Superdelegates Waiting To See Long-Term Impact Of Obama's Race Speech
/The Frontrunner March 20, 2008 Thursday
The Wall Street Journal (3/20, Calmes, 2.06M) reports that after Sen. Barack Obama's "race-relations speech this week," the remaining "fence-sitters" among the Democratic superdelegates are waiting to "see how their constituents react to his attempts to soothe racial tension." The Journal notes that despite Obama's well-received address, "some Democrats say Sen. Obama's association with the Chicago pastor potentially threatens his bid to be the first African-American president. Superdelegates are watching to see whether the senator's oratory will assuage white voters outraged at Internet videos showing the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. suggesting that America be damned for its treatment of blacks. Separately, many worry that black voters will be outraged by a sense that Sen. Obama is being unfairly judged."
Effect Of Obama's Race Speech Seen As Unclear.
The Washington Post (3/20, A4, Balz, 723K) reports the "question is which will last longer -- Obama's eloquent words about racial divisions and reconciliation or questions about his relationship with a man whose words have shocked the country." In "so many ways, Obama's speech was remarkable: ambitious, lofty, gritty, honest and unnerving. In tone and substance, and in the challenge he laid down to the country about the need to somehow move beyond the racial stalemate, it was the kind of speech Americans should expect of a presidential candidate or a president." But, "at heart, this was a speech designed for a political purpose, and Obama may have received more credit than he deserves for taking up the subject. Sitting in the small auditorium on Tuesday, watching Obama speak in what seemed like deliberately flat and unemotional tones, there was no way to think about the address as other than a political rescue mission. And on that there is no simple verdict, only lingering questions."
In his column in the Washington Post (3/20, C1, 723K), Howard Kurtz says, "On the nightly newscasts and in the morning papers, many journalists did try to grapple with the complexity of Obama's Tuesday address about the roots of racial tension. But when the story hit the Cuisinart of talk-show debate, it got whipped into a single question: Did Obama adequately distance himself from the radioactive reverend? Not surprisingly, most liberals loved the speech and many conservatives -- though not all -- lambasted it."
Sen. Barack Obama said on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 (3/19, Cooper), "In some ways, this controversy has actually shaken me up a little bit and gotten me back into remembering that the odds of me getting elected have always been lower than some of the other conventional candidates. And if I bring something to this conversation, it's going to be because I do what I did yesterday, which is hopefully open up a new conversation about a new direction in the country." Rev. Wright's "biggest failure was not to criticize America, because I think there's always been a tradition of patriotism through dissent. I mean, Dr. King criticized America. But...when Dr. King criticized America, it was then with the prospect that we would be true to our best selves. And that, I think, is the essence of my patriotism, the belief that America is constantly changing and constantly improving, and we will never be perfect, but we can move in the direction of perfecting our union."
Obama supporter Gov. Deval Patrick said on CNN's Election Center (3/19, Brown), "I'm delighted he gave it, and I'm glad that it was so powerful. It was so much more than what was necessary to respond to all of the flap about Pastor Wright. I thought it was thoughtful. I thought it was honest. And I thought it was brave."
Obama supporter Rep. Patrick Murphy said on CNN's Larry King Live (3/19, Blitzer), "I was there, and I thought it was the greatest speech I ever heard in my entire life. I thought it was historic. I thought it was profound. I think you can sum it up that he's very clear, that Barack Obama says he condemned what he said. And basically when you boil it down, he said, 'I hate the sin but I love the sinner.'"
Clinton supporter Sen. Charles Schumer said on CNN's Larry King Live (3/19, Blitzer), "I think it was an excellent speech. And he condemned the remarks of Pastor Wright that were out of line, as he should have. And I'll say this, to Hillary Clinton's great credit, she gave Barack Obama plaudits on his speech. She said that it was an excellent speech. She was glad he condemned it."
Clinton supporter Rep. Joe Sestak said on CNN's Larry King Live (3/19, Blitzer), "I think it was a very good speech. I think what he did was similar to what Sen. Kennedy did back in 1960 when he ran. He made sure the public understood that he wasn't going to be working for the Pope as a Catholic, that he was going to be a president who happened to be Catholic, not a Catholic president. So very similarly, we saw the Senator say, make it very clear that this was a man who was running that wasn't going to be a black president, but a president who happened to be black."
The New York Times (3/20, Rohter, Luo, 1.18M) reports Obama's speech "has been viewed more than 1.6 million times on YouTube and is being widely e-mailed. While commentators and politicians debated its political success Wednesday, some around the country were responding to Mr. Obama's call for a national conversation about race." Religious groups "and academic bodies, already receptive to Mr. Obama's plea for such a dialogue, seemed especially enthusiastic." The speech "has stimulated passionate discussion on scores of blogs of varying ideological tendencies, and an article about the speech in The New York Times has provoked more than 2,250 comments."
Chicagoans Accustomed To Passionate Race Debate.
The Los Angeles Times (3/20, Huffstutter, 881K) reports on Chicago residents who express surprise that Wright's comments have stirred up such national controversy, noting, "In Chicago, where whites and blacks have lived together and clashed with one another for generations, the racial divide is spoken about with heart and passion -- and sometimes with rage. It is a part of the fabric of life, particularly in the city's southern and southwestern sections, where attitudes can seem both urbane and deeply rural.
Controversy Seen As Arising From White Americans' Unfamiliarity With Black Church.
On its website, TIME (3/20, Carney, Sullivan, 4.03M) reports on the evolution of the emergence of the Wright scandal, suggesting that the controversy arose because "Much of white America is unfamiliar with the milieu of the black church. When clips from Wright's sermons began circulating, many whites heard divisive, angry, unpatriotic pronouncements on race, class and country. Many blacks, on the other hand, heard something more familiar: righteous anger about oppression and deliberate hyperbole in laying blame, which are common in sermons delivered in black churches every Sunday. The Rev. Terri Owens, dean of students at the University of Chicago Divinity School, says the black church tradition has its roots in the era of slavery, when African Americans held services under trees, far from their white masters. 'Churches have always been the place where black people could speak freely,' she says. 'They were the only institutions they could own and run by themselves.'" Time suggests that Obama would have been more politic to have long ago distanced himself from Wright and his church, but "By asking voters to understand the context of Wright's anger, though, Obama is counting on voters to accept nuance in an arena that almost always rewards simplicity over complexity. ... Explicitly asking Americans to grapple with racial divisions and then transcend them - that's a bolder, riskier request."
GOP Strategists See Wright Controversy As Opportunity To Damage Obama In General Election.
ABC News (3/19, Tapper) reported on its website that Sen. Barack Obama "enjoyed overwhelmingly warm reviews from the media...for his speech about race and his controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But for far different reasons, Republican political consultants were delighted with the speech, as well. Looking ahead to November, GOP strategists say Obama did not remove Wright as a campaign issue. 'He didn't explain why he continued to attend a church whose minister has a long history of divisive and hate-filled rhetoric, when the fundamental message of Obama's campaign is unity and bring us together,' said Republican pollster Whit Ayres. Republicans say they will combine Wright's anti-American rhetoric with other moments - such as Obama's removal of his American flag pin because he felt it had become a substitute for true patriotism, or his not covering his heart during the national anthem last summer. ... 'Blue collar white voters, what we used to call Reagan Democrats, are very patriotic people,' Ayres said, 'and if there is any argument that Obama is not as patriotic as they are, it can be a real problem, particularly in states like Pennsylvania.'"
Cheney Says Speech "Important."
The AP (3/20) reports that Vice President Dick Cheney, asked to react to Sen. Barack Obama's failure to denounce Wright, said, "It was an important speech, but I will let the Democrats wrestle with their own issues and problems." Moreover, "Asked if he had problems with Wright's comments, particularly his 9/11 remarks, Cheney said: 'I do. ... I obviously don't agree with him.'"
Huckabee Defends Obama, Wright.
ABC News (3/19, Tapper) reported on its 'Political Punch' blog that during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe yesterday, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee "defended" Sen. Barack Obama...on the Rev. Wright front. And, in fact, he defended Rev. Wright, too." Huckabee said that "Obama has handled this about as well as anybody could." In his speech Tuesday, Obama "made the point, and I think it's a valid one, that you can't hold the candidate responsible for everything that people around him may say or do. You just can't -- whether it's me, whether it's Obama, anybody else." Of Wright's controversial statements, Huckabee said, "...I think we've got to remember: As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, 'That's a terrible statement,' I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. ... We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, 'You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus.' ... Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too.'"
Mustard-And-Relish Sandwich Girl From Speech Now Pennsylvania Field Organizer.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (3/20, Johnson, 229K) reports that Ashley Baia, who was featured in Obama's speech as having expressed a preference for economical sandwiches made from relish and mustard to her ailing and uninsured mother, "is now working out of the Obama headquarters in East Liberty. Ashley Baia is officially a footnote in political history. No matter what else she goes on to achieve, she'll be remembered, in part, as the 9-year-old girl Sen. Barack Obama spoke of Tuesday near the end of his landmark speech on race in America."
Obama Praised For Addressing White Americans' "Legitimate Race Resentments."
In her Boston Herald (3/20, 181K) column, Margery Eagan writes that she was "stunned" by Obama's statement "that white Americans have legitimate race resentments too. That many in white America are angry with cause." Opining that a prominent white politician making a similar proclamation would likely end his career, Eagan adds that Obama said that "to label the race resentments of white Americans as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns widens the racial divide and blocks the path to understanding."
Wright Controversy Continues To Dog Obama Among Pennsylvania's Blue-Collar Voters.
The Politico (3/20, Brown) reports that Sen. Barack Obama "has always been a tough sell in largely white Northeast Philadelphia and in the city's blue-collar river wards, a collection of white ethnic enclaves where customers at the local watering hole are often born and raised in the neighborhood that supports it. And his speech Tuesday, although widely praised by the pundit caste and Obama supporters, has only seemed to widen the gulf with the Budweiser class here. More than a dozen interviews Wednesday found voters unmoved by Obama's plea to move beyond racial divisions of the past." In the aftermath of Obama's speech, "the debate inside taverns and beauty shops here had barely moved beyond outrage aimed at the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Obama's refusal to 'disown' his longtime pastor. ... The reactions are merely a snapshot of a slice of the electorate, but it is a highly coveted one," as Sen. Hillary Clinton "relied on this blue-collar coalition - Catholics, union households, ethnic Europeans - to win Ohio. It accounts for her significant lead in Pennsylvania polls, and represents the demographic that political analysts say Obama needs to make gains with in order to present the strongest case possible for the Democratic nomination and the presidency."
Speech Seen As Risky Way To Introduce Obama To Pennsylvania Voters.
The New York Times (3/19, Seelye, 1.18M) reported on its website that Obama's "audience was the whole country, if not the world. But it's worth considering what effect the speech might have on his immediate audience in Pennsylvania, which holds the nation's next primary on April 22." The Times notes that Obama is relatively unknown to the state's voters, but that "the campaign clearly made a decision that the risks of introducing him with a high-profile speech assessing the nuances of race in 21st-century America were worth the potential benefits." His address would be likely to resonate with black voters, "affluent white liberals," and other groups that have supported him in previous primaries. "But there are other voters in the state for whom the speech may be more of a question mark - notably white, working-class Democrats, mostly men, the same sort who helped Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton win neighboring Ohio. They represent perhaps a quarter of the voters in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary. ... Analysts seemed skeptical that the speech would reach these voters or change many minds."
Moreover, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (3/20, Carpenter, 229K) reports, "In a state chock-full of 'Reagan Democrats' -- white, socially conservative and working-class -- Mr. Obama's Philadelphia speech may have done little to sway them, said Terry Madonna director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College. 'The speech may have stopped the hemorrhaging of undecided voters who liked Obama but had questions about his link to Pastor Wright, but does it get him new support from the blue-collar worker in Beaver Falls or Monessen who's worried about his job? I'm highly dubious.'" On the other hand, the Post-Gazette reports, such supporters as former Pennsylvania Sen. Harris Wofford, "thought the speech was both a rhetorical and political success."
Obama Speech Contained Contradictions Of Denials About Wright's Sermons.
ABC News (3/19, Ross, Patel) reported on its website, "Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America's racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons. Similarly, Obama also has only recently given a much fuller accounting of his relationship with indicted political fixer Antoin 'Tony' Rezko, a longtime friend, who his campaign once described as just one of 'thousands of donors.' Until yesterday, Obama said the only thing controversial he knew about Rev. Wright was his stand on issues relating to Africa, abortion and gay marriage." ABC suggests that though he had previously said that "he had never heard" Wright "make any comments that were anti-U.S.," Obama "told a different story" in his speech. ABC continues to note that the campaign has refused to release dates when he attended Wright's sermons.
Civil Rights Activist (hater) Pans Speech For Lacking Unifying Message.
In a Los Angeles Times (3/20, 881K), Michael Meyers, executive director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition and a former assistant national director of the NAACP, writes that despite positive reaction to Obama's speech, he "settled on merely 'explaining' so-called racial differences between blacks and whites -- and in so doing amplified deep-seated racial tensions and divisions. Instead of giving us a polarizing treatise on the 'black experience,' Obama should have reiterated the theme that has brought so many to his campaign: That race ain't what it used to be in America. He should have presented us a pathway out of our racial boxes and a road map for new thinking about race." Myers adds that Obama should have painted Wright as "a symbol of the dysfunctional angry men who are stuck in the past and who must yield to a new generation of color-blind, hopeful Americans and to a new global economy in which we will look on our neighbors' skin color no differently than how we look on their eye color." Myers judges that Obama "blew it."
Obama Criticized For Failing To Repudiate Wright's "Anti-White Message."
In her syndicated column, Kathleen Parker (3/20) suggests that Obama's speech contained "a discomfiting hint of buried fury, a sense of racial righteousness and a tacit approval attached to his expressed disapproval of Wright's now-famous raves that will leave many Americans wondering: Is he with us? Or is he against us?" Parker acknowledges that "America isn't finished with its business of equality," but criticizes Obama for failing to acknowledge that "Wright is completely off-the-wall, even if the snippets we've seen are only a fraction of his life's work. Give Wright credit for helping the unfortunate and for leading Obama to his faith. But those accomplishments don't quite neutralize the anti-white message of the man Obama selected as his spiritual mentor."
Obama's Adherence To Wright, Populism Seen As Divisive.
In a column on the website of Roll Call (3/19), Morton M. Kondracke writes that Obama's "relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright-and not only that, but his whole liberal-populist agenda-raises profound questions" about his ability to deliver on his "message of unity." "By choosing - and sticking with - the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as his spiritual adviser, Obama has damaged his ability to heal the nation's racial wounds. And his agenda offers nothing that will attract Republicans and end political polarization."
Obama Viewed With Skepticism By Both Blacks, Whites.
An article in the Boston Globe (3/20, Helman, 404K) explores the antagonism that Sen. Barack Obama faced when he "first inserted himself into black life in Chicago," where he was viewed as an outsider without sufficient allegiance to "the aggrieved worldview of much of the city's black community," juxtaposed against his being currently "accused of tacitly endorsing the Afro-centrism and deeply critical views of America expressed by his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. To those who know Obama and have followed the arc of his career, the charge makes little sense against a man they have long considered a beacon of a colorblind future. But to critics, Obama's decision to associate himself for 20 years with a church that preaches black nationalism - an association that once helped establish his credibility in the black community - prompts serious questions about his patriotism, judgment, and allegiances."
Flurry Of Obama Speeches Intended To Counteract Pastor Controversy.
USA Today (3/20, Lawrence, 2.28M) reports Wednesday was "the second day in a row that Democrat Barack Obama stood at a lectern surrounded by American flags and delivered a serious speech about a pressing issue. The subliminal message: 'Picture this man as your commander in chief.'" As a "controversy over his former pastor threatened his status as front-runner in the Democratic nomination race, Obama needed to do something. The upshot was ceremonial settings and three speeches in a week." Tuesday was "devoted to race and religion. Wednesday was Iraq and national security. On Thursday, the Illinois Democrat scheduled a talk about the Iraq war and the economy."
The New York Times (3/20, Zeleny, 1.18M) reports Obama "on Wednesday tried to steer his campaign from a focus on race that had threatened to envelop his candidacy and back to the economy, war and a host of other concerns." From a "foreign policy address in Fayetteville to a public forum here, Mr. Obama made just a passing reference to race, after a voter broached the subject. It remained far from certain, though, whether Mr. Obama had diminished the risk from the incendiary words of his longtime spiritual adviser and former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr."
