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Obama Hits the Mark in Race Speech
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Race
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| Contributor | RBH |
| Last Edited | RBH Mar 18, 2008 05:43pm |
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| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 11:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | There were a number of factors that made the speech work. First of all, he didn't just devote a couple paragraphs to Pastor Wright. He wove him throughout the entire speech. It came across as a masterful stroke because he didn't minimize the controversy and yet at the same time was able to explain how Wright's comments fit into the larger "anger" issue within the black community.
In addition, as it relates to the Pastor Wright controversy, I thought the key lines were these:
"For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely."
The reason this part was important was because Obama was able to insulate himself on the authenticity issue. In other words, this was a pretty full mea culpa. He admitted that he sat in church while hearing remarks that were controversial. He will always have his doubters. Some will say he should have left right then and there but Obama argues that you have to look at the whole picture. He's making the case that Wright's ministry needs to be seen in totality. Voters will decide if that is a sustainable argument.
Some may question his judgment, but once you lose your authenticity, you lose everything. One of the big concerns people had was that Obama was making it sound like he had no idea that his pastor was controversial -- like Obama was living in some sort of bubble. But in this speech, Obama was clear that he knew about "stuff" that his pastor was saying. It was a raw moment. We'll see if it comes back to bite him. I think him coming clean about it has more upside than to deny the obvious. |
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