Obama speech on race
I thought it was amazing, but then again I’m an Obama fanboy. A little long, perhaps, and I’m always annoyed when a speech concludes with a (semi-cute) personal anecdote. And it probably doesn’t contain any ready-made soundbites, or at least ones beneficial to Obama.
But it feels wrong to talk about this speech in purely political terms. Whether you believe he’s sincere or not, today Obama talked about race in a way we do not often see on the national stage, and certainly not from a presidential candidate. Talked about black resentment over the lingering and current effects of racism, yes, but also white frustration with their own struggles to get ahead, and how easy it is to blame others for those problems.
Moreover, Obama talked about them in a way that invites thoughtful discussion. My favorite part:
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.
To me, that is the crux of the argument, and of the problem. The conservative coalition was built, in part, on demonizing the entire idea of government spending because some of your tax dollars might go to “those people” (see Atwater, Lee re: Southern Strategy). If success is a zero-sum game, then both the inner-city black who takes your tax dollars and the Mexican immigrant who takes your job are the enemy. This is the first time I’ve heard a candidate explicitly address these ideas, and how fallacious they are.
Talk, talk, talk. Yes, that’s all this is. But open discussion is the only way to work through issues of race and class; this is not a problem that invites policy solutions. To fix some of the problems endemic in our society, we have to to first understand “that investing in the health, welfare and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.”
But, again, I’m an Obama fanboy.
Comment by Augur on 18 March 2008 at 12:06 pm:
Great post Buck. I also noticed this seemed to be written in much more of a narrative, almost a personal essay rather than a string of turns of phrase. I think the majority of this was actually penned by Mr. Obama, rather than his speech writers.
I would have liked to have seen him use the Ashley thing somewhere in the middle, sort of to divide the speech into halves, and then finish with a flourish and a sound bite or two.
Also, he seemed tired at the beginning, and the speech was a little too long. I’m curious as to why he didn’t do this speech in the evening when working folks are home from work. Any speculation?
Comment by tet on 18 March 2008 at 2:14 pm:
I am not an Obama fan, and I certainly disagree with him on a lot of issues, but he’s right on one topic.
Americans have put off talking about the problems revolving around race in this country for far too long. We cannot afford to have a permanent underclass in the depths of the cities, and we have to begin talking about how to solve that problem. As far as low-paying jobs go, the Latino immigrants do cause it to be a zero-sum game for the blacks, and this has to be addressed, too.
I also agree with Obama that education of all citizens is part of the solution to the problem. It would be good to find a way, however, that does not involve taking more money from the citizenry.
We’ll see what comes of this. At least he’s not afraid to speak.
Tom
Comment by Anonymous on 18 March 2008 at 2:21 pm:
I listened/watched Barack’s speech twice and here’s my take on it, and more largely, what appears to be his whole campaign strategy. I always vacillate between, “He’s brilliant! Barack, I love you!” and “Barack, you’re an idiot!” He’s treating America like Americans are smart and we can understand nuances, especially his way-more-than-normal nuances. That’s an insanely big risk. Either he’s ridiculously smart to think we can get it and his gamble will pay off handsomely… or stupid to overestimate us so. Maybe that’s where the wine versus beer divide presents itself.
Comment by Buck B. on 18 March 2008 at 2:40 pm:
I completely agree with you, anonymous person. It’s a gamble, and I usually recommend against betting on the intelligence of the masses.
But it’s still a gamble I’m happy to see him make. I’d rather seem him give real speeches that address issues honestly, win or lose, than fall back on bromides and sound bites just because they’ll play better in 10-second clips.
A friend of mine said, “I’ve come to see Obama’s candidacy almost as a referendum on the intelligence of the American public. I mean, there’s no way this guy should not win. If that somehow ends up not happening, it will say a lot to me about the state of the country.”
True dat. Let’s roll the dice.
Comment by JAL on 18 March 2008 at 3:53 pm:
1. lying through one’s own teeth
2. pursuit of private agenda(s)
BOTH are required attributes of modern US presidents. Obama has the stuff! woooooooo
Comment by Anonymous on 18 March 2008 at 4:08 pm:
Regarding buck’s friend…this reminds me of what Barack often remarks upon, most recently on March 4th in Texas when he said the world is watching us. He is right. I’ve been abroad recently and been asked about the Democratic nominees in a language I clearly didn’t even speak. The primary is saying a lot about the state of the US to the world, too.
Comment by Johnny Fair on 18 March 2008 at 6:18 pm:
Buck —
Fantastic post. But in all honesty, one would be pressed to write a bad post on a topic as heavy as this one. Now I am not trying to slam your post because I know we still must look at Obama as a politician. Thus, we must look at this speech in the context of a political speech that has time constraints and whatnot. However, when addressing an issue as divisive as race, I believe the time this speech spanned should be counted in years it took to actually be read rather than minutes he spent delivering it.
Though Obama spends a lot of time distancing himself from what his Rev. said, when you actually look at what was said in those speeches came from an intelligent place. It’s not at all unfair to say America’s chickens came home to roost on September 11th. It is not far fetched to say the same people keeping the black people down are keeping the radical Islamists down. And in the Bible it definitely says that bad people are going to be punished, or damned. That said, it was nice to see him distance himself from Wright considering the scope of his campaign hopes.
I live in a city that is as segregated and effected by race and politics as any in the country. If one thing is true, Obama is honest in this speech. Black people are pissed. So are white people. And we’ve all been polarized by politicians and politicos. But he does something no one has been able to do. He proposes a solution. His solution is understanding and educating. Instead of turning a blind eye on America’s awful past, educating ourselves with it and learning her lessons. That is why his speech is right on.
America is an unlikely story, he is an unlikely story, and the girl at the end is an unlikely story, as we all are. It is where we start. We start by learning where we came from to understand where we want to go. It is where we start seeing each other as recipients of this country and her many benefits and follies. All he’s asking is for people to ask the question. From there, I think people will be smart enough to find the answer.