Obama made his choice, now he has to live with it

"Since he still says Wright is "part of me" (and he can longer claim that he doesn't know the full scope of Wright's hatred of "white America"), he should be judged for containing that "part."", Power Line. Amen. He has owned it now and there is no backing down. He made his choice, and Rev. Jeremiah Wright is, and shall continue to be, a part of Barack Obama.

Obama pretended to be the candidate that would rise above race and class. The truth is, he has been raised in a church that thrives on race and class envy. For a candidate that didn't want his campaign to be about race, he spent the majority of his speech highlighting 'the incredible challenge of race relations in our country.' Only trouble is -- HE LIED.

Segregation was not "the law of the land" in the 1950s. It was the law in a minority of states. [snip]

If, as Obama seems to be claiming, those are the sentiments only of Wright's generation, how come those whooping and clapping their approval in those sermon clips include lots of young people? (read more)

From Hot Air:

“[R]ace is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now,” saith the prophet, politely eliding the fact that he was only too happy to ignore it for 20 years when it was being belched at him from the pulpit in its most wretched form and then for another 13 months as a candidate until ABC dropped it on his plate and rubbed his face in it. Now, with his ass in a sling, suddenly it’s time for the great conversation. (Hot Air)

The speech, titled 'A MORE PERFECT UNION', is "bold" in a bad sense, reckless. I do not believe he did himself any good. Read it all here.

Talking Points Memo says about Obama's speech, "I am not sure, on first take, how effective it is politically."

The hate-filled sermons were just 'snippits', oh really. I'm still waiting to see ONE video of a sermon filled with love.

Random Musings 'was quite surprised to see that he’s still listed as the pastor for the Trinity United Church of Christ, and that his bio hasn’t been moved to a page of its own, with the current pastor occupying the above link.'

(video via Daily Kos)

American Thinker, via Hugh Hewitt

It does not speak well of his campaign's crisis management skills that Barack Obama has taken five days to wheel out his heavy artillery and give a speech today on Jeremiah Wright, Jr. and "the larger issue of race in this campaign" at a venue called the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Given the opportunity to carefully write and rehearse the delivery of a speech, Obama's verbal presentation skills shine. But talking on his feet, in a press conference or television interview, he is less persuasive. [snip]

... Thanks to the very qualities that made Pastor Wright a superstar preacher able to build a mega-church, the memory of his rants will linger in the minds of those who have seen his television performance.

Conclusion, what has Obama tried to do and what will he do in the future to salvage his candidacy? He is and will use GUILT; VICTIMOLOGY; SCARE TACTICS; RHETORIC;

The American Thinker continues:

Obama is also now fully exposed as a phony, one way or the other. Michael Medved put it succinctly:

Hey, Barack---it's either one or the other: either you were lying when you talked about your deep, soul-changing involvement in Trinity United Church of Christ, or else you're lying when you say you never had any idea (until last week) about the crazy and offensive and sickening contents of the pastor's diatribes from the pulpit.

The sad thing about halos is they don't come with Teflon® coating. Barack Obama could use that trademarked fluoropolymer's most famous property, slipperiness. Instead, he may find that his embrace of Pastor Wright over the last two decades is not biodegradable.

Amen.

Be sure to go read "Barack Obama’s Speech Distribution - Behaviorist Perspective, post 1"

Headlines are a partial result of past data… what keywords worked in the past… what abstracts attract not just eyes but clicks. Headlines are a partial result of the editorial bias…

that bias is a combination of reader bias, technology limits (character limits), copy editor, editor…

Also see:

Obama's Speech a Call for a Victimhood Coalition, Rick Moran

Bozell Column: Obama's Church of Slurs, NewsBusters

Comments at Huffington Post

Effective for a Narrow Audience, Hot Air

A Speech This Good Means the End is Near for Obama, The Cynics' Party

Thoughts on the Politics of the Obama Speech (the politics of the speech), MyDD

Comments at Talk Left

Comments

[Reverend Grouch]

"We cant afford to trust Obama any more... its sad really...we were all fooled."

Speak for yourself, S.A.I.

I was not fooled.

I NEVER trusted the guy. Not since I heard him speak in 2004.

Because he is black? NO...
Because he could be a muslim? MAYBE...
Because he's a LIBERAL? DEFINITELY!

It's really not that difficult.

[S.A.L.]

Obama lied to us... First he said that he didnt think that his church was contriversial and now he admits it is.At first he said he never heard his pastor say bad things and now he says that he did indeed hear them. Dose that sound like a president? Is he lieng about NAFTAgate or Tony Rezco? We cant afford to trust Obama any more... its sad really...we were all fooled.

[Faultline USA]

Excellent roundup Debbie. Because Obama refused to disavow his pastor or his church, it is now highly doubtful that Obama could ever hope to unite all Americans. Wright has shown himself to be anti-American Black racist and Obama has shown himself to be a tolerant friend of at least one Anti-American Black racist. That’s just one too many. As a matter of fact, this speech may be the catalyst for destroying his bid for the presidency.

[David M]

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the - Web Reconnaissance for 03/19/2008 - A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.

http://thunderrun.blogspot.com/2008/03/web-reconnaissance-for-03192008.html

[Aurora]

I expect that his supporters will rally around his speech and the detractors will not.

Actually he has made big gains in the black American community and huge declines in the white community. This has exploded the race issue. I guess there was more tension under the surface than we realized and Obamassiah and Jeremiah have brought it all on.

[Jack]

I expect that his supporters will rally around his speech and the detractors will not.

In other words, nothing has changed.

[MK]

Like i said over at WHT - I read today that Obama is calling on American to get past the racial divide. Typical leftist punish everyone instead of the wrong-doers. He should be asking his pastor and to get past the racial divide, the rest of America seems to have moved on, since Obama seems to have quite a bit of support, based on the color of his skin.

[fouse, gary c]

Barack Obama's address on Race today in Philadelphia was a desperate bid to save his presidential prospects in the light of release of videotapes of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright's sermons. While much of the mainstream media has tried to downplay the story, Obama had obviously come to the conclusion that it was major news-and it was threatening to kill his campaign. While reactions to the speech are still playing out, I would like to comment on my reaction at this time.

Without repeating the various lines in his speech, suffice to say that, like most of his speeches, Obama's prepared remarks today were typically eloquent-especially in contrast to when he is answering questions on uncomfortable topics-as he was this week on the TV news circuit. The problem with the speech was, as I see it, that he tried to appeal to everyone, and, in the process, may have alienated everyone with the obvious exception of those who choose to believe and accept whatever he says because he is their guy.

Obama, while condemning Wright's remarks, stated that he could no longer disown the pastor any more than he could disown the black community. Personally, I am not sure the two are linked. I sure hope not although Wright's parishioners have spoken out loud and clear in their support of him. Is Obama the only member of the church who rejects Wright's sentiments?

Obama also reiterated the racial grievances of black Americans and made the usual calls for racial healing. Obama obviously felt he had to give something to his black listeners and speak of injustice. No question, Obama is walking a very thin tightrope here, trying to hold on to wavering white voters while not alienating black voters who may conclude he is an "Uncle Tom" (a ugly term also used by Wright in some of his sermons).

Obama spoke of Wright's good works and good qualities, stating that he will not turn his back on him. He also referred to his white grandmother, who allegedly referred to her fears of encountering black men on the street. He also acknowledged that he had, indeed, been in the pews on occasions when Wright made "controversial" statements. This is an apparent contradiction from statements he had been making just in the past few days to the effect that he had not been present during these particular diatribes. (Is it possible Obama realized that there may be some video out there showing him in the audience on these occasions-perhaps doing what everyone else was apparently doing-standing, clapping and cheering?)

It appears that Obama's theme is that, yes, he disagrees with Wright's statements about whites and America, but that he will not turn away from his spiritual mentor and his church. America must deal with black historical grievances and present-day "real anger", but he wants to bring about racial conciliation. In other words, Obama's speech had something in it for everyone, just what a politician's speech is supposed to be.

I still am left with serious questions about Mr Obama:

First, how could you sit there in that church for two decades and listen to this rhetoric and racial diatribes. Senator Obama, when Minister Wright was railing about white people, he was talking about your mother-and grandmother. Did you never take offense at that?

You talk about your love of this country. Yet, you sat there and listened to the worst things being said about your country by Wright. I don't know about you, sir, but I would have gotten up and walked out of my church and never gone back if the pastor talked like that about America-or about other ethnic groups not my own. But you, sir, are a sitting US Senator. If nothing else, as a US Senator and aspiring presidential candidate, what kind of judgement does this show? The same kind of judgement that allowed you to do business with a character like Tony Rezko?

Already, many news commentators sympathetic to Obama are raving about the eloquence of his speech. It is spin. The fact of the matter is that in attempting to please all sides, in my view, Obama has hurt his cause only more. As I acknowledged above, Obama is caught squarely in the middle of the racial divide in this country. He doesn't want to be regarded as simply the "Black Candidate", rather one who cuts across racial barriers. Sadly, that is going by the wayside very quickly. I don't know how the senator is going to reconcile these issues. Certainly many white voters who are wavering wanted Obama to cut his ties to Wright and the church in strong and forceful terms. To do so, however, would have alienated many black voters. So he tried to cut it both ways. I don't think it will work.

I don't know if Obama secretely sympathizes with Wright's views; I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. His continued membership in such a church and association with Wright would make any reasonable person suspicious. What is really sad and ironic is that the candidate and the campaign that held out hope of advancing black-white relations in America to so many, even among his opponents, is now turning into something that, in the end, may only set relations back.

All of the above, of course, is written from the perspective of a white male in his 60s who probably doesn't understand what goes on in black churches and has possibly deluded himself into thinking that over the course of his life, he had seen dramatic racial progress. All I can say is that if Jeremiah Wright is typical, then we have made very little progress. If there is actually someone out there who can bring Americans together, that person is not going to come out of the Trinity United Church of Christ of Chicago.

So is there a secret side to Mr Obama that he has tried to hide from the public? I don't know, but one thing is becoming more obvious every day.

Barack Obama is just another politician.

gary fouse
fousesquawk

[Huitzilopochtli]

white people are not ready for a black president,just look at the media, the continuing bashing on obama,it is a shame to see how everyone inside politics are "dirty" when it comes to elections, but then again most politics are pervs..*client #9..haha

[Skunkfeathers]

If it's okay to hang former associations on other politicians, Obama best don his hooks and wear Wright.

The Democrats, between Hilarity and Obama, just can't get much wright, can they?

[Terri]

I think less of him now...

he's a typical politician...

blah blah blah...

birds of a feather flock together...
and now I really know what he's all about.

[Terri]

I think less of him now...

he's a typical politician...

blah blah blah...

birds of a feather flock together...
and now I really know what he's all about.