Has his speech assuaged the fears of white America?

Two days ago, Barack Obama made a major speech that dealt with racist comments made by his pastor of 20 years.

Living in the US, it is impossible not to have been affected/changed/moved/annoyed by his speech. It has, and continues to, dominate the US airwaves.

I was curious about the reaction of the members here.

Could you tell me exactly which speech you are referring to, thanks.

Last Edited on 21-Mar-2008 2:04 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/us/politics/18text-obama.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=text+of+obama%27s+speech&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Edit - Sorry for the run-on. Don't know what I did. The speech is Obama's speech on race from Tuesday, I think.

Last Edited on 21-Mar-2008 9:43 AM

In answer to Bradd's question, I don't know whether the speech will "assuage white fears," but I am sure that it may have helped to lessen the impact of attacks on Obama that make a connection between Obama's views and inflammatory comments made by his pastor. It was necessary for him to reply because numerous self-appointed pundits were treating Wright's remarks almost as if Obama had made them himself.

Despite Obama's eloquence, those who pursue a racist agenda and who want to make race a central issue in the campaign will continue to zero in on Obama's vulnerability here, just as those who pursue a gender agenda and who want to make gender a central issue in the campaign will continue to zero in on doubts a woman such as Hillary Clinton effectively serve as president. Both candidates have had to work hard to overcome "identity politics." Unfortunately, no matter who gets the Democratic nomination, this campaign will continue to be marked by identity politics, simply because we're going to have either a woman or a black man running against an old white guy.

Returning to the speech, I believe that Obama did a good job of deflecting misgivings that more moderate voters may have had. There is no way to deflect the biased arguments of agenda-driven attackers and of people who have their minds made up and do not want to consider the facts. Obama accounted for himself quite well, but he probably should have done so more quickly. In an age of Internet politics, exaggerated charges can spread very rapidly. Unfortunately for all candidates, responding to such charges is something of a no-win situation. They must respond, but the response itself creates even greater coverage of the charges, regardless of how true, false, or distorted they are.

Speaking more generally, I feel that it's sad that, as the headline in the March 28 issue of The Week puts it, "The race issue takes center stage." For my money (quite literally), the economy should be in center stage – and I certainly believe it will be by the time the election rolls around. Race and gender issues may be relevant, but they are longstanding issues that no single presidential campaign can resolve. I want to hear the candidates talk about the economy, the war and national security, the environment, education and health care – not about matters that date back a century or more and obviously will remain as issues long after the next president (whoever he or she is) has left office.

By the way, the article cited above contains a fairly well-balanced summary of reactions to Obama's speech, with a consensus that it was an "important speech on race in America" but "failed to address the issue at hand" (namely his tolerance of Wright's inflammatory comments). Still, no matter how important it was, I don't believe that any amount of eloquent rhetoric can change the minds of those who have their minds made up, just as nobody can change Rev. Wright's mind.
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Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)

Gallup Poll: Over the past two days, Clinton's advantage has narrowed from 7 points to 5 points and now to 2.

Gallup writes that:

Clinton moved 7 percentage points ahead of Obama in Gallup's March 19 report and sustained a significant 5-point lead on March 20. Her gains were coincident with the controversy over Obama's former pastor and "spiritual mentor," Rev. Jeremiah Wright. However, the surge in Democrats' preference for Clinton that Gallup detected earlier in the week has started to move out of the three-day rolling average, and the race is back to a near tie. It is possible that Obama's aggressive efforts to diffuse the Wright story, including a major speech ... have been effective.

I would also add, however, that Barack Obama is doing this more off his own back where Hilary Clinton is following her husband. Whether or not Hillary could or would have otherwise been running, this will continue to be an issue to those who would make it an issue.