I got two messages from the speech 1) racial insecurity and animosity is real and you can’t disown people without disowning just about everyone. True. 2) The best way to deal with racial insecurity is to improve schools, jobs and health care. He declined to state what he would do about schools, jobs and health care.

I don’t understand why anyone would listen to this speech or any other speech by any political candidate. It is crafted for a very specific purpose, and that is NOT to reveal the true man to anywone. It has ZERO to do with his real opinions, plans, and qualifications, and EVERYTHING to do with placating and maximizing votes in target demographics.
If you want to know who the man is, look at his voting record. Most liberal in the Senate. It just screams “Give me your money, middle-aged salarymen! I want to buy votes with it!”

People can argue over the political approaches to the problems Obama listed. That’s liberal vs. conservative debate. That’s okay.
But Obama’s approach to the ever-explosive and difficult racial issue was powerful, thoughtful, honest, and brilliant. The pundits who are desperately trying to derail his candicacy based on fear mongering that he is really a closet racist need to find a different issue. Because this dog won’t hunt, and is (to borrow Michelle’s term) “Blech.”
This was the best political speech on the racial issue I have heard in decades and a quantum leap beyond to the partisan self-righteous rants of either Wright or Hannity.

Guys, this was not “thoughtful, honest and brilliant”, yes, he threw a bone to white people by talking about affirmative action. But his ultimate solution is still “Hey, middle-aged salarymen, gimme your money so I can spend it on people who will vote for me.

Guys, this was not “thoughtful, honest and brilliant”, yes, he threw a bone to white people by talking about affirmative action. But his ultimate solution is still “Hey, middle-aged salarymen, gimme your money so I can spend it on people who will vote for me.
Which is a far cry better than “Hey, middle-aged salarymen, gimme your money so I can spend it on killing brown people and lining the pockets of my daddy’s friends.”
Ya think?

Great speech, but it is an empty shell. As someone who is more conservative than most everyone I know, I found myself agreeing with everything he said. Yet, I was left at the alter though. I agreed with the why and waited for the how. Does he really think at this point in history that the problem is we do not spend enough on health care and schools? These problems are not economic in origin. They are rooted in human nature and must deal with in new and different ways. What does he suggest? Let me guess. He wants the government to take over and control everything like every good socialist.

Does he really think at this point in history that the problem is we do not spend enough on health care and schools?
It’s not how much we spend, it’s what we spend it on that will make the difference.
Besides – once that abortion of a war is behid us, we’ll be able to stop spending 18 billion a month, pay down the deficit and still have plenty more for education than was ever earmarked by Dubya’s administration.

i’ll tell you this much – and it never had bearing on my decision to support obama until i heard this speech – should this country actually elect a president with black heritage it would be one helluva salve on the racial wounds in the country. considering that the man can honestly and openly speak with understanding about both sides of an issue that so many only whisper about with their closest friends means a lot. it’s an honest discussion who’s time has come. with this generation, it’s time for blacks to overcome the resentment and bitterness; time for whites to get past the guilt, and to start accepting blacks as our brothers and sisters. it’s time for both to get past the hate. i think now that no white president can achieve that.

“speak with understanding about both sides of an issue”
He cannot do that. He is a product of a rarefied liberal academic background. He’s half White. He was raised by his white mother. He has never lived in the ‘hood, he has probably never been called the n-word. His skin tone is just NOT enough qualification to be President.
“Which is a far cry better than “Hey, middle-aged salarymen, gimme your money so I can spend it on killing brown people and lining the pockets of my daddy’s friends.”
Right or wrong, the war is too small of a percentage of GDP to have any effect on anything. It’s only costing you a few bucks a week. Regarding “my daddy’s friends”, if you’re going to hurl accusations of embezzlement, produce proof or shut up.

What embezzlement? Do you deny that the people making profit off of this war are Bush cronies? The administration is very up front about it taking the treasure of this nation and handing it over to friends of the family. Halliburton, Kellog, Brown & Root, etc… do you deny that those companies (not to mention the whole of the Carlyle Group) are cronies of the Bush dynasty?
(And I’ll kindly tell you where you can put your “shut up,” good sir.)

As for the “small percentage of the GDP” spent on this abortion:
Current military expenditures include Dept. of Defense ($653 billion), the military portion from other departments ($150 billion), and an additional $162 billion to supplement the Budget’s underestimate of only $38 billion for the “war on terror.”
Contrast that with the 68.9 billion spent per annum on education.
Nice strawman, homeboy. Let’s watch it burn together, shall we?

“Do you deny that the people making profit off of this war are Bush cronies”
Absolutely I deny that. People have to be hired to do a job, and these people have the ability. You can’t just go bidding every little thing every time you need it, or nothing would ever get done.
Education is a local responsibility. Please calculate the billions spent on education by local school boards, and the ZERO spent by them on the war on terror.

Absolutely I deny that…You can’t just go bidding every little thing every time you need it, or nothing would ever get done.
Ah yes. Crony Capitalism at it’s finest.
Thank you for being part of the problem.

Education is a local responsibility
And a fine and bang-up job they’ve been doing.
See – here’s the point: The way things are going are bad. Perhaps it’s time to change the way we look at education since “locals” aren’t, apparently, up to the “responsibility.”
If conservatives had their way, we’d still have 8-year-olds in factories. Oh wait – we do. They’re just not OUR kids anymore.
I know changing things from the way they’ve always been makes conservatives pee in their pants, so I’ll give concede that you probably have no frame of reference from which to attempt (wait for it…) NEW approaches to old problems.

“The way things are going are bad”
Oh, yeah, living in the wealthiest nation in the history of the planet is just such a burden. I really wish I could move to Somalia and starve, or to France and be unemployed.
“NEW approaches to old problems”
Like what? He hasn’t suggested ANYTHING new. Everything he’s suggested is conventional liberal snake oil. Should we embrace Communism? Gimme your money, middle-class salary earner. Then we can enjoy the explosive economic growth of places like Cuba and North Korea. Too far? How about just Socialism? Then we can enjoy the unprecedented high employment of places like Italy.
What makes LIBERALS pee in their pants is the idea of going to work an earning a living and making decisions based on logic rather than feelings. Horrors!

as opposed to conservatives who do it just because they like the smell.
of course, i want you to explain your opinion to my liberal friends who are working 2 jobs to make ends meet. or maybe to my conservative cousin who is so lazy he claims workman’s comp so he doesn’t have to work, or my conservative brother-in-law who works for minimum wage because he’s a high-school dropout. you have NO clue what you’re talking about. you are so void of critical thought that you’ve bought into ridiculous stereotypes.
so what if obama is liberal? that’s why liberals support him, big deal. he also appeals to us independents. and most of us won’t be persuaded by your attempts to paint him as a racist radical. i wouldn’t expect any conservatives to vote for obama anyway, unless they’re interested in balancing the budget, having affordable health care, breaking our oil addiction, and fixing our economy.
but back to my earlier comment and your response…

“speak with understanding about both sides of an issue”
He cannot do that. He is a product of a rarefied liberal academic background. He’s half White. He was raised by his white mother. He has never lived in the ‘hood, he has probably never been called the n-word. His skin tone is just NOT enough qualification to be President.

that’s exactly why he understands both sides of the black/white race issue. and, as you can’t tell by just looking at him that he has any anglo heritage, i think that you’d be wrong about the racial slurs. i’d bet he’s heard his share. besides, if racial slurs are aimed at your “group” you still resent it even if it’s not directed at you personally.
i never said that his skin color was enough qualification to be president. but his experience with one foot in the “white” world and another in the “black” world is just an added bonus that no other candidate can claim! so, thanks for making that point.

Oh, yeah, living in the wealthiest nation in the history of the planet is just such a burden.
I’m sure all those black folks who lived under Jim Crow and the more subtle post-Civil Rights hatred are happy to take ont he buden of white resentment because they get to do so in the wealthiest nation in the history of the planet.
Let me ask something of the recipients of white privilege: why should people who do not benefit from the greatness of this nation care about the greatness of this nation?

And true to form – it always comes down to money with conservatives. Profits are more important than people.
But… God bless America, right?
Which America?

Sounds like somebody has some friends and family that are kind of on the shady side. You need to run with a better crowd, anonymous, I guarantee you they are out there. Most of the people who have to work two jobs to “make ends meet” do it because they overspend and buy houses they can’t afford. A credit card bill for a big screen TV is not a food bill.
“having affordable health care” – meaning I pay more and you pay nothing. No thanks
“breaking our oil addiction” – nothing is going to do this exept higher prices, the president has nothing to do with it.
“and fixing our economy.” – The president can’t do anything about this except talk. Clinton yakked about the economy during his race and did nothing except watch an expansion that was going to happen anyway. FDR’s new deal was a sham because poverty rates and wagers were no better in 1939 than in 1930. WWII ended the depression, not FDR.
“people who do not benefit from the greatness of this nation”. The poorest single mother living in the worst slum in America is more priveledge than 90% of the people in Africa. They do share.
“it always comes down to money with conservatives. Profits are more important than people.”
Yes, putting food on my own family’s table is more important than giving a handout to somebody I never met, and would rather have the goverment take my money than to ask for help themselves. You’re obviously a young, single guy.

fortunately i’m not like you. i have no problem helping those in need, and my children enjoy helping too, by giving toys and clothes and food.
none of my friends are “shady” and they don’t drive expensive cars and they don’t live in mcmansions and they don’t have big, fancy televisions either. but they are all good dads and good moms. all of my friends are well educated, nearly all have college degrees. four are war veterans. five others are business owners (one just closed his business due to the bad economy). some of them have suffered job losses. one’s son died in iraq, another’s died here in a car accident. all of them are suffering from the market. and i’d rather hang with this crowd than the likes of you.
on the other hand, the two family members that i mentioned are indeed lazy. they sound a lot like you, blaming socialism for their problems while happily and ignorantly reaping its fruits. oh well, you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.
“meaning I pay more and you pay nothing” lie. i already pay for it.
“the president can’t do anything about [the economy]“ wrong.
“the president has nothing to do with [breaking oil addiction]“ wrong again, dope.
“you’re obviously a young, single guy”
i assume that your last comment was aimed at meh. well, i share most of his views posted here, and i’m neither young (unfortunately) nor single. i’ve been married for 15 years and have 2 children.