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He's been in congress for years. Please tell me what actions he has taken during that time. I'm very well aware that he has a great speach writer working for him, what I want to see is the actions that he has taken over the last few years to make our lives better.
You nailed it for me. This is a man who has spent many years in elected office yet has very little to show for it. In fact, one of the most frequently mentioned "good things" about him is that he was President of the Harvard Law Review. When someone has to run on the basis of something they did in college, they have a very slender resume!
All of this speech-making of his shows me that he is nothing but another politician and not a very effective one at that. Great speeches though. Perhaps he should try to get his own talk show ala Oprah?
It was indeed a very good attempt by Obama to reconcile the situation between people - But, the total sum of it falls short of describing the full picture.
His opening remark that the sin of slavery stains the Constitution sets the tone of it as being just another speech generally blaming all ills on whites.
Why didn't he speak more on the responsibilities of black males for their failures towards black women and their children?
For generations now there have been ample programs with educational and employment opportunities with priorities towards black people, and it is the black males that have failed to utilize these programs. No one held them back.
And, this is a critical fact that Obama failed to stress. Apparently he feared offending his consituency.
And as far as the usual excuse "centuries of harm can not be erased in a few decades", I point you to the direction of any hard working immigrant group here that came from "centuries of hardships", and they seem to be able to get it together in a few years...
Sorry..,.I am not committed to any candidate at this point, and I am perfectly willing to consider Obama just as much as the others...But, this speech, though well written and a very good atempt of reconciling differences, fails to do anything for me.
I agree. Your thoughts reflect much of what I was thinking as I read the speech. And I do think it's important to READ the speech and not rely on the fact that Obama is an excellent orator who can make ordinary words sound eloquent.
My critique -- Less is more, Obama. When he waxed poetic about what he thought white people feel, when he compared his grandmother to Jeremiah Wright, he provided more fuel for the fire. He should have stuck to the issue at hand -- Wright, his incendiary sermons, and that church. This was the REASON he was standing there making a speech.
Instead, he decided that he couldn't disavow Wright without going off on white people, too -- especially his grandmother. Mark my words, in the coming days, this is going to be picked up and played with among the pundits. It was a big mistake.
Obama HAD to address the Wright controversy but he decided to turn this into a "Racial State of the Union." Perhaps, since all eyes were on him, he thought he could kill two birds with one stone -- put to rest the Wright outrage and look like a president giving a major address to his people. IMO, this wasn't a smart move. The people who were most offended by Wright's remarks would NOT be assuaged by criticizing the comments, yes, but also saying in so many words that they were justified and excusable.
He finds equal the grandmother that raised him with the Rev Wright. Mr. Obama is going down because he is being called to explain his positions and in doing so reveals himself.
Hope you mindless supporters, with tears running down your face, are loving the beautiful words of Mr. O.
I'm waiting for him to actually answer direct questions.
He finds equal the grandmother that raised him with the Rev Wright. Mr. Obama is going down because he is being called to explain his positions and in doing so reveals himself.
Hope you mindless supporters, with tears running down your face, are loving the beautiful words of Mr. O.
I'm waiting for him to actually answer direct questions.
He finds equal the grandmother that raised him with the Rev Wright. Mr. Obama is going down because he is being called to explain his positions and in doing so reveals himself.
Hope you mindless supporters, with tears running down your face, are loving the beautiful words of Mr. O.
I'm waiting for him to actually answer direct questions.
I did in fact think the speech was beautiful. I'm waiting for someone who has a problem with the speech to show they actually took the time to read/listen to it. So far, all the sour grapes are from people questioning why Obama didn't mention something that he in fact did specifically address.
As with the Rezko matter, in which Obama sat down with the Sun-Times and Tribune editorial board, and agreed to answer any and all questions, that lead both boards (including the extremely conservative Trib board) to exonerate him, I believe Obama will continue to be as open about these matters as he was in this speech.
Obama is well aware a speech will not put this to bed. Which is why he is saying, in essence, that if we are going to talk about race, let's actually discuss it openly, respectfully, and honestly. This was his opening argument.
I'm not yet 50 years old, but that was perhaps the most inspiring speech that I've ever heard.
You may want to watch more of them.
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