Posted on 03/21/2008 4:16:33 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Mr. Obama’s Philadelphia speech, in spite of its eloquent passages expressing his hope for better racial relations in America, is a mastery example of literary subterfuge, the broadening of the scenery whereby an object of inquiry becomes blurred and lost in the background, or more bluntly, the escaping of a slippery fish from a pond into a lake to hide in a wider expanse of water.
His speech is essentially a sophisticated lawyerly defense of Rev Wright’s sin on the basis of self-defense. While Mr. Obama’s understanding on the root causes of America’s racial problems is quite apt, he attempts to portray that it is Rev Wright’s racial circumstance, and it alone, that had led Rev Wright, with the inevitability of the fixed trajectory of a massive asteroid hurtling toward Earth, to castigate America and its other race with repulsive profanities. Thus, by Mr. Obama account, Rev Wright is a victim of the circumstance that he couldn’t have avoided.
Mr. Obama states: “The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static . . . ,” an apt analysis in view of his campaign slogan of “change” that will surely move the country out of the “static” stalemate under his leadership, but the truth is more tragic and personal.
Rev Wright, in spite of Mr. Obama’s defense, is not a victim of his circumstance, the circumstance of his race, but of his own hubris, of his own failure to keep hope and faith in what is good in America and other fellow race. While racism still remains in American society, America does not espouse racism as a creed, and while racism still lingers among some white, not all white are racist. The sin of Rev Wright is that he lost his faith and hope in America.
And Mr. Obama’s profound mistake in his defense is that Mr. Obama still sees America and its white race from the identity of an angry black intellectual who assiduously, in spite of his bi-racial background, and unlike many bi-racial people who refuse to identify themselves with a race, cultivated his black identity at the exclusion of his white heritage, which he laboriously exorcised out of his soul, as his 1995 autobiography testifies.
His line: “I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community,” clearly indicates where his loyalty still lies, to his intellectually cultivated vision of the unified black community, the community that men like Rev Wright mistakenly and pretentiously claim its leadership. But black community, like the white, are far more diverse, far less united than advocates of each race purport, except under the common American value espoused in our Constitution and the sense of patriotism for the land where our families and friends live, of which Rev Wright so flagrantly savaged.
For many black, Mr. Obama’s mention of Rev Wright and the black community in the same vein in his own defense grossly misrepresents the entire black community. Indeed, to them Rev Wright represents the past, the past that black community must depart, as much as the white community must from its lingering racism. And Mr. Obama’s defense of Rev Wright harks back to that unfortunate past, just as his conscious attempt to identify himself as a wholly black person (perhaps until recently) by abandoning his white heritage harks back to the grievous divisions of races precipitated by each individual’s conscious attempt at finding racial identity.
The dismal truth of his speech is that he failed to understand, while acknowledging the damaging nature of Rev Wright’s pronouncements to America’s racial relations, the obvious fact that Mr. Obama’s unflagging support of Rev Wright (that he is like Mr. Obama’s family member, that he cannot be disowned) has done further damages to racial relations and will continue to do so.
This is the sin of Barack Obama: he stood there by Rev Wright while the Reverend was caught up in his pride as a stirring preacher, a vainglorious social critic, spewing out his tirade decrying of the injustice of the whole nation, of an entire race, and he said nothing, did nothing, and to this day Mr. Obama still stands by Rev Wright and does nothing, notwithstanding his speech, except to keep his faith in the Reverend.
It is an admirable act of friendship fitting for a private citizen, but it is an act unbecoming of a US president, for he must stand, not by his friend who failed his hope and faith in America, but by his country and all its people. This, in spite of his rhetorical eloquence, Mr. Obama failed, no, refused to do. His speech did neither heal America’s racial problems nor of his own. Instead, many Americans increasingly perceive him as part of America’s racial problems, not the solution he wishes to present himself. Indeed, Mr. Obama, unwittingly, has become a racially divisive man, the Democrat’s November Bogeyman.
White liberals are shocked to have taped evidence that black people in this country don’t like white people. Nobody saw that coming.
I know the writer is referring to the speech in Philly... but as for the city itself, Obama isn’t going to fail there at all.
I’m sure Obama will get at least 150% of the votes cast in the city of Brotherly Love.
White liberals are shocked to have taped evidence that black people in this country don’t like white people.The most amusing thing about this whole incident to me is how much more shocked liberals are seeing the "GD America!" video, and other such videos. We conservatives aren't so shocked. We've been aware of this stuff for decades. The liberals, ever their heads in the sand, seem to be hearing this for the very first time.
How do you spell moron? L - I - B - E - R - A - L.
White liberals are shocked to have taped evidence that black people in this country don’t like white people.The most amusing thing about this whole incident to me is how much more shocked liberals are seeing the "GD America!" video, and other such videos. We conservatives aren't so shocked. We've been aware of this stuff for decades. The liberals, ever their heads in the sand, seem to be hearing this for the very first time.
How do you spell moron? L - I - B - E - R - A - L.
All the mud the Liberals threw over the years is coming back right their faces.
His only link to the Jesse Jackson black voter is Wright. BHO was a rich white boy growing up in Hawaii remember.
I think the most cowardly thing this guy did was to throw his own grandmother under the bus to save his political ass and "Rev" Wright.
I love how the Dems are having buyers remorse now and realize both their candidates suck. The problem is they have sucked since day one. Do Dems ever bother vetting their candidates?
The Dems have two options, either steal the election from Obama and alienate the young and black voter or go full force and nominate Obama with Bill Richardson as his VP. When they lose they can blame it on white racism.
The other option I guess is to nominate John Edwards in a move to heal the party and let him pick BHO as his VP. Still a death blow to the Rats.
Great comparison.
Allegiance to his crony outweighs allegiance to his fellow Americans.
Barack thought he had a good thing going when he anointed himself "Official Healer* of Race Problems."
From that high throne he could pass out dispensations to his supporters when they played the "race card" and he could mete out punishment to his opponents for comments he labeled as racist.
Barack still has a good future ahead of him....as the successor to Al Sharpton.
*Physician heal thyself.
"England had experienced a period of peace after the reconquest of the Danelaw in the mid-10th century. However, a new wave of raids began in 980 and a sizable Danish force began a sustained campaign in 991. During the next quarter of a century England was devastated by a succession of large Danish armies, either under the leadership of King Sweyn I of Denmark or of other commanders such as Olaf Tryggvason and Thorkell the Tall, which Ethelred's government failed to combat effectively. He was only able to halt the depredations of these armies by the payment of large sums of money known as Danegeld. Each payment led to the withdrawal of the Danes, but on each occasion a fresh onslaught began after a year or two, and each Danegeld payment was much larger than the last."
Hmmm, a foretaste of Barack the Unready in office?
Uhhhh, Ed Rendell controls Philly. Fast Eddie has come out in support of Hillary (he is a long time friend of Bill). Ed will deliver Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the entire Commonwealth for the Clintons. Bet on it.
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