Posted by
That Darn Republican on Friday, March 21, 2008 6:06:14 PM
The Dr. Jeremiah Wright has been Barack Obama's "spiritual" mentor for over 15 years... and a subsequent season of on-again, off-again visitation. His Inflammatory remarks have left scorched earth behind many would-be Obama voters and have even more asking a very important question, if his campaign rhetoric has been about "hope and change"... what difference is he actually bringing to the table besides age old angry black man hate speech? I may not always agree with him, but it seems Chris Rock's humor on the subject of bitter old black bigots was a bit prophetic to this election cycle, "...craka a@# cracka!" he sharply quipped "ain't nothing worse than an old black racist" and after the maniacal rantings of his so-called mentor, he has waited, debated... and restated. But, has not come to an open disavowed of Dr. Wright and his comments being as they are. Now, I will say this - if the man is a friend as Obama claims, you can chastise him without acting like you don't know him. I believe we have all said things that have ticked people off to the point of just leaving the room, without leaving a friendship relationship. However, I do believe there should be a standard evoked, when it comes to potentially treasonous or seditious comments one should draw a line ans say enough is enough. But as a black social conservative myself, I have to point foul at both of them, Wright and Obama are lighter than I am... meaning cream got in the coffee somehow, and though I may share some European ancestry - I am not the creamer calling the coffee black. Seeing the left have a deep iniquity in being hypocritical, I find their Obama's response a bit "come Il' faux" so... here we are with the transcripts for the speech rendered by Barack H. Obama and I will be deciphering it's actual meaning for those of us who haven't swallowed the blue pill yet.
03/18/08 10:30 EST.
Presiding over National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
He Starts:
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”
"... Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787. "
If "creating a more perfect union" that is all he came away with.... no wonder he is confused. Again, more feel than real with him.
" The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations. "
To the progressive left, this would their patron mantra - the Constitution is a work in progress, and isn't done until they cover every aspect of living [whether right or wrong], which is expressly the contrary to what our founders created. They created a framework, it protects what you are... not who you become. because you may become somewhat of a problem, and then what? we constitutionally protect "problems" - I don't think so...
"...Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution — a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time. "
Though I agree with his initial statement... you wouldn't need "perfected over time" if you start with principles now. People who are not held accountable... won't be until brought to justice. That is not the law's fault, it is those charged with upholding its virtue. The Bible itself is one thing, but its wisdom and character are only upheld when followed. Is that the fault of the law? No. plainly the minds of the day. which is why our Constitution was written not withstanding the conventions of fallen man, which is a singular beauty of the document.
"...And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part — through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk — to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time. "
Again... more leftist play tools. Revolt, mayhem... what ever it takes, but being reasonable. The angry struggle... but yet never justified are their tools. The south broke the law... they wanted to secede, that was not constitutional. The moral issue of slavery is up to people to act on -- and they did. Once illegal to own slaves... the change has got to be up to that individual and God Almighty to change their hearts... not the the law and the state almighty.
".... This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign — to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together — unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction — toward a better future for of children and our grandchildren. "
Very carefully chosen words here... however, the marchers who originally marched got the job done. So what is Obama marching for? this is empty rhetoric.
"...This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story. "
Ok, great... but that's saying progressives are decent people, and we know they are not. Their whole purpose in life is to morally equivocate the lowest common denominator with that which is truly productive and life giving, that is not sane nor is it reasonable, however... many support him... many.
"... am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave owners — an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible."
I am the Grandson of one of the highest decorated black officers lucky enough to be stationed at Perl Harbor during WWII, he got decorated by saving the life of one of his bigot commanders... and his point was? My Grand Mother on my fathers side fled Florence and Mussolini's tyranny during the war... I was born in Little Italy in Chicago as a second generation by-product of the union of her and my Grandfather - the first black entrepreneur to ever own a major busing franchise in America.
I feel I can say this with confidence... if you live for your color, that is all you will live with... and you'll die with it too. My father moved us out of Chicago because it was bigot central, and the only people that stay there are people who are comfortable with it [like Oprah] The smartest thing my father did was move us to an environment where you can grow up not having to be distracted [by-in-large] by that bigotry, all to say reminiscing in it resolves nothing, knowing that it doesn't define you - but your actions, and character do are they reality we should be submitting to, thus are the feeling of one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"... It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts — that out of many, we are truly one. "
I can relate to that... besides it was so clear, not much to twist.
"...Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans."
Really, is that so? What most people see [and still do] is the striking difference between Hillary supporters, i.e. the radical social engineers and Obama supporters... ergo, those who would rather feel good than actually do good, then the rest of the country... those who know better and knows what it takes to make things happen and skin color was never a part of that equation. If you are effective and can help, we can work together to make a decent living, that is the conservative position.
"...This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either “too black” or “not black enough.” We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. ".
Very slick of him to project divisions between the Clinton camp and his as an outward sign of a national issue out of control.
"...And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike. "
The issue of so-called "race-bating" is directly related to how he has run his campaign, moreover everthing attached to it. He and his wife with her equally asinine comments have opened the door for other to more closely examine Mr. Hope and Change. His pastors words are just the latest volley, don't buy the hype.
"...I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. 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 — just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed. "
No, his condemnation is not unequivocal, and moved quickly to turn the light off his situation and find consensus through sympathy.
"...But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country — a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. "
His statement was true and I agree with it.
"...As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems — two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all. "
Wow, he just can't leave a tender moment of agreement alone; as his liberal talking points attempt to dragnet other ethnicities into a rather thin veiled inculcation of his "struggle", people are programmed to just accept his view on its own merit. That is what liberals don't understand. Rev. Wright teaches a very destructive separatist doctrine taught at some of the nations "elite" schools, that is not what a pulpit is for, but what am I saying... they are the United Church of Christ - and the UCOC never had a Christian theology anyway, they are Universalist...basically [again] humanist in form. No wonder Obama found it comfortable there for almost 20 years, if anything matches here it is Obama's rhetoric now complementing his reasons [motivations].
"... Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way. "
Passe' - attempting assuage the opinions of those who would never agree with you is a waste, the point is what are you prepared to do now? Apparently repeat until he believes it.
"... But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth — by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS. "
He didn't introduce him to Christianity, he introduced him [knowing his political objectives] to what was convenient for him and other cynical blacks politicians to be -- and that is what he believes. I have no doubt that Rev. Wright believes there is a God, but like many skeptics and social rebels, God just doesn't fit in with their agendas, that and I have heard no credible biblical evidence to support his leftist bent.
".. In my first book, “Dreams From My Father,” I described the experience of my first service at Trinity: “People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend’s voice up into the rafters. … And in that single note — hope! — I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion’s den, Ezekiel’s field of dry bones. Those stories — of survival, and freedom, and hope — became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn’t need to feel shame about … memories that all people might study and cherish — and with which we could start to rebuild.”
We can't be a united nations with separatist rebels in pulpits spouting all kinds of nonsense. Read carefully his words in this passage, "Christians in the lion's den" either his pastor never took the time to cover basic theologically correct history, or Obama is not well versed in scripture. I happen to believe both are true. I don't think the man is a follower of Christ, I believe he is a follower in liberal ideals. I have been to many denominations and churches... Presbyterian, Baptist, Assembly of God, Non-Denom's, the more liberal Vineyard and Foursquare churches, and what I see more prevalent in the latter is people who want to rinse themselves off with Jesus joy juice attend churches that feed a vein particular to their comfort zone, that is not what a calling is - that is what a ministry is. A ministry is a part... not the whole. No wonder we so many half informed Christians today. Obama is a spiritual fraud, but that is not his biggest issue... as people have already discovered that and is [subsequently] why his poll numbers have been steadily slipping, this issue could cost him the nomination.
"...That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety — the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity’s services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America. "
Let this be heard right now... this is the most offensive rhetoric I have heard from him thus far. Black people are not self identifying. There is no ethnic caucus by color alone - though the left is trying to make one, it by-in-large doesn't exist. If his church truly had the standing with blacks in this country as he generously claims, there would [almost] be no issue, but since patriots come in all colors... and citizens come in all colors, I found these words to be trite and dismissive. There is no collective black experience in America, like all American's we can [maybe] from time to time report an incidence of unfairness, or bias. But if God Almighty never promised us life would be fair... why does our government need to demand equivalency? That is over reach, and makes for incredibly costly, all inclusive government. Not what our framers had in mind. His church is appearing to be nothing more than a hot bed of separatist rebellion.
"... And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions — the good and the bad — of the community that he has served diligently for so many years. "
That is not a true statement, Rev. Wright has made blatantly bigoted statements not only against whites but against those who are Jewish as well. Now Mr. Obama is lying... just go onto Youtube to easily debunk that statement of his.
"... I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."
This is Obama's hypocrisy in high gear, in life we have always had to make choice of friends or co-workers we felt would lead us in a direction not fitting who we are, what did we do> We cut them off... this is a complete rhetorical recanting of his position as earlier stated. Politically or otherwise... Obama cannot even be intellectually honest here, and people want that in the Whitehouse? I hope he doesn't accuse Hillary of flip flopping in the course of the same speech in future debates because this is a grand one.
"...These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love. Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias. "
Clever, not too clever... but clever nonetheless. Geraldine Ferraro [yes] is typical of the liberal elitist bigots, but is she more a bigot than he, no... absolutely not. Does it absolve him of flip-flopping, no!
"... But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America — to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality."
Race is only important to people who can't let it go, he has a problem with it. Most people don'thave a day-to-day issue with it. But as a liberal, he doesn't have an issue without it, so... like anger, you have to constantly feeding that thing to stay ticked off, if not... you can't sustain being angry. This is [in a nutshell]the cruxt of leftist politics. The only thing amplifying this issue is people who won't let it go.
"... The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through — a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American. "
The fact of the matter is Mr. Obama is that it reflects nothing more than the steps he has taken in his life that have now painted himself in the corner, and he may not have the answers to get out of it... well, I hope he changes his position on his rhetoric. because right now... His words aren't matching his the reality.
"... Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. "
It is the height of bad taste to quote Faulkner to justify his position. Anyone who thinks the past is not past... is trying to rewrite it. He is part of that voice in radical liberal politics that is bent on revising it solely for political gain. That and Jim Crow is irrelevant, he needs to stay on point.
"... Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students."
Well, apparently he cannot stand on his own here and just deal with the issue his is embroiled in, not without grasping at straws to deflect away from the issue. Brown vs. Board of Education is the champion piece of patchwork legislation that provided the left with its only legal tactic to attempt to craft legislation not consistent with Constitutional law... Stare Deices. Without it, Roe .v Wade... and same sex legislation would cease to exist as we know it. America would be vastly safer, less socially volatile... and for more morally prepared to handle the issues facing us today, and some issues may not have even surfaced as issues because of it. Strange that he would mention it...
"... Legalized discrimination — where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments — meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today’s urban and rural communities. "
Again, a distraction from the main issue... America isn't on trial, he has some explaining to do. Liberalism is legalized bigotry!
"... A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one’s family, contributed to the erosion of black families — a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods — parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement — all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us. "
No one can legislate motivation, bullocks... excuses. Environment is part of it; what do we do - what the person next to us is doing. If the fool next to you isn't doing anything... chances are you're not either. That is why inner city ghetto's are over wrought with gang warfare, graft, corruption, and death. Because the value of human life becomes different when you are around people who don't value it either. Successful propagation of the entrepreneurial spirit is alive an all sectors of the economy, legal or not. It is just what common denominator one employs. The left consistently values the lowest, and they have no excuse... these lower income demographics the democrats have a stranglehold on, and they want to blame republicans? They are liars and have no excuse... no wonder the left is in an uproar, they have no clue who's lies to believe. Hillary's communist "solutions" or Obama's "hopeful" socialism.
"... This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What’s remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them."
All Obama is proving by beating a trail to other days is that he cannot let them go, and that their collective cynicism is an act of will. Therefore not deserving of special attention, but higher scrutiny of what he stands for and what his policies would be attempting to occupy the highest office in the land.
"... But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn’t make it — those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations — those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician’s own failings. "
It is not the role of our government to make economic, social or ethnic sauce for the goose, but only to make sure the playing field is level for all those on it. Seeing that makes government larger than it ought to be and far less effective. You break a cycle... by breaking it oneself. You change your direction by changing your mind and heart. You do that, you change your focus.
"... And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races. "
I am more than a little worried that he finds that kind of anger only a little unproductive. There is nothing productive about it, churches shouldn't be spouting any nonsense like that.
"... In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience — as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time. "
If he is going to effectively govern a nation as he somehow feels qualified to do, what is this "white community" and "black community" gibberish? That is liberal divide and conquer rhetoric in its unadulterated form. If we are all segmented, where is the "United" in our state? Our federal umbrella doesn't provide for such ethnic disarticulation. He is revealing more and more than he is not the choice for the Oval Office.
"... Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism. "
I am not part of a "collective" of black voices, I have my experiences unique to me. They may have patterns that may appear overall... But Reagan did more to liberate minds and get them off the spigot of government assistance and remind them of what true liberty is, what you make it... within the confines of the law. Liberalism says you cannot, that there must be some pervasive and overarching social ill instituted by a bigoted [than than their own bigotry]... it has bread a culture of economic dependency that was baited by the left back in the 60's - and has destroyed a generation of minds believing they are the sum of the checks they collect. No wonder crime is rampant in those areas, and have no further than those democrats they elect for why things haven't changed, because they have been the only ones in power.
"... Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze — a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns — this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding. "
This is a hypocritical statement of his, he is supported by lobbyists both on the pro-choice front as well and radical environmentalist lobby, so he wins no points there, and is supported by George Soros and the Moveon.org folks. he has no point here...
"...This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so nave as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy — particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own. "
No, that is where he and minds like his are... stuck between their loyalty to a destructive social movement, or his career goals, hmmmm... Go figure?
"... But I have asserted a firm conviction — a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people — that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union. "
Ok, still furthering on is his not-so-subtly bigoted undertone, we already worker together - just walk out your front door. Liberal minds [just like Hollywood and Madison Ave.... and the MSM] seem to think that projecting an image out of skew with reality is converting people to their cause - just what do they think they are protecting us from? Clearly we know what's going on, and it is not always what they say.
"... For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances — for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs — to the larger aspirations of all Americans — the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives — by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny. "
Ok, enough already with the community nonsense, you don't speak for me... Now trying to hedge his argument with feminist sentiments, he is truly a crafty politician... embedding union rhetoric in his agreements. He failed to mention that ah... that people in his camp control what media images we see, and the ones that say a woman is not fulfilled being a mother, another saying that keeping up with the Jones' is all that you should concern yourself with, and oh... by the way, we'll raise your children for you because we know what's best. No, I don't think so...
"... Ironically, this quintessentially American — and yes, conservative — notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change. "
The fallacy in all this is that somehow sound conservative principles are being mocked by even focusing them with leftist idealism.
"...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; as if no progress has been made; as if this country — a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old — is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know — what we have seen — is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope — the audacity to hope — for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. "
Outside of the "hope" rhetoric... I basically agree in principal with his overarching point.
"... In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination — and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past — are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds — by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper. ".
Right back into the frying pan of social and economic socialism. Take others money to make things better for people who actually need more guidance than money to make sauce for the [economic] goose, and while they are at it, treat criminals less criminal.
"... In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well."
That is the danger of Mr. Obama spouting that individual spiritual accountability acquiesce to government largess. We are not our brother's keeper in that since, scripturally you won't find anything other than treat others as you would [yourself] want to be treated, which is true, but he is incorporating things that aren't there as if they should be. There rhetoric of responsibility is not present in his language... if we are individually responsible that translates into a collect productivity... he omits that connection, because it undermines his arguments to the contrary.
"... For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle — as we did in the OJ trial — or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina — or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies."
On this I can solidly say that the left is a lie, if not for the politics of separatism, they have not political standing, nor voice. This is another distraction from the main issue.
"...We can do that... But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change. "
If we do Mr. Obama, the only distractions that will be entertained are the ones revealed when you uncover your agenda, which will be no surprise.
"...That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time."
Trust me, our irresponsible educational indoctrination system in the first thing on the minds of socially responsible citizens, but they cannot in good conscience part with more money for what we now to clearly be the indoctrination of our children into their lifestyle.
"...This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together. "
This is another distraction from the main issue at hand. remember he is preaching to a pre-screened room of his supporters. His populist saber rattling on healthcare isn't making one more person hear him out. Socialized medicine is the last think America needs -- it will truly bankrupt us, but wait -- that is what they want, right?
"... I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation — the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election. "
He is running because he feels he can, not that it has anything to do with what we need in the Whitehouse. Don't get it twisted, he has to be "hopeful" because in real issues like this one, when people get a real whif of what the man is actually about, they will [and already are] turn away. There is no 90 exchange program with your vote, best spend it wisely.
“…There is one story in particularly that I’d like to leave you with today — a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King’s birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta. “
Alrighty then?
“…There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there. “
Watch where he goes with this…
“… And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom. “
“… She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.”
Look at the seeds he’s planting.
“…She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too. “
“…Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice. “
“…Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”
“I’m here because of Ashley.” By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children. “
“… But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins”
Very, very, very craftily interwoven segue into his social justice mantra and higher taxes, very subtle, very slick… can’t you hear Ole’ Bill taking notes? I can’t say anything about the young ladies issue, but I think it typical of a liberal running for office that we be besieged with such stories for feelings sake. The whole point of being a productive citizen is that you prepare for your needs, because no one else is going to do it for you. No government has enough resources to carry off such a seemingly noble task. It is up to the private sector to be sensitive enough to adapt to the needs of people and cater to a market based on those needs, but again all of this a tragic distraction from his relationship with Rev. Wright, he completely recanted his distancing himself with his own mouth, to which he rather adeptly spoke out of both sides of. I think now we have a much greater picture on Barack Hussein Obama, and what we would have to deal with him on issues to bring this country back to the glory we once knew.