My Internet has been flaky most of this week, so I've been offline for a while, and I don't watch television news, so yesterday was the first time I heard of this speech. That plus I'm sick and in pain, but I don't need to trouble anyone with that, but its part of the reason why I'm still up.
So I saw this
post and decided to go ahead and watch the speech, especially after so many people, especially the non-fanatics, were raving about it. Let's just say I was curious. The only bad thing I can say is that whoever cut it up into 4 pieces needs to work on their editing skills, Obama had the last word of part 2 cut off and the last section of part 3 was repeated in part 4.
To be honest, the idea that he had to make such a speech like this grates on me, he shouldn't have had to, and the Wright controversy is, at best, contrived. Considering I've used similar language myself, on this board, when talking about race issues, as Rev. Wright would make it seem quite hypocritical for me to criticize him for using that same type of rhetoric in his sermons.
Besides that Wright was and is right on a lot of things, some of the stuff enters into nutty territory, and I've already criticized that part, but on the whole, he seemed, more or less, spot on. The interesting thing is that Obama didn't condemn him for these remarks, but more or less clarified what they mean to him, and for all of America.
As I was watching this speech on my TV, I have TV-OUT on my computer, makes watching things a little easier, and seems to "clean up" the video a bit. I actually was honestly wondering if Obama saw the movie "The Corporation", the reason is because, especially when he was talking about outsourcing, and the abuses of Corporations himself, he seemed to have expanded on something Michael Moore said in an interview in the movie "The Corporation". To badly paraphrase MM here, he said that the world was run by a bunch of rich white men, when most of the world is neither rich, white, nor are they men.
I said that the fact that Obama had to make this speech grates on my last nerve, but the fact is that it was needed, if not made by him, then by someone else. Our dialog on race and class issues in this country, has, for most of my life, been swept under the rug. Unless forced to face it, White America generally denies such things as institutional racism exist. Obama is also right in the fact that both corporations and their political lackeys have been using the race divide to prevent people from noticing the increasingly large divide between rich and poor/middle class of all races in this nation.
Granted, there are some things in Obama's speech I could do without, some of the religious rhetoric, even though it wasn't over the top, and some of the nationalistic language. Then again, I also know his audience isn't really me, being an avowed anti-patriot, I'm a political minority in this nation. The man is running to be president of the United States of America, not president of the United States of Earth. As a side note, did you know some politicians actually wanted to change the name of the country to that back at the end of the 19th century? Weird but true. It would be weird to live in a country with the acronym of U.S.E., wouldn't it?
During the speech, I was struggling to hold onto my cynicism, most of you, who don't have me on ignore by now, know me for being famously jaded, saying both candidates "suck ass" or are assholes, etc. I've also been known as a vicious attack dog for the McClurkin fuckup.
What I find interesting is that Obama with the help of Rev. Wright, or at least the controversy surrounding him, has decided to use that controversy to try to bring about an honest dialog about race relations in America. It would have been easier if he just condemned the Reverend and been done with it. He's taking a harder road, in my opinion, to rip off the facade of tolerance from White America will be disconcerting to many white people, especially those who pretend to be non-racist when they are anything but that.
His message, though, seems the most sincere, a message that is basically summed up by saying we are all in this boat together, and we need to work together to make sure it stays afloat.
I can't say he's "won me over", that would be taking it too far. I was never much of a follower, and in fact, I'm quite mystified by how many people have such...adoration...for either him or Hillary. Both sides do realize these are POLITICIANS, right? I guess I still have some cynicism left after all. :)
Hell, I was a Kucinich supporter, have mentioned that many times on this board, but, and I'll be honest here, I wasn't that much of one, basically, by saying I'm a supporter I mean I'm not opposed to a candidate's Democratic Nomination. Its actually pretty sad to think that I base my support for someone in such cynical terms, but I figured I might as well be honest.
My problems with Obama are numerous and sincere, from his lackluster healthcare plan, his foreign policy and military plans aren't really up to my level of acceptance, not to mention my outright condemnation and anger towards him for the McClurkin fuck up. I'm still pissed at him about that, make no mistake there, and I have yet to forgive him for it, but at the same time, I guess you could say that I no longer oppose his nomination for the Democratic Nomination.
If that is all that qualifies me as a supporter, then I guess I am one.
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