Barack Obama, Race and the US Election
Last week Roger Cohen wrote a column in The New York Times in which he used his childhood in South Africa as a way to frame his thoughts about Barack Obama’s (to my mind pitch-perfect) speech on race last week. I am afraid that in the United States right now we are going to start seeing a slow bleed-turned-deluge of stories that will allow lots of white folks their excuse not to vote for Obama without appearing racist per se even when their motivation will be not to vote for the black candidate.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I respect your feelings, Obama is a Stand up guy,,but he losing American right and left,
When he made it a point to go on every news media and say he NEVER Heard REV Jeremiha Wright, say those things,,, then a week Later,,,He make his speech and flat out says Yes He was in church when he made those Remarks right there and then ,, Barack Obama is just a politician who just trying to get Elected,,, He Lied to all American,,, A lot of American including including Republican,, if Obama made it about Race,,, the black Community Will lose the Race,,My self, being a Mexican American, I would love to see, A black President Barack Obama is not him anymore,,, He has No integrity,,, and already lied Live on TV,,,Obama want everyone to look Beyond Race,,, Thats where he loses people,,,He telling All American,,, Look beyond Race while he hold a double standard, when it comes to Race,,,All America See’s that,, Like I said again and again,,almost 6 month ago When Don Imus said those things about the womens basketball Team,,Barack Obama said he should get fired,, Honestly I felt he should get fired,,,
but Jeremiah Wright we seen what he said about America and what He said about Hilary clinton personally He was way out of line,,, those comment are 1000 time worst than Don Imus,,, Obama refuse to Denounce him out right,,, then he tells every lets get beyond Race,,Barack has a double standard,,, just like Jesse Jackson & Al sharpton,,,
No American should be doing any kind of Remark like that,,, And I agree but when a black man does it and its happening more and more,, and In Jeremiah Wright, way worst,
there an excusee over excuses,
In other words,,, Barack Obama speech is saying “All White Americans Look Beyond Race”
While all black American live by there Double standard,,
Until Obama comes out clean, The Democratic party will remain split… I am in charge of over 100,000 blog pages that getting the word out against Barack Obama,, I monitor personally over 500,000 Negitive blogs on Hilary,,,geting the fact out,,,,If Barack Obama Really want Change,,,Then he going to Have to Start with him self,,,,
March 24th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Roger Cohen, notwithstanding, and all his noble verbiage, the racial divide would have long since disappeared were it not for hate-ridden maniacs like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Rev. Wright. Every time the problem seems to become less inflamed it is stirred into flame again by these idiots who make a living from stirring up racial unrest. If the races got along together with each other what would Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton do for a living? So it behooves them to stir it up every chance they get. Like the mentally diseased parent who gives a child something to keep him ill and frail so as to be continuously dependent on the parent, who cannot think of existence without the need of a child to sustain them. It has been many generations since slavery. It has been less since equal rights, but a geratd eal of time has passed. The memory of hate should have faded. But it will continue to come back to life as long as we have people around who will stoke the cinders into flame at the first chance they get.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Glenn –
I’m sorry to say it, but there is so much nonsense in your comment I think I actually grew stupider just by reading it. let me tackle issues one by one. I’ll place your comments in quotation marks and will respond by prefacing my comments with ***:
“Roger Cohen, notwithstanding, and all his noble verbiage, the racial divide would have long since disappeared were it not for hate-ridden maniacs like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Rev. Wright.”
*** Really? So racism in the United States is a function of these three men (I like how you lump them together, as if there is no difference between Sharpton and Jackson, the latter of whom has spewed very little if any hate, but my guess is they are all the same to you) and not of, oh, I don’t know, centuries of slavery and Jim Crow? Really? Very sound analysis.
“Every time the problem seems to become less inflamed it is stirred into flame again by these idiots who make a living from stirring up racial unrest.”
*** Again, is this really true? Or is this just vacuous sloganeering from some white guy who simply feels put upon? because i have to say, the overwhelming majority of racial issues have deep historical antecedents, and since I’d bet that you could not have identified Jeremiah Wright a month ago, I have a hard time seeing how it is his fault. of course no one who has actually seen the speeches that wright has made or read full transcripts can actually identify any race hatred on his part. But it feels so right to say and write — why let facts get in the way? Right Glenn? Are you with me! I know you are!
“If the races got along together with each other what would Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton do for a living?”
*** Again, why are you lumping Jackson and Sharpton together? I do not get the argument. jackson has become nothing if not a self-promoter, but to claim that he and Sharpton are one and the same reflects poorly on your analytical skills and does not make the cutting point you seem to think that it does.
“So it behooves them to stir it up every chance they get.”
*** How so? You provide all of these angry assertions without evidence. Thinking something does not make it so, killer.
“Like the mentally diseased parent who gives a child something to keep him ill and frail so as to be continuously dependent on the parent, who cannot think of existence without the need of a child to sustain them.”
*** Is this actually a sentence? If so, could you point me to the predicate or something? You are so taken with your own (actually quite clumsy) metaphor that you forget to complete the thought. must be Jesse Jackson’s fault. I think the disease you are referring to is Munchausen By Proxy, by the way.
“It has been many generations since slavery. It has been less since equal rights, but a geratd eal of time has passed.”
*** How much time has passed since the legacy of racism? It’s really all gone? Well, if you say so.
“The memory of hate should have faded.”
*** Big of you to decide that we’re over racism and that it is all the fault of a handful of black leaders. By the way, what does most of this have to do with Obama? because in his speech it seems to me that he is looking for a world far different from that of Sharpton. but I guess you missed it in your haste to link them all together.
“But it will continue to come back to life as long as we have people around who will stoke the cinders into flame at the first chance they get.”
*** Again, I guess American racism is the fault of blacks. Interesting argument. dumb as all hell. But in its way interesting if not in the way that you perhaps think.
dc