By Steve Winn, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Sen. Barack Obama met the race issue head-on Tuesday, discussing it with intelligence, sensitivity and the historical perspective that the subject deserves.
On Tuesday the Democratic presidential candidate condemned the "incendiary language" of statements made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Yet Obama also recalled the nation's long struggle to confront and overcome racial injustice. And he made it clear that this struggle is not yet over -- a point that many on the right side of the political spectrum seem to have trouble grasping.
This national struggle has been particularly difficult in part because Founding Fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson championed freedom for whites yet kept blacks in bondage.
Slavery was followed by many years of legalized discrimination and other inequities. As Obama pointed out, many of the problems still facing black communities and the nation as a whole can be traced to this shameful history.
The nation's founders were keenly aware of their shortcomings on race. Jefferson, for example, angonized over slavery. And they hoped that future generations would be able to improve upon the nation they had created.
Those hopes, as Obama noted on Tuesday, are embedded in the Constitution. Racial issues in this country, he said, were "a part of our union that we have yet to perfect."
He emphasized his belief that the nation could do a better job of healing racial divisions. One of his chief complaints about Rev. Wright, in fact, was his excessive pessimism on this point.
Obama's speech was a virtuoso performance that demonstrated why he has done so well in the current presidential campaign.
But it was also a valuable history lesson for a nation that sometimes doesn't remember quite as much about the past as it should.
Steve Winn is the deputy editorial page editor of The Kansas City Star.
Delicious
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selective hearing and comprehension
Spin away doctors and believe what you want. This does matter according to my mother and every generation of mothers who warn that you are judged by the company you keep. An old lesson but always valid.
Ohhh,
..playing the jennifer thinks like hate radio card. Nice. Got anything else?
Outside of hate radio, every
Outside of hate radio, every reaction I read about the grandmother comment was that it was the most effective line in the speech. It gave each listener a connection to his own experience with bigotry. Don't you know an old family member who was a little bigoted? Maybe a not-so-old one?
However, I did hear one right-wing radio type say that Obama threw his own grandmother under the bus. I laughed at first, thinking he was joking. Then I heard another one say it. And then another one. Obviously, that was the talking point they'd been given.
But, Jennifer, just because they can't get dressed in the morning until they get Rush Limbaugh's take on it, doesn't mean you can't. Think for yourself. You'll be happier.
And smarter.
You know....
....I'm not a professional comment writer so I won't dispute your lengthy sell job for Obama. But "I merely pointed out that there was no demonstrable contradiction." isn't providing facts either. And I don't know of any "political observers" who are advising Obama to "throw the pastor under the bus", although he did a fine job on his own grandmother.
The courage word again? Geesh.
Jenniferm,
Regarding the 2nd paragraph, you accuse the writer of not doing his job because he didn't point out what you perceived as a contradiction in what Obama said today and what he said a couple days ago. I merely pointed out that there was no demonstrable contradiction. So clearly you're the one making assumptions.
It's sad that you see all politicians the same. I know you're not alone in that, but I see Obama as a different kind of politician. I like that he gives the same fuel-efficiency speech to environmentalists in Seattle as he does to auto workers in Detroit, knowing full-well that one of them won't like it.
I like that he refuses to get into the ugly tabloid stuff about Hillary Clinton, even though it would help him politically.
I like that he recognizes that one of the biggest problems in America isn't as much race relations as it is talk radio hate mongers fanning flames of racial divisiveness.
And, finally, I like that when all political observers are advising him to throw the pastor under the bus, he refuses to, saying that he could no more disown him than his own grandmother.
All of these things take political courage. The kind we haven't seen in decades. The kind this country, frankly, may not even be ready for.
Whiskey
Nice try. But I don't drink kool-aid. Why exactly should I be objective? Is that part of the rules? "Obvious disdain for the Senator" Enlighten me.
As for your second paragraph--you really didn't provide any facts there, just assuming a lot. Objective, much?
I see all politicians the same way--Obama is not different than any other person who wants to be my Senator or POTUS. Courage? Whatever.
Jenniferm,
If this were merely a political strategy he would've nailed his pastor to the cross. But he refused to; favoring, instead, to use it as an opportunity to talk about America's racial problems. That takes courage. And it was the right thing to do.
On your second point, isn't it possible that Obama has heard his pastor make controversial statements but not the ones from the video? It's not only possible, it's likely, considering that those sermons were clearly given recently, when I'm sure even you'd agree that Obama has had one or two reasons to be out of town.
Sorry, but I think it might benefit you to expel the obvious disdain you have for the Senator and try to be more objective....you know?
Obama live press release
MSNBC is now slobbering over him but CNN is worse! Every single person they have on as a guest is a avid Obama supporter. All we hear is most wonderful speech ever that will cure all ills and resolve all issues forever more.
What I heard was a good speech that was frank but filled with the right words for his voting base that he is losing ground in. Not much in there for people who are not already his supporters. In fact his closing part about vote for me or go down the wrong path was horrible.
The speech didn't address the real issues with Barack Obama on these stories that are coming to light and finally getting long over due coverage. The issue is not his growing list of associates that could cause one to pause and raise an eyebrow but rather it is his avoidance to address hard questions at all. Senator Obamas usual first response is always a charming ambiguous answer. We do not like the fact that we have to count on the media to ask the same set of question 2 or 3 times before we get a answer that is clear and straight forward and not some charming ambiguous response.
He has had a rumored reputation of avoid hard questions and issues and he is proving that to be true. He really was gone during the hard vote or voted present on them. That is of more concern to me then the growing list of associates that raise your eyebrow, although that does concern me also but more for electable reasons then anything else.
In no way was this speech as good as the I have a dream speech, even though the people on MSNBC & CNN think so. Here is why, it was a political repair speech. The first part was good and had substance but then he quickly went to pandering for his support base. By the middle of the speech he was so busy hitting us with the right words to reaffirm his voting base to make it anything more then a self serving political press release. The ending was incredible selfish and horrible. For him to have the gall to basically say Vote for me or you will be choosing to go down the wrong path was a total self pandering statement. The convention speech was a victory for all people with no agenda needed or added.
Steve,
This was a politician's speech, just as Romney's religion speech. These guys didn't want to make them, but circumstances required it. Where in your commentary do you point out the fact that Obama last week said he never heard the kinds of things Wright said in those videos, and today he said he sat in the church when Wright made some "controversial" statements? Sorry, but I thought that might be kinda your job, you know.