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[gkryhewy]

As a foreigner, American politics really blow my mind.

Never forget that 50% of Americans are drooling retards, and you'll never be surprised.

 

[Cheebs]

Falwell and Robertson have both been to the White House and had personal relationships with multiple Republican Presidents.

My point is that it's stupid for people to be making such a goddamn big deal out of this. White people can be really fucking stupid.

To be fair how many presidents were married by Falwell/Robertson, had their children baptized by them, and attending their church for 20 years?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

so this speech has not happened yet?


I fear this will be to most awesome speech ever or the greatest foot in the mouth backfire in the world.

 

[maximum360]

So then what's the real start time?

 

[Stridone]

I don't know, seems logical to me. When there's a scandal about a candidate that's been gaining steam for almost a week, if the candidate can't put the issue to rest with a speech after trying everything else then it's something that won't go away and might cost him the election if not even the nomination.

A rather shitty "scandal" to lose votes over imo, when Obama has already said that he doesn't agree with Wright.

 

[Triumph]

Odd...there's not many people there. It must be a press only event.

Romney had supporters at his. I think this is another mistake. He does better feeding off the energy of the crowds.

I disagree. If he starts to get strident during the speech, the media will make him look like a crazy black man, just like his pastor. Should be calm, cool, collected and portray an air of disappointment with his pastor, the media and stupid people.

 

[Triumph]

Pat Buchanan is reeeeeeeeeally trying hard to bury Obama over this. Sigh.

 

[gkryhewy]

Pat Buchanan is reeeeeeeeeally trying hard to bury Obama over this. Sigh.

No one that takes Pat Buchanan seriously was going to vote for him anyway.

 

[Tamanon]

Odd...there's not many people there. It must be a press only event.

Romney had supporters at his. I think this is another mistake. He does better feeding off the energy of the crowds.

Eh, his foreign policy speech was good in front of press only.

 

[XxenobladerxX]

Its supposed to be 1/2 hour long.

I think that's a horrible mistake. The longer he talks the more of an opening he creates. He can't ignore this problem, but he can't exactly throw Wright under the bus. There's a very fine line here and he's basically gambling his presidency on this.

No offence,but its a good thing your not a strategist for his campaign. :/

 

[electricpirate]

Odd...there's not many people there. It must be a press only event.

Romney had supporters at his. I think this is another mistake. He does better feeding off the energy of the crowds.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if he needs a high energy speech for this.

Whoa, they just got the crowd miked up, fairly loud already.

 

[XxenobladerxX]

Where is teh speech!!11

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Where is teh speech!!11

you can read it on drudgereport

 

[Clipjoint]

This CNN.com anchor is absolutely horrible. He sounds worse than a guy on a college station.

 

[gcubed]

he's probably stuck on 95

 

[XxenobladerxX]

you can read it on drudgereport

Fuck thats a long ass read.:lol

 

[worldrunover]

Odd...there's not many people there. It must be a press only event.

Romney had supporters at his. I think this is another mistake. He does better feeding off the energy of the crowds.

I can't understand why a campaign hasn't hired you yet!

 

[gkryhewy]

he's probably stuck on 95

He's already there - boss saw him escorted in.

 

[Tamanon]

BTW, that's a damn fine speech.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

starting some dude in introducing him

 

[siamesedreamer]

BTW, that's a damn fine speech.

Is it on his website?

(not that anyone here would ever say anything otherwise)

 

[The Lamonster]

Damn the text is enormous. I'll view it online (hopefully) when I get home this evening!

 

[Tamanon]

Is it on his website?

(not that anyone here would ever say anything otherwise)

Er I got it off Drudge. And it's on politico now too.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

started

 

[schuelma]

Is it on his website?

(not that anyone here would ever say anything otherwise)

http://drudgereport.com/flashos.htm

 

[Smiles and Cries]

okay I'm almost in tears here

 

[The Lamonster]

I'm not convinced this speech was the right way to go. It still seems like he's backed up against the wall on the defensive, making excuses for a poor decision.

 

[syllogism]

This is exactly the right kind of speech, I don't care if the public disagrees

 

[belvedere]

Wow.

America, ELECT THIS MAN.

 

[Tamanon]

The random applause bursts are weird. But it's a good message on the actual anger there.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

its an awesome speech that speaks to the issue of race in america

"the anger is real..."

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

Unity candidate FTW. Good speech.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

wow

 

[ToyMachine228]

Haven't read or listened to it yet, but I hope it goes well and clears a lot of things up.

 

[belvedere]

I thought I had typed in cnn.com but it seems that I've typed in foxnews.com after seeing this headline.

Obama Speech:Former Pastor 'like family to me'

Out of every moving sentence presented so far, they conveniently pick that one.

Predictable.

 

[schuelma]

Awesome speech (at least the text)

 

[Tamanon]

MILLS!

 

[Triumph]

MILLS!

 

[Smiles and Cries]

his delivery does make the text come alive... still its hard for me to believe we will get this change.

 

[Kildace]

Amazing speech. Quite simply amazing.

 

[ToyMachine228]

I haven't watched or read the speech yet, I will soon, but I think racial lines will always exist to some extent. With each generation however I think the "racial lines" less and less important.

 

[gcubed]

great speech

I haven't watched or read the speech yet, I will soon, but I think racial lines will always exist to some extent. With each generation however I think the "racial lines" less and less important.

you sure you didnt read it

 

[siamesedreamer]

That was an unbelievable speech.

 

[Tamanon]

That was an unbelievable speech.

I see what you did there

 

[XxenobladerxX]

Very good speech. I its time to end this tea party.

 

[harSon]

Great comparison between his white grandmother and Jeremiah Wright. An amazing speech overall, personally the best I've witnessed.

 

[syllogism]

Well I guess Andrew Sullivan liked it

Alas, I cannot give a more considered response right now as I have to get on the road. But I do want to say that this searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime. It is a speech we have all been waiting for for a generation. Its ability to embrace both the legitimate fears and resentments of whites and the understandable anger and dashed hopes of many blacks was, in my view, unique in recent American history.

And it was a reflection of faith - deep, hopeful, transcending faith in the promises of the Gospels. And it was about America - its unique promise, its historic purpose, and our duty to take up the burden to perfect this union - today, in our time, in our way.

I have never felt more convinced that this man's candidacy - not this man, his candidacy - and what he can bring us to achieve - is an historic opportunity. This was a testing; and he did not merely pass it by uttering safe bromides. He addressed the intimate, painful love he has for an imperfect and sometimes embittered man. And how that love enables him to see that man's faults and pain as well as his promise. This is what my faith is about. It is what the Gospels are about. This is a candidate who does not merely speak as a Christian. He acts like a Christian.

Bill Clinton once said that everything bad in America can be rectified by what is good in America. He was right - and Obama takes that to a new level. And does it with the deepest darkest wound in this country's history.

I love this country. I don't remember loving it or hoping more from it than today.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Curses, I was afraid I'd miss it. Is there video up anywhere yet?

 

[schuelma]

Well I guess Andrew Sullivan liked it

I enjoyed it as well...but Andrew Sullivan is about as pro-Obama as you can get.


What I find more interesting is that NRO's The Corner blog, while certainly criticizing parts of the speech, mostly all agree that it was well done and effective:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/


'It was a much better speech than I thought it would be. It had some lovely moments and he came across as a remarkably classy and decent guy. But I think there were some serious logical, philosophical, and political flaws to it. Anyway, I've got to write a column on it fast, so I'll be bowing out for a bit"


"But here was Obama praising the Founders for their ideals. Here he was noting the stain of slavery, but not letting it become THE story of the Founders, but only a part of the story, not letting it press out the reverence the Founders are due.

That might be the lasting legacy of this speech. The Jeremiah Wright controversy will eventually become a footnote in American political history. But the moment of the first serious black contender for the Oval Office speaking with reverence and admiration for slave-owning Founding Fathers, and dismissing explicitly the idea that the United States is, by virtue of the nation's Original Sin of slavery, a fundamentally racist nation, has the potential to become a turning point."

 

[schuelma]

More conservative blog reactions:

http://www.amspec.org/blogger.asp


"I've been as harsh on Obama's relation to Jeremiah Wright as anyone. But I'll be damned if I didn't literally tear up during the speech he just gave (and which, incidentally, he wrote himself). His expression of patriotic love for the only country in the world where his story is possible, his praise of how far we've come on the issue of race, his faith that we can and will come further -- it was pitch-perfect.

Yes, the association with Wright still bothers me, and in a perfect world it would be disqualifying. But I think he just put it behind him, and maybe even turned it into a news cycle victory.

Barack Obama is the most talented public speaker we've seen in a long, long time. He should never be underestimated. And frankly, it kind of scares me. Almost every time he veers toward policy prescriptions, I cringe. His rhetorical talent threatens to make him all too effective at passing bad laws."