Comments for "Obama on race and politics - 3/18/2008" Video at VideoSift.com

By sbchapm

sbchapm (http://www.videosift.com/member/sbchapm) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:05:59 -0700

Thanks, I was sure someone would get this up fast. I think it is an amazing testament to the man that he would take on this issue right now. Just an overwhelming display of logic, conviction, and hope.

By BillOreilly

BillOreilly (http://www.videosift.com/member/BillOreilly) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:37:29 -0700

*snore*

Thanks Barack, but I don't need a history lesson from an ex-lawyer with a wackjob pastor. Maybe next time.

By vairetube

vairetube (http://www.videosift.com/member/vairetube) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:36:00 -0700

hehheh, daddy barack knows what u need, bill.

By Red

Red (http://www.videosift.com/member/Red) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:50:10 -0700

"a view that see the conflict in the middle east as rooted primarily in the actions of star war allies like Israel instead of emmanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical islam. As such reverend Wright comment was not only wrong but [...] racialy charge"

Aren't theses views either "racialy charge" and overly simplistic ?

By chilaxe

chilaxe (http://www.videosift.com/member/chilaxe) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:18:56 -0700

Long, complicated speeches run the risk of alienating those who rely on sound bites (see above), but it's probably worth it in the end.

By chilaxe

chilaxe (http://www.videosift.com/member/chilaxe) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:40:10 -0700

>> ^Red:
"a view that see the conflict in the middle east as rooted primarily in the actions of star war allies like Israel instead of emmanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical islam. As such reverend Wright comment was not only wrong but [...] racialy charge"

Aren't theses views either "racialy charge" and overly simplistic ?

Hopefully the transcript will be available later on... that quote has some errors in it.

By volumptuous

volumptuous (http://www.videosift.com/member/volumptuous) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:27:36 -0700

Bill-O, I think you actually do need a lot of history lessons. Who knows where to begin with you anyway.

By Crosswords

Crosswords (http://www.videosift.com/member/Crosswords) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:32:24 -0700

You know I was watching some of the 24/7 news channels and they were talking about this and one of the topics, IS THIS SPEECH TOO INTELLIGENT FOR THE COMMON UNDECIDED VOTER...

Yeah maybe it is, so fucking what. I'm tired of everything catering to the lowest common denominator. I swear sometimes it seems like we don't just tolerate stupidity in this country we reward and pander it. Why should anyone want to try harder to better themselves when everyone else is willing to come down to their level. Our president explains things by using words like, 'bad men' and 'people who want to hurt you' as if he's trying to explain things to 3 year olds. Start expecting something from people for fuck's sake, and don't be so quick to dismiss their ability to understand.

Okay, done ranting now, that just really bugged me.

By CaptWillard

CaptWillard (http://www.videosift.com/member/CaptWillard) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:39:25 -0700

>> ^BillOreilly:
snore

Thanks Barack, but I don't need a history lesson from an ex-lawyer with a wackjob pastor. Maybe next time.

Screw you, Bill_O. I may be a young man, but that is the best political speech I've heard in my lifetime, and I bet many other people who are older than me are thinking the same thing too. Even some conservatives have openly expressed how blown away they were by this speech. And he wrote it all by himself. Here at VS you can turn a good phrase from time to time, but can you do what he did?

I'm an Obama supporter, but I'm not an Obamatron mindlessly chanting "Obama! Obama!" He wasn't even my first choice in the Democratic field. Still, there's no denying that the man is smart, and also a great speaker. How many major politicians these days write their own speeches? A team of the best speechwriters in this country could not have delivered on the goods half as well as Obama did, because he drew from his own experiences when creating this speech, and that was a big part of its beauty.

Wake me up when you have a fraction of the talent that Obama does. *snore*

By quantumushroom

quantumushroom (http://www.videosift.com/member/quantumushroom) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:50:32 -0700

An eloquent speech promoting anti-free market class and race warfare, justifying and making excuses for a false church's hateful polemics under the guise of "unique cultural values".

The same sermons from the lips of Whites, offered from the unofficially outlawed White perspective would have the NAACP screaming for the FBI to investigate "hate".

Let this handsome chimera take the place of Christ if you're so inclined. You will not have Heaven on earth by robbing with government's gun those who worked harder, redistributing the loot and kissing the toes of tyrants overseas.

By dag

dag (http://dag.videosift.com) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:09:44 -0700

Wow- that's quite a polemic QM - it's complete tripe, but nicely done sir.

By my15minutes

my15minutes (http://my15minutes.videosift.com) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:59:14 -0700

^ it's not his vocabulary, that anyone has taken issue with.

just the part where his opening assertion is that Obama is "promoting anti-free market class and race warfare", and treats his say-so like it's QED.

how about quoting us a line from this, shroom, that is 'anti-free market'?
or promoting 'class and race warfare'? promoting it? this speech promotes race warfare?

> "Let this handsome chimera take the place of Christ"??
we're not electing christ.
Obama has a much easier task - he's only taking the place of Bush.

btw, i have yet to see Obama kissing any toes.
i do see some others, however, holding hands with tyrants overseas, and dancing.

in other words, shroomie, a decent vocabulary is all you've got here, once again.
you can't back up any of your poorly-thought-out accusations.
when you get called on it, you just create more of them.

it's called cognitive dissonance, shroom.
new lies, to protect the comforting old ones, that you're already invested in.

unless you can actually back up any of those assertions?
instead of burying them, again, and ignoring everyone's repeated attempts,
to improve your reasoning?

you're just chasing your own tail, dude.

By CaptWillard

CaptWillard (http://www.videosift.com/member/CaptWillard) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:53:11 -0700

^Please don't reality-smack old 'shroomie to hard. He's only working with half a brain to start.

By gwiz665

gwiz665 (http://www.videosift.com/member/gwiz665) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:26:42 -0700

Pre-dupe me, will you?

Obama seems to be quite a bit more intelligent than the other candidates, but then intelligence is not enough to get into office, see the 2000 election.

By jwray

jwray (http://jwray.videosift.com) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:42:24 -0700

Point by point commentary:

1. There's a quite firm and aggressive "Thank You" at the beginning, like it's a substitute for STFU.

2. He insists that his interracial rags-to-riches story could not have happened in any other country. This is blatantly false. America is neither the least racist country nor the most socialy mobile country. Similar things could happen in most countries.

3. "We all want to move in the same direction -- towards a better future". This is so oversimplified that it's meaningless.

4. Nationalistic unity is not necessarily a good thing. Police states have unity. Unity implies a degree of acquiescence and abdication.

5. In defense of his nutty reverend that he won't even defend: If one accepts the premise that America is doing something horribly wrong by god, and god is angry with America, then there would be no problem with saying so. The Flying Spaghetti Monster is also pissed off at the Bush Administration.

6. Patriotism is overrated. The imperative to be "patriotic", in its various meanings, is a great substitute for serfdom. The peasants will do the dirty work and enjoy it! I'm only half joking.

The rest of the speech was reasonable unless I missed something, though vacant of any specific policies.

I still voted for Obama in the primary because the alternative to Obama as president is McCain as president. Clinton would probably lose the general election.

By Payback

Payback (http://www.videosift.com/member/Payback) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:13:59 -0700

At around 16:00 he says he won't go through the injustices against blacks.

Then he does exactly that.

Otherwise, he seems to be a man able to be the first President in history to be able to know the name of the Prime Minister of Canada without consulting an aide.

ps. That is the first time I've ever listened to a politian for more than 15 minutes.

By RedSky

RedSky (http://www.videosift.com/member/RedSky) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:29:21 -0700

This makes Kevin Rudd's apology to the indigenous Aborigines look thoroughly meaningless.

By aaronfr

aaronfr (http://www.videosift.com/member/aaronfr) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:00:15 -0700

If you want to discuss the speech, make sure you know what was said. Transcript here. I happen to have read the speech online before I ever watched it; it is really worth reading. It's basically just a 4,881 word essay that was read by a very eloquent man. But man, what an essay.

By MaxWilder

MaxWilder (http://www.videosift.com/member/MaxWilder) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:48:11 -0700

Obama was not my first choice, but he is the only candidate left who is even interested in peace and harmony. This speech is yet more evidence that he has what it takes to change the horrible direction this country is heading.

If we elect Clinton or McCain, it will just be more of the same partisan special-interest bullshit.

Honestly I'm amazed we survived the last few years without imploding. The midterm elections helped, but this one will be the real deciding factor. The questions we are facing are "Do Americans want to change?" and "Can we recognize who has the capacity to lead us in a new direction?"

By quantumushroom

quantumushroom (http://www.videosift.com/member/quantumushroom) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:25:09 -0700

First of all the joke's on me for trying to deprogram Hopebots. But even if the kid in the parable that screamed, "The Emperor wears no clothes!" was drowned out by the mob, he still tried.

Obama's spell is powerful. I cant imagine any other candidate saying he adores his spiritual leader "except for those times when he spouted bigoted remarks and victimhood. I wasn't there for those."

It's not that other candidates don't align themselves with kooks for their own ends, but this is different, as O-bam has indicated this church and his values are in complete alignment. As a pandering politician, it's a brilliant maneuver. O-bam needs the Black victimhood vote as well as the guilty White liberal vote. Here he gets both.

What's the real message here? The world owes you something, especially if you're Black. Since life is a lottery, the only way you're going to "get yours" is if we Big Government Heroes take that money from the undeserving wealthy and spread it about.

For 40 years the "White Man" has bent over backwards to accommodate approx 37 million out of 300 million Americans to the tune of over a trillion dollars. There is NOTHING to feel bad or guilty about. Why is O-bam playing the race card? He aligned himself with this "church" and was called on it.

Like all race baiting povery pimps, O-bam is the one reopening "old racial wounds" like a bum opening a found wallet to see if there's anything of value in there.

This phony savior has promised you nothing except the idea of "change" without form or consequence. He's offered to meet with the Iranian punk I'm-A-Dinner-Jacket. O-bam thinks he can "reason" with a tyrant who denies the Holocaust happened and wants Israel "wiped off the map."

I hate spoiling others' "good vibes" but if I saw you were about to jump off a tall building because you thought you could fly, I have a moral obligation to stop you, especially if your leaping blindly causes others to fall, including me.

"President Obama" will make things worse than they are now. The few solid positions he's taken--appeasement and raising taxes--have been proven historically unworkable. Wiki Jimmy Carter.

Ask yourself what 'change' you're really after. If you're expecting 'change' in fundamental human nature, including greed and hypocrisy, forget it. Accept it's a part of life, but like suffering, is manageable.

You're going to vote your heart no matter what. So am I. We still need each other. Have a good rest of today and tomorrow.

By my15minutes

my15minutes (http://my15minutes.videosift.com) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:16:18 -0700

> First of all the joke's on me...
you got that much right. any deja vu lately? how's that tail doin'?

> ...for trying to deprogram Hopebots.
aww shucks. we appreciate all the effort.
i'm having a considerably easier time, deprogramming Fearbots.

> "The Emperor wears no clothes!"
funny. seen more & more of that parable, over the last 7 years.

> Obama's spell is powerful.
mmm yes, you should see his Magic Missile. puts Gandalf to shame.

(skipping past a lot of other minor funny bits, to...)

> I hate spoiling others' "good vibes" ...
actually, i doubt that. you attempt little else here.

but, on the off chance you were being sincere there? then you needn't worry.
they remain unspoiled by you. indeed, untouched.

so, when's the last time you started a good vibe, shroomy?
any deja vu lately?

By BillOreilly

BillOreilly (http://www.videosift.com/member/BillOreilly) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:19:24 -0700

>> ^CaptWillard:
>> ^BillOreilly:
snore

Thanks Barack, but I don't need a history lesson from an ex-lawyer with a wackjob pastor. Maybe next time.

Screw you, Bill_O. I may be a young man, but that is the best political speech I've heard in my lifetime, and I bet many other people who are older than me are thinking the same thing too. Even some conservatives have openly expressed how blown away they were by this speech. And he wrote it all by himself. Here at VS you can turn a good phrase from time to time, but can you do what he did?

I'm an Obama supporter, but I'm not an Obamatron mindlessly chanting "Obama! Obama!" He wasn't even my first choice in the Democratic field. Still, there's no denying that the man is smart, and also a great speaker. How many major politicians these days write their own speeches? A team of the best speechwriters in this country could not have delivered on the goods half as well as Obama did, because he drew from his own experiences when creating this speech, and that was a big part of its beauty.

Wake me up when you have a fraction of the talent that Obama does. snore

Son, that was beautiful. I'm touched, truly I am. Perhaps you should run for President someday, as that speech was much more entertaining than Obama's. You truly have "the gift."

Now, if you can discern what part of that was sarcastic and what wasn't, you'll truly be ready for public office.

By quantumushroom

quantumushroom (http://www.videosift.com/member/quantumushroom) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:11:18 -0700

For you-know-who: you're at 14:59 and you've got the rest of your life ahead of you.

Don't waste a second more losing arguments.

By MrFisk

MrFisk (http://www.videosift.com/member/MrFisk) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:22:06 -0700

I thought this speech was excellent. It's impossible to imagine George W. Bush speaking so elequantly, let alone composing something up to par with this speech on his own. That is one example of change I'd appreciate.

By chilaxe

chilaxe (http://www.videosift.com/member/chilaxe) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:34:53 -0700

>> ^jwray:
[...] 2. He insists that his interracial rags-to-riches story could not have happened in any other country. This is blatantly false. America is neither the least racist country nor the most socialy mobile country. Similar things could happen in most countries. [...]

People of African descent from countries like France come to the U.S. and say they see African Americans having an influence on the culture in a way that they don't see in their home countries.

The point is mainly just that the U.S. has had much more diversity (and ethnic tensions) for a longer time than most countries, so there is a stronger and wider trend of members of minority groups rising to influential positions.

By CaptainPlanet420

CaptainPlanet420 (http://www.videosift.com/member/CaptainPlanet420) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:27:37 -0700

Well, it's good to know it's still the white man's fault. You younglings forget long sentences rely more on delivery than substance. oh noes!!!1111

By bamdrew

bamdrew (http://www.videosift.com/member/bamdrew) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:57:39 -0700

haha... lol at probie 'Red' up there... "the actions of star war allies like Israel"...

I guess the good professor shouldn't use large words like 'stalwart' in the next one.

By jwray

jwray (http://jwray.videosift.com) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:30:39 -0700

>> ^chilaxe:
>> ^jwray:
[...] 2. He insists that his interracial rags-to-riches story could not have happened in any other country. This is blatantly false. America is neither the least racist country nor the most socialy mobile country. Similar things could happen in most countries. [...]

People of African descent from countries like France come to the U.S. and say they see African Americans having an influence on the culture in a way that they don't see in their home countries.

The point is mainly just that the U.S. has had much more diversity (and ethnic tensions) for a longer time than most countries, so there is a stronger and wider trend of members of minority groups rising to influential positions.

Let's counter this claim with some specifics:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Al_Amoudi

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Lee-Chin

3. Norway seems to be much less racist than the USA:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1161853.stm
The same thing happens more frequently, with less protest, in the USA.
Also, nearly 50% of Norway's parliament is female, and half of Norway's population growth is from immigration.

6. In Indonesia, three races coexist, each with at least 30% of the population. There isn't much racial strife there (though there is religious strife)

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliko_Dangote (Nigeria is extremely diverse. There is no majority ethnic group, only a plurality) See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nigeria_Benin_Cameroon_languages.png http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Nigeria#Ethnic_groups

8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masayoshi_Son

By dystopianfuturetoday

dystopianfuturetoday (http://dft.videosift.com) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:28:01 -0700

>> ^quantumushroom:
For you-know-who: you're at 14:59 and you've got the rest of your life ahead of you.

Don't waste a second more losing arguments.

QM, stop projecting.

By chilaxe

chilaxe (http://www.videosift.com/member/chilaxe) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:03:30 -0700

^jwray Let's counter this claim with some specifics[...]

Obama is not claiming that there is only one country that has diversity or successful individuals of minority groups.

He's right that his particular story is uniquely American in some sense. Diversity in the U.S. means that 45% of children younger than 5 are minorities, including people from every country on the planet (this isn't true of any other country). Importantly, the history of that diversity also includes one of the largest racial injustices of modern times.

Norway, like every country, has its own story of wrestling with diversity, but having a small percentage of its population being recent immigrants is not the same.

By quantumushroom

quantumushroom (http://www.videosift.com/member/quantumushroom) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:20:04 -0700

dystop:

'Class war?' Liberals aren't good at fighting any wars, except maybe risking race war to keep power. How are liberals supposed to unite the country? They're too busy sorting everyone by race, religion, sexual orientation, income, etc.

By quantumushroom

quantumushroom (http://www.videosift.com/member/quantumushroom) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:25:15 -0700

Seaman Willard:

You're seeing a half-brain because that's all that's needed to highlight liberal folly.

By dystopianfuturetoday

dystopianfuturetoday (http://dft.videosift.com) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:12:25 -0700

qm, I don't know why I even bother, but as long as you are willing to set 'em up, I'm happy to knock 'em down.

War: OK, Clinton's Bosnia vs. Bush's Iraq. Which one turned out better? FDR was also pretty good in the war dept.

How to unite the country: Bringing our boys home, restoring our civil rights, patching up the economy and health care would be a great start. Although Republicans have been recently successful at selling their brand, when you look at the actual issues, the American public is actually pretty liberal. Beyond this, the governmental circus of 'rule by fear' is likely to leave town once the libs come to power, which is always good for a country's morale.

Diversity: I'm not sure what I could say to help a person out who throws around terms like 'hemophiliac poo-pushers', but here goes. You don't need to fear blacks, gays or muslims anymore, qm. That fear is the glue that keeps your mind closed and your ideology in dark ages. There are many a good arguments to be made about political correctness run-amok, but until you have developed a basic respect for all races, sexual preferences, etc., your opinion is baseless. Many in your party are growing up out of this phase; maybe you should consider joining them.

Beyond this, I never hear your rhetoric stray from the standard far-right talking points. I mean, I suppose it's possible that you've thought out each and every issue on your own and just happen to be perfectly in lock step with the republican thought patrol, but to the casual observer, you seem to be a patchwork of other peoples ideas.

Do you have any unique thoughts or ideas that separate you from the flock?

By dag

dag (http://dag.videosift.com) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:50:24 -0700

^ Very well put. Is it possible to talk a wingnut into a moonbat or vice versa?

I wonder if I hung out at MichelleMalkin.com long enough - could I be talked out of my views?

By my15minutes

my15minutes (http://my15minutes.videosift.com) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:20:21 -0700

^ no. i'm quite sure, that particular subset of the republican party?
would only reassure you, of why you're not one.

but, maybe if you hung out at some reasonable, intellectual forum,
which had an overall conservative appeal?

(such a thing can't be purely hypothetical, i just don't know of any, so someone help me out here...)

you'd at least come away with the feeling that it was merely a small change in priorities, or philosophies, and that you still had more in common than not.

By Farhad2000

Farhad2000 (http://farhad.videosift.com) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:21:24 -0700

I love how QM always states that Obama or Hillary or whatever Democrat coming into power would impose large government control.

What do you think Bush has been doing with his no bid contracts from Katrina to Iraq, financial bailouts and encroachments of executive power?

By Fedquip

Fedquip (http://fedquip.videosift.com) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:44:09 -0700

I just heard a Fox News analyst say that Obama has failed to address the "Rev Wright Issue"

ummm time for a *promote

By siftbot

siftbot (http://www.videosift.com/member/siftbot) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:44:13 -0700

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 2:26pm PDT - promote requested by Fedquip.

By siftbot

siftbot (http://www.videosift.com/member/siftbot) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:32:42 -0700

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Obama, race, speech, politics' to 'Obama, race, speech, politics, more perfect union' - edited by my15minutes