Betsy's Page

Thursday, March 20, 2008

A second look at Obama's speech

ABC News looked closer at what Obama has said over the past year about his awareness of the extent of his minister's anti-American rhetoric. And it turns out that he contradicted what he's said for a good long time.
Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America's racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons.

Similarly, Obama also has only recently given a much fuller accounting of his relationship with indicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a longtime friend, who his campaign once described as just one of "thousands of donors."

Until yesterday, Obama said the only thing controversial he knew about Rev. Wright was his stand on issues relating to Africa, abortion and gay marriage.

"I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial," Obama said at a community meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, earlier this month.

"He has said some things that are considered controversial because he's considered that part of his social gospel; so he was one of the leaders in calling for divestment from South Africa and some other issues like that," Obama said on March 2.

His initial reaction to the initial ABC News broadcast of Rev. Wright's sermons denouncing the U.S. was that he had never heard his pastor of 20 years make any comments that were anti-U.S. until the tape was played on air.

But yesterday, he told a different story.

"Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes," he said in his speech yesterday in Philadelphia.
Of course, he didn't characterize what would be considered "controversial." Perhaps one of the fawning reporters would ask him more specifically what controversial statements he had heard Wright make. Had he heard Wright blame the US government for the HIV virus because they wanted to exterminate blacks? Had he heard his support for Palestinian terrorists? Had he heard him saying that 9/11 was "chickens coming home to roost?"

And if Obama had disagreed with Reverend Wright, did Obama attempt any of his vaunted ability to supposedly bring people together? Remember that that is the basic premise of Obama's public persona. He is the man that can help heal a divided America. Just as the races are blended within him, he can help blend our partisan ideologies and mistaken racial divisions. Jay Cost puts his finger on this essential question. Has Obama ever worked in some smaller context to heal that divide?
Obama clearly understands Wright's philosophy - even if he never heard Wright say what has generated this firestorm. If nothing else, yesterday he contextualized Wright into the broader narrative of the American racial division. He would not have been able to do that so ably if he had only learned about this philosophy last week.

This philosophy is divisive, and Obama was aware of it even if he had not heard its most extreme articulations. At the same time, this philosophy is clearly not the core mission of Trinity United Church of Christ. Jeremiah Wright does not wake up every morning dedicated to dividing people. However, the antipode of this divisiveness is the core mission of Barack Obama. He wakes up every morning dedicated to uniting people. This is why Obama thinks Wright is not just wrong, but "profoundly" wrong. Wright's divisiveness constitutes a grievous mistake on what Obama takes to be the central question of American identity - are we one people or are we not?

Accordingly, this inclines me to ask what Obama did about this profound philosophical error. He has been a parishioner for twenty years, and he has been a strong believer in this philosophy of unity for at least four years, since his keynote address in 2004. I appreciate that he cannot walk away from Trinity because the church speaks to who he is. However, I must ask whether he worked to persuade Wright and the parishioners who applauded so jubilantly at his divisive words that they were wrong on a matter of existential importance. If he did, what was the consequence of those efforts? Did he succeed in bringing about change at Trinity?
That's an important question. I hope that someone will ask him that.

His speech looked at the racial distrust that separates so many today and called for us to rise above those divisions. That's a pretty tall order of any one human being. I suspect that the presidency is not the best position in the land to heal that divide. The presidency, by its very nature, will lead to division. People who disagree with Obama's policies may be less inclined to want to listen to a separate message about racial unity. I suspect that Oprah Winfrey or Bill Cosby has done much more in their lives than any president would to accomplish the goals that Obama has set for himself.

But it is certainly a legitimate question to ask Obama what he's done in his own life, besides run for president, to heal those divisions? And since he said in his speech that he understood, yet deplored the suspicions that those of Reverend Wright's generation have of whites, did he attempt to bring Wright and his enthusiastic parishioners of all ages to Obama's own view of the races? And if he couldn't or didn't accomplish that in the relatively small environment of a church he had attended for 20 years, why should we think that he could do so from the White House?
Labels: Obama

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:08 AM 0 comments

Comments:

ABC News looked closer at what Obama has said over the past year about his awareness of the extent of his minister's anti-American rhetoric. And it turns out that he contradicted what he's said for a good long time.

Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America's racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons.

Similarly, Obama also has only recently given a much fuller accounting of his relationship with indicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a longtime friend, who his campaign once described as just one of "thousands of donors."

Until yesterday, Obama said the only thing controversial he knew about Rev. Wright was his stand on issues relating to Africa, abortion and gay marriage.

"I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial," Obama said at a community meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, earlier this month.

"He has said some things that are considered controversial because he's considered that part of his social gospel; so he was one of the leaders in calling for divestment from South Africa and some other issues like that," Obama said on March 2.

His initial reaction to the initial ABC News broadcast of Rev. Wright's sermons denouncing the U.S. was that he had never heard his pastor of 20 years make any comments that were anti-U.S. until the tape was played on air.

But yesterday, he told a different story.

"Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes," he said in his speech yesterday in Philadelphia.

Of course, he didn't characterize what would be considered "controversial." Perhaps one of the fawning reporters would ask him more specifically what controversial statements he had heard Wright make. Had he heard Wright blame the US government for the HIV virus because they wanted to exterminate blacks? Had he heard his support for Palestinian terrorists? Had he heard him saying that 9/11 was "chickens coming home to roost?"

And if Obama had disagreed with Reverend Wright, did Obama attempt any of his vaunted ability to supposedly bring people together? Remember that that is the basic premise of Obama's public persona. He is the man that can help heal a divided America. Just as the races are blended within him, he can help blend our partisan ideologies and mistaken racial divisions. Jay Cost puts his finger on this essential question. Has Obama ever worked in some smaller context to heal that divide?

Obama clearly understands Wright's philosophy - even if he never heard Wright say what has generated this firestorm. If nothing else, yesterday he contextualized Wright into the broader narrative of the American racial division. He would not have been able to do that so ably if he had only learned about this philosophy last week.

This philosophy is divisive, and Obama was aware of it even if he had not heard its most extreme articulations. At the same time, this philosophy is clearly not the core mission of Trinity United Church of Christ. Jeremiah Wright does not wake up every morning dedicated to dividing people. However, the antipode of this divisiveness is the core mission of Barack Obama. He wakes up every morning dedicated to uniting people. This is why Obama thinks Wright is not just wrong, but "profoundly" wrong. Wright's divisiveness constitutes a grievous mistake on what Obama takes to be the central question of American identity - are we one people or are we not?

Accordingly, this inclines me to ask what Obama did about this profound philosophical error. He has been a parishioner for twenty years, and he has been a strong believer in this philosophy of unity for at least four years, since his keynote address in 2004. I appreciate that he cannot walk away from Trinity because the church speaks to who he is. However, I must ask whether he worked to persuade Wright and the parishioners who applauded so jubilantly at his divisive words that they were wrong on a matter of existential importance. If he did, what was the consequence of those efforts? Did he succeed in bringing about change at Trinity?

That's an important question. I hope that someone will ask him that.

His speech looked at the racial distrust that separates so many today and called for us to rise above those divisions. That's a pretty tall order of any one human being. I suspect that the presidency is not the best position in the land to heal that divide. The presidency, by its very nature, will lead to division. People who disagree with Obama's policies may be less inclined to want to listen to a separate message about racial unity. I suspect that Oprah Winfrey or Bill Cosby has done much more in their lives than any president would to accomplish the goals that Obama has set for himself.

But it is certainly a legitimate question to ask Obama what he's done in his own life, besides run for president, to heal those divisions? And since he said in his speech that he understood, yet deplored the suspicions that those of Reverend Wright's generation have of whites, did he attempt to bring Wright and his enthusiastic parishioners of all ages to Obama's own view of the races? And if he couldn't or didn't accomplish that in the relatively small environment of a church he had attended for 20 years, why should we think that he could do so from the White House?

Labels: Obama

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:08 AM 0 comments

Comments: Post a Comment

The truth about Avesil

Cheap Hosting

Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney

Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney

Wikio

Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights

Online Bachelors Degree

Thursday, March 20, 2008

A second look at Obama's speech

		Betsy's Page

HOME Betsy neither necessarily uses, nor endorses, the products advertised on this site. The truth about Avesil Cheap Hosting Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney Wikio Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights Online Bachelors Degree Comments from an AP history and government teacher in Raleigh, NC. e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you. Site Feed		Thursday, March 20, 2008 A second look at Obama's speech ABC News looked closer at what Obama has said over the past year about his awareness of the extent of his minister's anti-American rhetoric. And it turns out that he contradicted what he's said for a good long time. Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America's racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons. Similarly, Obama also has only recently given a much fuller accounting of his relationship with indicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a longtime friend, who his campaign once described as just one of "thousands of donors." Until yesterday, Obama said the only thing controversial he knew about Rev. Wright was his stand on issues relating to Africa, abortion and gay marriage. "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial," Obama said at a community meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, earlier this month. "He has said some things that are considered controversial because he's considered that part of his social gospel; so he was one of the leaders in calling for divestment from South Africa and some other issues like that," Obama said on March 2. His initial reaction to the initial ABC News broadcast of Rev. Wright's sermons denouncing the U.S. was that he had never heard his pastor of 20 years make any comments that were anti-U.S. until the tape was played on air. But yesterday, he told a different story. "Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes," he said in his speech yesterday in Philadelphia. Of course, he didn't characterize what would be considered "controversial." Perhaps one of the fawning reporters would ask him more specifically what controversial statements he had heard Wright make. Had he heard Wright blame the US government for the HIV virus because they wanted to exterminate blacks? Had he heard his support for Palestinian terrorists? Had he heard him saying that 9/11 was "chickens coming home to roost?" And if Obama had disagreed with Reverend Wright, did Obama attempt any of his vaunted ability to supposedly bring people together? Remember that that is the basic premise of Obama's public persona. He is the man that can help heal a divided America. Just as the races are blended within him, he can help blend our partisan ideologies and mistaken racial divisions. Jay Cost puts his finger on this essential question. Has Obama ever worked in some smaller context to heal that divide? Obama clearly understands Wright's philosophy - even if he never heard Wright say what has generated this firestorm. If nothing else, yesterday he contextualized Wright into the broader narrative of the American racial division. He would not have been able to do that so ably if he had only learned about this philosophy last week. This philosophy is divisive, and Obama was aware of it even if he had not heard its most extreme articulations. At the same time, this philosophy is clearly not the core mission of Trinity United Church of Christ. Jeremiah Wright does not wake up every morning dedicated to dividing people. However, the antipode of this divisiveness is the core mission of Barack Obama. He wakes up every morning dedicated to uniting people. This is why Obama thinks Wright is not just wrong, but "profoundly" wrong. Wright's divisiveness constitutes a grievous mistake on what Obama takes to be the central question of American identity - are we one people or are we not? Accordingly, this inclines me to ask what Obama did about this profound philosophical error. He has been a parishioner for twenty years, and he has been a strong believer in this philosophy of unity for at least four years, since his keynote address in 2004. I appreciate that he cannot walk away from Trinity because the church speaks to who he is. However, I must ask whether he worked to persuade Wright and the parishioners who applauded so jubilantly at his divisive words that they were wrong on a matter of existential importance. If he did, what was the consequence of those efforts? Did he succeed in bringing about change at Trinity? That's an important question. I hope that someone will ask him that. His speech looked at the racial distrust that separates so many today and called for us to rise above those divisions. That's a pretty tall order of any one human being. I suspect that the presidency is not the best position in the land to heal that divide. The presidency, by its very nature, will lead to division. People who disagree with Obama's policies may be less inclined to want to listen to a separate message about racial unity. I suspect that Oprah Winfrey or Bill Cosby has done much more in their lives than any president would to accomplish the goals that Obama has set for himself. But it is certainly a legitimate question to ask Obama what he's done in his own life, besides run for president, to heal those divisions? And since he said in his speech that he understood, yet deplored the suspicions that those of Reverend Wright's generation have of whites, did he attempt to bring Wright and his enthusiastic parishioners of all ages to Obama's own view of the races? And if he couldn't or didn't accomplish that in the relatively small environment of a church he had attended for 20 years, why should we think that he could do so from the White House? Labels: Obama posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:08 AM 0 comments Comments: ABC News looked closer at what Obama has said over the past year about his awareness of the extent of his minister's anti-American rhetoric. And it turns out that he contradicted what he's said for a good long time. Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America's racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons. Similarly, Obama also has only recently given a much fuller accounting of his relationship with indicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a longtime friend, who his campaign once described as just one of "thousands of donors." Until yesterday, Obama said the only thing controversial he knew about Rev. Wright was his stand on issues relating to Africa, abortion and gay marriage. "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial," Obama said at a community meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, earlier this month. "He has said some things that are considered controversial because he's considered that part of his social gospel; so he was one of the leaders in calling for divestment from South Africa and some other issues like that," Obama said on March 2. His initial reaction to the initial ABC News broadcast of Rev. Wright's sermons denouncing the U.S. was that he had never heard his pastor of 20 years make any comments that were anti-U.S. until the tape was played on air. But yesterday, he told a different story. "Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes," he said in his speech yesterday in Philadelphia. Of course, he didn't characterize what would be considered "controversial." Perhaps one of the fawning reporters would ask him more specifically what controversial statements he had heard Wright make. Had he heard Wright blame the US government for the HIV virus because they wanted to exterminate blacks? Had he heard his support for Palestinian terrorists? Had he heard him saying that 9/11 was "chickens coming home to roost?" And if Obama had disagreed with Reverend Wright, did Obama attempt any of his vaunted ability to supposedly bring people together? Remember that that is the basic premise of Obama's public persona. He is the man that can help heal a divided America. Just as the races are blended within him, he can help blend our partisan ideologies and mistaken racial divisions. Jay Cost puts his finger on this essential question. Has Obama ever worked in some smaller context to heal that divide? Obama clearly understands Wright's philosophy - even if he never heard Wright say what has generated this firestorm. If nothing else, yesterday he contextualized Wright into the broader narrative of the American racial division. He would not have been able to do that so ably if he had only learned about this philosophy last week. This philosophy is divisive, and Obama was aware of it even if he had not heard its most extreme articulations. At the same time, this philosophy is clearly not the core mission of Trinity United Church of Christ. Jeremiah Wright does not wake up every morning dedicated to dividing people. However, the antipode of this divisiveness is the core mission of Barack Obama. He wakes up every morning dedicated to uniting people. This is why Obama thinks Wright is not just wrong, but "profoundly" wrong. Wright's divisiveness constitutes a grievous mistake on what Obama takes to be the central question of American identity - are we one people or are we not? Accordingly, this inclines me to ask what Obama did about this profound philosophical error. He has been a parishioner for twenty years, and he has been a strong believer in this philosophy of unity for at least four years, since his keynote address in 2004. I appreciate that he cannot walk away from Trinity because the church speaks to who he is. However, I must ask whether he worked to persuade Wright and the parishioners who applauded so jubilantly at his divisive words that they were wrong on a matter of existential importance. If he did, what was the consequence of those efforts? Did he succeed in bringing about change at Trinity? That's an important question. I hope that someone will ask him that. His speech looked at the racial distrust that separates so many today and called for us to rise above those divisions. That's a pretty tall order of any one human being. I suspect that the presidency is not the best position in the land to heal that divide. The presidency, by its very nature, will lead to division. People who disagree with Obama's policies may be less inclined to want to listen to a separate message about racial unity. I suspect that Oprah Winfrey or Bill Cosby has done much more in their lives than any president would to accomplish the goals that Obama has set for himself. But it is certainly a legitimate question to ask Obama what he's done in his own life, besides run for president, to heal those divisions? And since he said in his speech that he understood, yet deplored the suspicions that those of Reverend Wright's generation have of whites, did he attempt to bring Wright and his enthusiastic parishioners of all ages to Obama's own view of the races? And if he couldn't or didn't accomplish that in the relatively small environment of a church he had attended for 20 years, why should we think that he could do so from the White House? Labels: Obama posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:08 AM 0 comments Comments: Post a Comment