A Sermon of Obama's Own

When friends ask me why I'm supporting Barack Obama I enjoy saying it's because of his name. As a fellow former black kid with a funny name, I believe there are certain invaluable lessons that one learns while growing up in this country with a "non-traditional" American or Anglo-Saxon name. I would even argue that this experience is instructive in building character because of how it forces a person very early on in life to think critically about his or her relationship with this country. One finds in Obama's speeches and writings decades worth of evidence on the outcomes of his meditations on his relationship with this country -- and what often gets neglected is that his resounding conclusion in all these meditations is that he belongs here. The audacity of Obama's hope is not simply that he wants to play a part in changing the future, but that he wants to play a vital role in changing America's future.

Obama is intelligent enough to be eminently cynical of this nation's capacity to change. Rather than be cynical, Obama has instead opted to be hopeful, a decision that as the recent events surrounding his relationship with his former pastor Jeremiah Wright reveals makes him a curio and a contradiction--but only in the minds of others -- not his own -- and rarely in the minds of African Americans. Black folk know that his campaign would implode were he ever to cross the line not set up by us between empowering and angry. We also know that the longer this campaign goes, the test is not whether he has any skeletons in his closet as Hillary Clinton's recurring claims about being vetted suggests, but rather does he have the intestinal fortitude to withstand what is sure to come his way. Clinton is correct in posing this question and exceptionally shrewd in allowing it to linger in the air throughout this campaign. With so much at stake in this year's campaign and recent history having proven itself so deceptive, democrats have had to go to bed the last eight months worrying about whether Obama is the second coming of Gary Hart or Howard Dean -- and have begun losing sight of the fact that he has thus far proven himself to be neither.

In a political scene dominated by familiar names whether in terms of notable families such as Bush, Clinton or McCain, or, whoever is next to enter the catalog of dubious distinctions, it is the kid with the funny name that seems to be doing the most to make his family proud. Obama's speech in Philadelphia today about race in American politics addressed many of the curious contradictions that have beleaguered this nation in regards to race. Curious contradictions in this nation's fascination with bloodlines prompted Strom Thurmond, and Thomas Jefferson before him, to keep some of their kinfolk in the closet. Meanwhile, in his attempt to disable our preoccupations with facile conversations about race, Obama has persistently made public his families taxing accounting of race and reconciliation.

Curious contradictions declaring that African Americans are free to exhibit dexterity in dance, sport, and style, but not in thought, we are to be pleased with passage of laws professing civil rights but should refrain from pursuing an equal education and other means to ensure these rights, are too often par for the course in this country. Buoyed by the controversy that his association with Reverend Wright finds him in, Obama reiterated that the problems of the color line neither begin nor end with Reverend Wright; they are to be found in this nation's tattered public education and healthcare systems, prisons rolls, and an economy teetering on collapse.

A sermon as much as it was a speech, Obama's address today reminded married together the prevailing elements his campaign: a change is gonna come and the answer our friends is blowin' in the wind.

Read more HuffPost coverage and reaction to Obama's speech

Comments

[CubanPete]

I am still waiting for Michelle Obama to come out and publicly denounce her Reverends mentality. Didn't we want to know ALL about Hillary Clinton when she was the candidate for First Lady back when Bill was running? Shouldn't we hear from our potential First Lady what she thinks about the Reverend and why she felt it was okay to drag her to young children to his sermons? I personally think (like with most familys) one of the spouses chose what paster you are going to listen to or what church you are going to attend, and in the Obama family it is obvious to me that Michelle make all the family decisions. When are we going to examine what she is all about?

[RStar]

HuffPost's Pick

My take is that part of America is ready for Obama. But for those Americans that were not ready, and really not ready to have a frank dialogue about race; those who always wanted his campaign to "be above race," it was just a matter of time before things became to real. And the reaction? Well, many could have scripted it. I'm glad, for better or worse for Obama, that he went there. Sure he could have gone there, but he went all the way there, which was certainly not necessary.

My sadness lies in the fact that when faced with two real issues on the table (the Wright issue and the enormous race issue), detractors seem to just pick up the Wright issue and conveniently ignore the elephant. That says to me that those people are not ready and unwilling to move this discussion forward. Even giving credence to both issues suggests that while someone still may be deeply offended by Wright's comments, that they realize this game is bigger than that. You don't have to stop being offended to realize that the olive branch is also being extended to the country.

Well let me say this. Many of those who solely focus on Wright are not ready for a black president. As a matter of fact, they never were. Any black person who has grown up in this country is somehow associated with an angry black man/woman who is angry with America. Shocking, I know. Therefore, this debate would come up with any black candidate to run for office and get this far because it is a real, tangible issue, and it is divisive. But the issue once on the table is, what now? This larger, stale race issue has been sitting in the breadbasket for years. But it's so moldy and stinky that no one dares go near it. So it will sit and fester, while we get angry at people getting angry and everyother issue that is an effect of the bread, but no ... we don't get near that basket.

Unfortunately, the pattern that I'm seeing suggests that there are those content with being offended about how angry some people are, without asking the next logical question: Why are they angry? Anyone who asks that latter question will find that there are rational reasons for this anger. Is it the most productive? No. But ingoring the issue isn't productive either and leaves us in the perpetual stalement that Obama referred to. Why are so many working-class white people angry at minorities? We could sit here and focus on their anger, or we could ask why are they angry and what can be done about their problems? Screw his campaign, because to me its bigger than that. It's clear to me that there is only one productive way forward on the table. Why so many people are choosing the same old path baffles me. On second thought, unfortunately, it doesn't baffle me because time and time again people steer away from the difficult path, the path that requires them to work with someone on the other side for something better for everyone. But I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful that people see beyond Wright and to this opportunity we have to move forward.

Btw, Ferentz -- beautiful piece.

[AjicNYC]

WE are electing a President, This is a Campaign , OBAMA did not want his race to come up in the race because of his history.That was his decision!!!! He just wanted to play the race card here and there in small innuendoes. i.e. Bill Clinton , Ferraro. Now he got busted. And there is no way out except to thow yourself at the black community and say look how I get treated. PAH-Leeze. and I am sure there are people in the BLACK community who feel the same way. He is will to drag this country in the mud to get elected

[paciere]

Wright's sermons are very offensive! Why doesn't Barack Obama stand up for the citizens of America, who constantly work hard to fight for our God-given rights and freedom? Why isn't he apologizing for the words and actions of his "Uncle"? Is Barack Obama so cold-hearted and thick-skinned, that he is too proud to say "I'm sorry."?
Should we allow a person who's associated with someone with anti-American beliefs, run for the presidency? Perhaps, he was crossing his fingers, in hopes that his relationship with Jeremiah Wright would never come to the attention of the American people.

[FourthOfJulyBaby]

You are correct Sen. Obama is not one bit sorry for the the ofensive words of his "Uncle". What I heard in that speech was Obama dissing his Grandmother to justify his continued Close relationship with Rev. ("God Damn America") Wright. Pathetic dropping your Grandmother into it with a back handed smack of she sacrificed everything for me but was afraid of Black Men. She is your Grandmother Sen. Obama not a Political pinata for you whack open in front of the world for your Political salvation.

[1dogs2]

HuffPost's Pick

I'm really tired of the "Obama threw his grandmother under the bus" trope that is boomeranging around the echo chamber this morning. I've heard or read it at least two dozen times in opinion pieces in newspapers, on cable news programs, on the PBS morning call-in show, and in comments on HuffPo this morning.

It may be worth examining what underlies the outrage of those who who parrot this position. Is it the idea that no one should ever speak ill of a member of one's family outside the family? If that's the basis for the outrage, then those repeating this trope must believe that the expression of racist attitudes within a bi-racial family is an ill that should remain locked up forever in a box labelled "family secrets" rather than being acknowledged so that the wounds such attitudes have caused the American family may begin to be healed.

Why does Obama's loving description of his grandmother and acknowledgement of both her devotion to him and her racial fears strike the author of the previous comment as a "back handed smack"? Because the author sees Obama's speech as a cynical political manoeuver rather than as an expression of his core beliefs during a political season in which his candidacy was inevitably going to raise these issues at some point.

The millions of people who have voted for Obama during the primaries are ready to put the racial divide that is a fact of our history behind them, even if doing so requires honest and sometimes painful introspection and public debate. They recognize his authenticity and reject the cynical assessment of his motives that the previous comment offers. If enough of our core American values, including celebrating our differences as one of our greatest assets, have survived the debasement of our national politics over the several decades, we will be able to seize this moment to find a better way forward. If not, we are doomed to more of the same fecklessness and cynicism that have brought us to the present sorry state.

[JasonEverettMiller]

You are among the minority who take criticism of America as being un-American. This is also what labels you a troll and/or a neocon/neolib. No real progressive would hear Reverend Wright's anger (or know of his service as a US Marine) and call him anti-American. His sermons are purely American. No real progressive would be so ignorant of our nation's past or unable to address the obstacles to attaining our destiny as a nation. Carry on smartly, troll.

[1dogs2]

To paciere: Now that you have posted the identical questions at least half a dozen times this morning, even though those questions have been answered in several of those posts, would you think of something new to say, ideally something that actually furthers the conversation about the state of race relations in this country and how to transcend our racial, religious and cultural differences?

[colette]

Thanks for this articulate post. I appreciate it. But I am beginning to wonder if this country truly is ready for a black presidential candidate -- one who actually did emerge, at least in part, from the black urban experience.

The spin on Rev. Wright's comment has been so furious, so constant, you'd have thought it was one of Adolph Hitler's diatribes. What Wright might have said in these 30 seconds of tape, and perhaps many other times, is not anything as vile as many right-wing preachers the Republicans have sucked up to -- remarks from pulpits about AIDS being God's judgement on homosexuals, for instance, was not an uncommon contention. He also was not suggesting people go out and grab a gun, or plant a bomb, or round up "undesirables" and banish them. He was expressing frustration in an oratical style that's extreme, harsh, but nonviolent and within the bounds of free speech.

How could all these resentments my fellow white citizens have about a lot of things (some of them, as Obama pointed out, quite justified) be catalyzed by the mere idea of a black leader attending a church where things were said that he does agreed with, and other things were said that he doesn't agree with? It takes me back to the Malcolm X days, when he was branded Public Enemy One for voicing a mixed bag of concerns -- some harsh and strident, others constructive and inspiring. Even MLK on occasion said things that white Americans found very hard to hear.

Pastor Wright's long career of miliary service, assisting the poor and homeless, providing shelter and succor to a very large black congregation, is totally eclipsed by soundbites because we can't deal with the anger many black men of his generation feel -- or the complexities of faith and friendship. There's no balance or empathy, only condemnation.

The mass reactionary moralizing over this, over Elliot Spitzer's pathetic self-destruction, the "gotcha" mentality in info-tainment, is rising to fever pitch. I wonder what the rest of the world thinks about us as they watch us tear ourselves to pieces over two candidates who are dedicated public servants, with enough love for this country to put up with this constant firestorm.

Now I'll sign off, and await the enevitable hate retorts tossed my way, under that dubious immunity email gives us. I wonder, if we were not all anonymous in these exchanges, might we would be more civil?

[JasonEverettMiller]

Don't worry. We are in the majority this year, thank god! As Barack said and Will.i.am emphazised in his song - the chorus of cynics will only grow louder and more dissonant. I think most of us hear what barack is saying and that is why he is going so well, despite the powers that be who are trying to sink his candidacy.

I appreciate your anaymous remork. That is why I started posting under my own name. I noticed that I would be a little over the top in my responses when cloaked in anonymity. Since I am unabashedly in favor of Barack Obama and willing to embrace his ideas for moving this country into the 21st Century, I decided to be me and keep a closer eye on how I communicated my beliefs.

It has made me soften my language and rhetoric as well, since I am held accountable as Jason Everett Miller and can't hide behind a name like Assholeof theCentury.

[JasonEverettMiller]

Sorry for the typos. I neglected to use spell check this time.

[PardonMyFrenchFries]

I can't figure out if Obama is a lecturer or a Minister in this election year. I was hoping for a president?

[azureblue]

Then get away from Fox news & start thinking on your own. Like go learn what qualities make an effective successful leader. And maybe ask your self why you did not ask your question about hukkabbee. You know, the so called "preacher" who thought he was going to turn America into a Southern Baptist theocracy..

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

Did you guys know that Colin Powell walked out of one of Wrights anti sematic RANTS? Did you know Oprah Winfrey left the church as well?

I am convinced that if Obama was caught CLUBBING BABY SEALS on the head on tape, you would STILL find some kind of BIZARRE exuse to vote for him.

This is the liberal medias fault. They HYPED the guy to death when nobody knew much about him. Now they are left holding the bag with a guy who is simply unelectable in the general election.

[knixphan]

What will you say after his inauguration? Please post again that day.

[rwferr]

As long as you will post after his defeat. He cannot win. He could not win before Wright and now its absolutely impossible. Remember that the vasy majority of people will never see or read Obama's speech anyway. All they will see are more and more clips of the pastor. Not to mention the fact that Obama won none of the large states he needs to win to win the election and won a majority of red state caucuses that he will never win in the general election. He will lose spectacularly ala McGovern.

[whagerbaumer]

I attended kindergarten in the same school in Augusta, Kansas where Obama's grandmother taught. My father worked in the same refinery in Augusta Kansas where Obama's grandfather worked. My grandparents on both sides belonged to the Ku Klux Klan in Tulsa , Oklahoma and went on rides of terror through the black neighborhoods. I only saw one black person in the whole time we lived in Kansas and he scared the bejeebers out of me. At that time I did not even know that there were anybody but whites. My father hated blacks and Jews. He went crazy whenever a black did not get off the sidewalk when he passed and hated blacks sitting next to him on the subway in Philadelphia. He cussed out blacks who crossed the street and made him wait. He went crazy about blacks and whites marrying and having children. I am sure Obama's grandfather heard racist comments from my father. He didn't hold much back.

I love my parents and my grandparents and although I denounce the racist hatred that they had within them, I know too much about the good hard work they did and the love they had for God and most of humanity to denounce them as people.

I love Obama. I love the speech he gave. May we all start to open up to each other about the climate of racial hatred that surrounded us as we formed our ideas about our selves and those who are like and those who are dissimilar to ourselves.

[AjicNYC]

so thats your racial story your grandmother was afraid of a balck guy. what your story with race???Does race play a factor in your life now, when you see a black guy are you scared????

[TheIndependenceParty]

NYC is a totally different place than Kansas, where I lived as a boy. When I lived in Kansas, my best friend did not even reveal to me that he was a Jew, ... until I moved to PA and discovered it for myself. JFK was killed, and we began to come to our senses in the Midwest.

This home to me, Philadelphia, opened world's of new beliefs and experiences to me, ... foods and languages, religions of every sort, ... arts and music, landscapes and museums, rivers, bays and oceans, ... Cities like New York, and Baltimore, ... Washington DC, and Boston.

Barack Obama brings the hope to me that I have held since moving to Philadelphia in 1964.

We must begin again, ... imagine America beginning over.

[2belinda]

If we don't have open, honest public discourse about the differences and misunderstandings and fears that different races and cultures exhibit towards one another in America then the problems and resentments caused by racism will never be resolved. Hate is destructive.

[AjicNYC]

You guys know he gave this speech to save his campaign.. Right???

He wants you to tell him that it was OK for him to build a 20 year relation ship with a racist. I will not do that . I am not racist , I did not have slaves.

Dont let him use race again(sigh) to make you feel guilty .

He just had to answer . WHAT ANTI-AMERICAN THINGS DID YOU HEAR WRIGHT SAY??AND WHY DID YOU STAY THERE AND SUBJECT YOUR FAMILY TO THIS HATERED??

How dare he try to start a race war.

[XYZ]

Yeah but he hit the ball out of the park in the 7th inning.

[unsolved999]

Ajic NYC, You seem very angry. Don't be angry. There will be a woman president. Probably very soon. You do understand that most of us Obama supporters are not against a woman being president. We just don't feel that the first woman president should NECESSARILY be the wife of a former president. I for one would vote for Hillary over McCain. It's just that for once I would like to vote for my hopes rather than voting for my fears or not voting at all.

[StephieL]

Barack Obama confronted America's "dirtly little secret" -- the lingering presence of racism in our society -- with boldness, courage, honesty, and yes ... audacity. He was audacious enough to speak to the American people about the issue of racism which still haunts us, and he addressed both black and white Americans with compassion, reason and a depth of honesty which we rarely see from our elected officials. Has anyone heard this same kind of honest speech from Hillary Clinton or John McCain lately?

And for those in certain political circles who say that Obama's candidacy is "finished", and that he's "lost all credibility" .. they should read the transcript of his speech again, and read it with understanding. Sen. Obama is a fighter, so I'm not about to count him out yet.

[AjicNYC]

the only thing that was revealed was his "dirti little secret" he is a racist and will do anything to get elected.

Its really not his fault he has been listening to wright for 20 years.

Obama is a Liar and a sneak

[AnninCA]

Check out the ageist comments about Murtha in the wake of his inspiration.

Then, let's talk.

[Casanavelaw]

Let this mixed-race man with an unusual last name tell you that you could easily be completely wrong. The more people there are who read or hear his words with an open mind the more likely that the "conventional wisdom" will be proven unwise.

[PioneerKing]

As Michelle Obama likes to say the bar is always raised higher for someone with a name like Barak Obama. Therefore, Sen. Obama's speech will not be enough. Pundits in the main stream media like to talk about transcendence and how Barak Obama was accepted because he did not make white America feel guilty. Members of the main stream media are constantly reminding Americans that it is blacks who must transcend race, yet, somehow whites are not held to the same standards. As a result divisiveness remains the currency of political expediency. Divisiveness keeps us from addressing substantive issues such as the bailout of Bear Stearns, $111.00 barrel of crude oil, China's treatment of Tibet, trade agreements that undermine the fabric of our economy, mortgage and lending crisis and undermines the fabric of our society, divisiveness will remain king and Sen. Obama's speech will not be enough. The speech will not be enough. This is the beginning of the downward spiral of Sen. Obama's campaign. The events of the past few weeks have become justification for democrats who have been hesitant to support Sen. Obama to turn away from the senator and his message of Hope. These democrats, as well as independents and republicans, now have a "justifiable out," without having to question their bigotry or racism. The events leading up to Sen. Obama's speech today are tantamount to the straw that broke the camel"s. These events are all that were needed to allow hesitant delegates to back away from Sen. Obama and to back Sen. Clinton. Sen. Obama"s presidential campaign has peaked, the shining beacon of his political capital has been tarnished and the long term out look for his future in politics has become clouded.

[clemo]

Barack Obama has hardly peaked. He is our next president of the United States. He will be one of the greatest presidents we've ever had. His speech was honest and made me proud to be an American because we all have the capacity to grow in our thinking. The "thinking" will be hard for some and they will fight it at first, but it is necessary for us to move forward as a nation.

[spacealien]

i think closed and closeable ears will be closed and open minds will stay open. his speech today brought tears to my eyes and made me realise that we have such a rare opportunity with barack obama. it made me sad to think that this remarkable oppty that we have in him could be over. i believe in the american people. and i believe that it is a sad day when all we do is close our ears repeatedly and close our minds repeatedly and order more of the same repeatedly. this country is hurting in so many ways and i do not believe that either mccain or clinton offer much more than a loose fitting bandage. i believe he embodies the american spirit, story and vision. if he fails, i believe we all fail in some profound ways. and i dont want to look at america being a country that only promotes the same tired ass politicians & politics and reminds us all that we are broken, segregrated, stupid, hateful, voiceless and powerless.

[Casanavelaw]

My comments above were meant as a reply to PioneerKing

[Ferentz]

PioneerKing,

Thank you for bringing up the Bear Stearns debacle. I was surprised to hear that a) JP Morgan bought the firm for a tenth of its sale price from a year ago, and (b) that JP Morgan will reportedly receive 30 Billion in tax breaks in order to help this deal through. That is simply appalling. The Fed might as well just print more money in order to solve this financial mess rather than try giving the impression that it's operating with any forethought.

[MariaHopeful]

Which world are you living in PioneerKing? You should have prefaced your comments with, "This is what I hope will happen..." How many powerful moments have Obama given us in his year-long campaign? You tell me of another politician who has come even remotely close to what Obama has offered thus far? You can stick to your same ol' same ol' politicians but as for me, I choose Obama!

[AnninCA]

The reason the speech isn't enough is that he failed to explain why he ever stayed in that church, why the hate-filled pastor is his mentor, why he's defending him, why he lied, and how he showed a lack of judgment in all of the above.

Moreover, I think it came through that his political attitude WAS formed in this environment.

He's getting blasted by many Democrats for how he was petty and tried to compare Ferarro to Wright and how he even used his own grandmother as a racist.

I am glad you guys were moved.

But I don't honestly think race is the focus of this year. I do think the economy is and how to get us out of the war and health care.

These issues benefit all of us, not just the AA voters.

In the meantime, just on a practical level, this type of talk doesn't really do much. The nasties are out bashing Murtha because of his age. Ageism is just as insidious as any other ism. So much for inspiration.

[in4success]

he actually explained it very clearly. the reason, however, was based on qualities that are way out of reach for your limited and flawed logic.

[gcswift2]

A full and total response:

You said:
why he ever stayed in that church, why the hate-filled pastor is his mentor, why he's defending him, why he lied, and how he showed a lack of judgment in all of the above.
Obama said:
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 sets and YouTube, 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
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, and who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who over 30 years has 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.

You said:
Moreover, I think it came through that his political attitude WAS formed in this environment.
Obama said:
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 the 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 disagree.

You said:
He's getting blasted by many Democrats for how he was petty and tried to compare Ferarro to Wright and how he even used his own grandmother as a racist.
Obama said:
I can no more disown him than I can disown 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 her by on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are part of America, this country that I love....
And I suppose the politically safe thing to do 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 bias.
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.
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 not yet made 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.

You said:
But I don't honestly think race is the focus of this year. I do think the economy is and how to get us out of the war and health care.
Obama said:
"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 the ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.
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 20 more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.
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. 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.
This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this presidential 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.

You said:
These issues benefit all of us, not just the AA voters.
Obama said:
I chose to run for president 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 may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction: toward a better future for our children and our grandchildren.
And this belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people.

You said:
In the meantime, just on a practical level, this type of talk doesn't really do much. The nasties are out bashing Murtha because of his age. Ageism is just as insidious as any other ism. So much for inspiration.
Obama said:
---(silence)--- Ok, nothing about ageism, but he did make reference to the generational shift when he said:
This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African- Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late '50s and early '60s, 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 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....
Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race... 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.... 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 and questionable accounting practices and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many.





You said:
So much for inspiration.
Obama said:
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 -- we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."





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