one is.
His tone/delivery was dialed down a bit, and I’m more used to seeing him speak from the center of a crowd rather than on a stage of flags, but the words were powerful, and should speak to everyone but those that will always remain beyond his appeal.
Get with it America. Our new President is ready. Are we?
Jen
I heard Pat Buchanan say a couple of years ago that Rick Santorum would make a really good presidential candidate. I agreed with him about that, although I suspect our motivations may have been different.
NickM
What? That speech will live forever at the Corner and always be referred to as “The Speech”! Who can ever forget how profunderiferous was: “Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom.”
Words etched in pure Jonah.
Pb
Indeed, I hope you’ll be wrong, yet fear you’ll be right, at which point, I’d surely quote this again:
Mary
AkaDad, Buchanan was serious, not sarcastic?
myiq2xu
Am I psychic or what?:
Mr Furious
I suspect many will be watching him for the first time (such as myiq), and the delivery is not his A game. But he could not amp it up too much without drawing comparisons to Wright. And without the crowd feeding him, it remained more restrained than normal.
But the content was fucking great. Yeah, probably too smart for the retards on the news, but I’m glad he didn;t dumb it down or reduce things to soundbites.
This was a serious speech about a serious issue and needs to be treated that way.
myiq2xu
Jen has a sense of humor.
Props to her
Jen
I think psycho is the word you’re looking for.
Quiddity
Obams should have thrown Wright under the bus. Wright said “God Damn White America” (in effect). Don’t kid yourselves.
cleek
(no he didn’t) in reality.
AkaDad
He was serious. Joe Scarborough seemed to think it was a good speech as well.
Sasha
Careful, John. Your cynicism is in danger of falling away and being replaced by actual belief in change and hope.
Just don’t boggart the Magical Unity Cookies, ‘kay?
zzyzx
The delivery wasn’t Obamariffic – but I’m a supporter who doesn’t think he’s always the best speaker ever – but the text? The text is exactly what he needed to say.
Who knows how this will really play out, but I think he’ll benefit from the same thing that caused this to blow up in the first place. The press gets bored with covering the same story. Wright was something new and different, but the same 4-5 clips over and over again gets boring too. Now they’re changing the story to be how this resolves the issue.
I’m worried about a sound byte or two played out of context, but this is the best thing he could have done. If this speech doesn’t stop the bleeding, I don’t know what would have.
The Wright thing only could have destroyed him if it continued to build and build and build. This should stop that and hopefully next week we’ll be talking about something else. We’re running low on scandals; if this doesn’t kill him, there’s not much left that can.
myiq2xu
I was curious about the audience. They didn’t seem too enthusiastic, but the audio sucked really bad.
The constant “puh” sound of him breathing on the mic was a tech fuck-up and was distracting. His support people should be flogged and beaten for that.
rawshark
There’s the problem. It doesn’t matter what he actually says or said, people hear what they want. This’ll just lead to another ‘the question needs to be asked’ moment.
over_educated
myiq – I’m shocked, shocked, that you did not like the speech. Really.
Grumpy Code Monkey
We’re grading on a curve here, although I personally found it pretty solid (I’ve only read the transcript; I didn’t see it live).
Eloquent or not, it was pretty ballsy. “No, I’m not going to reject and denounce my pastor of the last 20 years just because he made some inflammatory remarks I don’t agree with, and fuck you for suggesting I should.”
Definitely not your daddy’s Presidential candidate.
Jen
…is our children learning?
How ’bout this dumbass country that voted for Bush, sort of, twice?
Lord, I hope so.
Billy K
No. You’re just a deluded asshole with too much time on his hands.
Leo
CNN’s initial headline on the speech: “Obama Says Constitution Was Stained by ‘Sin of Slavery'”
This nation has failed, time to find a new one.
4tehlulz
Is Hillaryis44 down?
The Other Steve
Only the first time?
Interesting how uninformed you are about our candidates, given your exhuberance of opinion.
myiq2xu
As a Hillary supporter I believe the correct term is “sociopath.”
Psychopath, sociopath, just words.
4tehlulz
He also said that water is wet, the racist bastard.
Otto Man
Wow. Just wow.
He knocked it all the way out of the park.
I haven’t made a donation this year to any candidate, but I’m about to beat the shit out of my credit card.
The Other Steve
I really don’t give a shit what Wright said. He’s no threat to me or mine.
I’m tired of cry-baby politics.
Chubbs
Whether he wins or not, the man has garnered my respect and admiration. That speech was not beautiful or eloquent, it was HONEST. And that, “MY FRIENDS”, is what makes all the difference. Not some trite greeting, not some BS shrilling, but an in your face, look at your country and realize that while America is great, it still has problems that need to be solved.
In this day of fake Patriotism, and loyalty tests, this man can actually get up and speak about what people really think. I don’t know if he would make a great President, but he makes me proud as an American. That someone finally has the balls to actually talk us like adults and not 10 second attention deficit disorder kids.
Hart Williams
Brilliant speech. (Fine: delivery was a bit thin. Voice not rested after stumping for months and months.)
More important, evolutionary. Sorry zinjanthropi. (zinjanthropussies?)
Here’s a little ditty for you as you pick and eat the nits:
Pick away.
myiq2xu
Whose campaign was pushing the race card talking points before South Carolina?
Fe E
They’ve changed it already
myiq2xu
Speeches are contrived, staged events. I can read a transcript faster.
BTW – I rarely watch any speeches, including Hillary’s.
mark
It will be interesting to hear the wingnuts defend the Constitution.
Decided FenceSitter
Damn car repairs – I’m limited to only $25 bucks for this month.
myiq2xu
If you really cared you would walk.
John S.
That explains a lot.
Buck
I thought that was the most courageous and admirable part of the entire speech.
The fact that this country might walk away from a guy like this in favor of a Clinton or a McCain is incomprehensible.
over it
Jen, you are on roll….crackin’ me up. ;)
As to the speech, I think he nailed it. I am more sure than ever that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. I couldn’t be more proud.
Fight the good fight.
p.lukasiak
you aren’t saying he had it memorized I hope?
This is a guy who knows how to give a speech. You think he “means its” because you are disposed to do so. But the fact that he’s so good at “meaning it” whatever he says allows the cynics and realists to see this as damage control, rather than sincerity.
Jeremiah Wright — the new Donnie McClurkin!
The biggest criticism I have of the speech is that its way too long, and (especially the first part) way too self-serving.
And I don’t think its going to work. Had he taken some responsibility for his campaign’s overt efforts to politicize the race issue in South Carolina, rather than acting like it “just happened”, I would believe he was sincere.
But he didn’t. So its just another good speech by an empty suit to me.
RareSanity
Just donated a C-note to Obama.
myiq2xu: You are a real “special” kind of crazy.
mightygodking
Had he taken some responsibility for his campaign’s overt efforts to politicize the race issue in South Carolina
You mean like how the Clinton campaign apologized for Bill’s comments? Oh, wait.
cleek
big fucking shock. i’m sure everybody here is stunned by this revelation.
Xanthippas
Or, in the altnernative, you could read or listen to the speech and realize that no one else would have handled the situation as he did or said the things he said, thus leading you to realize that yes in fact there is something different about him.
Neal
Funny thing about our media. CNN trips over themselves to bring up the stain on the constitution thing, Fox says “Obama condemns pastor but won’t disown him”.
The most honest headline was Matt fucking Drudge: “Obama speech in full: A more perfect union”.
rawshark
This comment was probably made by one of the commenters I don’t read anymore and in that case I’m not shocked at all.
myiq2xu
Only $100?
Is buying food and paying the rent/mortgage really that important?
John Cole
Seriously, when did you become such a total jackass? No, I don’t think he memorized it, what I clearly meant was that not only is he delivering the speech, but he believes what he is saying. Ofcourse, someone actually meaning what they say is just an opportunity for you “cynics” to keep it real, because you really know he doesn’t mean any of it and is just playing the crowd.
Christ on a crutch you are tedious.
jnfr
For those who couldn’t see it live, it’s up on YouTube.
John S.
I pay my mortgage in pixie dust. That’s the new currency of the realm. Don’t you keep up?
The Other Steve
You are neither a realist or a cynic.
Liberal Masochist
Chubbs said it best. His is the proper takeaway from this speech. Could not have said it better.
p.lukasiak
you’re rapidly descending to the level of a D&D enthusiast who doesn’t understand why everyone doesn’t aspire to be a Grand Wizard or whatever.
Ninerdave
Not enough pandering or finger in the political wind moments for you?
Phoebe
I’m tired of people calling him a great speaker. He’s an okay speaker but a great thinker.
cleek
do check out America’s Shittiest Website ™
KLo:
Roger Clegg
Derbyshire
what a bunch of of bitter old douchenozzles.
dslak
It seems you’ve confused D&D with the KKK, and thereby ruined your joke.
p.lukasiak
or in the alter-alternative, you could realize that he’s not the only person on the planet campable of giving such a speech — and that he’s just a typical politician who is saying what he thinks he needs to say to maintain his viability as a candidate.
PK
Hey myiq2xu,
I have never listened to a single speech of Bush, McCain, Hillary or Obama, and I got rid of Cable 2yrs ago. And yet I have figured out that Bush is an incompetent moron who has screwed up the country, McCain is going to follow in Bush’s footsteps, Hillary is a conniving bitch who wants power at all costs, Obama is best option available to this country and you are a jackass! Its called reading moron!
p.lukasiak
you’re right, of course. as a non-D&D enthusiast who had friend who got totally caught up in it, all I remember about it is how annoying they got about it, and that it was about wizards and magic and stuff.
Q
Chubbs said it best. His is the proper takeaway from this speech. Could not have said it better.
I second that…
p.lukasiak
Derbyshire reached new heights of douchebaggery, K-Lo was just average douchebag.
Clegg, on the other hand, probably nailed in terms of how this speech will be received by non-MUPpets.
shortstop
Quite an amazing amount of time, really. Job. Family. Friends. Outside interests. Fresh air. All good things, myiq2xu. Honest. Check one or more of them out.
And yes, Jen is cracking me up, too. Is this the same Jen who makes me laugh over at Sadly, No!?
The Other Steve
Nobody is saying that.
We’re just saying he’s a lot better than Hillary or McCain.
myiq2xu
You should take your own advice moron!
Jeebus! Kool-aid must really kill brain cells.
grandpajohn
Give it? Hell he couldn’t even read it
dslak
If you’re supporting Obama because you think Hillary is too power-hungry, you might consider the possible reasons why a person might run for president, then consider what about that office makes them put up with some much shit. Just a thought.
rawshark
Derbyshire:
People hear what they want.
Neo
Just how is a President Obama going to take on those who’s intentions are genuinely evil, when he can’t confront the softer prejudice and misunderstanding in the church he has been attending for some 20 years ?
Talk about a lack of leadership, and that’s the bottom line.
Bubblegum Tate
ZING!
Seriously, though, it’s a rare pleasure to see such a complicated and long-festering problem articulated so well and sincerely. Even my cynical ass took a step or two toward embracing the MUP.
Of course, the wingnuts will scream and howl and bitch and whine as predicted above: “He didn’t disown himself enough! He hates America! He admitted his pastor is a racist, so that makes him a racist!” For example, nice to see that America’s Shittiest Website is staying true to form.
The Other Steve
Can you explain what you hope to gain by calling us MUPpets?
rawshark
Wow.
bootlegger
BOH has gotten back to saying things that no other politician will dare say. I’m not talking about race, I’m talking about the things that no politician will say because they are worried about upsetting the people. He’s told people they will have to sacrifice, he’s told people they need to turn off the tv and read to their kids, he’s told congregations to reach out to Muslims and homosexuals, and I truly believe that it is this willingness to be up front with his beliefs that made him so popular. It’s good to see him get back to it.
The Other Steve
Didn’t he just address that?
Or like myiq, did you not read the speech either?
dslak
Shorter Neo: How can we fight real evil if we’re not willing to abandon all of our associates for being imperfect?
bootlegger
I didn’t know he was a leader in his church. Missed that part in his resume.
w vincentz
The power of Barack’s speech is that he defined himself and caused those that attempted to define him to sulk away.
I agree with the general premise that in order to go forward, to address the very real concerns that face us, we must put past justifications for division behind us.
His appeal will continue to grow.
p.lukasiak
nothing. but when it comes to MUPpets, there is nothing to be lost in calling them “MUPpets” either. They’re on the Pony, and can’t be convinced to get off of it.
cleek
besides attention ? probably nothing.
Mr Furious
One thing I am left with is the feeling that this whole thing not only didn’t kill him, it only made him stronger…
cleek
attention parents everywhere: don’t let your children eat paint chips.
ThymeZone
Haven’t read the thread, no time. However, listened to the CNN blatherheads (Wolf The Idiot Blitzer and his merry elves) talking about the speech after it was over, in the car on the way here today ……
In all my political life, I have never heard such gushing over a speech by these cablefolks. They were totally blown away by the speech, saying that it “set a new tone for political dialogue” and so forth.
If Obama’s intent was to hit a home run out of the Cable Media ballpark, it appears that he did.
I have a hunch that the Rev Wright thing will end up being a plus for him. He is the kind of politician who can pull that off, and if today is any indication, he will.
dslak
Just as Hillary is a conniving bitch only after power, and Obama a content-free affirmative action beneficiary who gives good speeches, so are Clinton supporters purely reasonable and rational in their support for her, while Obama supporters only know how to make emotional appeals.
The conventional wisdom must not be challenged.
John S.
Because they want power. Duh.
But the questions are why do they want that power and what do they want to do with it.
According to Obama in this speech (and his campaign in general), it’s because things are FUBAR and he wants to try and fix it. Maybe he’s full of shit, maybe he’s not. Frankly nobody knows one way or the other.
p.lukasiak
uh, I included the quote where someone did say it, steve. There was no reference to other candidates.
elf
This speech exemplifies the America I grew up to believe in.
And I cried reading it. So I am a hopeless idealist, a believer in All Creatures,Great and Small. Do unto others, and no I do not have to go to some Church to understand any of that. What has taken me half a century to come to grips with is the fear of difference this country has; oh and the greed.
Nevermind the fact we are all human beings and that in itself this country would rather not face.
John S.
Paul sees his reflection in the mirror.
Krista
Um, myiq? If you wonder why people think you’re a dishonest troll, it’s due to you saying things like that.
The quote…in context:
ThymeZone
He doesn’t wonder that. He just doesn’t care.
ThymeZone
I am now listening to the whole speech for the first time.
All I can say is, wow.
Just wow. This guy is exactly what this country needs.
myiq2xu
All the heaping, steaming piles of praise for Obama’s speech might be more credible if they weren’t:
1. Predictable
2. Suggested by the GOS memo
I’ve seen three comments in this thread where people claimed to have been moved to tears by just reading it.
Jeebus!
cleek
i only wish my dear sweet wife hadn’t just asked me, after seeing the latest credit card statement, if i planned on “giving Obama all of our money”. cause, after that speech, i’d sure like to send another C over to Mr Obama’s campaign.
bootlegger
I thought “he” was a “she”, “hey baby take a walk on the wild side.”
over_educated
I suspect myiq is:
1. On Hillary’s payroll, or, more likley;
2. On Obama’s payroll as an attempt portray Hillary supporters as six-kinds of crazy.
P. lukaisk is actually in the employ of Hillary I believe, he is a spin-professional.
myiq2xu
Um, Krista? It’s called “snark.”
BTW – Show me where I have ever been dishonest. I’ll sit down while I’m waiting.
dslak
Until we see a life-long member of the KKK moved to tears over Obama’s speech, I don’t think we can say it’s anything other than mere political pablum.
Hell, Obama probabaly even wrote all that stuff down before he said it, just to make sure it sounded good. Real politicians can give to-the-point, error-free speeches at the drop of a hat.
bootlegger
So what? Would you rather people puked? Or laughed out loud? Or said “damn” I wouldn’t trust her with your country?
Conservatively Liberal
Shorter Paul: I like to pretend that I know what I am talking about, that is why I support Hillary.
I do have to say that calling yourself ‘a non-D&D enthusiast’ is interesting. Let me guess, you are a non-thinking enthusiast too, right? Are you a pro-Obama losing or anti-Hillary losing enthusiast?
All I have to say is that if p.luk and noiq did not like or were unimpressed with the speech, then it must have been a good one. If either of them had liked it, it would have been a disaster for Obama. ;)
ThymeZone
Don’t ask me, I am OUT of the gender id business here.
Too much work, not enough pay.
Buck
Oh man… Great speech… I’m in tears!
(Make that four, myiq2xu, beotch)
myiq2xu
I don’t date outside my species.
bootlegger
I’d be more convinced by the criticism if some was offered about the content of the speech that wasn’t:
1) Generally dismissive because it came from a politician,
2) Targeted at the people that liked it.
Ninerdave
Just had a chance to listen to the speech.
Irregardless of the surrounding circumstances, I thought it was a damn lucid summary of race in America today.
Krista
Well, if that was snark, then I apologize. I called you dishonest because your statement certainly appeared to be a very dishonest attempt to portray a line from the speech as having an intent opposite from what it really was. And unfortunately, as we know all too well, that type of occurrence isn’t exactly a rarity in the political world. Thus my initial reaction.
But if you say it was snark, I’ll take that at face value and retract my statement about you being dishonest.
Sometimes your snark and your seriousness are indistinguishable. I don’t know if that means that you need better snark, or that your serious statements are sometimes so ludicrous as to appear farcical. Something to ponder at any rate.
bootlegger
That wasn’t an invitation, I was just making fun of the “gendered” discourse. Get a grip.
ThymeZone
Snark is mostly about style. The content is the problem with you, not the style.
You snarkize or humorize or growlize (I do all three, for theatrical effect) but at the end of the day, it’s the content that counts.
Your content basically says one thing, over and over, a hundred times a day: I like Hillary and don’t like Obama and nothing anyone says here will stop me from saying it over and over, a hundred times a day. So there.
That’s it, your entire message, day in and day out, day after fucking day.
As smar and funny as you are, you are unfortunately a Johnny One Note with no real message to deliver at all. When pressed for one, you come back with snarky one liners.
The act wore thin a long time ago, dude.
myiq2xu
Sometimes I’m not sure myself.
Ninerdave
So you’re celibate eh?
Krista
At least CNN.com has a decent headline about it:
Latest News
CNNMoney: Fed may cut rates — will it help?
CNNMoney: Poll: Inflation is top economic worry
How big will IRS check be? You can see
Obama: We can move beyond racial wounds
Poll: McCain, Obama, Clinton in dead heat
bootlegger
Reminds me of a great bit on the Simpsons, “Homerpalooza” I believe:
First teen: That’s cool.
Second teen: Are you being sarcastic.
First teen: I don’t know anymore.
myiq2xu
Keep talking smack and I’ll start agreeing with you.
ThymeZone
Oh, that’s low. Low, I tell you. Not even you would stoop to that.
Demi, sure. But not you.
Laertes
It’s gotta be frustrating as hell running against Obama. You think you’ve got a promising line of attack going, and all it does is give him the opportunity to give a great speech and remind everyone of why they liked him in the first place.
If Hillary is smart, she’ll quit with the silly smears and just huddle with her lawyers. She can’t hope to win this unless she can manage some kind of legal tricks to steal the election.
bootlegger
I’m listening to the Supreme Court oral arguments in D.C. v. Heller. Sure paints a strong contrast to the level of discourse on blogs.
Conservatively Liberal
If Bill is referred to as ‘The Big Dawg’, and Hillary is referred to as ‘The Bitch’ (or ‘The Big Dawg’s Bitch’), then their supporters must be Pups!
We should call them PupPets every time they start up with their mindless, incessant yipping and yapping at everything they see. Now we need to see if we can get the Clintons to put the damn pups back in the litter box so they will stop pissing and crapping all over the place.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
I was just going to post this.
cleek
oh yeah, those fuckers in the SCOTUS can lay down the trash talk!
ThymeZone
Same here. And I think Barack is the guy who can put food on our families.
Z
This is the actual magic in the MUP: the ability to take a step back from the hysteria, see the bigger picture, and speak to the real issues.
This is also an issue that is personal for me. I have white racist relatives (although, because they aren’t KKK-style racists, they would never admit it) and I have a black friend so close she is family (I’ve been to her family gatherings). It is a strange sensation to be part of the generation that is just past the nasty, bitter fights. You grow up with elders who were scarred by civil rights, and peers who can’t imagine life before it. It isn’t that Obama is magically transcending race, it is that he is finally speaking for those of us who have grown up living both with race and beyond it.
Davebo
Perhaps not, but he’s the only one who actually has.
bootlegger
Actually, I’m surprised about how adroitly they do lay down some smack, particularly when they argue one of the solicitors into a corner and say something like: “certainly you don’t suggest that handguns should only be used to open tin cans!”
Phoebe
Not just Blitzer. I was watching on MSNBC and Joe Scarborough was clearly impressed. He righted the ship and steered straight for the ever-pointless “but what will OTHER people think of this speech?” speculation, yes, but only after some pretty spot-on praise, made in the context of the panel’s pre-speech speculation on what the speech needed to do. I think he was very surprised, in fact.
Xenos
Funny thing that. It was an excellent speech, well delivered and handling deftly some sensitive issues. But a great speech? Like ‘I Have a Dream’, ‘Cross of Gold’, or ‘What to a Slave is the Fourth of July’?
Again, it was an excellent speech, but it is hardly one for ages – it did not tell us anything that we did not already know, and it did not have the kind of poetry that inspires people to a lifetime of struggle. All this gushing from the cable-types tells us is what a bunch of cretins we have allowed to mediate our national discourse.
Reverend Wright’s stuff is better, and I expect Obama would agree with me on that.
jnfr
Ninerdave said:
Obama’s speeches don’t generally affect me as they do many people, but I liked this one very much because it showed his thinking on this subject, and his thinking was clear and straightforward and did not evade or dissemble or pander. As someone who grew up in a very racist family, for some years even in the Jim Crow era in Mississippi, hearing straight talk on race is like a lovely summer breeze.
horatius
My heartfelt gratitude for not corrupting the human race.
PaulB
And all your cynicism and attempts to pretend that it was not a praiseworthy speech might be more credible if they were not, in fact, entirely predictable. Might I suggest you refrain from throwing stones? Your glass house is entirely too fragile.
bootlegger
What Z said. This change is going to happen and it will not be pretty, as we can see. But I want that world for my kids. Shit, they have no idea what the fuss is about. My kids went to a mostly black daycare in Alabama and my oldest heard about racism one day and asked me about it. He looked at me like I was insane! “How could anyone believe that?” I had to insist that I was telling the truth. This is how our race problems should disappear, as a caricature of history.
dslak
No one could have predicted that myiq would not have been impressed by Obama’s speech. I’m sure you were as surprised as I was to learn that he didn’t really like it much, at all.
The Other Steve
Can you explain what you hope to gain by calling us MUPpets?
You claim nothing, but clearly there is a reason behind this or you wouldn’t have felt the need to use it twice more.
Wilfred
There can’t be a genuine dialog about race without a sense of history that goes beyond “Lincoln freed the slaves”. I think Obama just sent a clear message to the Democratic Party that by not throwing Wright under a bus he intends to stand with the great majority of black and colored people who also would not. Not while the likes of Hagee, Rod Parsley and Robertson are never censored or abandoned for their racist and bigoted comments.
White Christians reserve forgiveness in this world for their own kind. Everyone else has to wait for what Malcolm X mockingly referred to as “Beulah’s Land’ – the reward that comes with paradise.
The nonsense charge of racism directed against Wright it typical. As if a member of a minority group has the power and means to rape, kill or otherwise forcibly detain a member of the oppressing class. It is to equate words with action – thus conflating someone who says “God damn America” with a class and race that literally damned the members of the darker skinned races to pain and suffering for hundreds of years. This is what Wright mocks; black artists have done the same for generations.
I now believe that if Obama is robbed of the nomination, if the dream is deferred, as it were, he’s going to walk from the party. I hope so.
rawshark
Quality Bushism right there.
The Other Andrew
Obama talking about the real issues (i.e., the economy) and pointing out the fake ones (i.e., the racial shellgame) has to be terrifying the right.
Republicans rely on cynicism and apathy to get elected and create a blind spot where they can operate freely. If Obama can overcome those two things by making America believe in America again, he’s truly invaluable.
HyperIon
i agree. good on you, Chubbs.
Xenos
I just glad that he is not corrupting Canis lupus familiaris.
Brachiator
I didn’t get to hear the entire speech, only pieces, and am trying to get through the transcript. Overall, I thought it was fairly good, though in listening to some responses from a couple of the local talk radio stations, it is clear that some people refuse to deal with any nuance, and expect that every presidential candidate, and every “real American” express a total, complete and unconditional love for America and everything that has ever happened in the country. Period. End of Issue.
Why, the Clinton campaign, of course. They still are. Witness Bill Clinton’s recent accept to spin the lie that he never never ever sought to exploit race issues coming out of the South Carolina primary. And they will be pushing the race card in order to try to maximize their votes in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary. A large win would allow them to reasonably claim that wins in big states are an endorsement of their belief that Senator Clinton would be the best nominee going into the general election.
By the way, if the Clinton campaign people had any guts, they would back up parts of Obama’s speech. But they don’t, so they won’t.
The Other Steve
This is the strength of Obama, and why he differs so from past Democratic candidates over the past 40 years or so.
That is, he explained his thinking.
So many liberals have started down a path of trying to solve a problem without first explaining what the problem is. As such, people are not prepared with the groundwork of thought.
But more importantly, an aspect of Obama’s thinking is that he acknowledges differences of opinion. He doesn’t allow himself to get boxed into a corner. He comes right out and says “Ok, you may be right, but…”
These are simply rhetorical skills, but the idiots simply do not recognize how important they are in politics.
4tehlulz
Obviously, this is a racist codeword using cannibalism imagery.
ThymeZone
Spot on. This is exactly why I support the guy and send him my hard earned dough. I don’t think he has all the answers, I don’t think he is as polished a policy wonk as HRC, I don’t think he knows the corridors of power the way McCain does.
But I like the way he takes a hard subject and talks plainly and intelligently about it, doesn’t pander to me, doesn’t talk down to me, doesn’t lie to me.
And he does this in a way that can’t be faked. If I wanted good old fashioned bullshit, fakery and lies, I could choose HRC or John McPain. I want different, I want honest (even if I dont agree) and I want sincerity.
Obama is the guy who can deliver those goods. That’s why people set him a fundraising record with $100 donations. Not because he’s got all the answers, but more because he can ask the right questions.
The Other Steve
There are a lot of people on the right, and on the left, who have exploited these differences for their own political gain.
jnfr
That’s very true, and I notice that that part of his speech (where he calls out race-baiting as a cover for throwing all working class people under the bus) is the part no one in the traditional media is discussing.
cbear
I just hope he can solve the problem of too many OB/GYN’s not able to practice their love with women all across the country.
PK
I don’t think that people support Obama only because they think Hillary is power hungry. Its a bit more complicated than that! I assume that, Hillary, McCain and Obama all want power, but some want it more desperately than others.
I have no idea if Obama benefited from affirmative action. Hillary would not be where she is today if Bill Clinton had not been a popular president. Bush would be lying drunk in a ditch somewhere if he did not have a famous father. No politician makes it completely on his/her own today. Yor question about Hilalry supporters being reasonable and rational and Obama’s being emotional is nonsense. I’m sure a lot of emotional people support Hillary and a lot of rational people support Obama.
dslak
I didn’t say that all did, so this is moot.
I was being facetious when I said everything you’re referring to in this paragraph. I thought the bit about how nobody can challenge the conventional wisdom was a give-away.
bILL b
“Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes.”
This is just the opposite of what he said over the weekend.
Nikki
Damn. I want that on a T-shirt!
rawshark
should we start a collection to help John buy some quality blog software. This crapshoot where I don’t know if BJ is working or if I will be able to post my comments without wordpress farting is getting old.
dslak
No, it’s not, but kudos for trying.
rawshark
And Bush said starting hostilities without an exit strategy is a bad idea. But then did it anyway so I guess Obama is presidential material.
sglover
I could’ve done without the mandatory genuflection to Holy Israel, but it was mercifully short. All in all, a pretty good speech.
Gus
biLL b, link please.
myiq2xu
Wrong as usual.
From Huffington Post:
As for Jesse Jackson:
numbskull
I thought what he said over the weekend was that he was absent when Wright gave the sermon that has been played over and over on cable news. I don’t think he said that he never heard Wright make controversial statements. However, if you can provide a link that supports your claim, I’m all ears and eyes.
As for the speech, I thought it was pretty good. It certainly was more direct than any I’ve heard from any other candidate on any other topic this season. I don’t think it was all that nuanced – it’s not hard to understand the meaning of any of the points he discusses. It was, however, not short. I don’t see how it could have been an honest commentary on the issue unless it were long, though.
Davis X. Machina
Replacing “Sun Rises in East”? This is controversial? I remember Lincoln saying something to this effect. Must we throw Abe under the bus?
John S.
myiq2xu-
TNR is America’s second shittiest website.
Perhaps they aren’t the best source to cite for making your case. Never mind the fact that the author – Sean Wilentz – is a pretty heavy Clinton partisan.
I realize that you are heavily invested in the anti-Obama groupthink, but do you ever refer to sources of the non-partisan variety?
myiq2xu
Now here’s an objective assessment:
Liberal Masochist
Just anted up my first $100 for Obama.
myiq2xu
What part is not factually correct?
Krista
Well, the bar HAS been set pretty low by the current White House resident, no?
You know, I think that’s it. I don’t think that Obama’s supporters expect him to solve all of America’s problems (and the world’s problems too, just for shits and giggles). But when is the last time we heard a politician actually admitting that there is still racial tension and resentment in America, and that it’s holding you back? He’s talking about stuff that desperately needs to be talked about — stuff that other politicians sweep under the rug, or pretend is just symptomatic of a few select groups. He’s a politician, but from the outside looking in, he really does sound different than all the rest.
RareSanity
Doesn’t this prove his point? If it had said “A strategy memo obtained by HuffPo outlines the Obama campaign’s plan to use race to garner votes.” Then you would have proved a point.
What evidence do you have that the Obama campaign used race to garner votes in the South Carolina Primary?
binzinerator
myiq:
John, wasn’t this the guy who kept saying in another thread you had CDS, even after multiple times of you clearly stating you would vote for HRC if she won the nomination? Wasn’t this the same jerk who you talked about banning because he was being such an intellectually dishonest prick?
I remember I went to Cleek’s site right after that thread and downloaded his “pie” script. It’s sitting on my desktop, never pie’d anyone here before, but I think it’s time to install it.
myiq2xu
Prove whose point?
I asked:
I responded with the memo from the Obama campaign pushing the race card talking points.
Reading is a life skill. Jeebus!
John S.
You’re kidding, right? In this the entire excerpt:
The only thing that is factual is Wilentz citing the voting statistics of South Carolina (and even then he interjects some questionable analysis). Everything else is purely opinion. Do you really not understand the difference, or are you just fucking with me?
The Other Steve
Isn’t this the same Ferraro bullshit?
Yes yes, poor Geraldine, really we is all racist because we questioned her stupid attack on Obama.
cleek
specieism!
RareSanity
Well you seem to have the ability to use deductive reasoning to figure out whose point I was referring to. Why not use that particular skill more often?
Second, the article said it found a memo “…listing various instances in which it perceived the Clinton’s campaign to have deliberately played the race card in the Democratic primary.”
Now back to my question…Do you have evidence of the Obama campaign directing its members to use these instances as “talking points” to garner more votes in South Carolina? Or, are they merely outlining the campaign tactics the Clintons were using before the primary?
If you don’t have evidence then STFU!
binzinerator
Ahhh. That’s so much better.
Thanks, Cleek!
John S.
So, because Obama’s campaign pointed out several instances where they thought Hillary’s campaign had thrown the race card that makes them guilty of throwing those race cards?
Reading isn’t as important of a life skill as reading comprehension. Jeebus!
Chubbs
What it seems many of the detractors of Senator Obama seem to miss is that those that support him don’t think he is some Messiah, but that he is actually showing and speaking like we have always wanted our politicans to do.
I’m 38 years old, I’ve lived through Reagan and his “sound bite” speeches, I’ve lived through Clinton’s “empathy” speeches and I’ve lived through the just plain mangled speech of the current President. All of these Presidents used words to always divide us in some way. Whether it be “welfare queens”, “right wing conspiracy” or “terrorist sympathizers”, Obama doesn’t. He is special in that he is what politicians should be like, not that he is above it all.
When you have been in the muck, sloshing through the political sewage like the past thirty years, you see someone that seems to harken back to the days when Politicans actually talked to us in full sentences and asked US to do something, not just sit and bitch about who was getting what.Presidents that until today I have only read about in history books. You sit down, breathe fully, and hope…yes, hope, that this man can actually win. If sometimes this bleeds over into fawning, it’s understandable. After waiting all my life to have someone give me enough credit that I can actually sit through a speech and not have to be spoon feed poll tested catchphrases, I’ll take the ribbing that goes along with being overly enthusiastic.
I have no illusions that he will fix all the problems in this country or world, but I will gladly give my vote to the man who seems to realize and actually understand those problems. That will ask me and my fellow citizens to stop bitching and start fixing.
Lit3Bolt
This is Obama’s draw. It’s the ability to give speeches like this. I don’t know what it is that prevents other politicians from doing the same, but it’s also why he emerges from controversy after controversy smelling like a fucking rose. His eloquence and race make for a lethel combination, as he can wait for the inevitable attack on his race, then give a speech like this and appear high minded and above the fray, while his campaign does the dirty work for him. It’s political ju jitsu, and turns almost all of his weaknesses into strengths.
Ultimately, the question to ponder is, “Is he sincere?” Many people, suspicious of any and all Kool-aid drinking (Bush and co. have ruined the brand), doubt it. I can understand geniune concerns about being an empty suit. But some just like the nice squishy feeling they get when they load their diapers and message boards with intellectual diarrhea.
But Obama’s message of hope gives people a direction when they’ve been hopeless and directionless for so many years, embittered by outrage fatigue and shamed into slience by the chutzpah and shamelessness of the current Executive Overmaster of America. Obama offers humility, sanity, and hope, and comes acorss like he actually has a brain and knows how to use it. His speeches are not great, but that are completely different to the bile and scat that have been par for the course for years and years, and that’s what makes people pay attention (and donate!).
PaulB
Bingo. And that’s what makes this speech stand out. Nobody thinks it’s the second coming of “I have a dream” or the Gettysburg Address. It’s an articulation of what our politicians should be saying and so often do not.
PaulB
So is understanding the difference between a fact and an opinion. Might I suggest you learn what that difference is?
Katherine
Yeah. I don’t think Obama’s Lincoln or King or FDR. Certainly not yet, and odds are he never will be. But he’s at least *trying* to be that kind of leader, & the attempt is worthwile. It’s not just that he’s an excellent speaker, or even that he’s an excellent writer, though those certainly help. It’s that he talks to voters like they are adults, with consciences.
Jay C
Chubbs nails it again!
Unfortunately, it also seems that when our politicians actually DO show and speak like we want them to, they end up getting shafted for it – mostly by the media. At least this year, for f*****g once, we might have the chance to elect, not the President we deserve, but one better than we deserve.
Tax Analyst
In reading the text it sounds like a great and much needed speech. It speaks to underlying currents that have existed and festered in the white middle-class since the late 60’s. The Republicans, starting with Nixon, have been pandering to and exploiting these themes ever since, sadly, to many electoral victories. GOP policies on the other hand, rarely resonate very well when they are explained and understood. Addressing these exploited themes head-on IS the best way to deal with them. In fact, I believe it is the ONLY effective way to deal with them. Examined in the light of day the ugliness and cynicism that has allowed the political right to exploit these themes may eventually earn the scorn and dismisal they so richly deserve.
But, hey, I could be wrong. The voting public may still be too caught up in what’s happ’ning to Brittle-knee or whatever her name is to pick up on any such non-sound-bite type stuff.
I’m stocking up on Cheetos while they’re still affordable, just in case.
Grand Moff Texan
This is Obama’s draw. It’s the ability to give speeches like this.
No. It isn’t.
It’s his ability to build the organization he has built.
Wondering “is he sincere” is pretending he hasn’t done anything. His campaign is one such example, assuming anyone really wants an answer to that question.
.
rawshark
Actually its that THEY are looking for a Messiah. That’s what a republican president is (Saint Reagan?). So naturally, using projection, they assume that Obama supporters think they have found a messiah. And so they have to point out that their messiah can bowl better than yours. Or more likely that your Messiah hates bowling and the people who do it.
Phoebe
I hate bowling because my arms are noodles and they get sore fast. But I like the sound of the bowling alley. It makes me very very happy.
Speech was great.
Brachiator
Balloon Juice appears to have eaten a previous post. Revised Standard Version:
So, let’s see. The Obama campaign is using the race card if they attempt to track Team Clinton’s playing of the race card. It must be backwards day for myiq.
Sean Wilentz’ bizarre bashing of Obama has been widely derided for the obviously partisan hatchet job that it is. A number of people, including myself, have regretted the degree to which Wilentz trashes his own reputation in a strange attempt to curry favor with the Clintons.
Those who follow the link to the original column will find many astute comments, including this one (12 of 773) which also anticipates Obama’s analysis of the unfortunate racializing of the campaign:
And note that Bill Clinton denied everything while Senator Clinton apologized for … something:
joe
Yes, it’s racist of Barack Obama to notice that the Clinton campaign tried to racialize the campaign.
He’s supposed to be what the conservatives call “color-blind,” which means “pretending not to notice when people do that shit.”
The fun part is when they actually accuse you of racism for your stubborn refusal not to be deliberately obtuse about their race-baiting.
MJ
He had no problem tossing his grandmother under the bus though.
Fruitbat
MJ:
From the speech:
How you can read Obama saying he cannot disown his grandmother, and how she is a part of him, as “throwing her under the bus” takes some pretty inventive stunt-interpretation.
Randolph Fritz
Well, well, well. Finally a Democratic candidate answers the right-wing attack machine. I begin to hope. Maybe, just maybe, Obama can actually pull this off.
Quiddity
Hey everybody, want to opine on Wright’s remarks about “white America, the U.S. of KKK A”?
That’s what I meant when I said Wright’s “God Damn America” is viewed by most as “God Damn White America”.
QUESTION: Since John Cole is not in favor of Obama throwing Wright under the bus, what about Mel Gibson? Should he not throw his dad, Hutton Gibson, under the bus, even though Hutton is a holocaust denier? What’s the threshold for “bus throwing-under”?
In case you are wondering, I much prefer Obama to Clinton. But I’m amazed, and discouraged, at the blinders many pro-Obama folks have donned. Failure to understand the political reality (i.e. Wright is very toxic) will lead to miscalculation and untimately, defeat.
Pug
How you can read Obama saying he cannot disown his grandmother, and how she is a part of him, as “throwing her under the bus” takes some pretty inventive stunt-interpretation.
It’s easy for him to say that. He’s simply parroting what everyone at Power Line and NRO is saying.
Pug
No, I don’t think he memorized it, what I clearly meant was that not only is he delivering the speech, but he believes what he is saying.
One significant aspect of the speech that is getting no play whatsoever is that Barack Obama actually wrote the speech himself.
Reagan was good at delivering a speech. Bill Clinton was good at delivering a speech. George W. can’t hardly even read a speech. I wonder how often these guys wrote their own speeches. Presidential candidate should be required by law to write important speeches themselves in the future.
Neo
Barack Obama has expanded our universe.
By his example, there is now the “Obama-Wright escape” clause for those embarrassing situations where you can now say .. “I can no more likely renounce him/her than Obama could renounce Rev. Wright.”
Wow. Doesn’t that make the world a better place ?
Or .. I would like to invoke my “Obama-Wright escape” clause rights.
Ranks right up there with the 5th amendment.
Example:
Dick Cheney could no more likely renounce Haliburton than Obama could renounce Rev. Wright.
Yeah. That feels right, doesn’t it ?
Perhaps we should all automatically consider this repsonse the next time we consider demanding a repudiation of someone.
MJ
He just told the world that his grandmother was a racist. What a wonderful grandson he is! Some how that is suppose to make the vile crap his pastor has been saying for years ok? You can’t pick your grandmother but you can pick your church.
Obama and you MUP heads keep telling us that it’s not about experience(because he has hardly any) it’s about judgment. Well what kind of judgment does Obama have taking his kids to hear this pastors speaking nutty crap on Sundays?
Please tell me does the MUP koolaid at least taste good?
Marge
Guess all it takes to be president, according to the youth and good old boys is a good speech writer. And a charming personality that lets you get the youth to think you are running for a recording contract or a movie slot. That’s the way they act when watching American Idol.
Just like the reality shows, you people can’t even remember that he is only giving the SPEECH THAT SOMEONE ELSE WROTE FOR HIM….and boy he ought to pay his speechwriters double. And if he doesn’t steal the nod he ought to audition for one of those slots on American Idol, he doesn’t have to be able to sing…..just give a speech he’ll nail it.
Sasha
Keep working on that straw man, friend. It’s looking better and better.
Sasha
Um, no he didn’t. Read the speech (I’d normally say re-read it, but I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that you’re not being disingenous or willfully ignorant and simply have no idea what you’re talking about.)
That a candidate whose pastor is someone who has said stupid things still shows better judgement than a candidate who actually has done stupid things (like vote to authorize war in Iraq or signed off on the Military Commisions Act).
Obama supporters don’t drink Kool-Aid. We munch on Magical Unity Cookies. Delicious, delicious Magical Unity Cookies.
So what flavor of Kool-Aid do you swear to, or are you just doing it for the LULZ?
Sasha
You know he wrote most, if not all, of the speech himself.
Or are you just doing it for the LULZ too?
MJ
Sasha the man is holding his pastor to a different standard then he did Imus. I did read his speech and he most certainly tossed his grandmother under the bus or better yet MUP galloped over her.
LULZ?
Jaiye
What does GOS stand for? I apparently didn’t get that memo
Sasha
Wright’s rhetoric and Imus’ are not equivalent. Wright had the misfortune of actually living during Jim Crow. I can understand — if not excuse –some resentment. Imus made some stupid, racially-insensitive remarks not because bitterness built over a lifetime of real prejudice, but because he wanted to make a cheap joke. (An interesting perspective on Wright’s worldview as a Black Conservative can be read here.)
Concerning his grandmother, all he illustrated was an unpleasant truth best described by the geniuses of Avenue Q – “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist”. The reasonable assumption isn’t that Obama’s grandmother is a dyed-in-the-wool racist, but rather that she is a sweet woman who has decades of ingrained cultural prejudices that sometimes manifest. She may know better, but, to use a common euphemism, she’s “old fashioned” and occasionally prone into falling into old, familiar stereotypes.
(I sincerely doubt that Obama didn’t speak to his grandmother beforehand and I suspect if she had the least objection, he would have not used her as an example.)
The phonetic pronunciation of LOLs (laugh out louds). “Doing if for the LULZ” is an expression I’ve heard used for the reason that trolls troll – they get a kick and chuckle out of the drama they foment. Your good-faith response to me indicates you are not merely trolling.
Mitzi Finkelstein
Many racists commenting here, taking pot-shots at this upstanding man. Cowardly racists.