as an incredibly average guy on the street, blow it out your ass, i'm not as stupid as you always assumed i am and the sooner you come to realize it, the sooner i'll give a shiat what you have to say.

I'm average and I was impressed.

It doesn't matter.

The average joe in the street votes. The fact that Obama didn't distance himself from the church will be damning.

The church in question is "afro-centric" and that is enough for a white person to read "It's whitey fault!"

I trust Politico for all my Democratic candidate news.

Darth_Lukecash: It doesn't matter.

The average joe in the street votes. The fact that Obama didn't distance himself from the church will be damning.

The church in question is "afro-centric" and that is enough for a white person to read "It's whitey fault!"

again... as an average joe, and a white person, blow it out your ass, i'm not as racist as you think and the sooner you come to realize that, the sooner i'll give a shiat what you have to say.

Their "average guy on the street" is the one who forms all his political opinions with sound bytes. He neither listened to the entire speech, nor read it.

patrick767: Their "average guy on the street" is the one who forms all his political opinions with sound bytes. He neither listened to the entire speech, nor read it.

Yeah, but to be fair that speech was almost 40 minutes long and didn't even have any explosions or gunfights.

burndtdan: Darth_Lukecash: It doesn't matter.

The average joe in the street votes. The fact that Obama didn't distance himself from the church will be damning.

The church in question is "afro-centric" and that is enough for a white person to read "It's whitey fault!"

again... as an average joe, and a white person, blow it out your ass, i'm not as racist as you think and the sooner you come to realize that, the sooner i'll give a shiat what you have to say.

You will have to forgive me. I grew up in the 1970-1980's in the midweset where the *n* word wast thrown around like candy. Being white and an older generation (40) I still have trouble with unexplain racist thoughts. I know its wrong, but I still have those hot flashes of feeling.

I think the younger generation of whites have it a lot better than I did, when it comes to race. For me, half of my white friends are racist or have racist tendency. My grandfathers refered to other white men by their country of orgin. My grandmother threaten to disown me if I ever dated a black girl. My father couldn't watch the Jeffersons because of the uppity black man. My mother occasionally goes to a black church for fun.

All I know is our generation was better than my parents, but we aint where we need to be yet. Good luck to the younger generation

Darth_Lukecash: burndtdan: Darth_Lukecash: It doesn't matter.

The average joe in the street votes. The fact that Obama didn't distance himself from the church will be damning.

The church in question is "afro-centric" and that is enough for a white person to read "It's whitey fault!"

again... as an average joe, and a white person, blow it out your ass, i'm not as racist as you think and the sooner you come to realize that, the sooner i'll give a shiat what you have to say.

You will have to forgive me. I grew up in the 1970-1980's in the midweset where the *n* word wast thrown around like candy. Being white and an older generation (40) I still have trouble with unexplain racist thoughts. I know its wrong, but I still have those hot flashes of feeling.

I think the younger generation of whites have it a lot better than I did, when it comes to race. For me, half of my white friends are racist or have racist tendency. My grandfathers refered to other white men by their country of orgin. My grandmother threaten to disown me if I ever dated a black girl. My father couldn't watch the Jeffersons because of the uppity black man. My mother occasionally goes to a black church for fun.

All I know is our generation was better than my parents, but we aint where we need to be yet. Good luck to the younger generation

i understand...

the "blow it out your ass" and all that was directed at the idea that the "average joe" is some knuckle dragging jackass that happens to be the spin du-jour.

it pisses me off. they are calling me an ignorant racist. they are calling you an ignorant racist. clearly, by your post, you are not an ignorant racist.

Bah, we're farked. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that half the people are stupider than that. Personally, I want a president that is smarter than me. It seems that most Americans want a president that's obviously dumber than they are...which is how we got to where we are now...I wasn't a big Obama supporter until recently - after listening to him the last few weeks I've decided that I'm voting for him. I don't care who the party trots out on election day - I'm voting for Obama.

Obama talked to the nation like they were adults.


We aren't used to that, and are frightened and confused.

The only people I've talked to that were really impressed by it were already big fans of his anyways. The time of the day that he spoke didn't help, and going by the clips that were shown on telivision that night it didn't look like one of his best performances.

/misses the old Obama rocking the Fillmore acts

Then the 'Budweiser Class' should really leave for Mexico, and leave us nice quality-beer drinking folks our country founded on freedom and equality.

burndtdan: the sooner i'll give a shiat what you have to say.

You never will, you only hear what you want to hear, never really listening, but rather waiting your turn to speak or shout down.

My coworker told me the other day that she listened to the speech on talk radio. I asked what she thought about it and she said "yea I heard clips of it on talk radio. He tried some bait and switch thing." and then she rolled her eyes.

TexasIsBetter: You never will, you only hear what you want to hear, never really listening, but rather waiting your turn to speak or shout down.

STFU troll

muck4doo:

The only people I've talked to that were really impressed by it were already big fans of his anyways.

"It's worth noting that both Charles Murray, the author of The Bell Curve, and Pat Buchanan, the vessel for white ethnic resentment in the 1990s, found Obama's speech persuasive and even brilliant." Link (new window).

Damn Kool-Aid drinkers!

mofroe: Yeah, but to be fair that speech was almost 40 minutes long and didn't even have any explosions or gunfights.

Boobs. It also lacked boobs.

Look people, this much is clear.

Misogyny is more prevalent than racism. Period. The US has always been more comfortable with Black males in the electorate than white females.

Black men could vote for decades before white women could. And we're going to see that same pattern in this election.

/his speech was awesome

Darth_Lukecash: The church in question is "afro-centric" and that is enough for a white person to read "It's whitey fault!"

Which is retarded.

Why would a white person take offense to the long-established notion of a black church? What is wrong with a church that focuses on the needs of a particular ethnic community? How is that "racist"?

In my city, there are Hungarian churches and Greek Orthodox churches and Slovakian churches and Russian churhes and Polish churches, etc. There are all kinds of churches that serve particular ethnic communities. No one ever accuses any of them of being racist. How is an African American church any different?

I listened until he brought out granny,and yes to me this was cya.I don't think he did a very good job either.

Racist white people stopped calling the blacks "nigers" and started calling them "racists" instead.

Well, duh. Even if the Obarmy pretend that this is "I have a dream" 2.0, this was a cheap political discourse and closer to "I did not have relations with this woman" 2.0

After eight years of people being fed Kool-Aid intravenously on how to be scared and using evasive tactics, I can understands how candor can be confusing.

what_now: Obama talked to the nation like they were adults.


We aren't used to that, and are frightened and confused.

It's quite a difference from the drooling monkey that is our current president. On the plus side, I guess this means I'm above average......

absoluteparanoia: Black men could vote for decades before white women could.

Tell that to black men who lived in the Jim Crow south. Tell that to black men who lived before the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s.

You have it backwards. White women could vote for decades before black men were really enfranchised.

rotay5: I listened until he brought out granny,and yes to me this was cya.I don't think he did a very good job either.

Stop listening to AM radio, because the only reason why you think it was a cheap shot is because you listened to Limbaugh!1!

/agrees with you

Tatsuma: Well, duh. Even if the Obarmy pretend that this is "I have a dream" 2.0, this was a cheap political discourse and closer to "I did not have relations with this woman" 2.0

Oh please, obviously you don't like him and were only listening for something to complain about. Surprise, surprise.

jerry2a: Bah, we're farked. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that half the people are stupider than that. Personally, I want a president that is smarter than me. It seems that most Americans want a president that's obviously dumber than they are...which is how we got to where we are now...I wasn't a big Obama supporter until recently - after listening to him the last few weeks I've decided that I'm voting for him. I don't care who the party trots out on election day - I'm voting for Obama.

The average person is fairly smart, you know. Most people use it to get money, get laid, or keep track of complex entertainment, though, so it's not necessarily easily transferrable to academic subjects like political science. Not stupid, just possessing different priorities than your own. Admittedly, there are stupid people, but the ones that are are a fairly minor portion of the population. Disproportionately represented in government because most of the competent people are busy working at real jobs, but still a minority.

Also, hopefully you realize that half the people are only below average because the IQ scale is designed to fit a gaussian distribution. In most situations, the mean and the median are not the same.

Over 2 million views

Yup. Joe six-pack is not impressed.

Doublespeak: Oh please, obviously you don't like him and were only listening for something to complain about. Surprise, surprise.

I actually liked him, and said so in the past, until the Jeremiah Wright, Samantha Powers, his wife debacles.

Before, I didn't like his policies. Now, I don't like him

what_now: Obama talked to the nation like they were adults.


We aren't used to that, and are frightened and confused.

THIS

Doc Daneeka: There are all kinds of churches that serve particular ethnic communities. No one ever accuses any of them of being racist. How is an African American church any different?

It's something that's easy for the mental midgets to attack without having to think.

The country doesn't deserve someone as smart, decent, or caring as Obama. He'll go to sleep with a clear conscience after all this (and, no, he won't be your VP, nor will he run again), and the country will just watch slack-jawed as McCain eats jellybeans through Fall of Rome II.

Tatsuma: Well, duh. Even if the Obarmy pretend that this is "I have a dream" 2.0, this was a cheap political discourse and closer to "I did not have relations with this woman" 2.0

I thought "I have a dream" was the "I am not a crook" of its time. Since blacks had it pretty darn good compared to the people who really had it rough in this country, right? *cough*1918myass*cough*

Tatsuma: Doublespeak: Oh please, obviously you don't like him and were only listening for something to complain about. Surprise, surprise.

I actually liked him, and said so in the past, until the Jeremiah Wright, Samantha Powers, his wife debacles.

Before, I didn't like his policies. Now, I don't like him

Luckily I'm voting for him and not those three.

Skleenar: Yup. Joe six-pack is not impressed.

Since when number of views on youtube = agreeing with content of video?

The "average person" also does not vote.

I'll probably get my chops busted for saying this, but I don't care: If you guys choose Hillary or McCain over Obama, or continue to drag out this ridiculous nomination-battle/mini-smear-campaign you'll only help confirm every stereotype the world has of Americans as dumb, partisan, childish mouthbreathers more concerned with slinging both military and political bullshiat than with the ideals your country purports to uphold.

/kthanxbye

So if I was impressed, does that make me above average or below average?

/if there's one thing politics needs more of, it's sweeping generalizations.
//...not really.

TFA: "So here the problem is, Jeremiah Wright is conducive to a 10-second sound bite and the speech is not," he said. "This is the problem. The Wright thing is perfect for our short attention spans, and this requires a little bit of attention. It takes some sitting down and settling in and not a lot of folks are willing to do that."

That's the problem, right there. No one wants to take the time to listen to the speech. Just look at the other quotes in the article. You've got the fired auto-parts worker claiming Obama "blamed" him for Wright's background. You've got the guy saying that Obama's church's website plays up the "victim" status. Yet if these guys had actually bothered to listen to the speech, they'd have heard Obama tell the African-American community to STFU about being victims and move beyond it, and they've have heard him say that racial tensions and failed policies like affirmative action are responsible for "white resentment" and that that's something else we need to move beyond.

And you've got the Romanian immigrant saying she watched the whole speech but what it comes down to is that Wright said "God Damn America", which makes a perfect soundbite.

It's all very depressing, but I'm still going to hold out a bit of hope. As the media have said, it's March, not October, this is going to be a non-issue in a month. I'd like to think that what will happen is that the DNC leadership and the superdelegates will allow Hillary to have her one last victory in PA, and then we'll see a month of Obama wins, starting with NC. (Indiana is still a tossup, I think, but I hope he can pull that off) The remaining superdelegates will endorse Obama, and it'll be settled before the convention.

BREAKING: John Edwards to Endorse Clinton Tonight on Leno... Developing...

Doublespeak: Luckily I'm voting for him and not those three.

Actually, you were voting for Samantha Powers and Wright too, as they would have played a role in his administration

I thought the first half of his speech was ok, until he brought Geraldine Ferraro in to it, and the affirmative action/Reagan coalition thing. Then I realized he's just a partisan looking for sympathy. Fark him and his crazy pastor.

All I can say is if you listened to or read the speech and you think it's just "cya" you are in serious need of help. Maybe you should find the wizard of oz so he can give you a new brain and heart.

Tatsuma: rotay5: I listened until he brought out granny,and yes to me this was cya.I don't think he did a very good job either.

Stop listening to AM radio, because the only reason why you think it was a cheap shot is because you listened to Limbaugh!1!

/agrees with you

The point, which you seem to be incapable of understanding, is racism is everywhere. White grandmothers with black children have racist thoughts. Black preachers have racist thoughts. Racism tends to not live out in the open.

You hated Obama anyway so you found the reason which you can latch onto to not like the speech. Other people actually understood the message. That is what happens when blind partisanship doesn't exist.

Anti-Obama article: Check.
Anti-Clinton article: Check.
Anti-McCain article: Check.

At this rate, none of them will be electable in November. Yay!

Actually, it sounds like they got that story from a place that had a patronage of old, closeted white racists... the kind of people who want to focus on race internally, but they don't want to voice it unless "someone" slips up. Those aren't people in the street everywhere, they're localized (but the attitude is more common among older generations).

Jon Stewart said it best:

"And so, at 11 o'clock AM on a Tuesday, a prominent politician spoke to Americans about race as though they were adults."